This is part 2 of a series on artrepreneurship. For part 1 please click here.
(Jaclyn Auletta|flickr)
While making a quick stop in Pittsburgh to play at a local wine bar, Nashville’s Jordan DePaul, visited my home with his touring partner Brittney Kennell. I know Jordan through a mutual friend, but I still consider him a good friend, an inspiration, and the prototypical artrepreneur.
Jordan DePaul, singer-songwriter
Jordan studied marketing at Youngstown State University in Ohio before graduating in 2012. In early 2013, he moved to Nashville with no money, no job, no connections, and nowhere to stay.
He landed an internship at Broadcast Music Incorporated as a business development specialist – a job he dreamed of and applied to all throughout college.
However, Jordan quickly realized that his heart wasn’t into the work, but rather his music.
“I’d go to work everyday and I’d be on the phone and computer, then [on the side] I’d be on my laptop doing music.”
After 12 months, the company offered Jordan another position, but he turned it down. Jordan knew that he couldn’t serve two masters. “As soon as I quit, the hustle became real.”
Jordan took corporate gigs where nobody listened, played shows at 2 AM even if it was just a couple songs, and hustled his way just to make rent.
All of this didn’t matter to Jordan, because everyday he got to wake up and do what he loves – music.
From Surviving to Thriving
“Everybody’s good in Nashville. What sets people apart is ‘Are you a good business person?’”
Jordan exemplified his business savvy when he started The Neighborhood Watch, an initiative to garner attention for other talented musicians.
“Everybody thinks Nashville is cutthroat, but it’s not,” Jordan tells me during the interview. “It’s a small town, we go to each others’ shows. Everybody wants to see each other succeed.”
Jordan is a staunch believer that any success story has to have a community behind it. Back in February of 2015, Jordan threw a house show with his friend Charles Johnson. He streamed the “concert” online for his friends and fans who couldn’t be there:
“It wasn’t until after my set was over that I realized something cool was happening. My other musician friends started hopping up “on stage” (which was my dining room floor) and began playing their songs.
“When the show was finally over, I checked the online streaming platform and was pleased and rather surprised at what I found. So many people that watched for Charles and I were now asking who the other performers were.
“That’s when I realized, I have a lot of talented friends and I want people to know about them. Hence, The Neighborhood Watch was born.”
In August, Jordan hosted his first of three Neighborhood Watches with Brittney Kennell to raise funds for her new album. It was a big success with a larger turnout than expected. Selflessly, Jordan gave 100% of the proceeds to Brittney’s IndieGoGo campaign.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the two and a half years of living in Nashville, it’s there’s a huge sense of community. Not everyone is trying to get something out of giving to you, especially when you’re donating your own time and efforts.”
An Artrepreneur’s #1 Asset: Community
By establishing The Neighborhood Watch, Jordan showcases one of the most important assets to an artrepreneur: community.
It’s too soon to tell what karma may come Jordan’s way for starting The Neighborhood Watch, but already he is establishing himself as a valuable resource for other musicians in Nashville.
Other artists can learn from his example. No matter if you are a musician, blogger, or graphic designer there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other people in the same position as you trying to “make it.” If you can build a community around a common dream, inevitably you will help yourself (and others) to achieve it.
Discussion question: Who are some other great examples of artrepreneurs in your life?
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This series is an adaptation of a book I am currently working on called, This Millennial Life. If you would like to receive updates about the book please enter your email below (I promise we will never spam you!).
The post The Artrepreneur: An Interview with Jordan DePaul (Part 2) by Declan Wilson appeared first on A Millennial Type.