Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joseph Ellison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Joseph, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
it wasn’t easy. I’d love to sit here and say that there was a burning bush with the voice of God exploding through the heavens and that he put a staff in my hand and two faithful brothers who would be my support, but that’s not how it went down unfortunately. I failed my very first music class in middle school, (twice!) although if I can be petty for a moment I’m convinced my teacher just didn’t like me for whatever his reasons were! he told me during class once ” Mr. Ellison you don’t have a musical bone in your body. never ever pick up an instrument again. maybe you should just play sports” ..
In HIghschool ( when I had become obsessed about playing guitar ) the small church I went to did not allow any instruments other than the organ inside the church walls, and my parents were scared to death I was going to get off into “devil music” and become a drug addict if I kept listening and playing rock music.
in 1993 I had been granted a music scholarship for Point Loma Nazarene Collage and I studied music there, and while I enjoyed my time there it wasn’t until 2014 when I released my first ever recording of any kind, and wound up in Budapest Hungary on the other side of the world, that I felt like I had found my purpose and place in ministry.
I was helping to lead worship at a church there ( Golgota Budapest Hungary) and during the chorus of the first song, I heard roughly 300 people all singing at once in various languages, and at the moment I felt like I had a glimpse of heaven and I was overwhelmed. and at the same time I felt extreme sorrow because I felt the loss of what had been missing from my previous church experience my entire life.
met purpose became crystal clear at that moment. to approach music/worship/ministry honestly, boldly and fiercely.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
currently I travel as often as I can with my music doing festivals, pubs, bars, parks, churches and street corners even. Aside from seeing places I thought I’d never actually get to see when I was younger, I think the most exciting and fulfilling thing I get to experience is the connection we have with the people who hear our music and it resonates with them. whenever I post a video or the band releases a new song/album it is amazing that from all corners of the earth I’ll get messages and emails from people who really identified with a particular song or phrase and felt so moved that they reach out to let us know. Currently I am writing for our next album which will hopefully be released sometime in 2025. in the meanwhile we are looking at adding tour stops in Mexico in June, and will also be returning to England in July for the “Hope Now” festival as well as returning to Eastern Europe in the fall.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
well the first quality and maybe the most important quality for musicians or anybody in any walk of life is
1.) don’t be a jerk. haha I say this all the time especially to younger people (musicians) starting out and trying to find their way. there’s always somebody better than you, and there is always someone looking at you and aspiring to be where you are. So while being talented is great, people will invite you to their events and people will come watch you play or hear your message once because they think your talented, but if your a person that is not just pleasant to be around, but adds value to their life in the limited time you have with them, they will like you for your talent, but love you for who you are and how you inspire them.
2.)when you have your purpose, there will always be people who try and redirect you from it or discourage you. often times its unintentional. I remember some of my coworkers saying really discouraging things to me about my music before we released our first album. I once had a pastor of a church I was intern at once tell me “nobody else is ever going to hire you to do music if you leave here”
know this. when you are focused in on your goal and your purpose/calling… your own shadow will leave you when times get dark. but your purpose, no matter what that purpose when it is Of God, from God and for God, no force on earth can keep you from it. Persist. be consistent and be fierce with your commitment.
3.) see number 1
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I think for me personally as a musician it has to be my approach to songwriting. its been the realization that I’m not writing music to have it heard on the radio, but I’m music that is honest about my own very real experiences and thoughts whether it be joy, conviction or frustration and that the goal is for people to be able to relate to it and think about their own lives and roles and what they are searching for and where they find meaning.
catchy music that makes your foot bounce is great, but music that touches the heart and activates thought is just as good if not better in my opinion.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Joe_Ellison_and_RWP
- Facebook: Joe Ellison & Run With Patience
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/joe-ellison/824279998
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2bgtJhTSL9c2C3TUeGjPa3?si=mU5FqwC6TF2nUdKpC7AkoA
Image Credits
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