We were lucky to catch up with Rain Pollock recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rain, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I’ve always gained more from giving than receiving. I believe this is because my purpose is to make people happy, it’s why I love teaching music so much. The flow state is a universal language of fulfillment and happiness that is accessed when somebody is doing something they love. The first time I discovered that I can help people get into the flow state with music by teaching or performing, I realized it was the main thing that drove me to pursue this career. Being a musician is a tool I use to facilitate positive energy into the world through collaboration. I believe each persons flow state can interact with each others, and it’s the most beautiful thing to me when your in a space that allows people with different interests and hobbies to interact in each others flow states. This is why I fell in love with creating events and festivals, a place where positive vibes are amplified by each others enjoyment of their surroundings. My gal is to continue finding more ways to use my talents to create more of these experiences for people.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
In the last 5 years, I have started a non profit and 2 LLC’s that gear towards music events and education. I started this because I was a very young musician when I first became independent, and I was not allowed to perform at most venues, or receive the same opportunities that I felt I deserved. I also didn’t have access to resources or knowledge about how to navigate the music world. This made me extremely passionate about providing these things for folks younger than me. I have always been passionate about anything in the performing arts, and I always knew that I wanted my career to reflect my purpose and passions. Rainezra Booking LLC is my first independent business that was started to book local musicians, educate, and curate live music events. I am so lucky to have had access to the resources I had when I turned 21. Places like Ethos music center and the sonic arts program I took at PCC Cascade, provided me with so many opportunities, resources, and even equipment that I was able to extend to others. My goal for the past few years has been to start a record label that educates youth on the things they need to learn to become independent professionals in their career. For almost the past two years, I have been developing this program with some of the most talented young musicians that I have met along my journey here in Portland. We have created showcases, music, EPK, Flyers, etc. and we plan on doing so much more throughout the years to come. I have never been more passionate about a project.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first quality skill that I learned was communication and understanding. I’m very fortunate to have parents who were always encouraging me to express my emotions, even if it didn’t make sense, along with being patient with others. I believe these skills helped me a a lot while starting my own business and teaching. I also think that my connection with music and my ability to write, facilitated a space for me to practice, expressing my emotions in a healthy way.
Mindfulness is another skill that I have only recently been developing at the capacity that I have been craving. I’ve always wanted to be mindful, because I am very aware that my brain can be all over the place and I can miss important things, however, I never took into account the exercises that you can incorporate into your life to help with this. Being a musician is a very competitive and comparative world, it’s helpful and important to use mindfulness exercises to help me remember my purpose.
Improvisation is a skill I developed very early on. Sometimes I feel like preparing myself too much can make me stress out and that it’s best for me to just go into conversations or situations with an open mind, ready to make adjustments as needed. Whenever they bump in the road arises, I love and I am ready to improvise a way to get around it I believe it’s one of the most resilient skills that I have because it helps me stay happy along my journey of life.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love collaboration, I believe that the world should collaborate instead of compete. I have so many projects that I have created, and wanted to create, but it requires a community to make some grow and thrive. Local Fest Connect is one of my businesses today, co-founded with members of the community who also have a similar mission to me. We want to facilitate collaborations between all of the performing arts communities and local businesses within the city of Portland. We are always looking for people to collaborate with on creating these events and you can find us on Instagram at Local Fest Connects, or our website Localfestconnects.com
If you are interested in helping facilitate the growth of young musicians, and providing or funding resources for our workshops, then you can find our Instagram page at lifeandmusicpdx
Contact Info:
- Website: Rainezra.com
- Instagram: Rainezra
- Facebook: Rainezra
- Linkedin: Rainezra
- Twitter: Rainezra
- Other: All links can be found here! https://linktr.ee/everything_ezra?fbclid=PAAaZLZojhoHs18jM-hlw7K5NE8S-GrMngA5o6baT5RKC_bf5DXBfH7CdnmCs_aem_ARnr-CskOZiZewgq8x9BmzwTjM9YRfjfn9qjU3A4V3HxWwuyymW5_PHyiIblXYiejco
Image Credits
Ryan Noah photography https://ryannoahphotos.mypixieset.com/?fbclid=PAAaZfzEh1_nDBroo0iXq3qzsuC6Xgz0bCZ_lkW5Cn-OPcs6IMqd4_IXsWTkk_aem_ARmhEgj89tq1rS3PqrELjgLDgpEaOD5h9-IAN9JJHXOarZ3JNhZGG3HO3nBaIl0GhVY
