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

James, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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’ve been lucky enough to make a full-time wage from my creative work but that wasn’t always the case. I started off solely as a musician studying Music Theory in college and playing local gigs. A few years into it, I realized it was hard to make a comfortable living only playing locally–and this was before outlets like Spotify and YouTube became the giants that they are now, so it was harder to gain recognition. I ended up switching my degree to Graphic Design because I knew I still wanted to work creatively and I’ve always had a knack for sketching–it seemed like the best route. Fortunately, while still in school I was able to get a few free/low paying gigs as a designer that eventually lead to bigger opportunities but also allowed me to pursue music more freely, without worrying about it completely paying my bills. Over time, opportunities in both design and music grew enough to where I can do both and earn a full-time wage–but design work is still definitely the bread winner.

James, 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?

I’ve been playing guitar since 2010 and mostly consider myself a session guitarist though I occasionally record some original music from time to time. As a designer I’ve worked with big brands like Crunchyroll all the way to smaller mom-and-pops shops doing everything from motion graphics to apparel design. The thing I’m most proud of, and I try to keep at the forefront of my creative work, is my drive to be unique. I feel like there’s so many amazing artist in the world but a lot of people are saying the same things; I enjoy art that is different, a bit fringe. Sometime I see things like ‘Boss Baby 2’ and think, “whose passion project was this? Of all the things you could say, why say this?” The media loves safe mediocrity, so I feel like it’s the job of the underground artists to keep the balance.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that there’s only one way to “make it” as an artist. Not everyone is gonna be Malika Favre or Julian Casablancas but that doesn’t mean your creative work doesn’t have a place. I’ve found as much joy in playing small shows with friends as I have with playing packed clubs; it’s all about your perception and what you want to get out of it. If 10 people like my work, I’ll be happy. If you want to make a living from it, there’s ways too.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I saw Nickelodeon is now selling NFTs…come on, stop it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simsvolour.com
• Instagram: @vibesfromthetribe or @sims_volour