A Guide To Becoming A Real Artist/Musician

[Rilles]

This post is intended for serious people who want to become professional musicians and maybe make a living, this is not for dabblers. This process will take you 5 years depending on your skill level. 

 

 

1. First step is to pick an instrument to play, I am assuming most people in music here have already done that but its an obvious first step, you can't be a musician without having a skill, wether it be a DAW, a guitar, singing or rapping.

 

2. Decide if you want to start a band or be a solo artist

Going solo will make this process lot easier because its easier to deal with one ego than four egos that clash. If you want to start a band, ask some friend or place an Ad online to find someone to play with. 

 

3. Pick a genre to play, experiment alot here, create a few songs. The pressure is not high here, have fun and learn alot.

 

4. Pick a name

This is not too important but you want to sound professional, dont pick a name that makes you sound silly unless thats the style of music you're going for. Try to pick a name that somewhat fits your genre, don't call yourself Skull Smashers if you want to create bubble-gum pop. 

 

5. After you have been playing a few months then narrow down your genre more, are you Rock, okay, then what sub-genre? Indie-rock, Hard-rock, Jazz-rock?

I highly suggest listening to atleast 100 albums from artists within your broad genre, this might take you 4-5 months but it teaches you to make fine distinctions and your intuition slowly guides you towards who YOU are and what YOU truly like.

STEAL alot here, steal other artists sounds! Its okay! You can rip people off in the beginning, you will anyway, it will become a melting pot later that will become your real sound. 

 

6. Pick 10 albums that represent your taste, this will be albums that have touched you deeply and that you really love. This gives you a deep hint to where you are going. 

 

7. Narrow down your unique genre in 2-3 words, for example "Quirky uplifting electro-pop"

 

8. Narrow down your moods, vibes and attitude, your sound basically. Try to pick 10 adjectives. Allmusic.com/moods will help you alot here.

 

9. Narrow down your themes, if you have created a few songs already, there should have been some themes cropping up that you seem to be drawn to. Figure out what those themes are. They might be something like "Nature, crime, the inner city, heartbreak, isolation" If you write lyrics this part is easier.

 

10. Find out your One Thing.

What are your strengths? Focus on that. Are you great singer? Good, let that shine through and work hard on that! Dont be too picky with the drums if they dont make up a big part of your sound.

 

11. Find out what makes you a Purple Cow. This requires alot of contemplation. 

 

12. Find out where you fit in your genre, what is your niche? Requires alot of contemplation too and research. Ikigai is very useful here.

 

13. Narrow down your target audience, their age, location, other artists/genres they like, their interests and values. If you want to make it easier you can create an avatar, for example "John is a 30 year old man from Wisconsin who likes..."

 

14. Decide on what Visual Themes you want to use for your Albums, EP, Social Media and Marketing Ads. Research what styles are used in your specific genre so you dont confuse new listeners, you want them to click on your songs and know somewhat theyre going to get before they do. Example: Country/Americana music often uses grainy/dusty nature photography while Death Metal uses dark and violent cartoonish imagery. But its up to you to be creative. New things are discovered when boundaries are crossed.

 

15. Decide a font for your name and create a logo, logo is not always necessary but it certainly sticks out more than a font. 

 

16. Decide your story, you have a story, what makes it special, can it be incorporated into your biography? How? This part can be hard and its easier to hire someone to write it for you but its important because it creates a connection with your fans.

 

17. Narrow down your fashion sense. Youre an artist now, look the part. Throw out any clothes that dont jive with your identity. Dont be afraid to go crazy here, or maybe youre more down to earth, thats fine too! 

 

18. Create a simple Vision Board with 5 pictures that show where you will be in 5-10 years, to keep you inspired! Look at it once in a while to keep your hopes up! 

 

 

This is long term process, for me this has been going on since 2014 and I am still somewhat working on certain components, be patient, there is no hurry, you are creating a giant engine, you want to know every part in and out! Most important is to be honest with yourself. THIS IS NOT ABOUT CREATING A FALSE IDENTITY, this is about chiseling out th authentic artist inside you, you might have to kill some darlings for that. A litmus test is: If it feels tense and fake it is. Keep looking. Your authentic artistic self is relaxed and joyful.

 

Congratulations! That was step 1. Now its time to learn business and marketing! Good luck!

 

[Lyubov]

This is really cool advice and can even be applied to other creative professions. I’ll give it a second look and see if I can apply it to my creative endeavors.  Thanks! 

you forgot step #0 though, have rich parents 

[Rilles]

18 minutes ago, Lyubov said:

This is really cool advice and can even be applied to other creative professions. I’ll give it a second look and see if I can apply it to my creative endeavors.  Thanks! 

you forgot step #0 though, have rich parents 

Yes, this is branding 101, although I dont like that word, this can be applied to many creative endeavours! 

Haha, honestly though, most of this just requires your time, passion and contemplation, but yes, not sleeping on the street is a good foundation.  

