Today we’d like to introduce you to John Ward.
Hi John, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been traveling since I was 12 years old. Not physically, mind you, but in music. Now, I reside in a small town southwest of Tampa, but previously I’ve been all over the map. I’ve been in choir, I’ve been in indie bands, I’ve been in Texas, and I’ve been in the studio. Every experience is a traveling mystery, and it teaches you to step by step who you are and who you are not. I wanted deeply to be good at anything music, so I took as many experiences as I could find, and I traveled to them. After a while, you learn whether or not that’s a place that you’d like to live in; and often that means traveling to the next town – whether that’s a different genre, a different instrument, or a different city.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think anyone could answer this with a smooth ‘yes.’ I think the most successful people probably answer this with the most resounding ‘no’! We don’t get to choose our successes. We get to choose the path we try to take. Whether we get there or not is often not up to us. That’s why they say the journey is more important than the destination – because you may die before you get there, so you may as well enjoy the ride. I think finding identity is probably the hardest struggle of a musician or an artist or a person. You can start small, but as you continue, you learn how important small decisions become. Just ask the astronauts piloting the space crafts we’ve sent into space. A minor miscalculation has sent us off to places we often mean to go, but the beauty of life is to allow yourself Grace to realize that no one is perfect, yet we are all loved. Be loved. Don’t be perfect.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create moods. I’m not about hooks so much as I am emotions because we don’t remember what people often said, but we often remember how they made us feel, so I’m encouraged to make a difference by being there for people when they need to feel something, good or bad. I want to be there. I can’t be physically all the time, so I choose to be there mentally and musically. When someone sits with a record, they sit with a person or a group of people. I want to be there for that person then and there. What I do best and what I’m most proud of are those moments where I was there for someone and they let me know about it.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
My life is one big risk. I was blessed to have a good upbringing by being homeschooled by my ever-hardworking mother, and because of this, I was able to receive multiple full-ride scholarships to a few very influential colleges and universities. But that wasn’t for me, so that began a lifestyle of choosing to take the path I wanted to take, no matter what others felt or thought or even tried to choose for me. I couldn’t live with myself otherwise, although I’m sure I could and have forgiven myself for moves that may have been less than Glorious. So yes, life is one big risk, and I’ve chosen to go all-in with the cards I’ve been dealt with. But in life, you never know what the River and Flop and Turn will give back to you, so playing poker with life is probably not the best of choices. But it’s what I chose, and it’s what I recommend to others. Go all-in on yourself. You’re good enough and you’re capable and you’re going to kill it.
Contact Info:
- Email: john@johnwardmusic.org
- Website: johnwardmusic.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/johnwardmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnWardMusicFb
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWardMusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jwardmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/60vLjtgcrQRJuLfEvM2v2j?si=PrNolUdbT52VUi2__9Hh_Q
Image Credits
Anthon Plake and Cleo Kelly
