We recently connected with Cory Pierce and have shared our conversation below.

Cory, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

It certainly wasn’t over night. Earning a full time living with any career requires time. Time sharpening the craft. Time building relationships and trust. Time to experiment, fail, try again. I first picked up the guitar about 18 years ago, and while I’ve had various degrees of success along the way, it wasn’t until about 4 years ago that I could confidently say I was earning a full-time living with solely that.

To some that may sound foolish and grounds for giving up. Of course, I had other jobs along the way. And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered giving up at one point or another, but the thing that kept me driven all of those years was passion. For me, guitar is a language. Sometimes just for me, sometimes to share with others. Everytime I pick it up it’s because I have something to communicate, and whether or not there is a financial incentive on the other side of that dialogue I still pursue it everyday. Because after all these years I still haven’t run out of things to say.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hello! My name is Cory Pierce and I’m a session and touring guitarist based out of Nashville, TN.

I’ve worked in various markets within the music industry in Nashville for the last 8 years, but it all started at a fairly young age. My dad was a touring drummer during the earlier years of my childhood and was the main catalyst for my musical journey. I picked up the guitar when I was about 13 and haven’t put it down since. Raised in very small town in North Carolina, there weren’t too many distractions growing up, so I was fortunate to have both passion and time to focus on the craft.

At 18 I decided to pursue music on a higher level so I attended a school in Florida for a few years. It was here that my eyes were really opened to all that music can be, between meeting inspiring musicians from all walks of life to learning the in and outs of the studio and live fields.

At 23 my wife and I moved to Nashville. I knew about 3 people and worked at starbucks. It was equally an exciting and daunting time to say the least. Things moved fairly slow the first few years, even though I was thrilled for every small opportunity that came my way.

Fast forward 8 years and I’m now a full time touring and session musician. I’ve had the privilege of tracking on records from pop, country, worship and things in between as well as touring in all of those fields along the way.

I believe there’s a different approach to studio and live applications. In the studio, I want to craft something that can translate time and time again. Everything you “say” needs to be very intentional and supportive of the artist’s vision. By no means am I saying that live performances are unintentional, but there is a level of entertainment that I believe opens the door for a different approach. Live music is all about the connection made on a single night between an artist’s art and the listeners. The things “said” on stage from any instrument can be unique to that particular night. There is a wonderful element of freedom and the unexpected. Different crowds and venues can invoke very different experiences, and I really love that.

To summarize, I believe (and hope) that people hire me to work with them for my ability to support their musical vision and aid in bringing their dream to life. Guitar is a supporting role, and I treat it as such while doing my best to never take shortcuts in searching for new sounds and horizons.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I vividly remember during my time at starbucks when music opportunities began to pick up. I was working the opening shifts, so like 4:30am to 1pm. There were several times where I would have to drive straight from work to a rehearsal or show, not get home until midnight or later and then be back at work a few hours later. There was one shift I remember when I received a text about a gig that night with a new artist. I had never heard any of his songs but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity, so I snuck one headphone in while marking coffee cups behind the espresso bar. I would listen through his songs and chart the chords on starbucks cups. Writing one cup for actual orders and placing it to the right and simultaneously writing chord charts on another and stacking them to my left. At the end of my shift I grabbed my stack of starbucks cups and brought them straight to the gig. I remember spreading them out on the floor in front of me and reading each one as I played these songs for the first time.

Sounds hilarious thinking back to that, but at the time I just knew what I had to do to keep the ball moving forward. It would have been much easier to pass on it, knowing I’d have zero time to properly prepare, but that one gig stretched me and led to more opportunities that eventually allowed me to leave the coffee shop job behind for good.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Honestly, just getting to do what I love everyday with people that I love is a dream come true. The process of creatively helping someone’s art come to life is so rewarding and never gets old. For me, it fulfills a purpose deep within that no other profession does. It’s certainly hard work, and the days can be very tiring, but I still pinch myself at the reality that this is my “job.”

Contact Info:

• Website: Email – [email protected]
• Instagram: @coryspierce
• Facebook: Cory Pierce
• Twitter: @coryspierce

Image Credits
Nate Black, Austin Taylor Brayton, Sohaila Whittaker, Asa Johnson