We were lucky to catch up with Phillip Vigil recently and have shared our conversation below.

Phillip, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 have been able to earn a living from my creative works, but not a full-time. Life has been full of many challenges up and down not only from my personal life but from my professional creative life as well. I have been Writing Songs and Performing for 30 years and have seen all sides of the music industry. During dry spells from performing and gigging, I was a mobile DJ to keep investment growth possible. I also produced rap and hip hop artists in the communities i lived in. I took video production classes at UNM to enhance my capabilities to expand my abilities and products to offer. Every cent earned from the music went right back into the music. I have worked multiple jobs simultaneously around my creative life to provide for my family. The music and arts industry I have found it to be a cut throat feeling environment. Performers and artists undercutting each other and even talking negatively to promoters and venues to get jobs/gigs over others. I was raised different and knowing that I could not personally live with that representation of myself. Now over 30 years later I have been given the opportunity to give back to the community and artists and performers. Uncle Mike started something great with the sole purpose of bringing live entertainment and fans of live entertainment together. I was given the opportunity to perform my original works solely to a live audience. He had decided to close up after a short lived adventure and had given me the opportunity to take over operations to keep the dream alive. He allowed me to buy him out making payments and allowed me to keep the name to pay homage. I will probably never be able to fully make a living doing what I am doing with it, but my goal is to help entertainers and performers have opportunities I wish I had in my earlier years, for that I have NO regrets.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Stage Uncle Mike’s is a Venue built by Musicians for Musicians. We are a non-profit donation based organization set up directly for performers and creators. We offer our venue to them with no cost to them. We have a core group that has years of experience in the audio visual profession as well as performers and songwriters. We offer livestreams and video recordings of performances along with a photographer on site and engineers to make each event a success. We give the performers the option to play for tips, a door, or even the option to pre-sale tickets to the event and keep 100% of the proceeds. Of course we accept donations from them if they are profitable, but working with them to expand their following is our goal. We are one of few venues that promote events as well as provide a plug and play experience to assist with light travel to artists. We have had performers from Italy and France to All 4 corners of the US. We are striving to make the Stage Uncle Mike’s a must stop place on every entertainers tour.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The day to day. Booking and all the behind the scenes tasks required to make each and every event happen. For traveling musicians letting the fans or non creatives understand what it takes. The learning, the practice, the supplies necessary and what it takes to obtain them. What it takes to not give up and to remember the reason we do what we do. The struggles from my experience have outweighed the rewards but the goals are enough to keep the motivation alive.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being able to share myself with the world. Each creative work is embedded with part of me as the process develops. I have been told a time or two that my music has helped them get through life’s challenges. Now, for me, having the opportunity to share the stage with my children as the are musicians themselves is probably the greatest reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestageunclemikes,com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unclemikesportales/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unclemikesportales
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@unclemikesportales

Image Credits

Amanda Walker Photography