Isaiah "Z" Johnson: Finding My Identity as an Artist

tl;dr - I have a new artist name that you should follow!

Subscribe to my newsletter for more updates!

I think every musically-inclined person I know has asked themselves the same questions. What does it mean to be an "artist"? Do I consider myself an artist? If so, what kind of artist am I? 

I am solidly in my mid-twenties now in a job outside of the arts, but I still have people asking me if I am considering a career in making music. I understand why they ask; I have certainly poured a lot into music-making over the years -- hours of time, thousands of dollars, and a lot of energy, emotion, and passion. And the question is: is all of that an investment? Am I working toward a point where there is some sort of return?

I deeply admire my friends and peers who are shooting for that goal -- for making music their career in some way or another. I am sure you have seen me shout a lot of them out on social media. It brings me immense joy to see my friends find ways to make music sustainable and gain traction with their craft. But for myself, for right now, I have settled on the fact that music is a hobby, not a business, and I would like to clarify why that distinction is significant.

To me, being a hobbyist musician means that music is primarily a way that -- as my dear fellow Kuumbabe Dr. Shahara Jackson would say -- I cultivate my joy. It is a passion that I am willing to sink my time and money into without the pressure of creating a return. In the same way that someone might spend time and money cultivating and tending a garden or painting in the garage, music fills a space in my life set aside for spiritual wellness and creative expression, at least for right now.

I feel blessed to live in a day and age where creating music is so accessible. I am also blessed to be part of an ever-growing community of other artists who make this sort of thing possible by both lending me and allowing me to purchase their time, talent, and equipment. I want to be crystal clear that just because I choose to make music for the joy of it does not mean that music-making as a whole should be devalued or viewed as simply a hobby. Just because your neighbor gives you free tomatoes from their garden doesn't mean that you should expect the same from the grocery store or the mom-and-pop farm stand.

I am writing this largely because I have a big musical project coming within the next year or so with Edward Glen, and I'm also in the midst of a small but meaningful rebrand. Many of you may recall that Edward Glen and I have previously released music under the name "Downy Woodpecker," and while we started this upcoming project as a Downy Woodpecker album, we came to realize that the songs we brought to the table as individual artists were, in fact, fairly distinct -- more so than our previous album, Redeye Flight, and so we are planning to release the songs under our own names. As such, I would like to start carving out my own identity as an artist, so here it is:

My name is Isaiah Z Johnson. I am a hobbyist musician and artist from Massachusetts who makes folk and indie-rock tunes about growing up in New England. I am excited to share what I have been working on with you and to continue to uplift my friends and peers who are making incredible art. 

I've added the "Z" across my profiles because as much as I'd love to be confused with the likes of Isaiah Johnson the Southern Gospel artist, Isaiah Johnson who played George Washington in the final lab of Hamilton, or Isaiah Johnson the gospel drummer, it's about time I cut my own path. I thought about adopting a stage name, but at the end of the day, I'm not trying to cultivate a persona; I'm trying to cultivate joy and authenticity, so "Isaiah Z Johnson" it is.

The one major difference between music and a lot of other hobbies is that a big part of the joy of music is in it being shared. While I am not putting pressure on myself to profit from my music, I do want it to reach people, so here is how you can stay up to date. I am now "Isaiah Z Johnson" on all streaming services, so even if you were following me before, you likely are not anymore. You can expect to see major updates about my musical endeavors on my Instagram @isaiahzjohnson. For extra content and behind-the-scenes stuff, check out @isaiahzjohnsonmusic. My linktree has links to my YouTube channel, my Bandcamp, my socials, and this blog, where I will be posting little updates and reflections as I go through this journey. I hope you come along!

-IJ

P.S. - Please don't misconstrue. I will take money if it comes my way <3 The best way to do that is to buy my stuff on Bandcamp.

P.P.S. - Apple Music users, still struggling with updating the metadata for my releases over there, so stay tuned.