Today we’d like to introduce you to Hyedi Nelson
Hi Hyedi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have nearly two decades of experience in strategic planning, content development, marketing and public relations. I currently work as a director at a local public relations agency and have sat on the boards of directors for numerous nonprofit organizations.
I moved to Minnesota from Wisconsin to attend the University of Minnesota. I went into college wanting to go to the music industry and interned for a couple years with Universal Music Group. The experience was amazing but I ultimately decided that while my passion for music was still strong, I didn’t want to necessarily make a career out of it, so I switched my focus to study communication. In 2008, my graduation date was approaching and I found myself about to enter a very tough job market. Around the same time, I heard about a master’s program in health communication and journalism. The health space was one I was very interested in and felt like maybe a career in that industry was a way I could use my communications skills to make a difference, so I applied and was accepted.
Music never left my life though. During grad school, I interned at 89.3 The Current and seeing live music continued to be a main way I liked to spend my free time. Since graduating with a master of arts in health communication, I’ve worked in both public relations and marketing in the health care space and most recently, music has re-entered my life again in a big way. Earlier this year, I founded Black Star Creative Consulting as a way to leverage my professional skills and expertise to support independent musicians and artists by taking away some of the artist development burden.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Professionally, the main themes of the struggles I’ve experienced center around burnout and imposter syndrome. From a personal standpoint, the death of my first-born son in 2014 and my dad in 2017 were extremely difficult times for me, as well as a couple other major life transitions. All of that said, overall it’s been such an enjoyable journey so far.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Black Star Creative Consulting?
For awhile now, I’ve noticed some common themes come up over and over again when talking to the many independent musicians in my life. The themes all center on the challenges of wearing so many hats and the struggle to balance the business side of things, as well as prioritize the creativity side and producing art.
So earlier this year, I founded Black Star Creative Consulting as a way for me to leverage my professional skills and expertise to support independent musicians and artists, taking away some of the artist development burden so that they can spend more time focusing on their craft. I work closely with clients to create and implement strategies to drive awareness and growth.
I take a very relationship-first and personalized approach to each engagement, knowing that each client’s needs are unique. Because of this and limited resources, I only take on a couple clients/projects at a time to ensure I can devote the time and energy needed to see results.
What matters most to you? Why?
From a professional standpoint, musician wellness matters a ton to me. As consumers of music, we benefit so much from what it adds to our lives, but we need to find ways to make sure that the people producing that music are taken care of.
Personally, living in alignment with my values matters the most to me. There’s a lot to that, but at the very foundation, it’s making sure that I’m structuring my time in a way that prevents burnout and prioritizes the people in my life that I care about. And then it’s about spending the rest of my time doing things that feel good creatively, where I feel like I’m providing value, where I’m stretching myself and doing work I feel good about, with people I like.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blkstarconsulting.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blkstarconsulting
