Meet Scott Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Johnson.

Hi Scott, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I had a “Leave It To Beaver” childhood. My wife jokes that I grew up in “Pleasantville” (aka Saratoga, California), like the movie starring Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. Everything was very pleasant. But when I discovered that life outside Pleasantville wasn’t always so nice, I felt I had gotten on the wrong planet by mistake.

From age 18 to 30, I was literally in a new place every year. I attended 5 colleges in 5 years, did lots of soul searching, and read tons of books on personal growth and spirituality, all the while writing songs along the way. I also performed throughout North America and Europe, from high school auditoriums to the Kennedy Center, Radio City Music Hall, and for European royalty.

Years ago I went to Los Angeles with my first demo tape and got through the doors of music publishers and received encouraging feedback. But the publishers said that I had to write for the market (e.g. infatuation love songs). I wasn’t interested in that, so decided to continue writing the music that mattered to me and do my own thing.

Since 1998, I’ve written and recorded 7 albums of my music. From a children’s CD and a special CD for hospice to positive-message pop/rock music, my songs deal with possibilities, being true to one’s self, and enjoying the company of family and friends.

I’m also a graphic designer, life coach, photographer, and author. My wife Myriam and I have lived in Boulder since 1993. We have two grown children and a mini Goldendoodle named Charlie. Life is good.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In high school, I started asking big questions like “Why are we here?”, “What’s the purpose of life,” and “Where do I fit in?” Being a sensitive soul, life on earth seemed pretty harsh at times. In college, I went through a couple of depressions which was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. But the benefit of difficult times is that it strips you down to your essence. You discover what matters to you and what you want.

What I’ve learned is that we’re here not to face reality, but to create it. We’re all making it up as we go. We’re here to explore, create, and find joy. Music has always been my way of getting in touch with that wiser, more joyful part of myself. It makes sense that I ended up creating something like World Singing Day.

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?
I’m kind of a Jack of All Trades. I write songs. I take photographs. I do graphic design. I’ve been a life coach. I run World Singing Day. And now I’m writing a musical. I’m proud of the music that I’ve written and recorded. I’ve never tried to write for the market or what’s current and cool. But the themes and messages in my songs are universal and timeless. I write what matters to me.

The L.A. Times wrote of my children’s CD “Googol On!”, “In these tuneful songs, life is an adventure and family is something to celebrate.” Music critic Jennifer Layton, wrote “Dreams in the Making is a rarity: a perfect CD…. everyone needs to hear it… I don’t know how to explain what this CD did to me.”

In 2003, I co-founded and ran the Positive Music Association, an international organization promoting music artists and music with universal, life-affirming messages. In 2012, I founded World Singing Day, a global sing-along on the third Saturday in October each year, to bring the world together through song. Thousands of people in over 30 countries on all seven continents have participated so far.

As my wife jokes, “You’re kind of a big deal — one day out of the year.”

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I don’t think luck has anything to do with it. I used to think trying or working hard brought good things into your life. But the best things that have ever happened to me just came naturally. No forcing. No efforting.

I’ve found that it’s really about focusing on what you want, relaxing into that desire, and not pushing against what you don’t want. Without wanting to sound too airy fairy, it’s about vibration — the better you feel, the higher your vibration, the easier things flow into your life.

We all have a wise, joyful self inside us that can guide us toward what we want. But even when we do get what we want, there’s always going to be the next thing and the next thing. So you’ve got to find the joy in the journey. Because that’s really what we all want. To feel better. To feel good. To move toward joy.

I find that joy in sitting down at the piano and writing a song. Going for a hike. Having fun or meaningful conversation with a friend. “Luck” isn’t something that just happens out of the blue. Like gravity, there’s a force that draws things to ourselves through focus and non-resistant thought. It’s going with the flow.

There’s a lot of wisdom in this old nursery rhyme: “Row, row, row YOUR boat, Gently DOWN the stream, MERRILY, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a DREAM.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://worldsingingday.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/worldsingingday/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldsingingday
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/worldsingingday
• Other: http://johnsoncreative.us