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

Bradford, appreciate you joining us today. Are you 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?

I left music for just over a decade in my early 20’s. When I came back to it I was 32. I looked around at the other artists in the scene that I was coming up in in Seattle WA and I was older than a lot of folks. I felt like in the marathon of life as a creative I needed to sprint to try to catch up. So I took every opportunity that I could to learn. I met with managers, booking agents, talent buyers, producers, sync agents, songwriters, other artists, etc. I asked every question I could think of and I took copious notes. And I researched. I wanted to learn! I NEEDED to learn.

In the 11 years I walked away from music, I worked a lot of menial jobs that I hated and I was terribly unhappy. So when I threw myself at music I was not going to be denied. I was not going to fail. I was full time after the first 2 years and a big part of making that leap was my wife and I sat down and looked at our finances. We asked ourselves not only how much can we make, but how little can we need. I tracked everything music related also. I looked at every revenue stream I had, I analyzed as many variables as I could to make sure that I was putting my time and energy into things that would net a return of some kind. That’s often hard to do in a creative venture as not everything that has value is quantifiable on a spreadsheet, but I did the best I could. This helped me to limit the things that didn’t offer a return of some kind. I don’t play shows for tips for example. If you don’t value yourself, your time or your art, no one else is going to.

Bradford, 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 am an independent artist and entrepreneur. I own a production studio, label services and music licensing company out of Nashville TN called Lineage Artistry Music & Licensing. I came back to music later in life (comparatively) and decided I was going to make a living as a full time creative and would not accept failure as an option. I have been full time in the music industry for 13 years. We do everything from audio and video production for artists, tv commercials, and radio, to voice over work for film, tv, and ads, to artist consultations, catalog and publishing administration, all while making, promoting, and touring in support of my own music.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have been a passionate connoisseur of history for as long as I can remember. Not just what happened, but how it happened, why, who is documenting it, who is not getting a say in the re-telling, etc. There is so much to learn from our past that informs us as to who we are, who we have been, and who we could be in the future. Unfortunately, there are a lot of common themes. Especially in American history. In my life, I have experienced a lot of hard things, but there are many that I will never have to experience. I have seen and felt the sting of injustice. I know what it can feel like. Consequently, I have for most of my life subconsciously been drawn to themes of injustice, marginalization, oppression, suffering, and struggle. But out of that, moving into overcoming, hope, having compassion, empathy, and resonance. I hope that makes sense. I don’t write a lot of pithy love songs, ha!

I want my art to have a deep meaning born out of vulnerability and honesty. I want to help artists find a way for themselves to make deeply meaningful things instead of being exploited as just another cog in some corporate machine.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I can immediately think of many things like becoming a patron for your favorite artists, or buying their merchandise like a shirt or vinyl or even just coming out to see their shows, but I want to flip up the question a little bit.

It’s really very easy as an artist (especially in America these days) to be overwhelmed by all the myriad ways in which we are daily exploited, undervalued, taken for granted and dismissed. Music, media, art has never been more simultaneously ubiquitous and worth less than it is now. Entire industries are built on paying artists nothing or as little as possible while corporate pockets are being stuffed with the proceeds. But here is the thing. Unfortunately, there is a lot we cannot control.

We absolutely can and should pool together and collectively advocate for better conditions and protections for all artists. We need to do that. While we are doing what we can, if we are truly vulnerable and honest with our art, we can create points of resonance. Themes, stories, moments within our created work that allow for sympathetic vibrations, for people to be moved by our art. If people feel what you are trying to convey, if we can help them to process what they have gone through or to think about what things could be like, if we can serve them in some way then we are showing them the value of art. And if we can build community around serving those who value what we are doing, we can teach them how they can in return support us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bradfordloomis.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradfordloomis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradfordloomismusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradford-loomis/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/BradfordLoomis

Image Credits
Kimberly Loomis, Mocha Charlie, Tony Hammonds