What a whirlwind the last few days have been. Incredibly honored to be out with @hunterhayes right now. I’m blown away every day to be surrounded by this absolutely amazing band and crew. Adventures every day and I can’t wait to see what else comes up. What show are YOU coming to? And of course definitely come say hello to my axolotl as well.
So I says to the guy. I says, “I don’t understand instants. What’s the difference between instants and stories? Why do we need them? Is this what getting old is? I don’t understand instants.” And he said, “sir, this is a Chili’s”.
Proof of life from the past three months.
It’s absolutely flown by. The adventures and accomplishments are great and the to-do list is never-ending. I’m exhausted and inspired. I’m wired and tired. I’m slowing down to smell the roses and the candles, but not lingering too long. I’m grateful for the ups and downs, and I’m not done yet.
When I graduated high school, I did something that, at the time, I could have only dreamed a possibility somewhere far off in the future. I visited the City of Angels for the first time. I thanked my lucky stars for the chance to visit and hoped that one day, maybe, I would be able to go back.
Through sheer luck (and some may argue blind stupidity) in the years after, I did get lucky enough to go back to visit a few times. And every time, something about that city just made my dark little heart just a little bit warmer.
In 2015, I decided it was time to quit waiting. That November, I took a trip out for a week to see if “maybe…it was possible…”. Got my first (and only parking ticket, hilariously I might add) and realized this is where I needed to be. …not because of the ticket…
As the plane pulled back from the gate to head back home, combined with a specific newly released record blaring in my headphones, I felt desperately that I was leaving a piece of my heart in the city. (Thinking back, it’s Ironic the roll that same record would play exactly 10 years later too.)
I didn’t even make it home before I realized I needed to be in LA and started planning my escape.
On march 21, 2016, I packed all of my worldly possessions into a truck and set off west.
On March 25, 2016, around 8:30am, I pulled up on the sidewalk in Echo Park to start this new adventure. They told me most people don’t make it in LA more than 6 months. You’ll be lucky if you make it one year. If you make it two years, you might have a fighting chance. Well, here I am. 10 years later.
It’s wild how it feels, in some ways, like an actual decade ago. And in some ways feels like just last week. I don’t know where the time went. Some days I don’t know how I made it. I think I truly have my friends to Thank for that. Without them, I honestly don’t think I would be here today.
I definitely can’t say that it has all been easy. But I for sure can say that It has been worth it.
I don’t know if I really expected to make it ten years here. So, who’s to say where I will in another 10 years. But I am forever grateful for this city that I now call home.
Happy 10 Years, Nick.
I told the All-American Rejects sound guy my viral content dirty little secrets 🤫
Because most creators are overcomplicating this.
Viral content isn’t luck.It’s structure.
The first 3 seconds.The curiosity gap.The payoff.
Most people are missing one of those and it’s killing their reach.
👇Comment REBEL if you want my weekly insights on what’s actually working right now. 💄
And even when your hope is gone
….
This song came on in the store yesterday and it hit in a new way. So. Here are a few shots from that one time I traveled the world with a bunch of goofballs. We had no fun. I love them. I miss them. I miss my happy axolotl and my white gloves.
I don’t remember who took all of these but I took a few. @elizabeth.wiltshire took a few. Probably others. It was too long ago. Anyway. Enjoy.
…
Just to make it through.
