Daily Inspiration: Meet Joseph Zapinski

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Zapinski.

Hi Joseph, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In the summer of 2021, still living in Lincoln, Nebraska, I made the decision to quit my full-time web development/marketing job and pursue my passion for music. So I moved to Jacksonville, joined a band, and have not looked back.

It was admittedly quite a scary decision and not one everyone in my life necessarily understood. But I was miserable pursuing something full-time that I only enjoyed like 10% of the time. So many adults at work and elsewhere would tell me about how they used to play music or they used to do X, but they gave it up.

When I asked why, nearly 100% of the time they said, “Well you know life changed, I kept working, started a family, and I just never got back to it.” These people also were constantly exhausted from work, just like I was. Is it possible to hold a traditional job and be 100% fulfilled? Absolutely. It’s really just that I didn’t see a future where web development and marketing gave me fulfillment in my own life.

This potential future scared the hell out of me and I did not want to live my life knowing I never truly went for that thing that made me feel 100% fulfilled. So here I am, living in Jacksonville. I’m now a bassist for an amazing, committed band called Parks and Razz, and work at Warehouse Studios helping record bands and coil cables.

I think music was always going to be what I ended up doing, I just didn’t always know that. My whole life, I have experienced music as shapes and colors in my head. Because of this, music is nearly impossible for me to not notice if it’s being played out loud. At times, it can actually be a little overwhelming.

But I think this trait gave me a permanent and deep love for music that couldn’t be ignored. I wasn’t always very good at making music, but my love for it kept me going and kept me improving.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth road. However, I would like to acknowledge that I’ve never had to worry about money or a roof over my head, or whether there would be food on the table.

That said, I’ve dealt with mental health struggles caused pretty directly by my desire to be a full-time musician. I have very high standards for myself that I can’t seem to shake and it has definitely caused a negative effect on my mental well-being. Basically, if I am not constantly doing something that I feel is advancing my potential, I feel really bad about myself.

I have expressed this to friends and they all have said this is extremely unhealthy and I need to learn to be ok with relaxing sometimes. I definitely agree, unfortunately, whatever it is inside of me, it is very difficult and sometimes feels impossible to allow myself to relax.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Ever since I started making music, it has been difficult for me to find people who want to dedicate as much time to it as I do.

As a result of this, I have learned to do basically all of it myself. I play guitar, bass, drums, and a few keys. I can produce, record, mix, and master. The only thing I can’t really do is sing, but I’ve been working on that one since March of 2021 and am getting a lot better. I am thinking in another year or so I’ll be pretty good at it.

Right when I moved to Jacksonville, I started posting my music on my Instagram @jettasin.music. I quickly realized that people were really into my bass skills in particular. Coincidentally, I soon found Parks and Razz who needed a bassist and so I guess nowadays I’m a bassist.

At the end of the day though, it doesn’t necessarily feel like I’m a bassist. I just happened to dedicate more time to the bass than other instruments. In my opinion, I just as easily could have been a drummer or guitarist.

However, my truest love in making music is the recording, production, and mixing side of things. The Beatles are my favorite band and a true example of how recorded music is completely its own art form separate from live music (not that anyone really debates that). But I’ve always been enamored at the idea that I don’t have to be a prodigy at my instrument because the greatest songs of all time are usually not technically difficult to play.

I consider this my main focus and my ‘specialty’ I suppose. I feel this aspect is what truly sets me apart from others because I can play the instruments, but I can also do literally everything else required to put out a hit song. Nowadays, it just feels like I have to not give up, and eventually, something I write and the record will get noticed because all the skills are there.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice for anyone starting out is that you need to get out of your own way. What does that mean? Honestly, it probably means different things to different people but to me, it means you need to remove any ego you have from your decision-making.

You need to have certain objectivity about yourself and your artistic output and always be reevaluating whether or not you are being honest with yourself. I think if you do this, it becomes easier to improve because then you’re never lying to yourself and will never feel a false sense of improvement.

All in all, it’s essential to have self-confidence, but you can’t let that self-confidence turn into a giant ego. Giant egos will hinder your learning potential and make you stall out. If you want to be the greatest artist or whatever it is you do, then you always need to have the mindset that there is more to learn.

Contact Info:

• Email: jettasin.music@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jettasin.music/?hl=en
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jettasinmusic

Image Credits
Emily Zapinski and Adam Perkins