Edited October 26, 2021 by Rilles

[Gili Trawangan]

13 hours ago, Rilles said:

11. Find out what makes you a Purple Cow. This requires alot of contemplation. 

 

12. Find out where you fit in your genre, what is your niche? Requires alot of contemplation too and research. Ikigai is very useful here.

 

13. Narrow down your target audience, their age, location, other artists/genres they like, their interests and values. If you want to make it easier you can create an avatar, for example "John is a 30 year old man from Wisconsin who likes..."

Nice list!

These that I quoted I find particularly difficult. Wait, what is a Purple Cow? Or Ikigai?

I still don't know what my niche could be, I draw a blank whenever I try to think about it.

[Rilles]

18 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

Nice list!

These that I quoted I find particularly difficult. Wait, what is a Purple Cow? Or Ikigai?

I still don't know what my niche could be, I draw a blank whenever I try to think about it.

Purple Cow is a concept by Seth Godin which basically means to be the one that stands out in your niche. If you saw a bunch of cows in a field and one of them was purple you would go "What the heck is that thing! I have never seen a purple cow before! Now I need to know more about this!"

Ikigai is a concept/model that ties together what youre good at and what the market needs. Sometimes what youre good at doesnt jell with what is needed in the real world, you need to find a balance between those. Example: Flipping hamburgers is needed in many places but it doesnt make you fulfilled. Playing guitar is not as needed as flipping hamburgers, nobody cares if you can play guitar on your CV at McDonalds but it might be the thing that makes you the most fulfilled.

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by Rilles

[Gili Trawangan]

@Rilles Got it, thanks! 

[Rilles]

3 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

@Rilles Got it, thanks! 

I listened to Fall Away, its really nice! Youre already doing pretty well I must say! 

[Gili Trawangan]

7 minutes ago, Rilles said:

I listened to Fall Away, its really nice! Youre already doing pretty well I must say! 

Ah thanks a bunch! When it comes to the actual music, it's mostly my mixing skills that I feel are still subpar... but I'm working on them

Is there any way I can hear some of your music? I understand if you want to keep yourself anonymous though.

[Rilles]

2 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

Ah thanks a bunch! When it comes to the actual music, it's mostly my mixing skills that I feel are still subpar... but I'm working on them

Is there any way I can hear some of your music? I understand if you want to keep yourself anonymous though.

First listen I didnt hear anything weird about the mixing, you have very pleasant sounds, but we can always get better of course.

 

Anonymous! Not at all! Here it is!

 

[Gili Trawangan]

10 minutes ago, Rilles said:

First listen I didnt hear anything weird about the mixing, you have very pleasant sounds, but we can always get better of course.

 

Anonymous! Not at all! Here it is!

 

Ah cool song! I really like it, it gives out such positive vibes... nice arrangement too. I know you say in the description that it's "Elliott Smith falls into a puddle of psychedelic Play-Doh" (haha), and even though I see where you're coming from, one big difference I found was that while his music is quite depressing - though unequivocally beautiful, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan - yours I would say comes from a very upbeat positive place. Which is good, because we know how his life turned out...

[Rilles]

10 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

Ah cool song! I really like it, it gives out such positive vibes... nice arrangement too. I know you say in the description that it's "Elliott Smith falls into a puddle of psychedelic Play-Doh" (haha), and even though I see where you're coming from, one big difference I found was that while his music is quite depressing - though unequivocally beautiful, don't get me wrong, I'm a fan - yours I would say comes from a very upbeat positive place. Which is good, because we know how his life turned out...

Haha! Elliott is one of my biggest influences, I guess what we meant when we wrote that is that our vocals are pretty soft and are sort of breathy... Were probably gonna change that slogan in the future though haha, it made sense once upon a time... 

Yes! Optimistic and transcendental is the sort of vibe that works with our music (Callus is me and my brother in a duo) Kind of reaching for the sky rather than looking down. Definitely something I want to hone in on more and more! Positivity is beautiful!

Edited October 27, 2021 by Rilles

[Gili Trawangan]

6 minutes ago, Rilles said:

Positivity is beautiful!

Amen! (insert emoticon of hands put together in Namaste position which I can't find anywhere, though I've seen people use it before on the forum)

[Rilles]

2 minutes ago, Gili Trawangan said:

Amen! (insert emoticon of hands put together in Namaste position which I can't find anywhere, though I've seen people use it before on the forum)

??

[Danioover9000]

@Rilles

22 hours ago, Rilles said:

This post is intended for serious people who want to become professional musicians and maybe make a living, this is not for dabblers. This process will take you 5 years depending on your skill level. 

 

 

1. First step is to pick an instrument to play, I am assuming most people in music here have already done that but its an obvious first step, you can't be a musician without having a skill, wether it be a DAW, a guitar, singing or rapping.

