We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Doss a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Fast forward to me teaching in 2020, and I was rewriting Romeo and Juliet into a hip hop musical. I wrote a song for the main two characters, but I wanted it sang a certain way. So the easiest way was to record it in my studio and play it for the class. After I played it for my class everyone just stared at me, they loved it. I wasn’t really thinking anything of it, just playing a song I wrote. Eventually one student hassled me with love, until I made it a single. And that was the catalyst to my dream journey.

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.

My name is Nicole Doss, and everyday I wake up, I’m following my dreams. I will always aim big to win big. So therefore I only dream big. The arts will always be my main focus. Even when I’m not creating for myself, I’m a theatre teacher still working in my gifts and talents during the day. I encourage my students to never give up and follow their dreams. If you don’t believe in you, you’ll never have the energy to start and see it through.

As a child, I’ve always seen my name in lights. I’ve always heard the crowds, and seen the flashes. I’ve always dreamed big. This dream I have with me, I’ll forever chase. Although I’m more than music. I had to gain a set focus. I saw a Tyler Perry clip and I’m summarizing, but he said “put all your eggs in one basket, and when that one works for you, you can do everything else.” I used to torture myself with wanting to write scripts, and write songs and film short films, and film my song ideas. If I wasn’t doing one, I’d worry about falling behind in the other. After really embracing that thought, I put my eggs in the music basket and I’m seeing it through. So before I let songwriting take centerstage, I did more acting than music. I’ve acted all my life up until about 3 years ago, I started focusing solely on being an artist and songwriter. After releasing a single I wanted to showcase myself more as a writer, so I can one day write for other artists. That’s when I created I Write Good Songs YT channel, I find producers on YT and I create a song to their beat. While showcasing them, I’m also showcasing myself as a songwriter and artist. I’ve also invested in producers I’ve found for my own unreleased music projects.

One of my best memories since starting the channel was, my first brand gift. Jif peanut butter sent me a really neat gift that contained a golden spoon necklace. I even wrote a thank you song for it. I will always remember my first gift. I’m currently in my 5th and final season of I Write Good Songs, YT channel. It’s aimed at big brands for potential Super Bowl commercial ideas because that’s the goal with the last two seasons right now. Dream big, aim big, win big.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I would have to agree with the cliche answer of seeing the finish product. It takes a lot to create these music videos. I always want the next video to be better than the last. It’s apart of why season 5 isn’t released yet. I want to go really big. And seeing what’s in my head come to life, is the best reward. Like wow I did it. I look forward to the end.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Recently, I just reached a year as a returning teacher to the classroom. I spent a year fighting for the dream with all I had in me, and it wasn’t easy. Financially, mentally and physically chasing my dreams was hard. So having to go back to work mentally bothered me, but I work my job around my dream, and not my dream around my job like I used to do. I know being an educator it might not seem possible, but it’s all in your mindset.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/itscolede
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/itscolede
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@iwritegoodsongs?si=Mvtiyu_N5pMphhSZ
• Other: tiktok – itscolede

Image Credits
All photos and video clips taken by me.