We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam W Carter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, how do you think about risk?
I chose to view risk as opportunity defined by: 1) Being able to recognize opportunities, 2) Positioning oneself to be able to say yes and 3) can I live with myself if I never found out if I would have succeeded or failed?

In life, taking risks or rather recognizing and accepting opportunities has produced situations allowing me to meet, exceed or occasionally fail my own expectations. Every opportunity opens up a space of vulnerability, to face your own success or failure, to face your true self and hopefully grow from it. None of this is easy in practice however a continued belief in the process has produced incredible results.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always taken a renaissance approach to art, producing the creative trifecta of music, sculpture and film/video. For me, the creative process involved in each of these disciplines overlaps, one always feeds the other. As it turned out, my strengths in story telling and videography provided the platform best suited to fulfill my creative desires and develop a business model to move into the professional space while literally taking me around the world.

Easy isn’t a word that works into my story much. As they say, “nobody said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it”, It all begins with recognizing the opportunity and evaluating its potential as it relates to your desired trajectory. For me it manifests in a certain amount of fear and uncertainty as I work to understand what it all means. For that part of the process I have surrounded myself with amazing people, each with their specific qualities to help me work though those challenges.

Ultimately, when everything came to a halt in 2020 the time came to pivot once again. Taking my love of music and video while having the physical equipment, studio and talented team around me, The Way Back Sessions were born. We knew we were in a position to share the live music experience with an audience that was craving it while providing the musicians a quality platform to share it from. Our mission became to support all musical genres and break down musical barriers.

The Way Back Session philosophy is that we all use the same 12 notes when listening to or creating music. Through this understanding we have fostered an audience that is open to hearing a rock band one week and a string quartet from the symphony the next week. By engaging people people through live music and being able to discuss it candidly during the show we have been able to successfully blend entertainment with education and open people up to music they otherwise might not experience.

The success of the live show has led us into the nonprofit world as The Way Back Foundation. We are now developing youth programs to champion the amazing young talent that exists. By exposing youth to the live show we are also able to share all aspects surrounding the production of a live show. From cameras, video production and lighting to audio engineering, our goal is to expand the understanding of all creative pursuits that are available in a production like The Way Back Sessions and that it’s not limited to be the talent on screen.

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.
Hiking and biking at South Mountain Day or night dining & drinks – Welcome Diner or Angles Trumpet
Drinks only – Bitter & Twisted
Local music – Crescent Ballroom or Last Exit Live or The Yucca Tap Room
Hang out at The Way Back Sessions Studio
Hang out with an incredible assortment of artists and musicians, too many to list

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Kat Carter – wife Ben Carter – brother
The world is a better place because Kat and Ben exist in it. Without the unconditional support, never ending encouragement and true belief my little universe wouldn’t spin around the way it does.

Website: https://www.thewaybacksessions.com

Instagram: @thewaybacksessions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWayBackSessions/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5e7TivUE4Crgj55UwwtDGg

Image Credits
Neil Schwartz – image 6&8 Kat Carter – image 1

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.