We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Watkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robert, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I genuinely feel happier being an artist, being able to truly able to express myself the best way I know how. As an enterprising and self-employed musician, business owner, and entrepreneur, I do find the road to success to be steep, with quite a few bumps (and some bruises). but I know in the end, it will all be worth it. While I (at the time) may have been making more money working a regular job, I couldn’t continue to ignore the dreading feeling I would have on a day where I would have to go into work. Earning a living is supposed to have some element of fun and excitement to it…, right? So why do I not feel that on my regular job?

As a young teenager, both my first and my second job were in the (fast) food industry. While I did learn a lot of things working a regular job (including how to interact with customers and co-workers, how to keep track of stock & inventory, and the importance of having a crew that enjoys working together and the work that they’re doing), I realized that this isn’t exactly what I would want to do with the rest of my life (regardless of the industry I was in). My biggest concern, was the time I was spending doing something that, when I stepped back, and took the moment to ask myself “Do I see myself doing this for a long period of time?”, and knew the answer to be “No”, it then dawned on me: “There was no sense of me continuing down this career path. Why continue to be good at something you’re not even passionate or enthusiastic about, especially when you know you can do something [better], and enjoy what you do in the process? Even up until this moment, I would still rather do something I love doing and make what I’m able to from it, than to get a paycheck from a job that (A) is not too much concerned about my wellbeing, rather how much work I’m getting done; (B) using my time to build someone else’s dreams while not having time to build mine, and (C) underpaying me for my time and my hard work.

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 (Robert W., also known as MoneyatMidnight) am an upcoming artist / singer / songwriter / producer / designer, currently out of Nashville, TN, who, since I was born, has always been surrounded by the theme of music and its majesticness, whether it’s the creation of music, how music affects us individually, how it affects us as a society, or how it affects us on both levels when we as a people come together and unite under the right musical tone, regardless of our differences. From an early age, I had always taken an interest in music, especially with the majority of my family having some type of history in the music business at a professional level. I guess you could literally say I had “music in my blood”. I’ve always played some kind of instrument, from me playing the keyboard or the drums when I was little, to me playing the Alto Sax from the 5th grade to the 12th grade. to me using my favorite instrument of all, my voice!

There is an issue throughout the current music scene that shows there isn’t much originality left within mainstream music (especially within Hip-Hop & Rap). As a rapper and a producer (and amateur mixing engineer) with more than 50 successful, self-releases (SHADESRECORDS), my goal is to help create and mold the next “new sound”; a sound that is not only meaningful and meant to inspire and uplift people, but will also be able to stand the test of time, and will also be allowed to stand in the same category of other amazing musical releases by other amazing and legendary artist!

I am ultimately proud of myself, the hard work and extra hours I’ve spent building my craft, the wonderful experiences and feelings I get, seeing how far I’ve come, (even while still being in the “beginner” stage), my work ethic, and the impact and influence I’m creating, as I inspire and create.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist who genuinely loves what he does, is the response I get when somebody understands the message or point, I may have made within a song or a work of art. As people, it feels good when you are able to relate with other people about life situations (especially with problems in our lives where we may feel, we’re the only ones dealing with them). Another rewarding aspect of being a creative is my ability to set the boundaries and limitations to my creative endeavors. If I like something (in this case, a particular idea/concept), I have the ability to continue to flow with it as I see fit, without having to face any major pushback or rejection, (and vice versa). The third most rewarding aspect of being an artist is simply the reward of being compensated from my own ideas and creative moments!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I personally feel that people in general (and sometimes even other creatives) won’t understand the sacrifice, the hard work, the compromises, and the “missed”, short-term opportunities other artist and creatives experience until you “make it” (being the point where you are recognized, even on a small/local scale, for what you do). A lot of creatives face the difficulty of having to provide “hardcore” evidence and facts regarding the results to the things we create, when it literally, is not that simple. Since lots of creatives are pulling from their ‘Imaginative space”, it is not always easy for us to provide tangible results as to how an outcome, in response to our creative work, will be, because of its newness and the way the creative work is being delivered. Each artist/creative faces their own unique journey of becoming and implementing the best strategies and processes to be able to fully thrive from being a creator. It’s like building a building, but you’re drawing the blueprint, AND building the building at the same time. I believe it’s also the risk-factor that we as creatives take that non-creative people will not understand. We like to play the risk with (and on) ourselves, rather than to play the risk of a regular job and the average mundane lifestyle.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://ffm.bio/moneyatmidnight
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/moneyatmidnight
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/moneyatmidnight
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/moneyatmidnight
• Youtube: http://youtube.com/MoneyatMidnight
• Other: SHADESRECORDS (Official Instagram): http://instagram.com/shadesrecordsofficial MoneyatMidnight | Bandcamp: https://moneyatmidnight.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
MoneyatMidnight