Recording artist and music producer, Joachim on creative endurance, daily discipline, and building a career that defies the clichés.

There’s a common assumption that if you’re a musician, you’re either chasing stardom or stuck in struggle. But what if the truth is something far more grounded—and more sustainable?

In this edition of Between the Briefs, we hear from Joachim: a music producer, artist, and songwriter who has built a full-time creative career on his own terms. From converting his dad’s garage into a studio at 17 to recording, mixing, and mastering tracks daily for himself and others, Joachim shares the real story behind making music work as a livelihood—not a side hustle, and not a long shot.

We talk about misconceptions, resilience, and what it really means to choose the creative path—even when the world doesn’t quite get it.

What does your creative work actually look like day to day?

The work that I do everyday is writing, recording, producing, mixing and mastering music. The biggest difference day to day or hour to hour, is whether I am creating music for myself or for another artist/client. The momentum that drives my daily work is the pursuit and growth of my own career as an artist, but working with clients also helps to pay the bills.

What do people often misunderstand about what you do ?

The short answer is, “everything”! Most people don’t know how much work goes into making one song or the process of even making a song.
But what I encounter by far the most is the misconception that if you are a musician, you are either famous or a struggling artist that lives in your parent’s basement. People don’t seem to know that there is an area that exists in-between.
I can’t count the number of times I have met someone new and when they ask what I do and I say I make music, they say “*oh, I mean what do you do for a living?”.*
It is a tough one because people immediately assume there is no value in making music, although they consume it daily in many different ways.

So, how did you end up doing this for a living? (and prove the naysayers wrong!)

I started playing guitar when I was about 11 years old and always enjoyed music. When I was around 15 my mom introduced me to Jack Johnson and John Mayer; that’s when I truly fell in love with music and wanted to pursue it as a career. I started writing my own music when I was about 16 and luckily went through a breakup at a similar time that gave me all the fuel I needed to dive deeper into songwriting.

I started performing at open mics around this time and also bought a super basic recording setup to have in my room. I quickly started booking feature shows at these open mic venues and then that expanded to performing at wineries and festivals throughout the state and not long after I was touring up and down the West Coast. The music production side of things grew slowly in the background.

When I was 17 I asked my dad if I could build a recording setup in a small area of the garage and he suggested I turn one whole half of the garage, which was a wood shop at the time, into a larger actual studio. After a little while of recording myself, friends and friends of friends starting paying me to record them and very slowly I started producing music “professionally”, along with touring and performing full time. Things have slowly shifted since then and now I do very little performing and mostly work in a studio creating music.

I now have 25,000+ monthly listeners on Spotify, regular studio clients, and being pitched for music sync licensing all the time - so yes, I’m getting paid to make music. And my income is growing year on year. Life’s good!

What’s a small moment that felt like a real win?

In 2018 I was looking to get into the college touring market. There was a brand new course created by a well-known DIY musician mentor that would connect you with the top college booking agencies and help you get into the industry. But you had to apply to the course and there were very few open slots. I remember receiving the email that I was accepted into the course. I had been a full-time professional touring artist for many years at that point but always felt like “the music industry” had never accepted or acknowledged me, and even felt like it wanted nothing to do with me. This was the first time I ever felt like myself and my music was given a chance by the music industry. I even ended up signing with one of the largest college booking agencies.

More recently, a much bigger win came after attending a networking event in Portland, Oregon hosted by Formation Sound. I ended up getting signed on the spot by both Formation Sound and Marmoset for sync licensing—which means my music can now be pitched for film, TV, ads, and platforms like Netflix. It still feels surreal, but moments like that remind me exactly why I’ve stuck with it.

Have you ever felt like giving up the freelance life?

Absolutely. I can’t count the number of times things have been tough and the thought of giving up and pursuing a regular career has entered my mind. I also think it’s a good thing to regularly check yourself and see if you truly want what it is you are going after, so I am grateful for those moments because they solidify your direction and resolve. What has helped me in those times of struggle and doubt is asking myself what my life would be like if I had a regular job and how I would spend my time and money.

The answer always comes back around to that I would spend my extra time and money making music and then releasing it and promoting it and eventually growing a music career.

So I always end up back at “This is who I am and this is what I am doing, no matter what”.

What’s been challenging or unexpected along the way?

I never expected society as a whole to look down so much on someone who is pursuing a career in music. Overcoming the lack of belief and active discouragement from society, and many times some of the people closest to you, has absolutely been the largest challenge I have faced.

What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

Finish, release and promote every single song/project you start! Being worried about a song being perfect has killed so much opportunity and potential for growth that I could have had.

For whatever reason you never learn from the songs that you never release. You only learn from the songs that you put out into the world and can no longer change, fix, tweak or redo. It’s like when you release it to the world, it is no longer yours and now you can suddenly be objective about how good it is or what could be better.

From my experience, there is no better tool for growth than deciding something is finished, releasing it to the world and hearing it through the world’s ears.

Making a living as a musician isn’t about overnight fame or struggling in the shadows. It’s about persistence, adapting, and carving out your own space in an often unpredictable industry.

Joachim’s journey shows us that creative careers are layered — built on daily discipline, unexpected opportunities, and belief in your work even when others don’t see it yet.

If you’re forging your own path in the creative world, remember: your story matters, and success comes in many forms.

Discover more of Joachim’s music and work:
🎧 Spotify
📸 Instagram
🌐 JoachimMusic.com
🎶 Marmoset – Sync licensing and more

Explore other real stories from the Between the Briefs series — honest, human reflections from creatives making it work on their own terms.

If you have a story to share, we’d love to hear it. Reach out anytime: Contact us.

Between the Briefs - Joachim on Music, and Being Paid & Played