Meet Connor Donnelly | Musician and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Connor Donnelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Connor, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I started making music, my work life balance shifted pretty drastically. I’ve always left myself lots of time outside of work to relax and enjoy life, but when I started doing music for work, the balance became almost all work. Initially I was making music and art in my free time, but once I started commissioning my work, it started to feel like I had no free time left. I think it was beneficial to starting a business, for me to be working all the time, but it was stressful. Now I feel a lot more comfortable getting back to a healthier work life balance, I can take more time again to enjoy the things I love outside of work, while still enjoying my job, and continuing to run the business in the background.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve always been interested in all kinds of art, from drawing to music and everything in between. I think I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve been able to continue doing what I love with my own style and flavor for so long and haven’t felt the need to fit into a career that I may not enjoy or have freedom in. When it comes to painting and illustration, I like to keep my lines simple and leave room for persistence of vision, and let the viewer see things for themselves. When it comes to music, my style is a bit different, because I feel the need to be more thorough Rand fine tune things, but it’s always important to remember that sometimes less is more. I have learned many lessons and faced many tribulations in my creative journey, but I try to remember that those obstacles sometimes just become the lesson.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love having new people in Nashville, there are too many good spots to fit in one visit. There’s something for everybody. I think everyone has to experience Broadway, at least for a day, in one form or another. I love Acme feed and seed, there’s good live music for everyone and a good rooftop bar. I love Kung Fu Saloon in midtown or LA Jackson in the Gulch for more drinking. There is good food everywhere in Nashville, but one of my favorite spots is Papa Turney’s BBQ on Percy Priest Lake. Try it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my good friend Hartley Combs! Hartley is a multidisciplinary fine artist/illustrator amongst many other amazing talents. More importantly to me he has been one of my best friends for the majority of my life. This man has always been a huge mentor and inspiration for really anything I do in life, and he always has fresh new ideas that keep my creative juices flowing. I urge everyone to go check out his work on his website hartleycombsart.com or on social media @hartworke Love ya, Hart!

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