My Purpose = Furthering YOUR Purpose

Over the last year I’ve been pondering my purpose in this life, and reflecting some on what I do for a living. Each day I wake up feeling grateful to be able to have a job I look forward to, because I know not everyone is able to make that claim.

Now I know it’s not rocket science, and I’m not curing cancer or ‘saving the world’ with what I do, but I’ve found my niche – my piece in the puzzle if you will. I just go out there every day and do my best in the vocation that chose me.  

A career that happened to be the culmination of many things I’ve done (and mistakes I’ve made) and learned in my lifetime – going all the way back to learning how to dissect song lyrics in my high school rhetoric class.  Walking through seasons of life as lead singer, songwriter, producer, jingle writer, session singer, video producer, script writer and various other jobs sprinkled in, I’ve landed on what I know and discovered I’m good at, which is I believe what we’re ALL called to do.

My hope is that the artists I work with gain the confidence and skills to walk on stage night after night, and do a better job bringing their art to the world, however big or small that world is. I take who they are and make sure their personality and vision comes through to their fans.

I hope that in teaching them all the intricacies of how to create amazing moments that touch people, that they come to understand the power of connection and what ‘loving your audience’ really means.  I get a kick out of knowing that the first time they get that overwhelming reaction or standing ovation from a live audience, the light bulb turns on and they finally get it…the ‘aha’ moment where it all makes sense.

That’s why, if I’m able, I’ll go see the showcase we worked on, or call and find out how that tour is going. I like to hear the excitement in their voices when they talk about how the whole crowd sang along, or that they could hear a pin drop when they created a touching moment, and the audience held their breath.  

Wanting to be part of their journey, is why I share their posts on social media when they get a record deal, or get a sweet opening spot on a major tour…or, simply win their local Battle of the Bands.

It’s an over-saturated, over-hyped, low-to-no-paying, tough-and-thankless-world out there for musicians, and it’s not always easy to find and gather your ‘tribe’. 

You work endlessly, scratching your way through, writing and re-writing, posting and promoting, using friends’ basements to rehearse, finding players who’ll stick around, and borrowing money for gear. (Sorry Mom…I don’t remember ever paying you and Dad back for that Fender Rhodes! :-/)

Add to this the fragility of an artist’s ego, constantly questioning and asking ‘Am I good enough?’, and ‘Will anyone come to hear me?’, and insecurity raises its ugly head, again and again.

I was lucky enough to be out playing at a time before it seemed the market was clogged with an over-abundance of artists – at least in my part of the world, and also to be surrounded with people who believed in me and the bands I was in.  But many artists don’t get that kind of support now. 

You’re a lone ranger…everyone else is too busy trying to get their OWN gig off the ground, let alone come hear YOU play. There’s so much competition.  As soon as one artist gets some buzz and a massive amount of hits on YouTube, there’s another one right behind, ready to knock them off the world-wide pedestal.  It’s just, hard, work. Plain and simple. And if you don’t love it, you might as well get out now.

Over the last 11 years I’ve discovered that my job – at the very CORE level – is to try to be a light, and to encourage and affirm. To compel that singer/songwriter, that guitar player, that band, to keep going and stay at it, if that’s their heart. Then, to equip them to build a bridge to their audience, so the music and the message can be heard. ‘Cuz if it doesn’t connect, there’s no point.

I’m awfully proud of the artists I work with, which is why I try to get a photo with them at rehearsal…to document our time together, to be able to later look back and remember. It’s a joy to be allowed to be on their team, to build and nurture them as performers throughout their careers and see the growth happen.

I’m not crazy enough to think their successes are all my doing of course…they are the ones doing the heavy lifting. I’m just humbled and grateful to be a small part of their journey. 

Thank you again Mr. Tom Jackson, for sharing your platform and this wealth of knowledge with me so I can pass it on. And thanks to every artist that trusts me to bring their songs and their show to life. Because humans need to come together – not just to hear – but to feel and experience, music.

Amy Wolter

As a trained Live Music Producer for Tom Jackson Productions, Amy Wolter brings her years onstage as a lead singer & keyboardist - along with her experience as a producer, arranger, and songwriter - to singers and bands who won’t settle for ‘good enough’. She’s worked with artists at all levels, and genres ranging from Rock to Celtic, empowering them to have confidence and authority onstage, and put on memorable live shows, a few of whom have been on two of the largest US tours in recent history. Some of her clients include Grammy award winners The Band Perry & Lacrae, CMA and ACM –winning country acts, Gloriana & Thompson Square, 2016 The Voice contestant Mary Sarah, CCMA (Canada) winners High Valley, Jess Moskaluke & Chad Brownlee, and Winter Jam Tour veterans Sidewalk Prophets & Love and The Outcome.

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