We recently connected with Nik Flagstar (dudley) and have shared our conversation below.

Nik, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I definitely could have sped up the process, as I was always a part-time musician, even while working my day-job as a Field Archaeologist. Early in my adult life I worked in the hospitality industry and would tour with a band in my off time and locally on days off. When I became an Archarologist it opened up even more time for music as an avocation. I was blessed to work with a firm that supported my creative endeavors and would let me take weeks and months off for touring with my band, Nik Flagstar And His Dirty Mangy Dogs. During this time I also gigged locally with the band, doing original music, and solo, doing versions of Roots Rock and Classic Country songs. The latter was a good way to supplement my income from my day-job. When it finally came time to retire from Archaeology I had a decision to make, and I chose to take the risk of making music my only job. I believe the best way to make this possible is to diversify. What I mean by that is, I find more than one avenue for compensation with music, which also provides opportunities for creativity instead of only playing other people’s songs. I survive on a combination of regular solo gigs, (3-5 a week, depending on the season) playing covers of Rock N Roll and Honky Tonk at restaurants and bars, playing midsized to large concerts with my band, doing originals from our 7 albums recorded between 2003 and present, and special event performances, as well as sales revenue from physical and streaming of our albums and other merchandise. Another important piece of the puzzle is my score work and theatre work, I have been scoring for Television and Film and even writing and recording radio commercial work, and leading the occasional musical theatre revival.

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 have never stopped pursuing my true goals, I wish I’d have taken the risk sooner, but I may not have learned all the professional lessons I needed to be effective on the business side of the music business. I’m grateful for what I learned in my prior vocations.
I’m very proud of the success I have found in music, and through persistence, hardwork and a willingness to take risks, I have achieved SO MANY of my goals and dreams. I’ve played in major venues, theaters, clubs and dive bars…churches, barns and backyards. I’m proud of all of them. It’s been amazing seeing my recordings go from completely self released to labels that only existed to sell my material, to a legitimate independent label from Virginia producing our physical albums. It’s amazing EVERY TIME I see my name along side my band mate Jay Legs on a jumbotron, or my face on a billboard, or my name next to my scoring partner, Rob Perez in the credits of a film on streaming or DVD.

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

My goals with music are two-fold. One to keep a certain knowledge of musical history alive and Two, to use that knowledge to create something new and interesting.
I often relate my songwriting to Cars in this way.
In the classic hot rod world there are two kinds of builders, folks that restore classics and try to get them as close to original as they can, and there are RAT ROD builders, these folks use the parts and pieces of classics to sculpt and build something new, while staying within the limits of a certain vintage. This means the rat rod builder will only use parts from 1940-1960 but will make something completely new.
With my solo gigs work, I try to be a classic restoration hot-rod builder. And with my somewriting I like to make musical rat-rods!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have focused almost exclusively on one platform. Facebook has worked best for me, as my audience demographic overlaps with Facebook most closely. I have made it a priority to avoid any-and-all temptation to pad my numbers, I have never used a service to “gain more likes.” True and well-earned numbers that are slightly lower are much more valuable than high numbers that are artificial. Most booking agents can tell right away that the numbers are fake. Be yourself, but don’t overshare (learned that the hard way). Be consistent with your marketing, but not overwhelming. Facebook can be another avenue for income if you use it correctly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Nikflagstarandhisdirtymangydogs.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: @nikflagstar
• Facebook: @nikflagstar or @nikflagstarandhisdirtymangydogs

Image Credits

John Lee