We recently had the chance to connect with Trevor Joseph and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Trevor, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
When I get up in the morning I like to do mobility exercises. I’ve always been into fitness growing up. When I was younger I wanted to get as big as I can by lifting weights, but often times when I would finally start to see results, I didn’t like the way it felt. It seemed like bulking would make me slower. Over the years I’ve jump in and out of that desire to be a bigger guy, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t keep it up. But now I realize the reason was because the mass would cause me to lose mobility. Therefore, now I enjoy being more lean and continue to do mobility workouts and stretches in the mornings to warm my body up for the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Trevor Joseph. I’m a rapper and producer born in Kissimmee, Florida, US. I’ve spent most of my adulthood in Orlando. I started making music when I was 14 years old which was over 18 years ago and by now I have developed an operation to run my music business entirely on my own. I make my own beats from scratch, I write my own lyrics, perform and produce my own songs, I designed my own website, I design my merch, book my shows, I shoot my photos and videos, and I own all my publishing. I am currently a one man operation who never went to school for any of it. I am as self made as it gets.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I was always a creative kid. I used to draw, and build things with my hands. I enjoyed making things with a minimal amount of resources. But, I was always told I needed to stop being innovative and I had to learn how to do things a more orthodox way. For years I tried to follow the path that was normal. I managed to get myself quite established by the age of 25, but I wasn’t happy. I thought that maybe if I could just completely establish myself as a responsible adult, then on the side I could finally have some free time to explore the things I actually wanted to do. Eventually I realized that I’m never going to get to a comfortable place where I feel like I can take a break from adult responsibilities long enough for me to pursue my dreams. The solution is to just leave. Find my own way, and just as I’ve solved issues while pursuing becoming more established in an orthodox way, I can also solve the issues I run into while pursuing my own way. This experience inspired my first EP titled “My Way” and to this day that project reminds me to stay on my own path even when it gets tough.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Not being happy pursuing a life I worked so hard to put together, taught me that my life could become whatever I choose to focus on. I thought to myself, how can what so many people told me to do, and something I’ve been working so hard for, become something I didn’t like. Then I learned that everyone has a different path, and although it may seem like the path less taken is less flourishing, that’s only because there’s less people taking that path. The grass isn’t naturally greener on either side, the grass is greener on the side that’s tended to. In other words if I get over to the path I actually want to be on and get started, I can have grass just as green as the grass on the path most people take.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
Fun is life. If I’m not living a way that I enjoy, then I’m wasting my life. I believe that we’re supposed to learn to navigate our way to setting up our lives to first be enjoyable then sustainable. If we have sustainability without fun then sustainability won’t last, because we’ll run out of endurance. Once we no longer have the endurance to maintain stability, then our lives wither away. But when we truly enjoy ourselves, endurance becomes infinite. Therefore, maintaining stability becomes second nature and we thrive without even having to think about it. It may sound immature, but I’d say fun is more important than responsibility because having fun fuels our ability to thrive. My foundational truth is where there is no fun, there is no life.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I am currently a full time videographer/photographer. I started making music at 14 years old, but I picked up a camera at 11 years old. It pays very well, and I do enjoy it. However, there’s a cap on my income that I can’t seem to break through. I make enough for myself, but it’s not easy for me to help others. I can’t help but think that if my music were to become more successful, I would be able to do a lot more for my family, and friends. However, I face the same dilemma of having so much to do with my videographer/photographer endeavors that I can only work on music once in awhile. Therefore, moving my music forward is going extremely slow. What if I only had 10 years left is actually something I think about quite often, and it helps me take more risks and keeps me motivated. But, if I knew I definitely only had 10 years left I would probably stop being a videographer/photographer. Even though I know I’m successful at it. I would rather put everything I can into my music career in order to potentially take care of my loved ones when I’m gone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trevorjosephmusic.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/trevsurl
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevsurl/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: http://www.x.com/trevsurl
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trevorjosephmusic
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/trevsurl
Image Credits
Feature photo: Niesha Threats
2nd photo: Niesha Threats
The rest of the photos were taken by yours truly: Trevor Joseph.
