Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Barksdale.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Detroit, MI. I grew up with undiagnosed mental illnesses and also undiagnosed autism. I started playing guitar in 2014 and fell in love with it from the first time that I ever played it. I left the NFL after eight years to start a music career and am now a producer, singer/songwriter, comedian and multi-instrumentalist. I now live in Austin, Texas with my wife and four kids (2 human girls and one Doberman female and one Doberman male).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m Autistic and have two mental illnesses so those have brought on countless challenges and obstacles in my life. I have also dealt with such things as being molested, significant deaths, being misunderstood, not being able to effectively communicate with people, not being able to understand other people and just feeling like I’m not even from this planet.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, comedian, and writer and the thing that I am the proudest of is able to do all of these things at a very high level. I’d say that my personality and authenticity separate me from others. I mean, I’ve never even met anyone like me.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Perseverance. In my mind, the hardest thing to do on a daily basis is just not to quit. If you can keep going even when it isn’t feeling the best, then you’re that much closer to your dreams than the people that did quit.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@josephbarksdale.com
- Website: www.joebarksdale.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbdale72/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JBdale72/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jbdale72?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoeBarksdale72
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/joe-barksdale
Image Credits
Ismael Quintanilla, Mesh Bhakta, Aaron Amos
