Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alfred Nomad. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alfred, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’m currently releasing a meaningful music project titled “Keep Moving Forward”

Alfred, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an artist, emcee & community organizer from Indianapolis, IN, and currently based in LA. I started as a poet using creative writing as an outlet during a tough time in my young life. I ended up surrounded by wonderful and captivating hip-hop music and was blessed to be encouraged to rap myself based on the poetry I was writing in my early teens.

I’ve fallen in love with using music not only as a tool for self-expression but also as a vehicle to build community and self-worth. It’s wonderful to have all the current resources available to make music and share it with others. But it’s much more fulfilling to have a purpose behind it and create worlds that people can enjoy, participate in and relate to.

There are a lot of us in this world that have gifts that we’d love to share with the world. People that care about using those gifts to help themselves and others. But life can discourage us, distract us, and isolate us. I create to encourage these people to believe in themselves, believe they are someone that matters, and hope they are introduced to others that provide a sense of community. When people come together with minded problems, goals, and initiatives true change and progression can be made. It’s all about us learning from one another and building together.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Nowadays every day that I continue to strive towards my goals, treat others well, be mindful of my self-care, and stay true to my values is an act of resilience. Consistently taking everything one day at a time, one task at a time, one building block at a time. One success, and one lesson at a time. Consistency and perseverance. I believe that is a primary key to all progressions in this life. It’s not one moment, it’s every moment building up to our greatest moments. I’ve been pursuing my goals in music for over a decade. I could have given up a long time ago. But I refuse to and don’t see that happening. As my father says to me all the time “Keep Moving Forward”. That’s a message I want to creatively encourage others to do.

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

One important way is pushing education and the opportunity for youth to be creative at an early age. I knew I was an artist since I was in pre-school. And I knew it because I was blessed to be in a school called Training Wheels in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that encouraged creativity. I was drawing, dancing, and playing piano by the time I was in grade school. This normalized artistic expression within me and made creativity a part of my life. Schools are investing less and less in the arts and people’s creativity. This not only develops young artists but develops skills that people can apply to other parts of their lives.

Another is more government and institutional funding for the arts and affordable arts programs. I’ve had the honor to be able to participate in and coordinate arts programs that provide affordable resources and safe creative spaces for artists. It’s not mentioned enough how much of a difference these things make. By providing resources to artists these creatives can contribute beauty, understanding, imagination, and more to the greater good and well-being of our society.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://alfrednomad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfrednomad/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alfrednomad/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/alfrednomad
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamlyricalaj/videos
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/04XDBhUPqfrvJlNtcTee5E Stay In touch with Alfred Nomad: https://superphone.io/f/al02hOqB

Image Credits
Taken by Erin Soorenko