We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Patrick Rutledge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Patrick, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I believe a lot of what I know came out of necessity. It’s one thing to be ignorant to something, but often times we’re aware that something is important, we just don’t do it or know how; however, I believe if you get frustrated enough, that can be a good driving force to learning and problem-solving.
Throughout my journey I would often hear things like, “marketing is important,” or “collect emails,” but you have to dissect those pieces of information yourself. It wasn’t until years later I understood what marketing actually is (because it’s very involved), or why collecting emails (data in general) is so important.
I could never regret dedicating the amount of time I did to my craft in the earlier stages, because it’s the foundation of everything I do, and why I contribute to my disciplines at the level I do. But, I do believe dedicating time to learning about the business earlier would’ve saved me a lot of time, money, and emotional distress. It’s easier to dedicate that time to the creation, because that’s what you enjoy doing. Also, I didn’t have examples around me, so much of my learning was self-sought. Everyone’s journey is unique though, and that timing is divine. Therefore, I believe had my journey panned out any other way, it would’ve been detrimental to my success. For my journey, those losses were necessary, and that elapsed time was crucial for how I move now.
Being multifaceted is such a hack. Musically, I’m self-produced, I record myself, and I mix and master my own tracks. I’m also a filmmaker, so creating content and visuals is done in-house. Because of this, I’m not only able to cut my expenses and turn-around tremendously, I’m also able to be in far more control of my brand.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is PATx. I record music and make films. I’m not sure if I feel I’ve earned the title yet, but recently been resonating with the word, “mogul.” But for now, “multimedia artist” gets the job done. I could draw really well as a kid, and always played with toys to create these larger-than-life worlds and stories. Around high-school, while simultaneously realizing “ball ain’t life,” I started making music. Originally, just beats, until eventually quirky freestyles with friends turned into more. Both my childhood wonder for worldbuilding, and newfound passion for music motivated me to go to college for filmmaking.
Fast-forward, I’m now a college professor teaching in areas ranging from Music Industry to Mass Communication to Filmmaking. I also own a creative agency called PSYCHii, where we produce all types of creative content for, about, and with local artists. I’ve performed in front of one person, I’ve performed in front of one-thousand. I’ve worked on films with one digit budget, I’ve worked on films with seven digit budgets.
All the knowledge and skillsets acquired to accomplish the real goals: to make creative things with my loved ones and likeminded in a way that’s impactful, and to empower others to do the same.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In June of 2024, I dropped my hard drive and lost over eighty-percent of my work: films, scripts, songs, graphics…all of it. I felt like all of the things that gave me worth were gone. It impacted how I treated myself, and not allowing people I love be there for me. Because of that, I would go on to lose more: my significant other, a best friend, community, etc.
Even while in the midst of it, it was easier to convince myself to create than it was to eat. Fast-forward a year later and I’ve not only produced my best album (BTWN II PLNZ), but have also adopted a much healthier and positive mindset when it comes to me and my worth. As a result of that internal shift, and being more intentional and clear about what I want, things externally have followed suit.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I’m not sure if non-creatives understand how exploitive the music industry can be. As artists, we know that one stream is a fraction (of a fraction) of a penny, but to someone who is a fan, and plays your music regularly (even religiously) on a streaming platform may not know that. Furthermore, the convenience of access now innately diminishes the perceived value of it. A film that cost tens of millions of dollars, over a year’s time, and countless amounts of effort only costs a consumer maybe $20 at a theatre, and less than that if they wait until it goes online. A consumer could pay for your song, or they could pay a massive corporation less than that to access any song ever. It’s a hard sale to make.
Also, the amount of time and effort it can take to make something. Regardless of your discipline, the time allocated to the result often far outweighs the amount of time allocated to experiencing said result.
I want non-creatives to understand the importance of buying straight from the source. In the long-run, it’s better for the both of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iampatx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iampatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pattabadda/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-rutledge-b9974114b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iampatx
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/iampatx
- Other: https://www.psychii.art
Image Credits
@megoff4
@video_jesus
@brokeboymedia