We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nick Samson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nick, appreciate you joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?
I do run my own social media, but I’ve developed some very strong opinions about its use lately. Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or an artist looking to get your name out there, the pressures of social media are immense. We’re pushed to create content and pump it out as fast as possible in order to maintain engagement. I can’t speak for everyone, but I’ve found that I don’t have much creative energy after writing a song or working on a role to create a week’s worth of IG reels or TikTok videos. That’s not to say that these things aren’t useful. I obviously want to share my work, but I’ve asked myself more and more lately, “do I need to post anything today?” I’m really trying to commit to using social media when it’s completely necessary and I have something really important to say. I took all of December off from social media. Deleted my apps and everything. I’m hoping to have a healthier relationship with it in 2024 so that it doesn’t use me. I believe in doing so, people will get a more genuine and unfiltered version of me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m an actor and musician born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. I grew up tagging along with my dad to his band practices and shows, watching and absorbing the way he played drums in some projects and sang lead vocals in others, which is what I’ve ended up doing as well. I started out playing in local bands in Cleveland and then eventually Columbus where I went to school at Ohio State. A couple years after I graduated I became interested in songwriting. What started out as a simple solo project and musical outlet, has really propelled me into the artist I am today. After years of being the guy behind the drum kit, I’ve been releasing and performing music under the name La Poré since 2017. My first few releases did well, which gave me a sense of creative confidence I didn’t have before. It pushed me to take chances and try new things. Almost simultaneously with La Poré I began acting. I attended an audition for a small production of Taming of the Shrew, somehow got a part, and I’ve never looked back. In 2019 my wife Dani Samson, a mixed media collage artist, and I moved to Los Angeles.
There’s been a few unexpected events that made the transition less than smooth, but I’m proud of the fact that I’m still here developing and moving towards the artist I want to be, especially as an actor. I’ve been studying at the Marjorie Ballentine Studio for almost 3 years now and it’s been life changing. In addition, my growth as an actor has inspired me to write, and I’m set to produce my first official short film in 2024. Of course there’s plenty of La Poré music to be released in the coming year as well.
I’m really trying to commit to staying true to myself and creating work that I can look back on 30 or 40 years from now and be proud of, and hopefully at that point I’m still creating. That to me is success.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think the biggest question a non-creative may have for me is “why do I make art?” I ask myself that nearly everyday. Why do I write songs? Why do I sing those songs on stage? Why do I create a character for the theater or for film? I can’t explain it. All I can say is I need to. I have to interpret life through some other form to make sense of it. I tell you, that’s not an easy thing to sell or profit from. I think as a creative you have to be okay with the fact that the reward may not come in dollars or cents. Yes, I need to make a living. I need to find opportunities to help grow my business, me, and its outreach. But I’m going to do it my way and I’m going to make something cool while I do it.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, changed my life recently and I think anyone, especially creatives and business owners can benefit from it. I won’t go into detail too much on the philosophy behind it, but it focuses on mindfulness. When you’re the boss, you can easily get distracted. You can begin to question yourself and decisions you make. That can easily spiral out of control. Some things in life are just out of our control. Creatives are often problem solvers, but not everything can be solved, it just has to be accepted. I can’t ponder on why I didn’t get an acting role or why a song didn’t get the amount of streams I was anticipating. That’s just unnecessary pain. This is easier said than done. It’s a work in progress for me, but reading that book allowed me to be kinder to myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laporemusic.com
- Instagram: (Personal) https://www.instagram.com/nick1samson/ (Music) https://www.instagram.com/_lapore_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laporemusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_lapore_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCebCFUoqL7Qs5OIf840rUfQ
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11086014/
Image Credits
Logan Floyd Vinicius Faria Zinn Dan Hess Nika Burnett