ARTISTS, STOP CHASING YOUR DREAMS IN 2020
Artists, Stop Chasing Your Dreams
I know that might sound like a cynical, cold-hearted statement to make to all you dreamers out there, hoping to "make it" in the music business, like I'm trying to crush your dreams or something. Well, I'm not! I would just like to see if I can help you shift your thinking a bit.
To those aspiring to have a career in the music industry as an artist, songwriter, producer or whatever your dream is, the pathway toward that dream seems difficult to reach and even mysterious. For me, the term "chasing your dreams" conjures an image of a dog chasing a cat tirelessly, without a plan. He just runs and runs and runs until he's worn out or the cat ran up a tree and is now out of reach.
Is this why so many of us simply chase this dream until we are too tired to run any longer? Unfortunately, a lot of artists approach a music career exactly this way. We blindly chase what we want until we “give up” and finally go get a real job like our parents wanted us to do all along.
What is the Path?
If you wanted to go into medicine, there is a very clear path you must take with a list of requirements and qualifications. After each item has been completed and you have proven competency, you are now a professional in that field. The same goes for being a teacher, or a lawyer or a botanist! About every professional career has a clear path with a checklist and an infrastructure in place to keep you on track.
This must be why a career in music is viewed by our friends and family as "silly", "frivolous", "irresponsible", "childish", etc. Because when it’s difficult to see a clear path with a checklist, especially one that may not include a 4 year college degree, it can seem irresponsible, at best.
However, we see successful artists everywhere we turn. Music permeates nearly every facet of our lives! Yet, our loved ones still doubt the career choice. And we, the ones with the dream, continue to chase while feeling confused, frustrated and lost! I believe it’s because the journey to that success by those artists is hidden from public view while it is happening. We usually know nothing of an artist's journey to success until they are already a success. The path for each successful artist is also very unique, making it more difficult to define. Just binge watch as many documentaries about artists and their career and you'll see what I mean. While there will be similarities in their stories (most commonly, signing bad record deals), each one of them traveled their own, individual road.
Create Your Own Path - Build Your Business
This blog is written as a way to challenge the thinking that a career in music is "chasing a dream" but rather, building a business. Shifting your chasing mindset of, "I want that so bad!" to an entrepreneurial mindset that you can build and create a music business, just like thousands of other entrepreneurs have built businesses before you; with hard work, patience, consistency and perseverance.
Notice I didn't say "luck". Many, many people will argue that those who have had success were "lucky" for one reason or another. "Their parents had money". "Their dad was in the music business". "They were at the right place at the right time". Sometimes, those strokes of luck look just like that; strokes of luck. But with a little digging into the background of the story, you'll see that while perhaps there was one important moment where stars aligned perfectly, had the artist not done a mountain of tasks and overcome an enormous number of obstacles, those stars would never have lined up.
Here are 5 things you can do right now to begin the process of building your business:
Create the vision of what your successful business will look like. This will most definitely be different for everyone. Is it performing in front of thousands of fans singing your songs? Is it the ability to create in your studio and make enough to earn a decent living? Don’t be afraid to imagine it precisely how you want it to be. Write down exactly what that looks like in detail.
Create a business plan, including a budget. Having a day job could be the way you finance your business, which is totally fine and great! Some may see the day job as a burden and distraction and quit their job so they can work on music, only to find that now they are desperate and broke. That is a bad position to be in. They begin taking side jobs they hate in order to pay their bills. They may even begin to resent music and burn out. The day job, as long as it’s not draining your soul or taking up 60 + hours a week, can be your best financial resource for building your business. Determine what amount of money you can invest in your business to get started. Also, determine what amount of time you are able to spend on your business without sacrificing your mental health or family life. Be reasonable, be patient and take it one day at a time.
Create a branding binder or vision board. Here’s a great little video about creating your own vision board or binder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iamZEW0x3dM
Make a 5 year plan, 12 month plan, 6 month plan, 30 day plan and weekly plan. Use a notebook or a planner with extra note paper where you can write specific, achievable goals. Be sure to keep your "Successful Business" vision, your business plan and budget as well as your branding board at the forefront of your mind and never lose sight of it.
Get help! Assuming that you have all of the skills necessary to create, build, navigate and maintain a successful business all by yourself is crazy. As a matter of fact, irresponsible. Get some help! Learn about something you need to learn in order to build and run a business that you don't already know or that scares you. Develop any skills, including singing, songwriting, performing that are weak at the moment. Include this in your business plan, your budget and your 5 year, 12 month, 6 month, 30 day and weekly plans. But also, don't try to bite off more than you can chew! Do you have an uncle that is an accountant and will give you some good advice as you get started? Can you take a professional communication course through your church employment office for free? Do you have something to offer in exchange for services that you need?
*Financial courses
*Promotional and marketing courses
*Graphic design classes
*Vocal or songwriting coaching
*Communication skills
*Music production training
*Accountability partner or coach
It's in Your Hands
The scariest part of being an entrepreneur is that success is 100% dependent on you. You can't blame your bad day on a crappy boss or your own lack of motivation on annoying co-workers. The official dictionary definition of entrepreneur is this: a person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so. In a nutshell; no one else is going to do it for you. The upside to this is that you are in ultimate control of your success! So, grab 2020 by the horns and make it happen!
