Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nathan Borton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nathan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I would like to discuss this question in terms of my relationship to the art of making a living as a jazz musician. If you’re a musician, or even someone that what’s to pursue music, the most important thing for you to do is to not be afraid to fail. In my career up to this point, I have tried and failed at many things. This concept was especially hard for me to grasp as I am a people pleaser at heart. I want to make people happy and feel good, so when (as a musician) I can’t perform or make a mistake, this causes people to feel uncomfortable, or at least that was my perception. What I learned overtime, and with the help of many people, is that most people forgot mistakes as soon as they happen (at least on the stage)! Not only that, but by making mistakes you learned infinitely faster than if you put yourself in positions where you don’t make mistakes. I say all this because I hope that I can reach someone out there who is afraid of messing up. If you can find a way to release that fear, you will grow exponentially as a person and a creative!
Nathan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Sure! I’m a jazz guitarist based in Colorado. I am currently working towards my DA in Jazz Studies, while also being a content creator, working musician, husband, and teacher. I think something that sets me apart from other jazz guitarists of today, is that I understand that there are many different ways to be successful. I, for example, started a YouTube channel a little before COVID and at first that was just a way to practice teaching. However, as my skill making online teaching videos developed so did my influence on the internet and in real life. I have an online private studio that brings in a sizable chunk of my income thanks to YouTube. I also make money being apart of the YouTube partner program, as well as my supporters on Patreon. On top of that, I also am a professional mixing engineer. I have mixed records for people all over the world, including members of Michael Bublé’s band, various colleges including Michigan State University, and students musicians from across the United States.
I think the main thing going for me is my skills in a wide variety of crafts. I would encourage anyone who is a creative to look at all the things they can bring to the table and then find ways to incorporate them into your workflow.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think the thing that I find most rewarding about being a creative is the ability to assist in improving peoples lives. Here’s an example that relates to one of my skills as a jazz guitar instructor. When I have a student that has been struggling on a concept and then finally gets it, the joy that they feel truly makes me happy. Not only that, but when I help a student achieve their goals (for example I had a online student in China that wanted to study jazz in America and after a year or so I was able to help them get a nice scholarship to a great college!) I feel like I’m making a difference. Another example comes from being a musician. When people tell me that my CD, or a live performance, makes them forgot things that are hurting them or just helps relax them, that in such a powerful motivating tool for me! If I can enjoy making art as well as help people in the process, why would I do anything else!?
How did you build your audience on social media?
I think the main story of my social media (YouTube) is to keep going no matter what. As I stated in a previous question, my YouTube channel kinda started out as a passion project to practice my teaching skills. However, I kept posting videos to it consistently, even if they were bad. What started to happen was that people became interested in some aspect of the channel. It could have been the playing videos, or the teaching videos, or just me talking about music gear, but people started to find things to stick around for. Once I passed 1,000 subs then I started to develop a community that supported me (which was very encouraging). Though my YouTube channel now is not massive (almost 10,000 subs) the options it offers me far out way the time it takes to keep it up! If you want to grow your social media it’s all about just doing it consistently, doing it effectively, and doing it well.
Contact Info:
- Website: nathanborton.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/nborton1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NathanBorton
- Other: tiktok.com/@nathanbortonguitar
Image Credits
Natalie Borton (who’s a great photographer)