07: Getting Started in Building a Brand
How do you advise young musicians, or musicians who are just beginning to build a presence in a brand, to get started?
First of all, have the right mindset. Mindset is everything, because if you have the right mindset, you will do the work. But if you have the wrong mindset, it will prevent you from doing it. Now, the mindset that I would really advocate for is one of patience and understanding that when you're young, nobody cares. And often when you get older, nobody cares, right?
But, I found that that's not the full, complete statement. Nobody cares what you know, until they know that you care. And I think that's a really different distinction, because when people try to build a presence online, they often do it for themselves, which is good. You need to do it for yourself, for your creativity, for the, quote-unquote, "digital scrapbooking" of your life, right? That's important because then you can look back and see how you've grown.
However, one must also look at what they have to offer the world. And if they don't know what they have to offer the world, then just document your human experience. And that's it. And so when you're young, you don't have experience. Like, I'm sorry, I don't want to follow - first of all, legally, and also, I don't have time for that - I don't want to follow 15-year-olds who are learning how to play their instrument. That's not my bag. But other 15-year-olds might. You know, they might be inspired by them. They might be motivated, and they might find new drive, because they're in a tribe that is all working to improve themselves. Right?
So don't try to get approval from adults, don't try to get approval from teachers, don't try to get approval from anybody else. Focus on your work. Grow, and document the process.