You must have THICK skin to be a D.I.Y. Rock Star ⭐️
This post loosely accompanies Gab & Jam 288. You must have THICK skin to be a D.I.Y. Rock Star
(video: https://bit.ly/288thickskinvid and podcast: https://bit.ly/288thickskinpod )
Everyone in the music business wants to be “famous,” but do you know what it takes to get there and stay there without losing yourself? That’s a topic that has been on our minds lately.
Things to consider about having/developing THICK skin:
1. Do the inner work
To be COMPLETELY honest, it takes a lot of inner work to “be ready” for the job. Some of that inner work needs to happen BEFORE you put your work out there, but then you need to be constantly revisiting that process, so that you can handle every level of success. Remember, being a D.I.Y. Rock Star means you act as your own agent, so you are not insulated from the negative parts of the negotiation process, where your quality of work might be called into question. –And let’s be honest, your music is your baby, so anyone who questions it can put our mental and emotional wellness on the line. That’s why you have to stay centered and constantly re-connect to who you are and what you want, no matter WHO takes shots at you.
video
2. Take full responsibility
You have to own your fuckups just as well as you applaud your wins. You don’t have someone that will sugarcoat it when you’ve been your own worst enemy. –Trust us, mistakes WILL happen; you are human. –But you have to be brutally honest with yourself, so that you can achieve the best outcomes for your music. –As far as our own journey has gone, I had to be honest that I KNEW I wasn’t doing enough to promote our music in the early days of releasing music. Now, I remember how awful it felt for something that we were excited about to die on the vine, so to speak, because I wasn’t willing to keep trying to learn what I didn’t know and keep putting myself out there to make things happen. That’s why when folks ask how—and why—are we ALWAYS doing something and I have to say it’s because I KNOW that out of the 26 albums that we’ve released over the years, it is only these last few that I have taken the time to do better with networking and promotion, so that people could hear that we’ve got some really good shit! (If you’re curious, here’s more about our latest release, Obtanium Flow: https://bit.ly/bpjobtflwlinks )
3. Can’t let fans control you
You can’t let the fans tell you what you should be doing as an artist. Your fans follow you, because you have a unique vision, so don’t let the fact that folks overwhelmingly liked ONE thing dictate what you will do next. They still want you lead the way. –Well, that is, unless your main goal is something OTHER than expressing your soul through your music. If so, then just disregard this point. Keep in mind that fans who support your growth into new areas will stay, but those who don’t SHOULDN’T sway you to NOT express yourself fully. You’ll find new folks to fill those shoes if you continue on the path to doing the work that your heart is calling you to.
4. It’s A LOT of work!
It’s a lot of fucking work! You CAN’T be a wimp and make that happen. You can’t AFFORD to be unmotivated, because your very mission of getting your music heard DEPENDS on you getting out there and making SURE that you have beat the drum about who you are and what you do. That’s why I really have NO days when I don’t get something done. Whether it’s a good day or a bad day, I have an agenda and it’s almost like I am on auto-pilot, because the list that I have made HAS to get done. We are at the stage in life, where I realize how much time and how many opportunities I’ve wasted AND where I can see the blessing of the internet, so I won’t let a day go by WITHOUT being sure to use the resources that we’ve been given to achieve goals that we have spent our whole lives wanting to achieve. The time is now and the place is here, so I put ALL of my energy into learning what I don’t know, so that I can do what I am doing better—up to and including—learning to be more productive, honing in on our goals, tracking our vision, and planning for the future. I don’t think it’s going to happen WITHOUT this Herculean effort, so I am here to do it. THAT is what keeps me motivated; and even when I don’t feel particularly motivated, I just keep moving on to whatever the next thing I said I would do when I WAS in a motivated mood.
5. Validate yourself first!
You have to have done the inner work to be able to validate yourself should you be rejected by gatekeepers or fans. You have to feel good about what you do BEFORE anyone else even weighs in, so make sure that YOU are confident that this is the best work YOU can do. That way, if someone rejects or criticizes you, it won’t stop you from sharing your work, so that you can reach folks who are into you. THAT’S the gig, so you’ve got to be ready to keep bringing it!
As artists, we LOVED making the art, but selling it is always the hard part. It takes developing that THICK skin to be able to walk the talk and get your shit heard consistently by folks.
Our NEXT livestream is scheduled for Friday, May 12, where we will debut for Bourgeoisie Paper Jam’s next single “Every Heartbeat.” We will also premiere the music video live and on-air—unless you are a member of our Patreon community. (If you’re in our Patreon, you will see the video one week earlier. Join here.) ( Join on YouTube: https://bit.ly/everyheartbeatlive and join on Facebook: https://bit.ly/everyheartbeatlivefb )
What about you? Do YOU have tough skin?
What life event brought out that toughness?
Funkalicious:
Check out and tell us if you know what folks are digging SO much about this video:
https://bit.ly/twebbfunkaliciousvid
Did you know that along with putting together our next album, we are working on our first book?
Here’s the link, if you want to pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
Here’s what we’re into now:
· We’re featured in Variety Magazine! https://bit.ly/featuresxsw2023
· The Tony Webb "Funkalicious" video is going crazy in Honduras, y'all! https://bit.ly/twebbfunkaliciousvid
· One of our videos for our song, “Tell Me What You Want,” is going gangbusters in Vietnam! https://bit.ly/tellmewhatyouwantvid
· “Faith in Me” on Union 999 Independent Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3Jusm2Q
· “I Miss You” got picked up for a Spotify Playlist! https://spoti.fi/3jha4HP
If you like this, you might enjoy:
· Basic Recording Studio Setup: https://bit.ly/246basicstudiopost
· What to do when real life interrupts your artistic process? https://bit.ly/241reallifeblog
· 7 Strategies for rebounding from creative burnout: https://bit.ly/239digoutofburnoutblog
· How to give better interviews (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/236betterinterviewsblog
· How to give better live performances: https://bit.ly/219betterliveblog
· How to collaborate better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/Ep163collaborateblog
· How to write quicker, but better (for D.I.Y. Rock Star): https://bit.ly/228writebetterblogpost
· Should you ever play for free? https://bit.ly/214playfreeblog
· 17 Tips for taking better band photos—ESPECIALLY if you taking them yourself: http://bit.ly/betterbandphotos
NOW:
New single, “Give Your Love Freely,” by Bourgeoisie Paper Jam http://bit.ly/BandCampPMG and follow on Spotify at https://bit.ly/bpjspotfollow
More Ways to experience B L O O M I N G P R E J I P P I E :
· All things “Obtanium Flow”: https://bit.ly/bpjobtflwlinks
· Blog: http://bit.ly/bpblogsubscribe
· Shop: https://bit.ly/prejippieshop
· Patreon: https://bit.ly/PMGPatreon
· YouTube: http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
· Gab & Jam podcast: https://bit.ly/gabandjamhq
· Soundcloud (music): https://soundcloud.com/prejippie
· Join the Bourgeoisie Paper Jam Street Team! https://bit.ly/BPJstreetteam
· Be the NEXT D.I.Y. Rock Star Handbook Pre-order: https://bit.ly/prejippiebklanding
· Funky Happy People (Who Listen to a Variety of Genres of Music) Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/funkyhappyjoin
· Be the Next D.I.Y. Rock Star Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/diyrockstarjoin
Please subscribe. Thanks. http://bit.ly/youtubesubprejippie
Until next Monday, here’s wishing love, peace, and chicken grease!
