We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Suede Silver. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Suede below.

Suede, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

One time someone asked me what my biggest fear was, and I realized it was being stuck doing the same thing every day doing work I hated. Then the light bulb went off, that if I choose to never do that, then I have nothing to be afraid of. It sounds obvious but at the moment it was profound. So in my twenties I freelanced like hell and learned how to do anything I found interesting. I learned to shape surfboards, photography, film, graphic design, producing music, and more. Eventually it led me to tattooing which proved to be a great fit and a became my career, it also gave me the flexibility to play around in other fields of art. There definitely wasn’t a lot of financial security or predictability along the way, but it all worked in the end and I’m super grateful for everything I’ve been given.

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

I’m a tattoo artist and I own and run an art studio called “Secret Sister”.

I’m also a musician, which has been my most precious art form in my life. I taught myself most instruments, then how to write songs, then how to record/produce/mix them. For a while I lost my way chasing music as a career and it tainted the art for me. Doing tattoos as my career has allowed me to start creating music again in a more healthy way. I’m working on a lot of country music I’m really excited to share with everyone because its a bit out-of-left-field compared to my other releases.

My tattoo business is so fun because I get to spend time with people and I’m always involved in a really special moment with people. It’s also really nice that its a tactile form of art, where most other forms keep you hunching over screens all day.

My studio “Secret Sister” is totally nebulous and has no specific agenda. It has my recording studio, co-working space, and photography backdrops. It’s a bit of creative playground. I rent it out sometimes, have friends and artists over for events. I also try to let up and coming artists use it for free to help them further their career.

I feel like a fully liberated artist now, where I have a healthy business, space to work, and all the skills and tools necessary to make different kinds of art at a hight level. It’s the dream I’ve always wanted and I can’t believe I’m living it. I hope I can help other people with similar interests and values realize their artistic dreams as well.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I’m fairly passionate about this, and also only fairly knowledgeable. I’ll try to make my view as simple and succinct as possible. Don’t crucify me for any errors / mistakes / oversimplification I’m trying to figure this all out too and use language that makes sense for the average person.

1) NFTs are all about digital ownership. Digital ownership is basically online proof that you own something. It could be proof that you own something that only exists online, proof that you accomplished something, online proof that you own something physical, etc. Think things like in-game tokens, your apple wallet, and verification badges.

2) A trend towards more digital ownership is inevitable. We’ve seen this trend since the start of the internet and its speeding up more and more. As the technology advances and a more secure way to prove ownership (blockchains) we’ll have digital proof of every important thing we own, from our houses, to art…

3) This is important for artists for a lot of reasons. Eventually NFTs will be an easy and ethical way to make sure the original artists gets paid for their art as its used, traded, sold etc. The uses of digital ownership within artistic domains are endless.

4) My takeaway from all this is to simply stay educated in the space and try to experiment and grow with it as the technology develops. The people who do this will be the ones who can take advantage of big opportunities in the future.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

This is going to seem like a cop out answer but hear me out.

I really wish I started a habit of reading much earlier. It’s easy to find quick answers to things online but the depth is rarely there. But for any area of interest there exists a book that digs deep into the topic and will ultimately grow your perspective faster than any other method.

For example, I realized once that I had no routine and was floundering a bit through each month, so I found a book called “the compound effect” that changed my life, literally. If you take some time to think about what holds you back, then find a good book that addresses it, your growth will shock you.

As a side note, our entire society is trending towards a worse attention span because of what social media apps, phones, and entertainment are doing to our brains. Having a habit of reading really helps combat that to keep your ability to focus nice and strong.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.suedesilver.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suedesilver/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/suedesilver