The Soul Of The New Music Artist
You are the perfect picture of what it takes to be a music artist today.
Did you just let out a big ol' sigh? Did you just wonder if you have
what it takes? How can you possibly do it all?
Because it's true, there is so much now that falls heavily into the laps
of the artist - gone are the days of Bob Dylan and Joni just being'
discovered in coffeehouses... but...
The good news is...
The music industry is tumbling down and because of that, the power is truly now in your hands.
Are you ready to walk through that door? Perhaps never before has the
artist been so much in the driver's seat and while that is good news on
an artistic front.. the bad news is.. Now that you are out there alone
and on your own - it could be your downfall and just what drives you
into the ground and nails the coffin.
I talk to artists every day who are overwhelmed - and I totally relate
and understand that completely. How on earth can you get it all done AND
know that your efforts are going to the right places? This is the new
music business, and what you do now is what is going to separate those
that do and those that don't. We all KNOW that.
So - how do you benefit from this newfound artistic freedom without
having to sell out -and at the same time get a leg up without burning
out and stripping yourself of your reserves? Now that you are
responsible for it all - artist, manager, promoter, booker,
web-designer, social media expert, and even record label - how can you
possibly keep the wheels turning without burning out your reserves and
consuming every freakin' moment of your life?
Years ago when I was pursuing stardom, I read the Artist's Way (by Julia
Cameron), scribbled the morning pages religiously, scheduled my
artist's visits once a week (I always wondered if they really helped),
but none-the-less was relentless in my artistry. I worked hard at my
music - harder on my music than on my career - but the Artist's Way
didn't mention career - at all.
It sent the message that all you had to do was to be a great artist and your success would surely come.
And we're all still living on that message!!!
But the days of being discovered performing in the subway or even singing at Carnegie Hall are over.
Today, artists need a new outlook, and a seriously revised approach.
There are new laws and new rules and it's time to get on board. Business
and music are now intertwined in a way that is integral to the path -
one that is here to stay.
So the question I want to ask you is: What is it in you - in us - which
we need - inside of us - to usher in this new frontier? What can end the
divide between creativity and business (old structure) and what will
give us strength and purpose in this new paradigm? I always look inside
before I look outside - that's just me - so I say to myself: What
resides within me that could unify and smooth the gap between these
worlds? What if I perceive these two worlds as one - instead of thinking
they are separate?
My solution is best encapsulated in a word - and that word is: SOUL.
Webster's dictionary says Soul is your spirit, essence, core, character,
heart, psyche, and person. It seems to me that Soul is all of it - You.
Your creativity, purpose, and your ability to manifest. What then if
this Soul is the one thing that brings it all together - that unifies
the separation? What if your Soul, the force behind you - a backdrop so
to speak that is ever present - is your Ally - and your Best Friend - on
this new journey? Sounds like a bunch of woo woo?
Not really. Here's why..You (Soul) are the sum total of your experiences
and genetics - your wisdom and desire/s. Within your Soul, you have
everything you need to achieve your dreams, whether you know it or not.
This Soul is an unadulterated, rich and pure resource and resonance that
is You - within You. It is your inner and outer compass. It is the
thing that gets you up in the morning and drives you to the stage. It's
what makes you give a sh**t and pushes you to follow your dreams no
matter how unimaginable and intangible. It is what makes you look like a
fool, even when there isn't a shred of evidence you will ever make it
(whatever that is for you). This is Soul - fierce and unafraid, but
grounded in something beyond the reasonable. Follow me so far?
So what am I really talking about? I'm suggesting that you are capable
of doing it all, on your own terms (now more than ever before) and can
manage it all without losing sleep (well, not too much) by simply
shifting how you look at it (and a few other things like how you set up
your systems and your business.) But what if you stop resisting that you
are an artist and an entrepreneur - and stop insisting that they are
separate? What if they are actually integral to each other? What if you
wouldn't be as good with one without the other? Maybe this new paradigm
is here to teach us something?
And I know that there are steps to this new paradigm - a system to
follow. And it is an approach that meshes craft with business, from a
perspective that is for the right-brain oriented mindset. Because lots
of you are in the dust on this (I know because I talk to you all the
time!..and it's not your fault - things are changing so quickly). But
the truth is that no more can you leave your career up to someone else -
it's you who has to get this thing on the road. In today's new music
business, it's up to you to master the tug-of-war between art and
business - learn to balance - trust your gut, set up your systems and
pursue success. Because it's just not going to pursue you.
There are 3 basic areas that your "Soul" is responsible for in the "new music business":
1) Your Craft: Artistry, Developing Your Talent, Structure & Discipline
2) Your Career: Aligning Your Purpose - Who You Are and What You Offer
That's Different, Goal Setting, Producing a Product that will Transform
your Fans & Your Career, Setting Up the Right Systems to Connect and
Capture Your Audience, Branding/Website, and then - Creating a Winning
Strategy &Game plan to Get your Music Out There in the Right Way, On
Purpose and with Authenticity.
3) You As "Soulful" Entrepreneur: Building a Team That Supports
You,Creating and Nurturing Relationships Within the Industry and With
Fans, Marketing - Branding - Promoting - and Ultimately Attracting the
Exposure You Need to Be Out There In a Big Way and Changing the World
with Your Music.
