We recently connected with Phoenix The Engineer and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Phoenix thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?
School was almost over for me as I was finishing up my last few quarters, I had to pay out of pocket for school. I was already accustomed to working two jobs while going to school full time so I picked up a internship at a internet radio station to get my last few credits. I learned how to produce and engineer radio shows, drops & keeping the time schedule. I was just getting adjusted to being in the real world after getting my BFA in audio production. My director eventually wanted to promote me & pay me more but couldn’t, so he referred me to a computer shop where I learned how to build my studio. But before I go there too, it was a studio directly across the street that I knew my heart was over there so that’s where life took me to. I was doing both the studio and computer shop simultaneously, so I was up from sun up to sun down. I was also working at Waffle House to live cause I didn’t have credentials to work. It’s amazing how life helped me create my own studio & build experience by working at a top tier studio just through that one internship, where some people refuse to work for free. I didn’t get studio credits because I was under contract for the studio but one of my proudest moments was meeting well known producers like Sonny Digital. He was amazed by me because he never met a female audio engineer.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I attended college from 09’-12’, where I studied audio and video production at AIU Buckhead-Dunwoody. I originally went to study fashion marketing but realized my heart was in the studio because of the energy it gave me. I went to AIU because I failed one math class & couldn’t graduate on time, why because I just lost my big brother to gun violence & I was writing raps to cope. That’s what led me to organizing a nonprofit & doing music – doing music guided me to engineering & videos because I know nobody could take of my projects like me.
I am currently a recording artist, rapper, engineer, videographer, editor & working on a nonprofit. I just quit my job of 10years in February, I was working at Waffle House still but God told me to just get up & go, I was gonna be aight. I’m glad i listened. It’s not easy but I know that I’ll be okay, I have the work ethic which has withstood the test of time but you still have to know when to get rest, repair & replenish yourself.
The services I offer are for audio engineering- studio & film, features, sound design, music and promo videos, music business courses 101, Protools & Final Cut Pro courses. Each $1 the client spends, they can earn credits to free services. I try to give back as much as possible.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I’m never free. I’m not Kevin Gates, I got 6 jobs & I be tired! Even when I doing nothing, my mind is doing a million something’s, lol. Sometimes my days carry over onto the next so I won’t always have my schedule figured out in advance. For what I do, just hear me out.. I’m selecting beats/vibes, writing, recording, mixing, gotta eat sometime, mastering, shooting videos, editing those videos & songs cause you hear something different everyday, handling distribution, hopefully sleep, publishing, royalties for every single song. I’m always out performing, networking, following up with clients, working on 3 websites with 3 separate business entities etc,. When you on the clock, whatever time you have after that is yours. Forgive me if I drift off in my thoughts, probably thinking about a dope visual, music lyric or food.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Social Media! Technology was different, wayyy different. Social media has help the career of so many people who know how to use it correctly & they have been able to monetize off it. They was lowkey preparing us for the future but it’s different today cause people record albums on their phone & edit videos from their Android, no shade. It doesn’t make our jobs obsolete but it changes the demand unless you refuse to sacrifice quality 🫠
Contact Info:
- Website: loveent-music.com
- Instagram: @phoenix.engineer
- Facebook: Phoenix LoveEnt
- Youtube: Phoenix The Engineer
- Other: All Platforms: Phoenix The Engineer