Meet Benjamin Wilkinson | Musician & Creative Director

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

Hi Benjamin, what matters most to you?
Kindness. Simply stated. What I’ve found in 25 years as a designer, most of which working independently, is that my practice of treating others kindly weeds out relationships and ventures that aren’t mutually supportive and productive. It’s really just about treating others as you would want to be treated. It’s not always easy in a virtual world, where actual face time seems even less frequent, but the core premise is still there regardless of where or how you do business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Before anything, I’m a musician and a songwriter. I’ve been writing, publishing, and performing for close to four decades. Music is the creative foundation and outlet that absolutely fills my soul with the most purity. My most recent solo project is called Music These Days (musicthesedays.com). It’s an all original effort based here in Southern Arizona and includes some of the finest local musicians I’ve ever had the privilege of playing with. The creativity I developed playing music and performing as a teenager absolutely shaped my second career as a commercial artist and creative director. I’ve also had the pleasure of paying my visual design skills forward as a college professor in more recent years.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day One: The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. If you want to get to know this land and its cultural significance, then you should start here; what I consider to be one of the greatest national treasures and education centers in the United States. Their immersive programs, namely their work with raptors, is simply astounding. Make a full day of it and then drop into the city through Gates Pass to have a delicious dinner at Mi Nidito Restaurant.

Day Two: Head on down to Santa Cruz County through the Santa Rita Mountains for higher elevation relief and the beauty of the grasslands and high desert peaks. Visit wineries during the day and stay in Patagonia overnight for dinner and boarding at the Stage Stop Inn.

Day Three: Staying further south, make your way down through Cochise County to Tombstone and Bisbee for the day. Both excellent towns to park and walk around historically rich parts of Arizona’s pioneer and mining history. We always enjoy a bourbon at Big Nose Kate’s in Tombstone and Bisbee offers loads of dining and stay options, including the historic Bisbee Grand Hotel.

Day Four: Back and settled in Tucson, we encourage our friends to stay at home stays vs. hotels, for the pure benefit of being embedded in historic and culturally rich neighborhoods and barrios. One of our favorite spots is around Armory Park and Barrio Viejo, south of downtown Tucson. A favorite hangout spot is Cafe Exo located on Simpson Street. Take a longer walk west for a full meal at Mercado San Augustin. A stop into Mission Gardens gives you an authentic sense of the indigenous and agricultural significance of the land surrounding Tucson and Northern Mexico.

Day Five: On either edge of Tucson lie the natural sentinels of Saguaro National Parks (East and West). With more than enough water for hiking, you will be quickly immersed in the Sonoran Desert’s greatest treasure—itself. On the northeastern end of town, hikes into Sabino Canyon deliver on all levels, as well.

Day Six: Climb the Catalina Highway into the pine forests and Mt. Lemmon for the day. Depending on the season and conditions, you could also camp at high altitude before making your way back down into the desert basin.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes out to my wife, Dr. Lauri Mills. As a psychologist specializing in trauma therapy, Lauri saves vulnerable lives everyday. I’m especially proud of her for successfully developing and opening her private practice here in Arizona.

Website: musicthesedays.com

Instagram: instagram.com/listentomusicthesedays/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/howarya/

Other: My independent commercial visual design site can be found at haveben.com.