#BigThingsThursdays is a weekly series of short interviews with people who are doing big things for the community and for the world.
Meet Jon Samson, music therapist, songwriter, producer...this list can get pretty long, but I love that it ends with Professional Goofball, because this man is unafraid to embrace the silly.
Q. BIG THINGS begin with an intention, what is yours?
A. My intention is to inspire people of all ages and to facilitate a sense of fun, creativity and well being.
Q. How are you fulfilling this intention?
A. Aside from running a music therapy practice where I work with all ages to facilitate expressive, emotional and/ or musical goals, I produce original songs which are multi-layered, so new aspects can be discovered by different folks during different stages of life. While on the surface people know me as a "children's music" artist, my real audience is the Child Archetype which resides in every single human on this planet. As we "grow up" we often lose touch with that eternally playful aspect of ourselves, and I produce my music with this part at heart.
Q. What barriers have you encountered, and how have you dealt with them?
A. There is still a stigma attached to "therapy". People often see it as something that is only necessary as a result of a trauma or crisis. As a music therapist, however, I offer creative tools for self care and reflection, which I consider to be preventative medicine. One of the most inspiring teachings I can share is this: The opposite of depression is.... expression. Too often, people are afraid to say what's on their mind, even from a young age... and the more we hold onto our fears and experiences without fully processing them, the heavier we feel. So one of my goals is to help people feel lighter on a more consistent basis. Let's be clear, however, life is not about feeling happy go lucky 24/7, but being authentic and fully present is something which helps us to integrate our emotions, and to be comfortable with who we are.
These are big things indeed, and we're grateful for his contribution to the world. I'll leave you with Jon's newest song and video, "Focus On ADD".
"I produced 'Focus On ADD' to inspire teachers and parents to encourage the innate abilities in children, instead of telling them to 'focus' on things that don't suit them. I even used the musical notes 'A-D-D' to get the point across." -Jon Samson
For more information on Jon Samson and CoCreative Music, visit www.cocreativemusic.com.