LIFE AS A Musician

By Kathy Fox

Faith, Freedom, and Fulfillment

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS LOCKWOOD

Whether you have been in the Nashville area your entire life or recently moved here, chances are you have met someone who is in the music industry. Maury County is no exception as quite a few of its residents are musicians, singers, songwriters, or producers. Chris Lockwood has been a musician his entire life, which started as an early childhood dream. He attended the University of Mobile for music and then doors began to open that led him to Music City and landed him in Spring Hill, Tennessee, 15 years ago.

It all started in 2005 when Lockwood received a phone call to meet in Nashville about potentially starting a group, however, at that time he had decided to go back to school to continue his education. That all changed when he agreed to go to that meeting and realized it was a serious opportunity which ultimately led to starting a group known as 33Miles. For nearly a decade, Lockwood toured with the band until he and Joy, his wife, realized it was time to come off the road and spend more time with his family.

Photo Courtesy World Outreach Church

PHOTO BY ROSS JAYNES VISUAL MEDIA CO.

I’M A MUSICIAN. IT’S WHAT I DO. IT’S SO SECOND NATURE IT’S LIKE BREATHING, BUT MY ULTIMATE AIM IN LIFE IS TO MOLD, MOTIVATE, AND MOVE PEOPLE TOWARDS FAITH, FREEDOM, AND FULFILLMENT, WHICH, FOR ME, ULTIMATELY BEGINS AND ENDS WITH JESUS CHRIST. IT’S NOT THAT I HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT BECAUSE MY LIFE IS NOTHING BUT UPS AND DOWNS, BUT BE IT MUSIC, FAMILY, A SIMPLE CONVERSATION OVER COFFEE, THAT’S THE HOPE.

The music industry has certainly changed over the years, and many musicians don’t really do one specific thing anymore. Lockwood laughs, “I’m a full-time musician and not even sure how to tell people what I do.” Musically speaking, Lockwood has his hands in everything, from writing, production, teaching, to leading worship at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro. However, in the beginning, before the pandemic started, Lockwood struggled with his career which created a lot of anxiety and depression. It was a dark time, but when the pandemic started, a switch was flipped. As Lockwood explains, “Life is what you make of it. Life is what you try for. We can either have analysis paralysis, think about the what-ifs, talk about things, or we can do something. I love to read, study, and learn, and sometimes it stops there, as I have often been guilty of analysis paralysis, but the real question is, ‘What are you going do with what you know?’”

For Lockwood, he turned his learning into actions and started an online boutique clothing company at the beginning of the pandemic called, EWMI, which are the initials of his four kids Ella (14), William (10), Mia (8), and Isaac (4). For the past two years, they sold sweatshirts and t-shirts and had fun doing it until about a month ago when he shut it down because it didn't fit the narrative of their life story and felt more like an interruption. He also started Everybody Play Guitar, which is an online guitar course for beginners from kids to adults, that teaches people how to play guitar from the comfort of their own home. Additionally, Lockwood obtained his real estate license, started teaching vocals with his wife for Worship Artistry, and even built his first farmhouse table that sits stately in the family’s dining room. “Life rarely pans out the way in which we anticipate and plan, but forward motion is the key,” said Lockwood.

Even with the ups and downs, there has been a lot of success for Lockwood in the music industry from record deals, touring, having his music played all over the radio, to working with the likes of Lauren Alaina, Michael W. Smith, and many others. “I am so very grateful God, even though there have been dark days, continues to prove His grace and mercy to me. That being said, I want to encourage people to make the most of the moment and shoot for their goals. It's never easy, requires hard work, diligence, and often a good dose of stubbornness because you may want to give up. I know I do, but that's called being human. That doesn’t make you mentally ill or weird. Everybody wants to give up at one point or another, but if it’s what you’ve been created for, if there’s a hunger in your belly and a fire in your heart, then have faith, and I pray you enjoy the freedom and fulfillment that living by that faith can present.”

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE MOMENT AND SHOOT FOR THEIR GOALS. IT'S NEVER EASY, REQUIRES HARD WORK, DILIGENCE, AND OFTEN A GOOD DOSE OF STUBBORNNESS BECAUSE YOU MAY WANT TO GIVE UP. I KNOW I DO, BUT THAT'S CALLED BEING HUMAN.

— CHRIS LOCKWOOD

Currently, Lockwood is working on an LP that is due out this summer. In his spare time, he enjoys life with his family, reading, listening to podcasts, and running. He’s even completed a couple of ultra-marathons along the way. Follow Lockwood on social media at @iamchrislockwood and #manofGod for daily inspiration and uplifting scripture. •