We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Makenzie Phipps a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Makenzie, thanks for joining us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
I have been fortunate enough to earn a full time living doing what I love: music! I have been a full time singer/songwriter/musician for going on 8 years now and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I started doing my own shows at the age of 14 and since then, I’ve grown a lot as a singer and a performer.. I love interacting with people at my shows and sharing my music with them. I am thankful to have a job that I’m happy doing as I know some may not be that fortunate.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have always loved music from the moment I knew I could sing. I got started at a very young age (4) with music. I would go to service with my mawmaw and sing at church every Sunday morning. As I got older, I learned how to play the piano at the age of 10, and then I learned guitar a little later at the age of 15. I didn’t know that you could make a living off of music until I started doing my own shows.. I love being able to be myself at my shows and introduce people to the real me. Not just as Makenzie Phipps, but as the artist I truly am inside. I wouldn’t be anywhere in this career without my support system and awesome team behind me. They push me to strive for excellence every day, and I have gotten to accomplish a lot of cool things in my career.
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.
One thing I have found people outside of the music industry may not put into perspective enough is that music is truly a FULL TIME JOB. It may not be the usual 9 to 5 shift, but there is so much involved in making music and doing the performances. I remember growing up in high school, whenever I would do shows people wouldn’t really see it as a job. It’s almost like they perceived it as an expensive hobby and assumed that I knew how to play and sing every song I do during my shows. In reality, there is so much time and effort put into learning material. Not only that, but having to stay up on social media content to continue staying relevant in today’s world, trying to write as many songs as you can in a short period of time to keep the streaming numbers going, there is just so much involved that I don’t think people know about. Musicians may look like they live a glamorous life at their shows and events, but at the end of the day, there were a lot of lessons learned and hard work to get them to where they are in that moment.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I have always said that music touches people like no other, and I truly mean that. There is a song out there for every emotion, every life lesson or hardship, you name it! One thing that I feel is the most rewarding part in doing music is I am able to write songs that people may really need to hear at a certain moment in their life. I have gotten a little bit more into songwriting over the last few years and ever since moving to Nashville, getting to hear all of these incredible singer/songwriters has truly inspired me to become an even better songwriter. I like to write about topics that typical songwriters may not think to write about. I have always said that if I am able to write just one song that makes a big impact on someone’s life, then I feel I am doing my job.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.makenziephipps.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makenziephippsmusic?igsh=MWpubGZxM3JnZ3U0NA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakenzieLPhipps?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@makenziephipps?si=_zIyrg7uyQpDkL68
- Other: https://makenziephipps.komi.io/
Image Credits
Artisan Imagery