Creative Evolution
Welcome to Creative Evolution, the podcast that gives artists of all disciplines a real plan for a long-term career. Hosted by touring artist and creative professional Josi J, we interview industry veterans to bring you actionable business strategies for lasting success in the arts. Tune in each week to learn how to: Master the business side of the creative industries. Navigate the digital era. Turn career stress into creative stability. Lead with professional humility and advocate for yourself. Success as an artist isn't magic - it's a strategy. Drop your ego, tune in, and let's start the evolution! Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Episodes
He grew up sneaking into his father's recording studio after bedtime. At fifteen he made an entire techno album and shipped it to record labels. They wrote back with one question. How old are you? Decades later a phone call from Frank Sheadrick Jr changed his life with one sentence. Grab all your stuff and come down. You got a room.
In Episode 22 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down at her kitchen table with Will Johnson, al...
He grew up sneaking into his father's recording studio after bedtime. At fifteen he made an entire techno album and shipped it to record labels. They wrote back with one question. How old are you? Decades later a phone call from Frank Sheadrick Jr changed his life with one sentence. Grab all your stuff and come down. You got a room.
In Episode 22 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down at her kitchen table with Will Johnson...
What do a bassist who's kept the faith for fifty years, a Nashville born country singer who found her real family in Knoxville, and a multi-instrumentalist who calls his gift an affliction all have in common? They all figured out that there is no shortcut for experience, that community beats competition every time, and that belief always comes before validation.
In Episode 21 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J brings you the July Ev...
Some people call it the gift. Tommie John calls it the affliction. He has to make music. He has to collaborate. It is just what he is meant to do. And for over thirty years that affliction has taken him from babysitting BB King's grandson at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival to touring the entire eastern seaboard to sitting on a dock on a lake in East Tennessee talking about why a rising tide lifts all ships.
In Episode 20...
Some people call it the gift. Tommie John calls it the affliction. He has to make music. He has to collaborate. It is just what he is meant to do. And for over thirty years that affliction has taken him from babysitting BB King's grandson at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival to touring the entire eastern seaboard to sitting on a dock on a lake in East Tennessee talking about why a rising tide lifts all ships.
In Episode 20...
In Episode 19 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Alicia Harvey, Nashville born and Knoxville made independent country artist, songwriter, CMA member, BMI songwriter, and six time Josie Music Awards nominee. Alicia has played over five hundred shows, crowdfunded her own debut EP entirely on her own terms, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Josie Music Awards on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
In this episode we dig into th...
In Episode 19 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Alicia Harvey, Nashville born and Knoxville made independent country artist, songwriter, CMA member, BMI songwriter, and six time Josie Music Awards nominee. Alicia has played over five hundred shows, crowdfunded her own debut EP entirely on her own terms, and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Josie Music Awards on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
In this episode we dig into th...
In Episode 18 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Mike Hamer, the bassist for Josi J and Dessert, US Army veteran, church musician, and one of the most grounded and hilarious humans to ever step into the Creative Evolution Hot Seat. With over fifty years of bass guitar behind him, Mike has spent a lifetime serving something bigger than himself. In the military, in the church, and on the stage. Today he tells us exactl...
In Episode 18 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Mike Hamer, the bassist for Josi J and Dessert, US Army veteran, church musician, and one of the most grounded and hilarious humans to ever step into the Creative Evolution Hot Seat. With over fifty years of bass guitar behind him, Mike has spent a lifetime serving something bigger than himself. In the military, in the church, and on the stage. Today he tells us exactl...
What do a veteran frontman with over two thousand shows, the Siren of Soul who reinvented herself through karaoke bars, and a guitarist who kept punk rock CDs hidden under country music labels all have in common? They all figured out how to protect their peace, reframe their marketing, and take care of the people who hold them up.
In Episode 17 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J is joined by guest co-host Frank Sheadrick Jr, Full Sa...
What does it look like to spend twenty years doing the thing nobody could make you stop doing?
In Episode 16 of Creative Evolution, independent music and creative business podcast host Josi J welcomes back her dear friend and guitarist Mandy Wilson, aka The Virgin Mandy, for one of the most honest, funny, and genuinely moving conversations of the entire season. Mandy is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and guitarist for Knoxvill...
What does it look like to spend twenty years doing the thing nobody could make you stop doing?
In Episode 16 of Creative Evolution, independent music and creative business podcast host Josi J welcomes back her dear friend and guitarist Mandy Wilson, aka The Virgin Mandy, for one of the most honest, funny, and genuinely moving conversations of the entire season. Mandy is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and guitarist for Knoxvill...
In Episode 15 of Creative Evolution, independent music and creative business podcast host Josi J sits down with Jeanine Fuller, the Siren of Soul, at her kitchen table in Knoxville Tennessee. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Jeanine is a powerhouse vocalist, bandleader of the True Funk SOULdiers, CEO of J9 Queendom Entertainment LLC, and one of the most resilient independent artists in East Tennessee. She won a national music co...
In Episode 15 of Creative Evolution, independent music and creative business podcast host Josi J sits down with Jeanine Fuller, the Siren of Soul, at her kitchen table in Knoxville Tennessee. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Jeanine is a powerhouse vocalist, bandleader of the True Funk SOULdiers, CEO of J9 Queendom Entertainment LLC, and one of the most resilient independent artists in East Tennessee. She won a national music co...
In Episode 14 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with veteran frontman Evan Thor of Thor and the Rains, a power trio out of Knoxville, Tennessee that has been delivering wildly eclectic live performances for over 20 years.
Evan Thor is not your typical musician. A US Air Force veteran, self-taught guitarist, and Doctor of Business Administration, Thor picked up the guitar at 20, was selected twice to audition for the Air F...
In Episode 14 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with veteran frontman Evan Thor of Thor and the Rains, a power trio out of Knoxville, Tennessee that has been delivering wildly eclectic live performances for over 20 years.
Evan Thor is not your typical musician. A US Air Force veteran, self-taught guitarist, and Doctor of Business Administration, Thor picked up the guitar at 20, was selected twice to audition for the Air F...
Three months in. Thirteen episodes deep. And the blueprint is becoming impossible to ignore.
In Episode 13 of Creative Evolution, independent music and creative business podcast host Josi J delivers the May Evolution Report, Dispatch No. 3. This month we are stepping back from individual guest interviews to distill the absolute best lessons from Episodes 10, 11, and 12 into one powerful episode. Plus a very special segment with a li...
In Episode 12 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Dwight Wilson (aka "The Oneder") guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, church music director, father of five, and lead guitarist of Josie J and Dessert. Dwight's story is a masterclass in what it looks like to build a long-term creative career without burning out, burning bridges, or giving up.
Dwight started in church, picking up drums before moving to saxophone (where he ...
In Episode 12 of Creative Evolution, host Josi J sits down with Dwight Wilson (aka "The Oneder") guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, church music director, father of five, and lead guitarist of Josie J and Dessert. Dwight's story is a masterclass in what it looks like to build a long-term creative career without burning out, burning bridges, or giving up.
Dwight started in church, picking up drums before moving to saxophone (where he ...
Meet Chris Marshall. East Texas native. Knoxville-based multi-instrumentalist. Author of the book The Lighthouse and the Machine. Full-time independent professional musician who pays his bills entirely through his creative ventures. And the mastermind behind some of the most successful open mics, jams, and artist showcases in East Tennessee.
In Episode 11 of Creative Evolution, Chris shares his philosophy for building a sustaina...
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