This article is from an interview conducted with Bold Journey Magazine. Link to original article at the bottom of this page.
We recently connected with Jake Bell and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jake with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
One of the main questions I ask myself is ‘Who would I like to become?’. Throughout the majority of my life, I had never considered myself a hard worker. There have been things I was good at such as baseball, however, as I got older I started to see myself fall behind. I was letting my talent do the work for me, which at a certain level leads to getting lost in a crowd full of equally or more talented people. While this example of baseball is only one thing, the habit of a poor work ethic spilled into all other areas of my life.
A couple of years ago I had reached an all-time low after graduating from Community College. I was unhealthy, unhappy, and unsure of where to go next. I knew I wanted to become a better version of myself, and I would be the only one who could make that change.
I’ve spent the past couple of years self-reflecting on who I want to become. Through this reflection, I have started to understand what a strong work ethic is and how to implement that into all facets of my life. I will always have room to grow and by no means do I consider myself to be the hardest worker, but to get where I want in life I have to stay focused and consistent in what I do.
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?
My creative side is split between two main projects, the first being my musical alias ‘Twenyohthree’. While I would say this project is on the backburner right now, Twenyohthree has made a huge difference in the person I am today. I started making music in 2017 as a producer but began as a vocalist in 2019. I would say that during the pandemic is when I started to see the music grow. I met a great community of artists and spent most of my time at home recording songs. Like for many, the pandemic was a rough period. However, having this creative outlet helped me express my intense emotions.
In the summer of 2023, I started a music promotion website called ‘Heymish Underground’. Initially, I used it to gain experience using website creation software, but it has now evolved into a multi-platform community. There are many aspects to Heymish including video documentaries, artist challenges, and interviews. I’m excited to see how much we can grow in the future. If you are a musical artist and would like free music promotion, please find us on Instagram @heymishunderground.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Empathy – I think the music industry can be a cold place with a lot of hatred and betrayal. At the end of the day, we are all just humans. Especially in the niche that I’m involved in, you have to show empathy to everyone because people go through a lot of pain. Even if you can’t fully relate to someone’s issues, try to understand where they are coming from and allow yourself to feel their emotion.
2. Passion – You know you can have all the talent, a solid work ethic, and all the resources in the world. If you lack the passion for something, why bother wasting your time on it? Whether it’s a hobby or a career, never settle for something that makes you unsatisfied. With music, it means everything to me and I couldn’t see a life without it. Maybe for you, it’s cooking or basketball, but when you’ve found that passion never let it go.
3. Time management – I would say I’ve recently developed this one, but I’ve heard from countless people that they don’t have the time to pursue their creative endeavors or hobbies. While that may be true in some cases, a lot of people (including myself) spend way too much time doing meaningless activities (ex. doom scrolling). Plan your days out and make sure you knock out everything you want or need to get done.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Life will consume you if you let it, so sometimes we have to sit in the passenger seat for a brief moment and view life from another perspective. It can get hard when there’s a lot on your plate, but the age-old saying that most of your current problems won’t be relevant in due time is ever so true.
When I’m overwhelmed, I get so caught up in the moment that I lose sight of the foundational goals I’ve set for myself. To overcome this, I have to first step away from the situation, and second think about where this moment falls on the timeline of my life. When I think about it that way, this overwhelming moment doesn’t seem so stressful anymore. Sure, there are going to be events where you can’t use this method, but it can help with the majority of everyday problems.
Also, don’t take on more than you can do. Focus on a few things that you want to work toward and stick to them.
Contact Info:
Website: https://heymishunderground.com
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/twenyohthree
Other: My music Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twenyohthree/?hl=en
Link to original article: https://boldjourney.com/meet-jake-bell/
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