Talented musician and illustrator Joanna Sternberg speaks with me about the themes in their music, dangers of people pleasing, inspirations, navigating the industry, and the empowering impact of trusted friends. We also speak about about the benefits and challenges that come from neurodivergent diagnosis, including autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Joanna offers suggestions for how aspiring musicans can move from having their music as a private practice to one they can share with friends and beyond. 

Timestamps:

00:00 Coming up in this episode

03:16 Jo's introduction

05:33 Themes in 'I've Got Me'

09:58 Themes in 'People Are Toys To You'

11:41 What sobriety offered Jo

12:38 What neurodivergent diagnosis offered Jo

13:30 The impacts of people pleasing

16:11 What Jo's music offers them and others

20:36 Elliott Smith and other inspirations 

23:45 Social anxiety challenges 

28:18 Jo's journey in the music industry

32:00 Difficultly knowing who to trust

34:48 Suggestions for developing music practice 

36:32 Trusted friends help building confidence

37:30 Jo's voice, it's evolution, and vocal trends

45:57 Jo's advice for using social media

48:00 Band names vs one's own name

50:40 Jo asks about Sam's 'Kalou' music

52:45 Balancing self hatred and self awareness

54:15 Relating to autism 

55:50 Jo's self support strategies 

58:00 Sam's outro

Joanna's music: https://joannasternberg.bandcamp.com/

Joanna's website: https://www.joannasternberg.com

Working to Work website: https://kalou.co.uk/w2w.html

Sam's music: https://kalou.bandcamp.com/

Please do follow the show to be notified when new episodes are released, and leave a rating and review if you appreciate it, or have feedback. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel for video versions of each episode, and the opportunity to engage via the comments section.

For more see the Working to Work home page, and follow on Instagram @workingtoworkuk