We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carley Bearden . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carley below.

Carley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted this when I felt something I had never felt before performing on stage. The feeling of creating something, sharing it (performing) and seeing people really experience the song in their own way, made me realize I need to do this forever. Art is something that can be universally understood, that’s why it’s my job to create it & share it to anyone who will listen.

Carley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I’m carley bearden, a 22 year old LGBTQ+ Indie-Pop artist, Social Media Influencer & creative director.

Art and music is my first love, and this is my passion.

Along the way, I built a Social Media Marketing company with my Girlfriend. We work with creatives, businesses, etc. anyone who is excited and passionate, we are there to help you in all things social media.

Truly just working with people who are inspired and excited about their art, whether it’s work related or music related, is what drives me in life.

As an artist, creating a wonderful fanbase of people who are vulnerable, honest & true has been the COOLEST thing to ever happen to me as an artist. At the end of the day, we’re all people, we all have feelings & we all have things we’re going through. My music is that safe space for people to turn to whenever they please.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I love this question. The answer is AUTHENTICITY. So many people try to hop on the bandwagon of what’s cool, what everyone else is doing, what’s popular now.. but why not focus on what will be popular and new in the future?

I honestly have been myself the whole time, the good, the bad, the ugly. People will stick around if they truly support you, and if they don’t, you don’t want them apart of the brand you’re trying to grow.

My advice to you, would be to be yourself, follow your own timeline, gather ideas from people you look up to and create original content that shows your TRUTH. I promise, this is the best way to go!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There’s been many bumps in the road. Nothing is perfect and nothing will ever go absolutely your way , ever. But I learned that these obstacles are meant to happen to teach you, to help you grow, to pivot you into a direction you didn’t know you needed.

I dropped out of college in 2020, it was just not for me. When I left, I had to step it up. I became a true adult, working 3 jobs , crying, panicking, I literally did not know how difficult it was. And it took me a while to really understand that though this music journey takes time, to find something I’m PASSIONATE about outside of that, which was Social Media for me.

I built my fanbase, I built my brand, it was time to help others do the same.
I ended up quitting a lot of the jobs I was doing to build this Social Media Marketing company, and along the way things haven’t been perfect, (which is okay), but now, I am focused on something I’m good at, something I love, and I can truly say I LOVE my job(s). Find what you’re passionate about, and truly figure out how you can make a living doing it. I promise it is extremely possible if you focus, slow down & believe in yourself. Trust yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @carleybearden_
• Facebook: Carley Bearden
• Twitter: @carleybearden
• Youtube: Carley Bearden

Image Credits
@jazzyburkett @pi_photos_