We recently connected with Thompson Newkirk and have shared our conversation below.

Thompson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have pursued a creative path for the entirety of my life. Since I was just a kid, I was in piano and guitar lessons, I took ballet and other dance classes, and in middle school. and high school, I always played in bands and was writing songs. I have always had so much energy, and as a young kid, I didn’t always know how to process it or how to channel it properly. As I say now, “I was too much of a jock for the nerds and too much of a nerd for the jocks.” I was never good in school and I loved being outside and playing sports, but I’ve never been “one of the guys”. I’ve always been an outlier in one way or another and I have found such peace and solidarity in that. I really cherish my friends so much because I know they have to put up with some crazy person half the time 🤣; but it’s a good crazy though and I know they accept me for me. However crazy or intense I may be though, I am very thoughtful and introspective and It comes out in my music. I have had a unique experience while being here on this earth and it’s not lost on me. For me, time is the most valuable thing we have and I don’t like to waste one moment of it. For me, being and artist is about leaving everything on the field, leaving nothing unsaid and recognizing the similarities in all of us and putting it all out in the open in a way that resonates with everyone else. How often have you felt like – “I’m the only one feeling this way” or “No one gets this” or “Is anyone seeing this??” When you can take those thoughts and similarities and put them to music, or to a script, it releases something in us, it speaks to us. Music has the power to make us happy, angry, sad, thankful and regretful, and all in a moments notice. When I do leave, I want to be completely used up and I want all of me to be left behind to be listened to and watched for the future continuation.

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 am originally from Georgia and I lived in Atlanta for some time because I was acting in TV/Film. I moved to New York City to continue acting and as well record and perform music. After being in New York for a while, my drive for music took over most of my time as it is what truly drives me and burns in me more than anything. What I want my music to give to others, is for them to know that their life is theirs. Not only can they do what they want, but that they owe it to themselves and the rest of the world to be the best version of themselves. I am most proud of my tenacity and my inability to relent in a world of rejection. I am an extremely inclusive person and have always embraced “the more the merrier” mentality. I can’t stand exclusivity and the attitude that some people give to others. We are here to support one another and to help each other and that is one of my hashtags #feelincluded , because I want everyone to always feel that they have a home or somewhere to go.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was at a gig one time and was waiting on a new drummer that I had hired for this particular gig. About 30 minutes before we were supposed to start, the drummer called me saying that he was lost and that he didn’t think he was going to make it in time. I had two options I could either play the gig by myself as an acoustic act, but that’s not what the venue had hired me for; or, my other option, was that I approached another drummer from one of the other bands and hired him on the spot to sit in with me on my set. I took a few minutes and showed him the songs and then just told the keys and bass player to help him follow along. It was such a great set and I still have a clip of it on my instagram today because of how good the vibe was.

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.

Being an artist or creative has a certain spin on it especially in our society that sounds almost mythical; But in reality it boils down to working hard and working smart. Unless you just have perfect connections in this world, you are going to have to work hard and smart to obtain whatever it is that you are looking for – and we should be so glad that we have that opportunity – to work and to play. It can be like your own personal little game of chess in life – if this, then what.

Contact Info:

• Website: thompsonnewkirk.com
• Instagram: @thompsonnewkirk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thompsonnewkirk
• Youtube: @thompsonnewkirk

Image Credits
Michelle LoBianco Michael Todaro Ambika Averma