60: D-Nice – How To Use One Creative Field To Build Another
It’s great to have been relevant back then and to still be going right now.
Relationships are important. Nurturing your relationships and being reliable and creative can help you create an empire.
It certainly helped D-Nice do just that. He started out his career as a musician in the 90s just as the rap and hip hop scene was coming up. But when he wanted to make a change, it was the people that he knew that allowed him to build a career as a creative entrepreneur and photographer.
As if that wasn’t enough, he’s now a DJ too. The life of a DJ allows him access to take some incredible behind the scenes pictures.
D-Nice is the kind of creative that many of us could only wish to be, but his goal is to give back by inspiring the next generation of hip hop.
Take a listen to today’s episode to hear about how he changed his path, the importance of his friends, and what he wants his legacy to be.
I figured out early on it wasn’t enough for me to just be an artist.
Some things we learn in this podcast:
- What it was like being in hip hop when the genre was just starting [3:35]
- How he got into photography [4:45]
- The danger of fickle fans [5:40]
- The difficulty of changing your path [7:00]
- How he got into using websites [7:45]
- How fishing kept him going [8:50]
- Helping build a business with connections [11:35]
- Why he taught himself to program [12:30]
- How he started his own business [12:50]
- How his photography started to take off [14:55]
- The value of being a people person [17:00]
- Why you should treat everyone the same [18:55]
- How his friends have pushed him to success [21:00]
- How DJing is about creating an environment [23:50]
- His goal to inspire a generation of hip hop [25:35]
- How fashion plays a role in relevance [28:15]
- How having access has affected his photography [29:45]
- The way DJing helps in his photography [31:30]
- What was his motivation for greatness [33:50]
- Why he wants to leave behind a legacy [36:05]
- The importance of investing in your own career [37:50]
- What his brand is all about [41:30]
- The goal of continuing to build his agency [45:25]
- Why he loves the young generation of creatives [47:35]
- What advice he would give his younger self [50:35]
- Why he wished he had respected his negatives [51:00]
- Why his ability to stay focused has been so important [52:45]
- What it means to give life to other people’s dreams [54:25]
Links mentioned:
- Check out D-Nice’s albums:
- Learn more about the International Center for Photography
- Check out the beautiful cameras made by Leica
- Music Credit: Few & Far Between by Tortuga
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