Meet Cade Nelson | Illustrator & Album Cover Artist

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

Hi Cade, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor leading to my success as an artist is surrounding myself with people and things that allow me to do what I love, being a perpetual student of life, and building my intuition. In the last 5 years after graduating high school up until now I’ve learned that people come and go and so do experiences… it’s important to know who’s around you and how they affect your life. My friend Gamo once said “You gotta know when to get on the bus and when to get off. You don’t wanna miss the right bus because you stayed on the wrong one too long.” Art is no different than professional anything… Athletes, Hunters, Singers, whoever, the best and most successful people are the people who work hard to get better and never give up on what they do. As simple as that is, it’s the the secret sauce.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most people don’t see dark art very often, that’s what I love. I love horror and darker themes. I’ve come to find that with dark art, it’s my way of making people look for the beauty rather than expecting it to jump out at them, because often in life, beauty is overlooked or simply ignored. Usually it’s ignored based off of innate ignorance, simply put. When people are faced with unsettling things, they tend to look away. When you look away so rapidly in discomfort, you’ve given up the ability to see that thing for what it truly is. That’s how I choose to use my art.

I know what sets me apart from most people is simply my skills at art – I draw every single day and I draw everywhere, Mountains, Rivers, Planes, Trains, Cars, Clubs… if you see me in the wild, I’m probably drawing. I’m also an opportunist, I see them everywhere and I’m never afraid to knock. Pair this with my abilities and it’s seemed to work itself out on its own. Getting to where I’m at now hasn’t been easy. It’s taken lots of different sacrifices and higher expectations from myself to get here. I miss out on parties, events, nights out with people, all for my higher goal. Plus life hits you all the time… Job sucks, dog died, broke up with a girlfriend, moved really far away, people say no a lot, you have NO idea what you’re doing half the time and neither do your friends. It’s not easy but what makes it easier is going through all of this in order to pursue. what I love. All of the many challenges are worth it for that reason.

I’ve learned that, it’s okay to be afraid but it’s not okay to run away. Work hard for what you want in this life and be relentless about it. Love graciously, look out for others, help them when you can. Say yes to every opportunity that you can say yes to. Forgive yourself when you fail or fall short and ALWAYS do your best. I want the world to know how much I care about my craft but also that doing what you love is possible. I want to be the encouraging voice when times are hard that tell you that you WILL make it out. I have so much knowledge to share with others and I want the world to see the things I do and for those people to tell themselves that they can do it.

I want the world to see me as an excuse to go make more art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was coming, I would first vet if they were a Hiker or had any bucket list things to do in Arizona… I love any excuse to go to Sedona or go hit a random trail we find on the internet. Otherwise I’m a coffee snob so I’d take them to Lux or Jobot for a chill time. I always think anywhere with art is cool, so Roosevelt Row is a great spot for a night out… You’ve got Art, coffee, street vendors, plenty of drink locations, and just a good time. I’d also differ to Old Town on the weekend if my friends wanted to club. I’m still a bit new around here so I’m finding that out for myself as well!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many things are the reason I’ve had this access to success in my life. First and foremost, momma always for all she’s done to support my love for art since I was young. Shoutout to all my friends who let me annoyingly shove my art in their face for years, even when it was bad. Shoutout to my art homies who work very hard to achieve their dreams and make it easier and less lonely for me to chase mine. Shoutout to Matt at @CoverArtMatters for doing the work crediting designers and artists in the music industry when hardly anyone else does – he’s the reason I started on the path with my high level clients. Without Matt, Virgilio Tzaj (V) of Atlantic Records would never have reached out to me and allowed me to cut my teeth so others would notice. V is a huge inspiration to me but also I’m very grateful for how often he’s looked out for me and asked me to hop in on projects. Shout out to myself for never giving up… I’m joking (sort of) but really it’s hard to keep a list because there are so many people that have guided me in their own ways big and small to get where I’m at today.

Shoutout to those who let me dream beside them.

My book recommendation: Grit: The Power of Passion & Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Website: www.paleinred.com

Instagram: @paleinred

Twitter: @paleinred

Other: @paleinred on most things!

Image Credits
all film photos by Dylan Mackey