I always used to wonder why there weren’t more musicians and artists that blogged, and now I’m beginning to see why. They’re so darn busy all the time. For those that are counting, this is my first blog in about 5 months.
Here are a couple of reasons why I haven’t been blogging:
- In the 7 years that I’ve been blogging the amount of music business advice on the internet has gone from a few blogs here and there to a fire-hydrant gush of information. Additionally, a lot of the blogs are filled with really good info from people that are way smarter than me.
- Most of what I believe about the music industry boils down to some incredibly basic principles. Most of them aren’t super exciting to read about:
- Hang out in the right places with the right people.
- Work really hard at your craft every day.
- Hold yourself to high standards morally and creatively.
- Show your work as much as you can.
- Get gear that is reliable and inspires you.
- Be financially responsible.
- Use basic productivity and management techniques to keep your life in order.
- Keep your word, even when it hurts.
- From personal experience, nobody really wants to hear my advice. Before you disagree, think of the last three people that you gave advice to. My guess is they weren’t looking for advice at all. They were looking for encouragement, reassurance, kindness, inspiration, or affirmation. That’s pretty hard to do via a blog if not impossible.
It’s much more effective to encourage people in person in a close community. Which is why I’ve devoted so much of my energy into groups like Balanced Breakfast. Our Nashville group meets in person, thus making it possible to meet and make real relationships. As a group, we encourage each other to keep creating.
Rather than reading a lot of blogs, I would encourage you to join or create a BB group in your city. The group will provide a high-level of interaction. I think every musician or artist needs community, and you won’t get that from blog posts. Creating a rich artist community is the most important thing I can think of for fostering long-term creative output and personal growth.
