We recently connected with Samuel Patrick and have shared our conversation below.

Samuel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I would probably have started my business later, or at least planned it out first. I’ve been very DIY, figuring things out as I go and responding to the wants and needs of my audience. This kind of discovery and flexibility can be expensive and time consuming up front. “Going with the flow” is great for art, but a functional business model does need to be a bit more solid. I always recommend people put together an actual business plan in order to know ahead of time what they’ll need to do to be successful. How do you measure the health of your business? Who is your target demographic? How will you reach them? What will your up front & recurring costs be? Is there even a market for what you want to do? You can’t force it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I help independent artists & entrepreneurs show the world who they really are. It is difficult to distill your values, dreams, and personality into a digital identity, but through my lens clients are able to connect with new audiences in authentic and meaningful ways.

I got my start in the Boston hip-hop scene. The city was (and is) overflowing with talent, but with few people documenting the moments at hand. I wanted to do my part to shine a light on these artists & provide a platform for them to grow. We started as a weekly radio show & soon grew to be a podcast, independent label, and clothing brand. We organized industry panels, released compilations, and threw events of our own. This is where I developed the skills to approach the creative problems I’m solving today.

Now I’m based in Los Angeles and working with artists and creative professionals on a more intimate level, with services tailored to their unique needs. For example, I’m currently producing a documentary for one client, creating food-based content with another, and I just delivered some fresh headshots to a returning collaborator. I’ve been enjoying capturing behind the scenes content for artists & accompanying them to events as a personal photographer, as well.

What sets me apart is my ability to genuinely connect with a person and understand their source of inspiration, goals, personality, and how to clearly convey these values through visual storytelling. My goal is not to put them into a box, but to create a comfortable environment where they can fully express their originality. Then we go up from there.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Connection. To me, art is about communication. You know the feeling of being in a venue and singing your favorite song word for word alongside a complete stranger. Even if you never learn their name or see them again, you know on some level you understand each other. How else could those words resonate so deeply for you both? Sharing moments like that are what it’s about for me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to introduce artists & ideas to the world by creating the best conversations, events, art and opportunities possible. Through this I endeavor to inspire further creation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://samuelpatrick.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samuelpatrick__
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelneilson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LFODLife

Image Credits

Samuel Patrick