We were lucky to catch up with LexC recently and have shared our conversation below.

LexC, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ve been fortunate to be able to afford to live entirely off of my creativity! I’ve been doing so for about 4-5 years now! Of course, it wasn’t always this way!

My journey started out by moving to Atlanta to go to school. I attended the Art Institute of Atlanta and received my Bachelor’s in Audio Production in 2016. I began attendance in 2013 and worked “regular jobs” at restaurants and MMA gyms. The year of my graduation (2016), I got my first internship at Icon Studios ATL. The funny thing is I didn’t even start my internship as a recording engineer because no such opportunities were available at the time. So, I joined to be a marketing intern, helping the studio to gain more exposure and attract more clients. I stayed at Icon for about 8 months, during which time I engineered sessions because a few of the managers gave me the opportunity (shoutout to Ian and Anthony)! After 8 months of interning, I was, unfortunately, not given the chance to be an official audio engineer with Icon, so I ended my internship.

I applied to be an engineer at Rich Productions and had the recommendation of a friend of a friend who worked there. I did a test session with the owner, and he hired me on! I was still not earning a living completely from engineering, however. At this time, I was working at an MMA gym. My main income came from the gym, and I used the studio money as extra money towards savings and music stuff like photoshoots, videoshoots, etc. A friend I worked with from Icon began opening his own studios and invited to engineer for him, which I accepted! I worked my “regular” job and worked out of 2-3 studios for 2-3 years before earning the chance to be a studio manager.

In about 2019, I became the studio manager at Rich Productions thanks to the push from a fellow engineer who recognized my dedication and convinced the owner that we needed such a role. THAT’S when I was able to put my 2-week notice in at my job at the gym, and I began working in music full time! I was only the manager for one year, but ever since then I’ve been living entirely off my creativity!

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

Hey!

My name is LexC, and I’m a singer, songwriter, and audio engineer! I work in all things sound from music to TV to film, and my main passion is in the music! I help other creatives to make music and build their foundation to live a life funded by music as well!

I took this path because I’ve always wanted to be a singer since I was a little girl. I’ve been singing since I was 3 years old and writing poems since I was 8, which later turned into writing lyrics for songs. As I got older, I began to look at the insert booklets of music CDs and look at the titles of people involved in making the album. I would see “studio” and “engineer” and “mixer” and would wonder what these jobs were. All throughout school, I sang in talent shows, sports events, and even at my high school graduation! In high school, I decided to figure out how to make a living of music, and being an artist I also wanted to get into a field that would help me as an artist.

What’s one of the most expensive things artists have to worry about? Recording! Recording music is very expensive, so I figured if I could learn how to record myself I could save myself a lot of money down the line!

In high school, I decided between two schools – Full Sail and The Art Institute. I chose The Art Institute of Atlanta because it was much cheaper, and I felt Atlanta would be a great city filled with opportunity and a growing music scene. In college, I learned studio recording, audio for film, audio for radio, live sound, science of sound, and some music and studio business. The curriculum was very well-rounded. (Unfortunately, I think the school has been closed, but I got what I needed out of it. If anyone were looking at an arts school to learn what I did, I would recommend AIM or SAE.)

These days I work doing the following:
– Songwriting
– Recording
– Vocal production
– Sound for film
– Some post-production work for films
– Voiceover work
– Consultations for aspiring artists

All that I offer are service-based!

The biggest thing that sets my apart from others in my field is the fact that I’m a FEMALE engineer. Because music is such a male-dominated industry, there aren’t many women in the studio. Clients like having that feminine energy around as opposed to all masculine, so that can attract clients to me. Also, women tend to feel more safe around me because they don’t have to deal with the weird and creepy energy that can come from male engineers or producers.

My goal with all my clients and anyway in my life in general is to leave you better than you came to me. I want all my clients to be smarter and better after working with me. I want them to know more about how to build a sustainable lifestyle from this field, and I want them to be constantly sharpening their creative skills!

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think non-creatives struggle to understand how much work is actually involved in being a serious creative. People who work “regular” jobs, which many people would also refer to as a “9 to 5,” have this view that creatives don’t do anything all day, but I would challenge people to think of creatives as entrepreneurs. Creatives ARE entrepreneurs!

There are many facets to being a successful creative who is able to live off our talents. We are a variety of roles for ourselves:
– We are the owner of the company.
– We are the employee of the company.
– We are the accountant of the company.
– We are the ad agency for the company.
– We are content creators and social media managers.
– We are the scheduler. Those of us who are extremely disciplined schedule times to create! Oh, yes!

A job as a creative does not look like the traditional route, and it’s actually more work because there is no blueprint for us to follow. We don’t come under the system of an already established company and walk into a proven system. We have to create a personalized structure for our business, and we work non-stop. Traditional jobs work 9 to 5, but we may work 16-20 hour days. Some days we work a full 24 hours, and we may do that for 2-3 days in a row because that’s the nature of this business.

So, I would ask that non-creatives relate a bit more to creatives. I would say you could connect with a creative by explaining some of the administrative things you do to stay organized in your day-t0-day tasks. A lot of creatives struggle with organization and may appreciate the advice!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Here are a few pieces of advice I would like to impart to everyone, especially creatives: – Pick a name/handle, and STICK WITH IT! Do NOT change it, and make it the SAME across ALL or as many platforms as possible. This will make you easily discoverable no matter where people are searching. I’ve had my same Instagram handle on Instagram for like 10 years now! My YouTube is the same handle. My TikTok is the same handle. My website is the same handle. My CASHAPP is the same handle!

– Decide what comes most naturally to you, and make that content!

– If you can, use a post scheduling app. I use Later! I actually really don’t like being on social media, and making and posting content is extremely time-consuming. Investing in a post-scheduling app will automatically post for you so you don’t have to spend hours online.

– Remember that social media is a TOOL, and you should not live there! Social media is the most cost-efficient way to get your work out there, but making physical contact and connections with people through networking will always be more impactful. Most people want to make money from social media, but social media is the tool you will use to ATTRACT business. Social media is NOT your business. Please remember this!

– You should be consistent, but don’t feel pressured to post multiple times each day. Post at a pace that is sustainable for you. I used to schedule out 3 posts every single day, and it was miserable and added too much pressure to me. I now only post 1 thing each day. I can schedule out my month with this rate, so that works for me!

– Lastly, DO NOT BUY FOLLOWERS! This and building a business can be a slow burn, especially within the music business. The time will pass. Be patient! Create your system, and stick to your script! You don’t have to compete with anyone else’s speed!

That’s all I can think of for now, but I hope this helps!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lexcatl.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexcatl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexcatl
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisislexc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lexcatl

Image Credits
Andrew Agresta Jr. (@agrestaphotography) ElDwight Thomas (@i_perspective) 2K Films (@2kfilms_) Cloud 9 Visuals (@cloud9.visuals) Kemet Alston (@kemetalstonphotography)