#22: Willie Austing: Country Music, Family, College Football, and the Work That Feels Like Play

In this episode, I sit down with independent country artist Willie Austing to talk about his path into music, his new EP Outgrown, and what it actually takes to build a craft over time. We get into songwriting, recording, early live shows, and the reality of developing skills across multiple areas at once.Willie shares the behind-the-scenes side of the process, including burnout, self-teaching instruments, and what it feels like to get completely locked into your work for hours at a time. We also talk about balancing a full-time job, relationships, and creative work, and what separates people who stick with it from those who don’t.00:18 Intro to Willie Austing01:31 Willie's background, sports, and how music started02:27 New EP Outgrown, burnout, and why sometimes less is more06:37 Songwriting process, melody vs. words, and the story behind “Two Birds”10:24 Why smooth wording matters, plus the Game of Thrones coffee cup analogy13:00 Learning guitar, sound, recording, and becoming self-sufficient21:16 First open mics, first paid gig, and learning live performance30:54 Wedding performances, nerves, and opening for Rodney Atkins37:07 Worst gig story and what rough reps teach you42:30 Musical influences and what shaped his sound45:29 Social media, posting music, and trying to reach new people49:18 Balancing a full-time job, relationships, health, and music57:14 The long-term dream, AI, and protecting the human side of art01:02:15 College football, Texas fandom, and fall Saturdays01:14:31 Rapid fire round01:22:54 Final wisdom and where to find WillieFind Willie Austing Here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willie_austing/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@willie_music_Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5wpW51yR2aENy8QINandGP?si=RsKNYIBKSrCb6PZDK7OXuAApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/willie-austing/1739712915