Conversations with Johnny Washington

Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Washington.

Hi Johnny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out my creative in career in music. I went to the University of Michigan with the intention of going to medical school. After some time, I realized that this was not a good fit for me. I gravitated toward music because I found myself listening to avant-garde and experimental rock music, thinking that I had the skills necessary to compose music. Unable to read or write music, I began taking electronic music composition classes, while also taking history of jazz classes along with history of modern classical music classes. In 2015, under the name Addictive Disposition, I released my first album, Schizophrenia, an industrial album with heavy classical influences. After that, I released two more albums, ‘Twisted, Turned & Burned’ and ‘Full Human Anger Waves’, respectively. TTB is, as I like to describe, a thirty minute horror movie, as each song encompasses its own unique atmosphere and seamlessly transitions into the next. Full Human Anger Waves is what I like to call noise jazz, pulling heavily from jazz and blues influences, while maintaining a dark and lively atmosphere.

In 2018, I began performing stand up comedy. I met many talented comedians, was able to perform in many great venues along with hosting two shows in the Metro Detroit area. When COVID hit, I took a break from the creative arts and reassessed what I was passionate about and what gave me energy. I went back to stand up in the summer of 2022 and found I wasn’t as passionate about the craft as I thought I was. It was then that I decided to move into acting and I fell in love with it. I am great at breaking down stories and finding the truest way to represent the character through my eyes. I love the acting community and how they find being vulnerable as a strength, willing to wear their heart on their sleeve as a way to showcase their true authentic self. I am very grateful for where I am today and having a chance to work with so many dedicated artists from such a diverse set of backgrounds.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Like most journeys in life, there have been bumps in the road. For instance, pursuing acting came from the lack of passion I felt towards performing stand-up comedy. It was getting increasingly more difficult to find the positive energy I got when I first started doing stand-up. The same happened after I released the three albums under Addictive Disposition. After doing solo work for so long, I worked toward collaborating with others. When it became difficult to find others who wanted to create the kind of music I wanted to create, I moved to stand-up. It’s important to find comfort and solace in what you do, especially in creative activities that you do.

I have also struggled with mental health issues for most of my adult life. I denied any outside assistance because I was arrogant to the fact that I could handle everything on my own. It was only recently that I started taking significant action to help me with my mental health. It was during an acting class when I lost control during a scene, and that really opened my eyes. If I am going to be doing emotionally charged scenes, I need to be able to access the deepest parts of my psyche without any adverse feelings towards myself or others. I began taking therapy sessions in May 2023 and slowly implementing steps suggested by my therapist. I began writing in a journal everyday, reading a book and most importantly, not being afraid to be vulnerable in regards to my anxieties and fears. I still have times where I feel depressed, but I am in a much better place to take care of myself and be resilient.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
From 2015 to 2017, I released 3 albums under the name Addictive Disposition. My first album, “Schizophrenia”, is an industrial album which pulls influence from heavy metal, classical and electronica sources. Then I released “Twisted, Turned & Burned”, a thirty minute horror movie where each song seamlessly transitions into the next. “Full Human Anger Waves”, my final album, is an exploration of noise jazz. Music is a field I am still passionate about, however I took a hiatus from it because I wish to work with other musicians in a collaborative setting when the opportunity arises. While I continued to produce music by myself after Addictive Disposition, my ideas for compositions became more complex and nuanced where the input from skilled musicians was becoming more and more apparent. I continue to write and play bass, but one day I hope to create a band where the compositions I’ve written can be made into reality.

Since October of 2022 I have

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Every morning, I spend 15 to 30 minutes learning a foreign language. In college, I had taken an extensive 8 credit hour French class which really instilled the language into my memory. I worked in a kitchen after college, where I was motivated to learn Spanish. Around a year ago, I began to plan a trip to Italy and thought it would be beneficial to learn Italian. So for months before my trip, I was extremely inspired to learn Italian so I could easily communicate and possibly joke around with the locals. When I arrived, it was so much fun speaking the language as it allowed me to be that much more immersed in the culture and comfortable in my surroundings. When I went to Italy, I also traveled to Switzerland and while there were a lot of French speakers, I could not understand any German at all. Upon my return home, I began learning German. So for the past few weeks, that has been my recent endeavor to learn every morning. I have also been adding French, Spanish and Italian in the rotation to help me stay fresh.

Contact Info:

• Website: johnnywashington.actor
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnywashingtonofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnnywashingtonactor

Image Credits
Nikita Artinian – Headshot Bridget Anne Artistry – Midsummer Night’s Dream Photos