Meet Kelly Nickels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Nickels.

Kelly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story is a journey to self-love. A story still unfolding every day. So in an effort to not bore you with the 1,000-page novel it has been, I’ll guide you passed the landmarks. Growing up in Grapevine, TX, was both a blessing and a challenge because it was full of love, but also full of southern societal expectations. Sometimes it felt as if living there you were indoctrinated into a pact that you agreed upon unbeknownst to yourself – a pact in which you agreed to lock in certain life milestones by certain variances of ages. “I’ll be married by 24 and have kids by 28” and so on and so forth. This isn’t meant to discount the relationships I’ve made and the people I’ve encountered, but I’ve come to find that a one life-path-fits-all mentality serves no one. But that’s New Kelly talking. Meet my alter ego and name for my semi-evolved 27-year-old self. That’s how long it took for me to realize all this. I had to learn it the hard way too. I blindly followed that pact until I was married and staring into the abyss of “what’s next?” Why did I not legally change my last name to his? I found that my whole life, I had been avoiding the one thing that really mattered: loving myself. I am not perfect. I do not claim to know more than anyone else. This is just me. The girl who ended her marriage for herself. The girl who re-kindled the love for herself through music. The girl who must love herself fully before she can be loved in return. The girl who found love where she least expected it.

Great, 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?
It has been a bumpy road, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I truly mean that. I mean, I did see signs of it at earlier ages, but much like signs you drive by on the highway, my vision was blurred and before I knew it they passed me by without meaning. In general, humans are prone to procrastination. Homework, laundry, tests, deadlines…the list goes on. But humans are experts at procrastinating self-actualization. Anything that makes us uncomfortable is something we can binge away with a comedy on Netflix. Anything that makes us unhappy is a Postmate’s delivery fee away. Before we know it, we realize we know nothing about the people we have become. But the beautiful thing is that “there’s no wrong time to start again.” It can be really scary to shed your skin and start anew. How do you know this is what you really want or if you’re self-sabotaging? These were the questions and fears I overcame as I decided to end my marriage. I met my now ex-husband in college. We both were in the film program at the University of North Texas trying to figure out what we wanted to do with our lives. I was torn between music and editing, and he was, at the time, torn between the path of a screenwriter/director or the Marine Corps. After a year and a half of dating, he went into the Marine Corps and we made a commitment to try to make the distance work. Having the foresight to know I would be wildly unhappy if I didn’t pursue my own career, I moved to San Francisco to pursue my first big editing gig at Twitch. By this time, he was stationed in New Orleans and we were engaged to be married. For the next two years, we would see each other only 4-6 days every 2-3 months. It was nearly impossible to track the progress of a relationship within these bursts of time together, so when it came time to be married, I was convinced I was ready. What followed was two years of introspection and retraining my eyes to see what was actually before me. When people claim that it’s possible to wake up one day and decide to end your marriage, I don’t think they’re right. Shrek got it right. People are like onions. Sometimes it takes pulling away layers of your identity to come to the truth of a moment.

Please tell us about your business.
My business is one of the heart. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I am known for doing things that resonate with me and I’m passionate about – that varies from being an indie-folk singer-songwriter, writer/composer of a new original musical to professional video editor and actor. At the end of the day, most of my energy goes into music and how I can use my talent to help people. That is my main goal with writing my musical. Evolution of a Girl is a contemporary musical that starts at the end. After finding an engagement ring the night of her 3-year anniversary dinner, Kate comes to terms that she may not be ready to be married since she hasn’t learned who she is yet outside of a relationship. Newly single, Kate swears off men for 100 days to focus on herself, but of course, that’s easier said than done. Can Kate escape the patterns of her past and come out the other side a woman? As the name may suggest, it is semi-autobiographical detailing my journey to self-love. I hope that by touching on a topic that many overlook for more traditional romance plot-lines, I can help people remember how fulfilling a relationship you can have with yourself in the interim of meeting someone. Don’t worry, there’s some romance along the way, too. Otherwise, I can be found busking around the Valley raising funds to continue to help the homeless community in North Hollywood.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory growing up is a very simple one but would have to be visiting my grandparents in California at the retirement home they lived in. I’ll never forget my grandpa’s love and support for my music. Every time I would visit, he would insist that I sang for him. My parents always have been so supportive of my singing, but my grandpa was the first person who made me realize how I could help people with my talent.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kellyannenickels.com
• Email: kelly.anne.nickels@gmail.com
• Instagram: @kelly_nickels @kellynickelsmusic @evolutionofagirlmusical
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellynickelsmusic/

Image Credit:
Charissa Clark

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