We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raheem Nelson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Raheem with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I get my work ethic from my Mom. She’s such a dedicated Mom, friend and teacher. Her story is something that should be put on film. She’s had to fend for herself from a young age, she lived in London for a few months and owned her own apartment as a teenager. Now, she works in pre-k to instill values in the youth. I’m so proud of my Mom. She instilled in me drive, dedication and creativity. I always look for a way to create, help others and be profitable all at the same time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Raheem Nelson. I’m an Artist and Creative Entrepreneur based in West Haven, CT. I do a great, many things and for the purposes of this interview I want to focus on two things. First is a skill that I utilize with clients called Graphic Recording. Graphic Recording is a great way to capture what happens in meetings in a dynamic and visual way. Basically I go to meetings, fireside chats and conferences and provide live, visual notes. I’ve had the opportunity to work with major clients to create these infographics in places like New York City and New Orleans just in the past year alone. Additionally I won a major grant from the City of New Haven to fund my graphic recording work.
I also started a new job in marketing and communications for The Milford Arts Council of Milford, CT. It has been a dream of mine to work in advertising since diving into seasons of Mad Men. I absolutely love working in a creative field for my day job and my artistry. Everything works in harmony.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that been impactful for my journey have been communication, dedication and innovation. Communication: Making genuine friendships with creatives and having open communication with clients and my students has helped me become a well rounded artist and businessman. Dedication: I work a lot on achieving my goals and I always try to balance enjoying the moment but also looking forward. Innovation: Just being fearless. Not being afraid to be an early adopter of things like NFTs, or painting on an iPad when that was new. I’ve always been willing to dive into the deep end of the pool. Advice I would have for people early in their journey would be to be patient with yourself. There is always more to learn and you’re never finished growing and developing.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book that has been the most valuable and impactful for me has been “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon. It talks about good stealing (being inspired by multiple sources and creating your own thing) vs. Bad stealing (looking at once source and just copying without adding anything new.) Everything has already been done and we’re remixing what we experience to create something new. This ideology completely shifted my thinking as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://raheemnelson.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/raheemnelsonart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raheem-nelson
Image Credits
Profile picture courtesy of UPS photo project. Illustrations by myself (Raheem Nelson Art)
