Meet Christopher Worth | Singer/Songwriter and Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Worth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My father told me to always invest in yourself. When it comes to my music projects, I tend to go pretty hard in the paint and take a good amount of risk. Often times the profit isn’t financial, but more personal and artistic which pays more long-term dividends. It takes a long time to build up a significant repertoire of songs and also to really ground into one’s artistry, and I think a lot of this comes from taking risks constantly. There is the simple/daily risk of taking the time to write songs with no guarantee of a financial return – this involves a deep belief in one’s artistry and calling. For me, the doorbell rings with a new song idea and I run as fast as I can to drag it all in. It is kind of second nature at this point and the greater risk is to miss the song as the idea is dawning on you. I believe that this process is a deep connection to spirituality – whenever we put in the work and risk the time to write then the song and creative process always meet us 51%. There is a guiding hand here that I have learned to trust and follow. This process is something we get better at over time, and no matter what successes we may or may not have it will never be different than this.

A metaphor I like for the creative process: you are in a dirt tunnel with a small antique spoon. You have been excavating this tunnel for a long time now and somehow you know the direction to dig but you don’t know where you will end up. Sometimes you wonder “where is this all going,” or “will I ever get there?” At times you stop in frustration and throw down the spoon. As you turn to look back at the tunnel you have excavated you realize it has turned into a beautiful cave behind you. Others are there admiring your tunnel and perhaps beginning their own off of the work you have done. You realize that you may be forging a new direction, not just for yourself but for others too. It’s at this point you pick up your spoon with a reformed adoration – “i love this spoon.” And then you return to digging with renewed energy.

No matter what successes we have, this process will always be the same. You and your spoon in a small tunnel following your intuition on where to go. There is great risk in this as you might be going the wrong direction, but you grow in your ability to trust your intuition. There is an unseen hand guiding you. It takes a great risk to trust oneself in art and to forge what may be new territory. There is an implicit reward in this process that is clear to you, and you are alone. It is not nor will it ever be about the approval of others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an internationally touring singer/songwriter most of the time but I also run an invite only music and film studio out of my house called Rhududu. The name means ‘ the fortress you build in your imagination as a child.’ This is a family property that we have lived on for over 110 years and now I rent part of it from my folks. It’s a beautiful place in the woods and I like to host artists here to come through and film and perhaps play at the songwriter night I host in the fall and winter called The Atlantis Underground. It has been a great pleasure and honor to dedicate much of my time to helping other artists along their way. I never was too excited about my music career being about me, though some of this self-focus is necessary. I’m so glad to have found a balance between serving others and creating on my own – I find that they are mutually beneficial and supportive of one another. Music is and has always been about community, vulnerability, and connection, despite what the greater music business pushes us to believe.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. Definitely a visit to the Columbia Gorge followed by some bar hopping to my favorite venues in town to see all my friends play. The voyage would be interspersed with tacos for lunch and the best burger in town (Kay’s) for dinner. There are so many wonderful things to see in Portland, but I’d probably end with a boat ride on the Willamette to float under all the magnificent bridges.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a big shout out to Jiddu Krishnamurti, the philosopher who taught me most about life. Much of his teachings are about eliminating division and conflict within ourselves. From the perspective that society is categorically a reflection of collective individual consciousness, it follows that our deepest duty is to heal the conflict within us as a means of healing the conflicts outside. I find that creating art is the most fundamental way for me to do this – we transform the hardships and challenges we face into creation, and thereby recontextualize our stories around difficulty into fuel for creation.

Website: www.christopherworth.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/worthmusic

Twitter: www.twitter.com/worthmusic

Facebook: www.facebook.com/weareworth

Youtube: www.facebook.com/worthmusic

Image Credits
Photos by Jessica Keaveny Rhududu Sessions EP design by Jaquelyn Cruz