We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arielle Isedenu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Arielle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I learned early on in life that I am a creative. I originally found my voice through singing and I still do. Along my journey, I’ve realized that my creative expression can evolve into different mediums. In college, I pursued a film major out of sheer curiosity. I had been a theatre kid and thought I was going to continue on that path but instead allowed myself to explore. In the midst of that shift I also discovered my love for marketing. There was no major marketing at Dartmouth so I took the only Tuck Marketing class I could as an undergrad and took any internship that seemingly had both creative and marketing aspects. Throughout this time I picked up a music double major and continued joining music programs that kept my passion for singing alive. My music took me to LA, London, and has planted me back in NYC where I grew up. I was fortunate enough post grad to get jobs in creative marketing working in animation and social media. This gave me the confidence to go out on my own and start helping small businesses with their social media. I started my own social media agency and now combine all my creative skills to fund my music, my business, and build community events with my friends. I am happy that I’ve grown into my creative vision and validate my work in all its forms because if not I would not be able to make a living creating for myself and others.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Arie (ARIE for my music) and I am a multidisciplinary creative: trained vocalist, songwriter, digital marketer and creative visionary. The theme of all my work is soulfulness. I am driven by connection with others through what we don’t see, how we feel about each other, the things we don’t talk about, or only find in the quiet of our homes. I am passionate about bringing sacred conversations to the forefront and holding space for our inner divinity. I own a social media agency that helps brands build their communities through content creation, management, and creative strategy. I am also a performing artist and have opened for artists such as Phyllisia Ross in the first Konpa concert in London. My debut EP “from the cœur” is out now.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I’ve always been big on community. I grew up in a big family and tight-knit neighborhood group that made me feel seen and heard in all my quirkiness. From a young age, I realized how much your circle affects how you see the world and how much you feel you can achieve. After moving, in my teens and going to college I strove to find that same form of kinship and quickly learned that I could convey it through my art. My music and marketing give me the opportunity to build community and hold space for others through a shared love of sound and creative expression.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn is that I have to wait for somebody to tell my story. There have been so many times in my life where I wanted to start a new project or create an idea but I felt or was ill-equipped to do the tasks at hand. Every time I came up against this wall, I had to remind myself that whatever I set out to do does not have to be perfect and it simply works out. I somehow always have the tools necessary, after taking a step back and taking inventory. For instance, when I wrote my debut EP, I really wanted to collaborate with producers and I didn’t have the opportunity at that time. I felt like the quality of work I wanted to achieve would not be met and didn’t know how to produce an EP all by myself. I had to take a step back and think about all the tools and skills that I did have in that moment. And, I made a body of work that I did not know I was capable of creating. I am grateful I gave myself that agency and I am constantly learning that the process won’t look how I envision but it may be more fulfilling and worthwhile. It really became a decision of If it’s on my heart, there’s a way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spmedia.group/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulbaddie/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielleisedenu/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@soulfulbaddie?si=LV8Lar9O2DkQzobP
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7qxhjmZ6kJzCRFUEkEJqwj?si=utfB9HOtRhu7DHtHjhxmnQ
Image Credits
Bea Dero