Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicolas Ruiz.
Hi Nicolas, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I got started making and working with art from a very young age. In terms of getting involved in Atlanta diy culture, I began playing guitar for a band called BACKTOEARTH when I was a junior in high school back in 2018. From there, I began making short films, writing stories and songs with the hopes of one day being able to find an audience. During the pandemic, my friend Alex came over to write some music for fun. We ended up starting Big Yellow, which to this day is my favorite and most successful project I’ve ever been a part of. Big Yellow allowed me to understand the music culture in Atlanta and meet some of the most talented people I’ve ever met while also allowing me to continue to create short films and music videos, turning my experience into one of multimedia art. I grew up in an area where art wasn’t an encouraged career, so finding my place in Atlanta DIY has been a really special experience. As I’ve grown and learned, I’ve been lucky enough to make really awesome friends and create things with them. It’s been fun so far
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. It’s taken me a while to find my voice as well as people who can share my passion and vision. The first big hurdle was the global pandemic, removing me from the scene entirely and removing me from my friends. I began a solo project just to cope with it which ended up teaching me a lot about songwriting. It also proved to me that I was able to complete a music project by myself from start to finish. There have been other hurdles, such as medical issues and being diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia in my vocal cords in 2023. The other big challenge is finding purpose in my art during a time in the world where so many communities are being affected in and outside of Atlanta. I try to be self-aware about my position, my involvement, my privilege, and how much I can help. While not perfect, me and my bandmates do our best to stay up to date with world issues, supporting causes such as helping people facing genocide in Gaza and police brutality, saving our Atlanta forests, etc. While not an easy time for anyone, we at least hope our music can serve as a distraction to cheer you up while not supporting ignorance or complacency.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a multimedia filmmaker and musician. I study film at Georgia State University and use film as a way to supplement music. I guess what I’m most known for is the guitarist and lead vocalist of Big Yellow as well as an independent film director. I create music videos and visuals as a main songwriter alongside my friend Alex Valverde. I tend to lean towards a goofy absurd approach with my execution while still holding serious meaning to everything I do. Life is too hard, sometimes it’s ok to laugh at stuff and something “taking itself seriously” doesn’t necessarily make it better.
How do you think about luck?
I think everyone is born with their set of good and bad luck, I don’t really believe in people being “self made” luck plays a huge role and people usually have help in someway. I’ve been very lucky, very privileged and I’m very grateful for a lot. Here’s a list of good and bad things that have happened to me outside of my control.
Good luck –
Supportive family
Supportive friends
An overall healthy body
Access to resources such as an education and a roof over my head
Time privilege and physical ability to create
Bad luck
Covid-19
That time, I broke the lead singers of Pinkshift’s YoYo 5 minutes after meeting them
Medical things
I was born one anxious motherfucker
Contact Info:
- Website: nicotrash.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glucosefreak?igsh=ZHBrMG0wYW5ud2Ux
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@NICOTRASH?si=8p4qpwi-QoHTBALL
Image Credits
Images by Tess Wessel, Alex Valverde
