On November 27, Creative Nation hosted an event at City Winery in New York City. “This is our seventh annual fundraiser show for Preston Taylor Ministries. It’s the one show a year that we ask all of our songwriters to play for free,” she said.
Laird continued, “It is always our favorite show because we collectively get to all use our talents to support a great organization in Nashville that is positively impacting children’s lives. It is structured like a traditional writers round where each writer plays their songs and tells the stories behind the songs. This is extra special because everyone knows each other and that makes it a lot of fun.”
Particularly impressive about Creative Nation is that it benefits Preston Taylor Ministries. “Luke and I heard about PTM about 10 years ago and since then we have volunteered, donated and spent time getting to know the mission and organization. They specifically stood out to us because they don’t take government funding or do any advertising so they are strictly run on donations,” she explained.
Regarding the origin of Creative Nation come, she said, “Luke and I started Creative Nation in 2011 because we both wanted to be a part of a company that values and invests in people by over serving fewer clients and is also competitive and innovative in the music business.”
On her future plans with Creative Nation, she said, “We want to continue to sign songwriters that fit our culture so we can help them by expanding their opportunities to help them fulfill their creative dreams.”
She noted that over the years, “technology has changed the way we listen to music and streaming is no different.” “I think this makes it easier for us to consume more music over time and we can now listen to whatever we want whenever we want. Also, it helps level the playing field for independent artists because now we go directly to digital service providers and release music ourselves as quickly as we want,” she said.
Laird is excited about the passage of the Music Modernization Act, especially since she cares about all songwriters being fairly compensated for their work as streaming continues to grow.
Regarding Preston Taylor Ministries, she remarked, “If you want to get involved and donate your time or money, but don’t know where to start because there are so many charities and options and you aren’t sure which ones are the right fit for you, I would encourage you to go to the website and sign up for their mailing list.”
Laird continued, “There are lots of ways you can be involved and make an impactful difference in the life of a child from being an after-school tutor, lunch buddy, wrapping gifts for families, being a running partner, painting and doing handy work around the facility, hosting an event, and volunteering at camp. The list is endless and it can be as little or as much as you want.”
She complimented the staff at Preston Taylor Ministries for being top-notch. “They will help you find an opportunity that fits your schedule and skill set. Or, you can just donate money to empower them to continue to do great work for the members of our city,” she said.
