We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Connor Donnelly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Connor thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Growing up I was always surrounded by creative and artistic people, and those qualities shaped me. I’ve always known I’ve wanted to have a career in something creative and artistic, but was always more focused on just creating whatever came to mind and not worrying about it professionally, as a career. I almost felt like it would be selling out, and creativity should be more about passion than money. It wasn’t until about 2015 when I decided I wanted to focus more specifically on music, and actually recording it for release to the public. I began networking with established professionals to just learn from the ground up how to record and market music, and investing in my own equipment. It took almost 2 years to record and release my first ep. I was hesitant the entire time to continue or even finish. I was 23 at the time and felt like I had already missed some window of opportunity for musical success, which is a farce. Once I committed to finishing and releasing the ep, it was one of the greatest feelings I’ve experienced yet. I knew I had to have a release party, which would be my first live show. That night I decided I wanted to move to Nashville and do music professionally. I wouldn’t take back a minute of any of these experiences, and I encourage anyone who has ever considered a profession in a creative and artistic path, to take that leap, and enjoy the ride!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Connor Donnelly, also known as Conbleez. I am a multidisciplinary artist! I mainly focus my creative time and energy on making music, primarily Hip Hop/Rap. I’m originally from Michigan, but where I started my label; ConDon Records. I eventually moved to Nashville to immerse myself in the music industry. I feel that my skill set is very well rounded and I have a wide variety of things to bring to the table for clients. I’ve always been into painting and street art so I’ve always designed all my own logos and covers, and love to for others as well. When it comes to the actual music, I can play many instruments and have a full recording studio where I make beats, live record, mix, master, release and market music. Having experienced what it’s like to mold yourself into and market yourself as a professional artist, I can help clients, followers and fans start their own brand and become their own business, and it happens to be one of my greatest passions.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being an artist and creative is an interesting thing. There are almost two sides of the reward from being an artist, for me at least. The initial reward for being an artist is just being able to express yourself. It’s such a great feeling just knowing you at least took the chance to try to express yourself and create whatever you were imaging. The second side of the coin for me is knowing that other people genuinely enjoy your work. When I see or hear people expressing how they feel about my music, it’s a cool experience, even sometimes if they don’t like it, because at least they experienced your work!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

“All you need to know about the music business” by Donald Passman. It seems so plain and simple but it is an awesome read if you do want to take a leap into a music career! It seems like one of those books where if you know… you know.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @conbleez
• Twitter: @conbleez
• Youtube: @conbleez
• Other: Linktr.ee/conbleez
• Spotify: @Conbleez