Artist Spotlight: Nick Poss
“Making a career in the arts usually means tying together lots of loose strands of income, so knowing how to market yourself, develop a brand, and manage finances are important skills to learn.”
In addition to be a talented musician in his own right, Nick Poss is also the founder an owner of the Eau Claire Music School, a regional center for young musicians to learn from the best. Founded in 2010, the ECMS is committed to “providing community-oriented music education.” It’s a promise Nick and his crew always makes good on. Read on to learn about Nick’s path toward becoming a musician and music school owner.
1.) Tell us a bit about your “art origin story”? When did you first fall in love with your art?
Growing up I always enjoyed playing piano and taking music lessons. I liked the focus it required and feeling of mastering something. Playing music also made me feel good -- emotionally and physically. At the beginning of high school, I was first introduced to jazz music by a few different teachers. It opened up a new creative language for me and allowed me to experience all types of music and art in new ways. Along with that, jazz became a great social outlet. It was something I could do with my friends and it was a way to make new friends, too. That experience really set me on the course to pursue a career in music.
2.) What role have teachers played in your development as an artist? Any one stand out?
I was fortunate to have a number of different teachers over my life who all impacted me in different ways. Each teacher brings their own set of experiences, their own strengths and weaknesses, and I have always appreciated learning from their different perspectives. In high school, I had a great piano teacher who not only encouraged my creativity in learning a variety of music and creating my own music, but who also introduced the idea of "musicology" to me. That was a breakthrough -- that you could actually study the whole of music as a field: history, culture, theory, cognition, etc.
3.) What advice would you give to young folks thinking about pursuing an education or career in the arts?
When I became serious about a career in the arts, I set up some barriers around me. All that mattered to me at the time was music, so I missed out on some opportunities to either learn about or get experience in some other areas that would later be very important. In particular, I feel like I missed out on learning about business and entrepreneurship. Making a career in the arts usually means tying together lots of loose strands of income, so knowing how to market yourself, develop a brand, and manage finances are important skills to learn.
4.) Describe how you use art and creativity in your craft as well as your everyday life.
Most of the music I make these days is for myself. It centers me and lifts me up. The great benefits I have enjoyed from making music have inspired me so much that most of my work is focused on helping other people learn how to do that for themselves.
5.) How can art make the world a better place? Can you share a personal example?
While many of the benefits of music making are personal -- in terms of moderating mood, developing self-discipline and confidence, maintaining neural plasticity, etc. -- music is fundamentally social. Playing in a band, singing in a choir, playing a musical game with your child -- these are powerful ways people connect with each other. Communal music making is able to unite people in feeling and action despite differences in political beliefs, language, religion, or age. At a time when so much of our culture is focused on creating divisions between people, making music together can bring us together.