We were lucky to catch up with Jacob Acosta recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jacob, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
I believe that being an effective communicator is important trait to develop regardless if it is a job, career, passion, hobby, etc. Whether you are communicating with yourself or other individuals, reflection and evaluation should be a constant in your growth. When I first started performing music, I was frequently just trying to achieve a personal fulfillment in the practice, and display of my musical skill. Now coming into my 17th year of performing professionally as a music artist, I frequently try to challenge myself to understand each performance experience, the audience, and watching the overall vibe of each moment that passes. There is an energy that is occurring simultaneously between all of us when we communicate, and the energy we put out is being picked up on by anyone who is paying attention by accident or by strict intention. One of the biggest challenges I had to overcome on tuning into the musical experience between the venue and audience was through the action of performing and practicing songs well enough that performing became like breathing. This allowed me to listen and watch the audience more to respond to them. Also to be more courageous in doing a random song request off the fly, and not being afraid of the result. Even if I wasn’t always perfect, I was intentional on picking up and including the present company in the experience. Music is a uniting force. It always finds a way to connect people, no matter the circumstance. I actually think that if you are able to recognize a uniting element in any type of job, career, etc.,you can achieve the same clarity in connecting better with yourself and others.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Here is what I am up to these days…
Professionally I have 2 careers I manage.
One of those careers is being a real estate agent in Tucson, AZ for the incredible brokerage Engel and Völkers Tucson. I help people buy and sell what they need when it comes to land, residential, and commercial real estate. I spend about 40+ hours every week talking to clients, doing inspections, writing contracts, doing advertising, and constant new client outreach and follow up. Being a reputable real estate agent takes discipline, persistence, and positive thinking. You have to effectively manage your own schedule, and if you wish to achieve more success it is up to you to work harder. What is exciting about the job is helping people securing their dream homes, using their equity or capital to do new things with their lives, or even just the act of constantly solving puzzles, watching/reacting to markets, and investigating detail oriented challenges. Of course, the money can also be nice, but it is more important to serve your clients and at the end of the day know you did everything within your power to help them. There is a lot pride and honor in that pursuit, and it is also nice being able to run your own business.
My second career, which I’m currently more well known for, is a performing and recording music artist who plays about 100 shows a year. I currently play with different arrangements of the popular folk-pop outfit, the Jacob Acosta Band, and the blues rock band Mason. I’m also starting a new ensemble which is yet to be named with some new talent, new songs, and instrumental direction. On the music front, I perform at small and large venues with sets of about 2-3 hours, and very often don’t have a strict setlist. I mix diverse covers and originals together, and watch and interact with my audience. When I perform as a soloist I don’t often take breaks, which I’ve found has a certain power of keeping the vibe of a place locked in for your whole set. I additionally play weddings, private events, and special occasions often. I will even sometimes help other artists with music production critiques/questions, and sometimes hand out opportunities to other talented musicians in my community. I am most excited by smiling kids enjoying the music, dancing patrons, or folks who really listen intensely and clap fervently after the conclusion of a piece. I think understanding the joy and connection music delivers will make you a very memorable, and attractive performer for people to watch. I try my best to tap into that aesthetic every single time, whether it’s five people or a thousand.
I’ve released 16 albums since I started my music career. The most recent album in 2022 was a second full length album from my extremely talented blues band Mason called My Kind of Trouble. The next release I’m hoping to release sometime between 2023-2024 will be Saint Corazon, a follow up akin to my popular Arizona tribute album, Desert Sounds. Both of these albums were recorded with live performance takes at Waterworks Studios with Jim Waters, and were then mixed with a studio touch. I believe masterful live performance is one of the most powerful skills any artist can develop.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The top three skills I can think of that helped me the most were:
Resilience
Creativity
Persistence
The best advice I feel I can offer, regardless of where you are in your journey, is this:
It is not solely our abilities that define us, it is our choices. No great success can be achieved without failure.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
We are all raised in different social and economic situations. If you read biographies on any well known celebrities or artists they all have specific catalysts in their backgrounds that have shaped who they are. I myself was raised by a divorced single mother, with a father who was in the picture a couple of times a month for many years. They both supported me in different ways, but I believe the most important thing they taught me was how to work and earn what I needed. I never considered us to be poor, but we definitely had to work for everything we wanted. When I wanted my first car, and phone I had to pay for it. When I went college there were no scholarships for me, so I that is something I paid and worked a job for. Over the years, I’ve learned that a disciplined and hustler based work ethic will separate you from the others. My parents helped me understand that nothing in this world is ever free. Since our society developed a system based on capitalism in America, I knew that if you had the drive to work that you had the opportunity to make something of yourself. Of course, that doesn’t mean work blindly. Be creative, intentional, persistent, and well disciplined. They helped me understand that if I expressed myself, and put the work in things would happen and my value could be recognized by myself and others.
My parents also taught me to love, enjoy my life, and have integrity. Life isn’t all about work, but the energy you put out there too. In certain times love and work can be parallel, and that is usually where I find the most satisfaction and success.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://jacobacostamusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobacostamusicofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacobacostamusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JacobAcosta
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jacobacostamusic
- Other: https://jacobacosta.evrealestate.com/
Image Credits:
Engel and Völkers Tucson Zoya Greene Jacob Acosta
