So I was chatting with someone about branding music when suddenly it hits me.
As musicians, we want our music to impact other people.
Problem is, we tend to bounce back and forth from one thing to the next.
We work insanely hard for months (sometimes years) only to step back for a moment one day and realize…”I’ve accomplished nothing”.
It’s a terrible feeling.
Shakespeare himself couldn’t craft a more tortured narrative.
Truth is, creative projects, music, purpose—even branding—are all connected. And if you lack clarity in one thing, you have no idea how to do the other.
Here’s my question…
How Can You Fix It?
To illustrate, take a look at this picture:
Pretend this pyramid represents your creative life.
Today
At the bottom level, are the things you’re doing today—writing songs, attending rehearsals, going to gigs.
One Year
The next level up, are projects to be completed a year from now (an album you’re writing, a tour you’re planning). Things that are important to you, but that can’t be done all at once.
5-10 Years
Up one more level—level three—is 5-10 years from now. The vision you have for your ideal daily life (personal and professional).
Maybe it’s traveling the world while writing and performing your music; earning passive income through licencing in TV and film, spending unlimited time with your family insteading of having to go to a job everyday just to earn income. Or, in my case, helping other people become successful as an entrepreneur, speaker, creator, and angel investor.
Whatever it is, it’s all related to one crucial thing. The highest level of your creative life. And the last stop on our pyramid.
Creative Purpose
The top of the pyramid is purpose, creative legacy, and what gives you meaning. An answer to the question: “How do I want to use my unique talents and abilities to impact the lives of other people?”
And that’s just it.
The only reason this student could not brand their music, because they did not know how they wanted to impact people in a way that would give them meaning and happiness.
Because of that, they didn’t know what their ideal life 5-10 years from now would look like. They didn’t know which projects to focus on. And directing their day to day tasks, in this case, how to brand their music, was completely impossible.
Good news is, we fixed that problem for them. But it brought the issue to my attention.
So I want to ask you…
The Only Thing You Need
Do you know how the things you do every day are leading you to a larger, more important project and ultimately a life of meaning and creative purpose?
How does the song you’re writing relate to an album, a tour you’re planning, or your ideal life 5-10 years from now? Most importantly, does it all connect to one thing that gives your music and life meaning and purpose?
Finding that…whatever it is…is the only thing you need to become an unstoppable creative.
And if you’re having trouble spinning your wheels and not getting the results you want, I guarantee it’s because you haven’t found it yet.
Identifying creative purpose, will clear the fog surrounding goals and projects. Until then, you’ll wander blind, feeling around, chasing the next thing (or idea) that pops in front of you.
The good news is, you now know how to fix that. It can be tough, which is why most people don’t do it. But I think anything worth having in life is worth working for.
Clarity, purpose, and creative meaning, is where all the magic happens.
What Do You Think?
Have you connected your purpose to your music, brand and other creative projects? What do you think would happen if you did? Let me know, in the comments below.
