We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicholas Clark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicholas below.
Nicholas , so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Being comfortable being the unique person in the room started from a very young age for me. Starting in 2nd grade, I was moved to “Gifted and Talented” class and consistently 1 out of 3 to 4 minority kids. Reflecting back, I was very competitive in academics and strived to make the best grades in the room and while I didn’t realize it at the time, the lesson was “be so good that you can’t be denied”. This mantra proved to be the “sauce” for every endeavor i’ve pursued over the course of my life. While excelling in academia in K-12, I was also a standout football player. There were many teams I played on where my teammates were skeptical of my football abilities because I was a nerd. Again, “be so good that you can’t be denied”. I was always highly respected in sports in tandem with academia because I excelled in both arenas at a high level. This would be true all the way through college as I played on a full scholarship at Texas State University and proceeded to enter grad school for a Master’s of Science in Physics my senior year. The Physics department usually wouldn’t have accepted an athlete that didn’t have an undergraduate degree in Physics(my undergrad was in Math) but because I showed to have the work ethic and knowledge required, they allowed me to independent study and apply. This mantra served me through the next phase of my career while being a semiconductor engineer at Samsung and currently in my career of being a Musician, Producer and Musical Director.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Musical Director, Producer, and Musician. I’ve had quite the journey to get to my current position as I started a college football player, spent time in academia working as a Physics grad, worked as a Semiconductor engineer, and ultimately found my purpose in the music industry. I’ve worked across many different genres with artists such us JoJo, Chrisette Michelle, Kanye West, Jon Batiste, Muni Long, the San Fransisco Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, Amine, Demi Lovato and many more. The most exciting thing about what I do is traveling and experiencing different cultures through music. I believe in the healing and connective power of music and being able to see it and be a vessel for that healing is truly an honor and transformative. I’m currently traveling with Jon Batiste and also working on my own music.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I’ve always tried to uphold a high standard in the 3 areas.
1. Know the music.
2. Know your tools
3. Be a joy to work with.
1. Know the music. This is specific to being a musician, but more broadly this basically means know everything that you can about the task you were hired to do. If it’s music, know all the material. If it’s engineering, know the scope and metrics for improvement. If it’s administration, know the systems and habits that will optimize the work of the people you’re serving.
2. Know your tools. Again, specific to music this means to know all you can about the instruments and programs needed to succeed at the job you were hired to do. More broadly, have a good knowledge of all the equipment and programs needed.
3. Be a joy to work with. This phrase encapsulates having a range of social awareness, being punctual, dressing appropriately, being dependable, and all the other things that make people want to work with you.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was show an infinite amount of support. They came to the majority of my football games, track meets, academic competitions, concerts and anything else I had going on. They also never questioned anything that I wanted to do, they just supported and encouraged me to be the best that I could be in whatever I was pursuing.
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black and white photos provided by Jared McCall
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