Nick Fierro shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Nick, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Drawing, sewing, fixing bicycles, whenever my hands are busy, that’s when motor memory kicks in and my brain turns off. Jigsaw puzzles, putting furniture together, I started making denim jackets for pets recently, and for about a year now, I’ve been making pet portraits where I draw human hands onto photos of cats. I’ll look up and hours and hours have gone by, it’s trippy.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Nick Fierro and I’m a comedian, visual artist, and part time gravedigger from New Jersey. I travel the country telling jokes and filming comedy sketches. I also design stickers, t-shirts, patches and zines. I make puppets, draw pet portraits, fix bicycles, and play mediocre music. I owe my work ethic, DIY ethos and sense of morbid curiosity to the New Jersey punk scene of the late 1990’s, where restless minds created something from nothing, and “why” took a backseat to “why not”.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I feel good whenever an animal likes me right away. Praise from a human is cool and all, but if you meet a dog for the first time and it likes you, you tend to walk away feeling like you’re doing something right. A manatee swam up to me in Florida when I was in eighth grade and I fed it fresh water from a hose. I’d like to think that little guy is still out there, and I wish him well.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Almost every day, without fail. It’s a juggling act balancing work, family, and all of the weird little crap that I do to keep from going insane, my arms are tired and everyday I think about moving to the woods. Being surrounded by half finished projects and scraps of ideas is tiring and scary, but never boring, and never lonely. I’ve never forced myself to do anything, so if a project that I’m working on sees the light of day, it’s because I actually cared about it and wanted to see it complete. Plus, especially in comedy, I’m working with friends, other people who motivate me and breathe meaning into whatever we’re working on.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I make it abundantly clear that I’m a nervous weirdo. If I could hide that better, I might. Younger me was a lot more manic, but a lot less focused. That’s probably why I didn’t start performing standup until I was in my 30s. I’m an outwardly calm person, but my brain is on fire. I worked at my local bar for 16 years,, and never go out of my way to tell people that I’m a comic. I’d prefer to keep those things separate if possible, just because I need to maintain some level of order while dispensing a controlled substance. I think I can come across pretty cringy if I’m being inauthentic or acting in a forced way, so if I’m gonna be able to sleep at night, I need to be as close to my real self as possible.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Working on holidays
Contact Info:
- Website: https://NickFierro.com
- Instagram: @SchtickFierro
- Youtube: @SchtickFierro
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