Intern Feature: Nat Littier
Today we feature Nat Littier, one of our Brass Mash interns! Nat specializes in videography (IG: @nattylou__) and is also a musician (@natttyyy___). Their music is on all streaming platforms (including Spotify) as NATALIE. Please enjoy getting to know Nat with us!
Nat working the photo booth at Brass Mash Prom!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from Oregon. I’ve lived in SLO for the last 3 years. I did a year of film school up in Oregon, and was not feeling like the particular school I was at was one I wanted to continue/was also very expensive, so I dropped out and continued doing video work on my own time. It’s something I really love to do - I started doing that, and started pursuing my music as well, so that created a routine of putting out music and also doing videography. Moving here, I’ve just been all over the place, but I have just loved living in SLO so much. Being on the coast makes me feel like I’m on vacation all the time - especially for such a landlocked kiddo like I was, growing up in the middle of the state of Oregon. That’s really far from any kind of ocean. We had a lot of lakes and rivers, which was beautiful, but there’s something different and something special about the coast and especially the Central Coast. There’s something that is kind of magical that makes me want to be here.
What got you interested in working with Brass Mash?
My two loves - video and music! The idea of getting to work for a local band was really exciting, getting to marry those two interests of mine. Getting to do something that feels really worthwhile and useful feels really great - putting my art form to something that is not just self-serving, but it’s helping other people and helping other artists. I was also a fan, I really love your music.
How did you hear about interning with Brass Mash?
Colin put out something on Instagram, maybe a year or so ago when y’all first started doing it, or maybe it was a next round. He posted something saying he was looking for a volunteer/intern sort of thing. I think I DM’ed him immediately saying I was definitely interested. He called me while I was at work and we talked for an hour.
I did First Friday, and then I’d just gotten hired on with the Downtown association, so my Fridays went out the window because I worked Concerts in the Plaza. So I did one First Friday, and was like “Sorry Colin, I can’t come back all summer!”
Tell us more about your music.
I am a songwriter and a producer. I have two records that are out in the world. I started doing music as a way to journal my life, since I really hate sitting down and physically writing. My brain moves too fast, and then I get frustrated that my hands can’t move fast enough. I found that putting my feelings and my life stories into music was the most cathartic thing I could do. It started as something I did for myself, just an extension of my internal world. I thought it would be really fun if I actually finished it!
My partner at the time was getting into music production and building a home studio, so we did that in tandem together - produced each other’s records and worked on projects together.
I have a lot of influences in the pop world - that’s where I draw a lot of my inspiration. When people ask me “What genre do you do?” It’s hard because of the way music has evolved, too - genre is a very subjective thing. I would say it’s sleepy pop, or mellow pop. It’s not as crisp, it’s not as polished, it’s not as bright. It’s a little more nocturnal. It influences from bands that I would say fall into the pop or pop alternative genre.
What have you learned in the process of working with Brass Mash?
When it comes to projects, it takes a village. Seeing how much every individual person showing up and doing their part is what makes a finished project work, and what makes it so phenomenal. It’s been very special because I feel a lot of trust from Colin - like “I trust you to do your job and do whatever you’re feeling excited to do.” That has given me a lot of freedom to have a less structured space to explore and try things. As a creative and artist myself, it’s the best ever. I’ve been so thankful.
How do you hope to leverage your experience for the future?
I learned from doing First Friday, and then immediately working at Concerts in the Plaza, that I love working live events. That was exciting to get to have that on my resume - I put First Friday on my resume when I interviewed for Downtown SLO and I think that helped. Having experience doing video work for a live music event, going into this job where a lot of what I’m doing is capturing live music events. Now I have this great experience that’s available to me, to market myself - I was so thankful for that.
I’ve been doing more volunteer work. There are a couple of friends of mine in the drag community here, and I’ve been volunteering to do videography for them. I’m volunteering for Pride this year, so I’ll be shooting some events for Pride as well. I’m feeling super excited - dipping my toe in the water, starting with First Fridays with Brass Mash, helped give me the confidence that I know what I’m doing. It was sort of my launching pad - do the thing that you’ve said you’d be able to do, see how you feel about it, and now you know you can do it. Spread your wings!
