We were lucky to catch up with Schuyler Nickleberry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Schuyler, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Last year, I collaborated with the creative duo Shena and Shira Pridgett (The96Twinz) on a conceptual video inspired by Brent Faiyaz’s “Dead Man Walking” record. It was around January, usually the time where that dark cloud of seasonal depression falls upon me. Outside of pushing through the hell of the pandemic, I was going through a rift in my relationship, experiencing a major identity crisis, and working on reconnecting with family back home in Texas. It was all a heavy load to carry alone! Everything around me was changing. Everything within me was changing. When Brent dropped that song, it deeply resonated with me to the point where it felt like I had wrote the song myself!!! I had to do something with that energy! I cracked open my journal and created a draft for a visual treatment/mood board based on the images and ideas I received when I listened to the song. Then came the rest.

As I mentioned, I was at home in Texas, celebrating the holidays. I try to link up with my artistic friends in the DFW area whenever I visit, just to catch up and create. There is an untapped pocket of breathtaking creators that come out of my city, so to bring my girls Shena and Shira in to help bring my vision to life was nothing shy of magical. We gathered my ideas and created a finely structured, beautifully executed production out of my chaos. Filming at home in the Fort Worth Water Gardens felt like a rite of passage for some reason…it just felt special through and through. Overall, I was able to intentionally tell a story of being in the trenches of my woes and express my desires to kill my ego in roughly 3 minutes through dance, music, fashion, and speech. All the rage and confusion I was feeling in that moment took a backseat for a while after filming. That’s when I knew I was healthily channeling my energy.

What was ultimately meaningful about this project was me learning that all my art doesn’t have to be pretty, or be rooted in a positive message. It just has to come straight from my heart. It has to come from my truth. Sometimes that’s ugly. But that is also what community is built from. That is what your tribe can resonate and help you with. Never did I imagine this project would hold up a mirror to my wounds like it did. This project proved to me that among many forms that art transcends into, it is an altar for your perspective.

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

I am a freelance artist currently based in Atlanta, GA. Born in Fort Worth, TX, where my creativity was nurtured since I was a young girl! My core disciplines are writing, dance, filmmaking, recording music, and creative direction. The services I provide range from (and are not limited to) writing, reviewing, and editing scripts, assist with moving choreographing and dancing for live performances and productions, directing music videos, photoshoots, etc. My services help clients and collaborators seamlessly produce or enhance a project from conception to execution.

These avenues help me understand myself and those around me on a deeper level. I see value in one’s ideas (and vice versa), and we join forces to help that idea manifest to its fullest capacity. When we work together, expect thorough communication, organization, genuine connectivity, and an inclusive environment.

One thing to know about me is that I am a shapeshifter. I’m constantly learning, growing, and transforming into someone different every day and what I produce reflects that. I don’t tie my worth to my output though. Being in a healthy space to create and produce indefinitely beats forcing productivity in my eyes.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think a lot of artists’ roadblocks are tied to financial support and access to resources to nurture their crafts. When society begins to view art as significant contribution to the fabric of our culture as they do other essential fields, that is when true support can flow into our community. To be real, we aren’t too far off from that vision either! I’m witnessing a wave of exposure for creatives in the mainstream with the help of social media platforms. These platforms give us the autonomy of sharing our work (hell, our lives!) with the world, thus creating our own opportunities rather than waiting to be given them. It took me a while to understand and believe this, but we are the providers of content and products that these companies, brands, and individuals are willing to invest in!

Continue to shop from your favorite artists! Show love on their social channels! Attend their events! You never know what difference your efforts and appreciation can make in an artists’ journey.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I love this question! This very moment in my life feels like one of the most pivotal times in my odd 23 years. I’ve been doing things the most conventional way possible. I graduated college and went straight into a corporate career track. I’m familiar with the structure, the stability. But it seems that in every job (even non-corporate) I am employed at, it never feels fulfilling enough. Sure, it pays the bills and helps me healthily sustain myself, but as I’ve been in deep reflection, I realize that I really only feel entirely fulfilled when I am writing and recording music, dancing to my favorite songs, being on set filming visuals, creating unique looks, and conceptualizing stories waiting to be told. I am pivoting into full-time artistry. I’m ready to take a bet on myself and win. I’m ready to stop treating my passions like an option and prioritize them. It’s Been Time ;)

There aren’t many entrepreneurs from my family to my knowledge, and my late father was the only example of a boss I bare close witness to. Although I’m unable to get any direct advice from him now, I do remember seeing him place community at the root of his business. He owned a barbershop named ‘Changing Faces’ but for the DFW metroplex, he did way more than that. With keeping his leadership and business acumen at the forefront of my mind, and the guidance of God, I know I won’t be steered wrongly.

So this is the beginning of my new story. To be continued…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: schuy2fly
• Twitter: schuy2fly
• Youtube: SCHUY

Image Credits
Profile Image: John (@johnnergy on Instagram) Yellow fur film: Wavebeast (@wavebeastprod on Instagram) Dance Video still: Darshon Boone (@houseofbooneevisuals on Instagram) Performance shot: Kristi-Ann (@ksoulll on Instagram) 24K Gold Shoot Photographer: B. Wilkins (@bdotwilkins on Instagram)