Where do I find the courage to pursue a career in music when all I hear is: you will starve!
Allow me…
The solution is simple: think of yourself as a salesman and you won’t starve. You will sell stuff to people, in our case, an experience. To sell an experience you need to learn about selling; the business side of music—and that you don’t learn in conservatories.
As a musician, you have to build your own small business. You have to build fame and trust; lose money in the beginning with the hope of building a brand, and build your contacts list.
The more people you know, the more people offering you gigs, right? Then read: How to Influence People and Make Friends
See yourself as a freelancer. You will make a living by creating your own opportunities. You are responsible for yourself and you WILL make that happen. Because you are not only a musician, you are a salesman as well.
But what if I don’t get the gig? What if I don’t earn enough? What if, what if, and what if?
There is no security, only risks. Ever heard of Seth Godin? He’s one of my top idols; follow him and he’ll convince you of taking risks. Because is better to take this path (the entrepreneur, musician, freelancer) than being a factory cog; than having a “secure” way of making money. That’s not how you reach happiness.
Don’t get me wrong, an orchestra job is a secure job. But even there, you have to build relationships and a brand as a group. You have less control of the ensemble’s destiny because you are only a tiny percent of the ensemble. You depend on other people to reach a unanimous goal.
But you are you. And you have complete control of yourself. Whether or not you have a secure job, try selling an experience to people. Teach with your best attitudes, read about entrepreneurship and perform at your best possible level. Become obsessed with preparation; that way you’ll deliver quality products and build a professional brand.
It’s your job to learn HOW to become a seller, a people-person and an entrepreneur.
You will starve only if you don’t do anything about it. That’s pretty easy to fix, just do something. And that’s why I write this blog, to help you find out a complete way (not just musically) to make it in music—to figure out what we all need to make our dreams in this field happen.
Remember, sell an experience and you will not starve—you will bring food home and you will impact a society that wants to hear from you—because you convinced them.
Are you going to take the risk? I am!