Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nick Bradley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Nick , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
While I was working on my degree at Morehouse, I was teaching myself how to play the piano as just a hobby. By senior year, I got really good at playing and became really passionate about my musicianship. Ultimately, I made the decision to change paths and pursue a career doing music. I started searching for ways to get opportunities by networking, reaching out to artists, and sharing my gift on my social media platforms. I found my niche on TikTok doing piano covers of songs across all genres, encouraging others to sing along to them. That type of content led to several viral videos and hundreds of thousands of new followers across the world. All of the attention my page was getting led to me landing brand deals and partnerships with several companies including Donner Music, Dossier, Dr Pepper, Honda, and more. Notable celebrities including Neyo, Jasmine Sullivan, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones and others have also seen my content, and shared it on their respective pages. I had reservations at first, but seeing how many people were engaging with my content, and how much of a positive impact it was leaving on people really made me embrace this path professionally.
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?
I am a self-taught piano player, and I do all things music. Everything across the spectrum including covers, all kinds of gigs, arrangements, songwriting, producing, scoring films, and lessons. One of the biggest things that stands out is my ability to capture raw emotion into my playing. Music has a way of reaching us at depths that human connection can’t. Bringing that feeling out of people through music allows the aura to resonate with everyone who can hear the sounds. That along with the courage and faith I had to take a chance on myself and my dreams are what I am most proud of. Anyone who reaches out to work, collab, or partner with me will expect nothing short of total commitment with an above and beyond drive to bring whatever vision or project they have to life. If my name is going to be attached to it. I’m ensuring that the product I put out is the highest of quality I can produce.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creator is witnessing how my work touches people. I’ve had countless conversations and have received several messages about how my content uplifts people, brings back wholesome memories, and makes them feel calm. Having that type of positive influence on people’s life, especially during these trying times, is my favorite part of what I do. I get great joy being people’s peace in the midst of madness.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I honestly do. I think where creatives and non-creatives have the biggest disconnect is when it comes to our time. Anything you want to do will take time; however, the value of our time is not perceived the same way as a creative. I think that’s because you don’t get an immediate financial trade off for the time you spend working on your craft. When you work a 9-5 or a double, you get that trade off immediately, and more consistently once you’re hired. It’s fixed. You know how much you make; you know when you’ll get paid, you know how many times a month you’ll get paid; whereas a creative can put in the same amount of work time, and those answers are unforeseen. When you’re first starting off as a creative, the hardest part is the beginning, because that time you put into your craft in most cases won’t yield immediate results. Having support on the front end is vital to a creative’s chances of having a breakthrough. It only takes one opportunity to change your whole life; and in that moment, you can go from feeling like you’re 2-3 years behind to 2-3 years ahead. It’s going to take time, but that trade off will be worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/Nickbradley2
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nickbradley2/?hl=en
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_nickbradley2?_t=8Uzrc1UhiwA&_r=1
Image Credits
Self