Meet Tom Curtis Jr.

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tom Curtis Jr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tom, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Hard work is where you can find true happiness and success. Over time, I’ve discovered this and continued to build upon it through myself each and every day. This wasn’t always the way of life for me. I used to be the king of comfort zones and find myself often using crutches such as over sleeping, partying too much, brainwashing my mind with pointless phone and tv usage, etc… Now I look back and acknowledge how much time was wasted on things and materials that I thought were erasing issues or situations I felt uncomfortable dealing with when in reality, this only paused them. I had a personal awakening during covid when I would visit my grandparents weekly to cut their lawn. Showing up hungover and unmotivated, I would push myself to power through and every time I felt a complaint coming on, I would remind myself of my grandfather who was just inside the house. The man that served in the Navy and the Air Force, the man who took bombs apart for a living, the man that continuously provided and loved for his family, the man who remained devoted and faithful to my grandmother for 60 + years, the man who has had to bury 3 out of 6 of his children, and never once did he complain or halt his dedication to family and his own life. Regardless of what life threw at him, he stood tall and pushed forward in search of better outcomes. From that summer on, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t stop pushing to work as hard as I could to become the best possible version of me for myself, my family, and the future generations of my family. We are all a piece of the puzzle to this universe and I believe we all have our roll to play in filling those pieces to attain the best life imaginable for all of us. It is not easy to work hard but it is extremely worth it when you make it to the other side. I quit drinking over 2 years ago, I walk 5-7 miles every day, I eat healthier, and I remain focused on nothing but my family and career. Once I truly found discipline and routine, my life became substantially better in every direction.

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?
I am a full time/ professional musician/ singer-songwriter under the stage name Curtis Jr. I travel monthly around the MidAtlantic Region (Pa/ Ny/ Nj/ De/ Md) and Key West, Fl performing original compositions, while also covering 400 + bands from the 1950’s to current, spanning all different genres and styles, typically averaging 20-30 public and private shows per month. My mission is to create a worldwide operation touring multiple countries and while spreading my brand and music, creating a happier environment and world for others by offering a sense of joy, peace, and positivity through my craft. Curtis Jr.’s slogan is “Be cool to each other.”. Yet simple, I feel this message to be very important more so now than ever because majority of humans are facing hardships physically and/ or mentally whether or not they make it known publicly. When we take the time to truly focus on our own personal growth and development while offering nothing but genuine intentions towards others along the way with a helping hand, the outcome is positively contagious. This life has so much potential for every one of us and I want to make sure I do my part in helping others generate a comfortable understanding of that for themselves. Alongside this, through a self created organization called Shopen Productions, I will also offer guidance and learning skills/ opportunities to fellow musicians in search of supplying the same intentions through their skill set while helping them grow into their own unique brand and version of themselves. The visions and creations revolving around Curtis Jr. and Shopen Productions are always evolving with intern/ job positions becoming available in the near future.

You can discover Curtis Jr.’s music, performance schedule, merchandise, and more through www.Curtisjr.net. New music is being created constantly and special events collaborating with other artist and brands are in the works as well so stay tuned and thanks for your support!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Discipline, consistency, and self care.

When it comes to discipline, form a day to day routine for yourself that you find places you in the best mindset physically and mentally to perform your duties and whatever they may entail for the day at hand. If you don’t have a routine yet, start with one thing. For example, it can be as simple as making your bed first thing every morning. This automatically grants accomplishment into your subconscious and provides motivation to achieve more goals immediately at the beginning of your day. Once you’ve mastered this routine, throw something else into the mix that you don’t necessarily feel like doing. Over time, these tasks turn into your routined disciplines and your day won’t feel right without them.

Consistency will help you grow and gain success. By performing at the same rate and quality over and over again, it forms a trust bond with the consumer and employer. You’re providing them a guarantee that they are going to receive the same product, if not better, every time. When you form the routine of consistency, it allows you to hit accomplishments and check points with yourself which then allow you to take the time and effort to grow your craft offering an even more rewarding product which then leads to more customers wanting said guaranteed product. The only form of competition that exists is with yourself. With that being said, when you only compete with yourself to do better than you did the day before, consistency will become second nature to you.

Working extremely hard through discipline and consistency will require self care. If you are not taking care of your body, the process of the success-climb will shut you down wether you like it or not. Perform some form of physical and mental workout daily. For example, go for a 10 minute walk around a couple of blocks every morning to get your body and circulation in motion to help it function the way it should. Listen to music or an audio book while walking or working out to help the brain expand and clear it self of any unnecessary thinking that may create a negative mindset or blockage on your day and performance. Eat more fruit and veggies instead of trash food while hydrating with water. These natural supplements can help your body endure a hard day when you don’t have enough time to consume a full meal. Sleep also plays a huge roll on your body’s performance so make sure you’re locking in 6-8 hours every night. If you’re not staying true to your body and it’s needs because of tasks and deadlines, it can shutoff without your permission and you could end up missing even more work than intended so take the safe route when it comes to this matter. These all play a part with your mental health as well. That being said, make sure you give yourself a pat on the back every so often for all of your accomplishments. It’s easy to disregard the small achievements you make over time which can cause an overload of anxiety so take a couple minutes here and there to breathe and tell yourself good job. This will give you a window to bring things back down to the ground and reset the mind for your next steps in the workload.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents placed trust in me to make my own decisions towards pursuing music knowing that it’s an extremely difficult career to succeed in. This has motivated every ounce of me along the way to make them proud and beat all of the odds as a thank you for their amazing support. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t for their guidance and example.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
– ArJay Hasty Photography – GingerSnapz Photography – Shopen Photography

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