Art Pays Me

On this episode of Art Pays Me, I interviewed Amara Kanté, world renowned Master Percussionist, Composer and Artistic Director. We talked about Amara's passion for preserving and sharing African culture through music and words.

We also had a brief appearance by Crystal John from the Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre.

• Amara
• Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre

In episode 7 I interviewed Dion Walcot, the entrepreneur behind Martk'd, a dynamic custom shoe design competition. We discussed his background and how he uses his past experience as an athlete from a tough environment in his business and how artists are similar to athletes. We also talked about why education is just as important as street smarts and how dressing like a professional doesn't necessarily mean wearing traditional corporate attire. Dion shares insights about working with Yellowbrick, an organization that teaches creatives how to up-level and why it's important to partner with the right people.

Get in touch with Dion on Instagram:

• @dionwalcot
• @_martkd

Today on the show, I interview Tied Up Tee, a rope artist, photographer and general creative. I love Tee's work but I admit that I'm a little scared of it. We've been able to chat a few times in person at various events and I love her energy, her drive and that she's not afraid to ruffle feathers with her art.

We talked about where she grew up, what brought her to Halifax, how she got into rope, the point she realized she could monetize her hobby and her brand Colorful KNK. I hope you enjoy meeting my friend Tee. If your listening on iTunes, Don't forget to rate and review!

• Tee on Instagram
• Colorful KNK on Instagram

I met Kemmy when he was my barber at a shop called Ascension. He wasn't as talkative as the other guys but he would pipe in with a sharp verbal jab periodically to get us laughing. Then I later found out he was a NSCAD student and he told me about his interest in customizing sneakers. I'm not a sneaker head so I didn't feel equipped to offer much feedback on his work but I loved the idea. Fast forward to last year, I wanted to make a statement with my shoes for Atlantic Fashion Week so I asked Kemmy to go nuts and surprise me.

In this episode we talked about:

• Where he's from,
• the shoe design process,
• how he collects payments,
• how he promotes his business,
• the shoes I commissioned him to design,
• how his time at NSCAD prepared him for his creative career.

In episode 4 I spoke with illustrator, Liz Mac.

• Liz opened up about how negative feedback at NSCAD Portfolio day led her to believe she didn't have what it took to be a professional artist and how a serious accident led her back to art.
• How her past jobs help her today as a freelance artist.
• Why working with creative collectives like E3C, attending and speaking at conferences can be important.
• The struggle of having multiple creative interests.
• How she helped her career by building a strong personal brand and how her rockstar dad Kevin MacMichael of Cutting Crew influenced it.
• How she charges for projects and why what you charge impacts the industry as a whole.
• Liz's biggest piece of advice for artists: Put yourself in front of people.
• Liz on the web
• Liz on Instagram
• Liz on Twitter

My guest on this episode is Melissa McMaster of 902 Hip Hop. Melissa and I met years ago and immediately bonded. We've been cheering for each other ever since and I've been amazed at the success she's had over the years. She's passionate about elevating the profile of hip hop artists from Atlantic Canada.

We discussed what 902 Hip Hop is and what she does, who they represent and why an artist might want to work with someone like her. She talked about artist residencies for hip hop artists and how she's connecting her artists with Atlanta's hip hop scene. She shared experiences with government grant funding in Nova Scotia and some key things that an artist should consider when pursuing a career in music.

This week's episode features Gaynete' Jones, a leading millennial mentor, motivational speaker, best-selling author, blogger, founder of G.A.M.E. Changing Industries, Youtuber, plus the creator of The Goal Chaser VIP and The Book Boss Blueprint, programs she created for aspiring millennial entrepreneurs and self-published authors. Most importantly, she's my sister in-law so we're keeping it in the family this week. And yes… She refers to me as DJ like most of my family back home.

Gaynete has been featured in The Huffington Post, Refinery29, Black Enterprise and Success.com to name a few. She also serves thousands of ambitious women through her newsletter, Goal Chaser Insider membership and programs. She's stunting on me y'all! We discuss:

• How Gaynete helps millennials make a greater impact on the world
• What a money block is and how they effect women
• Why artists may need to think outside the box if they want to make a living from their skillset
• How and why she vets potential clients
• And Why everyone has the time to accomplish a big goal

There was a lot that we didn't get into, like how living in Venezuela impacted her life, being kidnapped and held at gunpoint and more of the behind the scenes of how her business works and how she's encouraging her daughter (My niece) to engage in entrepreneurship. I'll definitely have her back on again to dig into those topics.

Where to find Gayneté

• Gayneté's Winning Plan of Purpose
• Website
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Twitter
• Facebook

Premier episode of Art Pays Me, featuring a brief introduction to the show and host, Duane Jones. Duane talks about his childhood, education and career.