As you stroll through the paths of the Boston Common, it’s very likely that you will see Nick Shea creating one-dollar personal drawings for a seemingly never-ending line of people. Shea’s art attracts thousands of people from around the world, subsequently causing lines to stretch around the park for hours each day. Shea’s creative talents don’t stop there — for the days you may not see him in the Common, you can find more of his art on streaming services, as he is also a musician.

Nick Shea, a Boston native, exclusively makes and produces his own music. He started writing, recording and releasing music at just six years old, with his first released song titled “Start This Party Tomorrow.” Since then, Shea has released over seven EPs and countless singles. With inspiration from artists like MF Doom, Gang Starr and Atmosphere, his authentic lyrics and style allow listeners to consume snippets of his day to day life and emotions.

Shea is an independent artist in every sense of the word. In addition to writing rap, making beats and producing his own music, Shea also shoots his own music videos and illustrates his own cover art – he even burns his own CDs at the Boston Public Library. Shea combines his many talents by creating visual aids that accompany much of his music. “The visualizers allow me to create different images to represent my songs through how they feel. I tend to build off my work, and there is no separation between my drawings and music in the sense that it’s me being an artist and being myself.” In other words, Shea makes various drawings that relate to his lyrics and capture the song in a deeper way.

Shea’s newest EP, Talking Over Each Other, was released on November 11th. In all nine songs, Shea raps over vocal samples from other existing songs (hence the name: Talking Over Each Other). “There is a lot going on, but in a good way. The vocals influence the content and the approach that I take with each rap, creating a dual message.” Shea draws inspiration from other artists who have utilized this style, like Biz Markie. For example, in his song “Taking Back My Life” — a song about what it’s like to be an up-and-coming young artist — Shea sampled the song “Street By Street” by Laufey, where the lyrics read: “I’m taking back my city, I’m taking back my life.” In this song, Shea raps about discouragement he has faced and how it has motivated him to remember his power and influence and to be the best person can be. In his song titled Bernie & Phyls, named after a popular furniture store in Massachusetts, Shea raps over the Bernie & Phyls commercial jingle, implementing his own original beats using the audio-engineering platform Reason. Shea even visited a Bernie & Phyls and recorded his music video within the store.

When asked about where he draws his inspiration from, Shea said, “it's like snapshots of a day or time in my life, or what I am going through at that current moment.” Shea raps about his life and experiences, giving listeners an insight into his true feelings and emotions. “This is me right now. This is how I’m feeling right now, and I want to put it out.” Having hundreds of conversations a day while drawing strangers in the Common, it is almost impossible for him to not feel influenced by the subjects he meets during days spent in the park. “Talking to so many people provides new perspectives and conversations. It allows me to not get caught up too much in my own thoughts.”

When inspiration strikes for Shea, he wastes no time and runs with it. “Sometimes I think of songs when I’m laying in bed, and I grab my equipment and stay in the moment under the covers and record it right there.” Shea says that if he is writing a couple songs or verses in one day, he will try to repeat that schedule for the next few days to stay in the zone – like repeating what he ate or the time of day he took a shower. “If I feel like I'm in a groove or tapping into a certain emotion, I'll try to stay in it as long as possible.” A lyric in his song “Doing It For Me” has a line that sums it all up: “Life's amazing, I create what I live.” Shea does not limit himself when it comes to making rules for creating music, and his creative process varies from song to song. “There is no right or wrong way to make music. There are no rules. The only rules are the ones I make for myself. It is hard to be a rule-breaker when there are no rules in the first place.” This mentality gives Shea free range to create art that feels true to him and his values.

Shea makes sure that his music covers a range of emotions for the purpose of relatability and comfort, in hopes that it may help somebody. “I like to make raps that help people, words that are meant to encourage them.” Shea says the lyric in MF DOOM’s Vaudeville Villain – “What happened to the type of spit that used to help a fellow out” – resonated with him and inspired him to create music that has the potential to help others. Shea's motives are reflected throughout his lyrics, and within his actions. For example, in Taking Back My Life, he says, “I started doing one dollar drawings in the park to share my light for someone walking in the dark.”

We can expect more music from Shea as he never stops creating. He shares that he hopes to produce music for other artists in the future. When asked if he had any advice to aspiring musicians and artists, Shea preached, “Just start creating. Just go for it. Whatever you’re doing, just keep doing it!” You can check out his newest album, Talking Over Each Other, and his other work on all streaming platforms. In the meantime, you can catch him in the Boston Common for a one-dollar drawing and an awesome conversation.

More Than One Dollar Portraits: A Conversation with Nick Shea