Meet Nick Mullikin

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nick Mullikin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nick below.

Nick, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

It doesn’t come from one place – it is like any source of inspiration, it is everywhere. If your goals are aligned with your purpose, it doesn’t feel like resilience, it just feels essential to continue on. I am just incredibly lucky to have found my purpose early on, even if I didn’t understand it.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My current position is the Artistic Director and CEO of Nashville Ballet. I have spent nearly 40 years in the art form, and nearly 25 years in the professional field. I have a three-pronged approach to leading this organization which focuses on creating a financially stable organization, making the art accessible to our community, and creating/producing work that evokes conversation to make our community stronger.

Currently, I am choreographing a brand-new work that focuses on the challenges of addiction, mental health, and through that struggle a new hope for life in recovery. This piece is not being made as a standalone but is being done with community partners from the state of Tennessee, mental health professionals, and others in our community. We have scheduled three community conversations to help create awareness, and to act as a resource for those that are struggling with addiction.

The story of the work follows a journey I know well, but it is not mine alone. The work premieres May 2-4, 2025 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center called Attitude series that will feature a new score, sets, lighting, projections and costumes and all live music.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I like to believe that I am relentless in pursuit of my goals, which means that I also must be able to accentuate my strengths and tolerate/improve on my weaknesses. Over time, I think I have developed my patience to know that I can’t get exactly where I want in a day, a week, a month, a year, or now, even a decade. The consistency of effort is what is going to get me there, and I would share that advice with anyone: goals and dreams take time, a dedication to their completion, and the recognition that it is not going to be a straight line. It isn’t like the movies, it is usually ugly, frustrating, and frequently it can feel like you aren’t making progress. Stay focused, and don’t forget why you are doing it, so you can put up with all the stuff that gets in the way.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I wish it wasn’t this way, but the people who didn’t believe in me are the ones that have driven me the most. I have had so many people support me, and I couldn’t do it without them, but anytime someone said that I can’t do something, it just made me want it more. To them I owe a debt of thanks, and maybe an apology for proving them wrong.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Courtesy of Nashville Ballet

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