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 living legend, the saxophonist for Josi J and Dessert, George Hunter aka Sugarbear, who has been playing music for over seventy years.

In this episode we revisit:

Episode 10: Best Friends and Bad Guys with Big N Funky Productions. Luke Walker and Vinnie Vineyard on building a fiercely independent creative partnership, why imperfections give art its human soul, why AI will never replace genuine human creativity, and why you should treat every creative set like a party and drop your inhibitions.

Episode 11: Open Mics, Meatball Covers, and Chosen Family with Chris Marshall. The ultimate musician life hack for securing weekly residencies, the meatball cover strategy for commanding a dead crowd, the hard business truths about paying your side musicians and keeping IRS compliant books, and why building a community is more important than chasing the spotlight.

Episode 12: Calluses, Chords, and Commitment with Dwight Wilson. Why having a day job does not diminish your identity as a musician, the six P's of prior proper preparation, the Victor Wooten philosophy that there are no wrong notes, and how walking the love walk transforms the entire music ecosystem around you.

In this episode we also dig into:

A special segment with George Hunter aka Sugarbear. Knoxville native, former music teacher at Austin East High School, veteran whose musical background kept him off the battlefield, and the saxophonist for Josi J and Dessert at seventy nine years old. George shares his brilliant practice hack of playing saxophone along with records as a DJ to make his horn sound like any instrument he wanted, and his timeless advice for young musicians after seven decades of playing.

Four major themes that tie together every single episode of Creative Evolution across three months of guests. The harmony of community and why you must champion your local scene. Professional humility and the dark quiet work of preparation. Doing it afraid and failing forward. And radical independence and protecting your worth.

🎬 Connect:

Big N Funky Productions: funkmasterv.com

Chris Marshall: https://www.reverbnation.com/chrismarshall8

Dwight Wilson: https://www.instagram.com/djrome28

George Hunter aka Sugarbear: josijanddessert.com

🌐 Learn more at:

https://josijanddessert.com/creative-evolution

https://linktr.ee/creativeevolutionpodcast

Credits:

Host, Editor, Producer, Copywriter, Research, Art Director and Designer: Josie "Josi J" Jones

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