 

2. Decide if you want to start a band or be a solo artist

Going solo will make this process lot easier because its easier to deal with one ego than four egos that clash. If you want to start a band, ask some friend or place an Ad online to find someone to play with. 

 

3. Pick a genre to play, experiment alot here, create a few songs. The pressure is not high here, have fun and learn alot.

 

4. Pick a name

This is not too important but you want to sound professional, dont pick a name that makes you sound silly unless thats the style of music you're going for. Try to pick a name that somewhat fits your genre, don't call yourself Skull Smashers if you want to create bubble-gum pop. 

 

5. After you have been playing a few months then narrow down your genre more, are you Rock, okay, then what sub-genre? Indie-rock, Hard-rock, Jazz-rock?

I highly suggest listening to atleast 100 albums from artists within your broad genre, this might take you 4-5 months but it teaches you to make fine distinctions and your intuition slowly guides you towards who YOU are and what YOU truly like.

STEAL alot here, steal other artists sounds! Its okay! You can rip people off in the beginning, you will anyway, it will become a melting pot later that will become your real sound. 

 

6. Pick 10 albums that represent your taste, this will be albums that have touched you deeply and that you really love. This gives you a deep hint to where you are going. 

 

7. Narrow down your unique genre in 2-3 words, for example "Quirky uplifting electro-pop"

 

8. Narrow down your moods, vibes and attitude, your sound basically. Try to pick 10 adjectives. Allmusic.com/moods will help you alot here.

 

9. Narrow down your themes, if you have created a few songs already, there should have been some themes cropping up that you seem to be drawn to. Figure out what those themes are. They might be something like "Nature, crime, the inner city, heartbreak, isolation" If you write lyrics this part is easier.

 

10. Find out your One Thing.

What are your strengths? Focus on that. Are you great singer? Good, let that shine through and work hard on that! Dont be too picky with the drums if they dont make up a big part of your sound.

 

11. Find out what makes you a Purple Cow. This requires alot of contemplation. 

 

12. Find out where you fit in your genre, what is your niche? Requires alot of contemplation too and research. Ikigai is very useful here.

 

13. Narrow down your target audience, their age, location, other artists/genres they like, their interests and values. If you want to make it easier you can create an avatar, for example "John is a 30 year old man from Wisconsin who likes..."

 

14. Decide on what Visual Themes you want to use for your Albums, EP, Social Media and Marketing Ads. Research what styles are used in your specific genre so you dont confuse new listeners, you want them to click on your songs and know somewhat theyre going to get before they do. Example: Country/Americana music often uses grainy/dusty nature photography while Death Metal uses dark and violent cartoonish imagery. But its up to you to be creative. New things are discovered when boundaries are crossed.

 

15. Decide a font for your name and create a logo, logo is not always necessary but it certainly sticks out more than a font. 

 

16. Decide your story, you have a story, what makes it special, can it be incorporated into your biography? How? This part can be hard and its easier to hire someone to write it for you but its important because it creates a connection with your fans.

 

17. Narrow down your fashion sense. Youre an artist now, look the part. Throw out any clothes that dont jive with your identity. Dont be afraid to go crazy here, or maybe youre more down to earth, thats fine too! 

 

18. Create a simple Vision Board with 5 pictures that show where you will be in 5-10 years, to keep you inspired! Look at it once in a while to keep your hopes up! 

 

 

This is long term process, for me this has been going on since 2014 and I am still somewhat working on certain components, be patient, there is no hurry, you are creating a giant engine, you want to know every part in and out! Most important is to be honest with yourself. THIS IS NOT ABOUT CREATING A FALSE IDENTITY, this is about chiseling out th authentic artist inside you, you might have to kill some darlings for that. A litmus test is: If it feels tense and fake it is. Keep looking. Your authentic artistic self is relaxed and joyful.

 

Congratulations! That was step 1. Now its time to learn business and marketing! Good luck!

 

   Very nice list. Will definitely apply this to my interests.

[Rilles]

On 27/10/2021 at 6:10 PM, Danioover9000 said:

@Rilles

   Very nice list. Will definitely apply this to my interests.

??

[Flowerfaeiry]

@Rilles Did you do this? 

[Carl-Richard]

My INFP Fi is screaming in agony ?

[Rilles]

5 hours ago, Flowerfaeiry said:

@Rilles Did you do this? 

1.About 70-80% of it. But theres levels to it, its not static, alot of the things I discovered will morph and refine itself as I grow. 

Things I am still working on are niche/Purple Cow and visual themes, those are fricking hard! 

2.Or do you mean did I create this list? yes, with alot of branding research and contemplation.

4 hours ago, Carl-Richard said:

My INFP Fi is screaming in agony ?

hahahaha

Edited October 30, 2021 by Rilles

[Carl-Richard]

7 hours ago, Rilles said:

hahahaha

"I just wanna play guitar ?"

[Rilles]

38 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

"I just wanna play guitar ?"

Just playing guitar wont get you the babes.