We recently connected with Cade Nelson and have shared our conversation below.
Cade , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
In the same hand I could say I would never imagine being anything else than a creative… but that wouldn’t be true. I’ve often wondered what my life would look like if I hadn’t taken this path. The thought doesn’t last very long because well, despite it being the hardest possible path, it’s the best path for me. I’ve been able to have so many amazing experiences as an artist from doing a mural in South America, to seeing most of the big cities in the USA, big mansion parties, high level music engineering studios, seeing my work on national television multiple times, seeing my work on bookshelves around the world, making friends with my favorite people on Earth… Had I chose another path, none of this would be possible.
Aside from the materialistic reasons, I feel in my soul that this is what I am supposed to be. The more my soul and art refine and bind together, the more the world opens up to me. My abilities have allowed me to change peoples lives, inspire people, teach curious minds new ways to live and create, I’ve got a larger capacity for love and patience. I can make a better mark on this world because of this path and it’s one I’m grateful to be on.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
One thing remains constant in my life, whether im a 5 or 25 year old, I’m always drawing something. In school I would draw on desks if I didn’t have a notebook or sketchbook open, I drew in all the textbooks, I always had a sketchbook in my locker. As a senior in 2017 my yearbook superlative was ‘Most Artistic’ and I was proud of it because I know nobody could compete with how often I drew. Today I’ve worked with countless music artists to create their album cover art and it all started because I loved music so much and I decided to put it together with my art skills when I was going to Graphic Design school at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Iowa. From there, I would make friends with anyone who made music, hang out in home studios and collaborate. I found myself in Omaha, Nebraska a few years later and eventually my work would be posted to @CoverArtMatters on Instagram where the renowned Virgilio Tzaj of Atlantic Records would discover me. Since working with Virgilio, I would begin my real career as a Cover Artist where I would eventually work with one of my favorite artists Wiz Khalifa for a summer run in 2022, among other artists. Today here in Phoenix, I’m embarking on a journey to build community, make more art, and touch more lives.
My job as a creative depends on what I’m doing. If I’m directing a photoshoot, it’s getting models into the right mood to really capture the essence of the shoot. If I’m at a music video shoot, I’m making sure the BTS team is in the right nooks and crannies, making sure they get conversations with the right people. If I’m doing cover art, I listen to the music and feel which colors and compositions my mind conjures up and balance it out with what the artists wants for their cover. The main thing with all of these things I do is the realization that almost nothing I do I do on my own – it takes collaboration for potent and large scale creativity to manifest itself into the world. Each project I find myself on, I get better and better at listening and bringing the best out of everyone around me until the purest and best thing can come out. It’s almost like a game, but when the lightning strikes, it’s powerful.
Apart from my technical abilities, confidence, work ethic, and creativity, my strengths lie in my love, patience, and excitement I have for others. I truly want to see the best thing come from whoever I’m working with and I’m always excited to help them get there. I know how to nurture a good idea from someone else and help them plant seeds in this world. I’m a fan of people, they’re what make life worth living.
As far as my work goes, I’m not lazy. Most everything I do when it comes to my personal art & clothing brand comes with great precision, patience, and care. I’m not one to put things into the world just because I can. If I put a shirt or a crewneck onto the market, I will make sure it looks good, feels good, is of quality, and will last. I’m not interested in people supporting my brand because I’m doing it; I wan’t them to support because they can see themselves in it and love it. I want that crewneck to be the oversized shirt your daughter wears in 20 years to remind her of her dad while also looking dope in a vintage article of clothing. I’m very patient, if what I’m doing right now isn’t ready to be revealed or released, I’m okay with that, let’s try again later.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’m in the middle of that journey right now actually. I’m working on several things that I’ve never thought of doing right now while also having to fall back on a part time job to make it possible. In June one of my best friends & roommate passed away which threw my life way off course. I didn’t have a place to live for two months so I stayed on couches in California and Arizona, I visited back home in Iowa for a but until I could finally move into a very expensive apartment downtown. I had to do what I had to do to survive but I do not like the monthly price tag!
Losing a close friend & healing from that, paying a lot in rent, taking on so many projects, are all difficult things but it taught me strength, love, and patience. Strength because despite loss, taking on a part time job just to get by, I’m still marching forward – I am unstoppable. Love because that’s the super power of the earth. When you lose someone you love, you see how much love you wish you could give them, but now I can share that extra warmth with everyone else. I can support people even more, and I’m grateful to have people who love and care about me. Patience is something along this path that at first was hard to accept, it felt like I was sprinting toward greatness and then out of nowhere I was told to walk. The ambitious side of me didn’t like that! Though I know now that it truly doesn’t mean anything to do anything fast, in fact it’s a bit easier to smell the roses when you aren’t zooming by them. Life’s a bit less stressful too when you aren’t in a rush to write the story of your life.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I love a good book, as far as non fiction goes I like books that teach me about spirituality or resilience. I like simple but basic life lessons that make me a better person and I’ve found some of those in books like:
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
The 4 Agreements by Don Michael Ruiz
The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Anything David Goggins says is probably gonna be the cold heard truth. Andrew Huberman is a Neuroscientist with an amazing podcast that is amazing for really cool ways to hack your life or understand your habits & how your brain works. I’m also a fan of Jordan Peterson’s lectures on Youtube about the creative mind. I find that a healthy mind and a healthy body go hand in hand on your path to success. Your mind is your controller to the universe, so make sure it’s primed to do what you set out to do!
I like to balance out the self help and self refinement books that constantly push you in a self improvement cycle that can be exhausting with Non Fiction. I’m currently in the middle of the Hell Divers series by Nicholas Sansbury-Smith. It’s a long series but Each book I’ve slammed in an average of 4 days because I can’t for the life of me put it down. I also love a good book with Greek Mythology inspirations, Madeline Miller’s Circe & The Song of Achilles are easily some of the best books I’ve read on the metrics of pure word crafting. The way she describes things in the book fuel me creatively and the story she writes goes right along with it. As a creative it is absolutely essential to keep adding new things to your minds catalogue of inspiration. I also think books are wonderful for keeping your mind sharp! Reading helps your brain stay healthy and is a better past time than scrolling endlessly on TikTok or Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.paleinred.com
- Instagram: @PaleInRed
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaleInRed/
- Twitter: @PaleInRed
- Other: @PaleInRed on Tiktok
Image Credits
Wiz Khalifa & Cade Nelson G RAGE release party by Daniel Kelly @DanielKellyFilm Timbaland, Anna Margo, and Cade Nelson on set for My Way by Zander Marcotte @ZanderMarcotte Laughing at the poolside by Jaylyn M Bush @FilmDreamsB