We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nick Hagelin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nick below.

Alright, Nick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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 was paid for the first time as a performing artist at age 12 dancing with American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. I don’t think I realized we were getting paid for what we were doing in the show, so when I got that check, I was hooked. Both my parents were passionate about the arts and so I was lucky enough to be raised in a household and geographic area where pursuing a career as an artist was not only viable, but encouraged.

I studied ballet at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center from age 9-18, so I got this amazing pre-professional training and first-hand exposure to the kind of dedication and diligence required to be great as an artist. I was lucky to have never worked a traditional 9-5 but I have made money as a creative artist in just about every way imaginable, and it is still evolving.

I say all this because I have had to draw on that understanding that making it in the arts / as a creative requires just as much work and commitment as any other profession. I have had to subsidize each dream of mine with other talents; my ballet career provides the money and time freedom to pursue my music. My acting career provides benefits and residual income that my ballet career cannot. My music brings me piece of mind and creative fulfillment when I feel discouraged as a professional actor during slower seasons. Teaching dance keeps me grounded and grateful for the gift of the arts, and the privilege of sharing what was so generously shared with me as a student.

One major step was moving to Atlanta “on a dollar and a dream” to pursue music. I had been dancing in a ballet company full time in North Carolina and gave up that steady income to do something that felt closer to my heart. I didn’t have a real game plan, but went out many nights a week, armed with my acoustic guitar seeking showcases, open mics and any performance opportunities that would bring me closer to my goal of signing to a major label. Three years later I was signed to Interscope, one of the biggest labels in the world.

I could have sped up the process by eliminating the delay patterns that blocked my progress. I would often lose momentum, and years would go by waiting for the “right time” to drop music, or the “right team” to help me fulfill my goals. I would lose sight of the reality that I always have the power to take action toward my goals and dreams. I would foolishly wait for help from others or for the fans to appear before the music released, instead of being ok with sharing my art, no matter how it was received.

I also lost a lot of creative energy to toxic comparison to others’ careers and jealousy of others’ journeys. Self-pity, jealousy, resentment, making art for the approval or validation of others – these were the biggest pitfalls and limitations to my creative process and success in the arts.

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 an Atlanta-based singer/songwriter, actor, dancer, and writer/director who is lucky enough to make a living as a creative artist. I began my journey in the arts very young, being raised in NYC and attending the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center. In my youth I balanced my rigorous ballet training, my passion for playing and writing music, and a budding career in Film and Television, until I came to a cross-roads that required me to focus on ballet my senior year in high school.

As I embarked on my professional dance career, my love for music never diminished. In my 20s I moved to Atlanta to pursue music “full-time” but never stopped dancing. By age 25 I was signed to Interscope, and put out some great music and toured the country. At age 28 I finished Top 9 on NBC’s The Voice and truly accomplished some wonderful accolades in my music career.

Around that time, the film and television scene in Atlanta was exploding, and I signed to J Pervis Talent and began to audition and study as an actor, something I had great success in as a child but no formal training. Now, 8 years later, I am enjoying a well-rounded career in the arts. Still dancing, still putting out original music and writing and collaborating with other artists and producers, and my acting career has blossomed. In 2025 you can catch me in recurring roles on Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias and a new show on Starz called The Hunting Wives as well as Captain America: Brave New World from Marvel Studios.

Last year, I co-wrote and directed our first short film Little Help with my movie-making partner Raymond Scott, starring my two amazing sons Ace and Bash Hagelin. Our little film has gone on to win multiple laurels at film festivals and I look forward to doing more work as a writer and director. My son Bash ,a brilliant actor himself, has a hilarious supporting role in the new film Dear Santa coming out this Christmas.

I am working on a new music album, for the first time in years, with my producer partner and great friend the Grammy-nominated Trey Lander. “Falling,” the first single off that project will be available at the beginning of next year.

I am truly blessed to enjoy such a well-rounded and fulfilling career as an artist. I get to make cool stuff with my friends, stay in shape as a professional dancer, enjoy the creative bliss of making music, and be a dad that embodies and encourages my boys to pursue their dreams and develop their talents freely, without too much expectation or restriction. At this phase of my career, giving back and helping others achieve their full potential is very important to me. I find great fulfillment in my roles as a teacher and agent, helping cultivate the next generation of creative artists.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My son Bash was born with special needs , and his resilience and amazing ability to overcome the expectations and limitations set on him by doctors has always been a huge inspiration to me. Sharing his story was extremely formative in my passion for story telling.

I think the idea of “write about what you know” is very important, and bearing witness to such a unique and powerful journey is an endless source of inspiration. I want there to be more representation for people with disabilities in media, and in turn more stories told by people who have really lived a unique experience and have a clear point of view that may be different than what we’ve seen before in the mainstream. 

This approach to sharing raw, honest, experience in my art is very different to how I wrote music in my 20s. When I signed to Interscope the idea was impressed upon me that it was very important to “present” myself a certain a way in order to be accepted by fans and to make music that emulated what was currently very popular and consumable.

I now hold the mission to infuse my art with Truth and Love, and to make art about my own personal experience that resonates with my heart. I hope that it resonates with others, but that is no longer the goal.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The absolute coolest thing about being a creative artist is seeing ideas manifest as art. To have a lyric that strikes me in the gym turn into a song that I can play for someone I love, to have a story idea and then see it on the screen, so much more vibrant and better than it was in my mind, to make a choice as an actor, to try something different and have it create an interesting or hilarious or meaningful moment with your fellow actor, these are the gifts of the Creative Process.

My sons know that when I say, “Hey that would make a cool hook” we can actually go up to my studio and record something that they can then play for their friends and family. Believing that my ideas are worth exploring, that I am the one who can take them from the ether and make them tangible, shareable expressions of Self; this is the most rewarding aspect of what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nickhagelin.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nickhagelin
• Facebook: Currently Hacked.. know anyone at meta?
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-hagelin-768549141
• Twitter: https://x.com/nickhagelin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nickhagelin
• Yelp: www.tiktok.com/nickhagelin
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/nickhagelin
• Other: Award-winning short film Little Help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqGyK7QzFOU

Image Credits

George Tyler, Alex D Rogers, Blake Ballard, Exo Studios