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

Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Sooner, but I learned to trust the process. Things happen the way they do for a reason.

Coming from a collegiate educational family, the idea of owning a business, living as a creative nomad, or whatever it may be was a totally foreign concept to my folks. The minute they got whiff of my creative ability, the quicker the suggestion to become a music teacher was introduced. Which to be fair was not an idea I opposed. I taught public school and afterschool lessons full time for 5 years, and I loved every second of it. But that also delayed my process in learning how to be a better performer, how to book shows, how to develop a fanbase, how to manage employees, etc.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Started singing and drumming at an early age, was active in middle and high school in artistic events and musical competitions. Went to Florida State to hone in on my drumming, came out playing and touring with bands and artists. Learned the industry through that experience.

In my last year of college I decided to hatch a great new scheme to get girls to come to our weekend keggers. I gathered a justice league of funky ruffians to play songs we thought the ladies would get loose to– and we were right. We did this on and off again when it was convenient for us. It was never about money or fame, it was just a fun way to express ourselves in our most primal frat boy-ish zone. The band would have a tendency to fall by the wayside due to classes, jobs, relationships, other gigs, etc.

After working teaching jobs, wedding gigs, and the occasional tour dates with musical mentors for some odd years, I decided to take my band of misfits on the road for the first time (again, initially a lavish ploy to attract women). All jokes aside, there was something that got to me about bringing my music to new people. Writing songs, rehearsing with bandmates, curating set lists, booking shows, packing the van, traveling to wherever for a fist-full of bucks and a couple of beers– there’s something I still find so romantic about that life.

We were on the road for two years, hitting city to city, weekend to weekend, sometimes weeks at a time. We’re an old school band that plays old school music, and we were determined to rise through the ranks the old school way. I spent years of my life unknowingly researching a dissertation level of information on the music we supposedly claim to play professionally. I put together a full length record of life experiences on and off the road, and we put that into a full length reflecting our journey into the industry and saluting those who paved the road before us.

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 think the biggest thing non-creatives struggle to understand in the concept of a goal with no end in sight. That’s what creatives do, we keep hacking away at this sculpture that will never fully take shape. For every single thing you learn as a creative, you learn of ten to twenty new things you can’t conceptualize yet. That’s how it is for the actual creative process and the creative business. There’s no sure-fire way to create, develop, and maintain a career as a creative. You have to get creative with that too. I think that’s a hard concept for non-creatives to accept, so when you explain what you do and how you do it from one creative to a non-creative, it tends to scare them a bit. Which ironically I understand more than they do because I’m terrified every waking moment.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Sharing is caring. It can be anything from a roof over a touring band’s head, buying an album, or even just sharing a post from an artist you dig. Obviously money is important, but creativity rarely thrives on wealth or power. It thrives on love, community, truth– things that have no physical value but empower us as humans. Also if you’re at a show for a band you like, just ask the bar manager where there tab is. If they’re over, cover it for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adamandthetestifiers.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamandthetestifiers/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adamandthetestifiers
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/adam_testifiers
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyg3DSN6anq7LNWVV8Ss9kw

Image Credits
Devon Brittner Photgraphy Melessa Mims Photgraphy Glenn Whittington Photography