Fancy Artist Bio
Nate McFadden doesn’t like admitting he’s an artist; he will admit to leading an extremely lucky life. Born on Friday the 13th, he grew up in Houlton, Maine, where locals grow potatoes and fear being annihilated in a nuclear attack (due to their proximity to a missile launch site). Mom survived his difficult birth, despite the cancer that wracked her body. Dad survived the Vietnam War, although he refused to carry a gun. Nate’s grandfather taught him how to tell stories, and his grandmother gave him a second home filled with cookies and love. Early in life, he discovered his religion: music. His next-door neighbor, a college professor, trained him to play multiple instruments, arrange symphonies and compose his own pieces by the age of 11. Nate studied film at Emerson College for several years before dropping out. He considered becoming a homicide detective, but music drew him into its creative clutches. He played in rock bands, hosted radio programs and bugled TAPS at military funerals. He also worked as a janitor, a cheesemonger, and a caviar buyer. He once hosted a party at his home and there met his future wife, Christina. She remembers this; he doesn’t; but they’ve been together now for more than two decades. He says the only reason he’s successful in business is because Christina taught him not to be an idiot. They moved to California together in the late 90s and within a few years, Nate landed a job at Apple. He now works for Adobe, where he fixes organizational problems and helps build tools that enable others to tell their stories. Fixing things is more than a career, for Nate. It’s inspiration, and maybe even compulsion. His writing, comedy, visual art and audio documentaries all evolve out of his desire to change the world. He uses satire and other forms of storytelling to inspire empathy and give voice to underdogs. Ultimately, he wants to put an end to genocide and slavery. A lofty goal, but one he believes is possible through art and stories. “The more we know, the less we want to kill each other,” he says. Nate believes in reincarnation, but he is aware this lucky life is his last. He’s still not willing to call himself an artist, though. A fixer, maybe.