Not every "opportunity" is for you
Time to stop following the creative path of other people and expecting the same results
Lindsey Jordan (Snail Mail) talks to Monster Children about social media in the music world:
“I think that anybody who is encouraging you to make a TikTok hit is probably brain dead. Don’t listen to them. Usually, those tactics don’t work. I’ve never done an actual ‘tactic’ and had it work.”
Experts say not being on TikTok is a missed opportunity, but we miss opportunities every day because we are singular creative beings and must do the dishes or cover a shift at work.
There are people you didn’t reach yesterday because you didn’t display your art in a small gallery in Denver, CO, or play a set in a nightclub in Paris last night.
Sure, “everyone” is on TikTok right now, but “everyone” is also at an art gallery.
Where are you?
Why aren’t you in the same room as the creative people you love? Start a Zoom call if you can’t meet up locally. Imagine the opportunities that could develop from that energy and support!
Why don’t you have a call with that local curator / booking agent / producer this week? You’re probably just two conversations with the right people to get that set up. Opportunity!
Oh, you haven’t talked with anyone about a potential collaboration in the last year?
Here’s a recent example: a client I work with remotely invited me to an album release get-together in Brooklyn, NY, later this month.
I could stay home and create content for LinkedIn… or I could book a hotel room, make travel arrangements, and be around people I already have connections with.
I believe there are opportunities in my already-existing universe, and I don’t need to continuously throw pebbles in the ocean of “social media possibility” to get more.
How many opportunities exist right now in your creative universe? In your own inboxes? In the contacts in your phones? People you bump into at the coffee shop? On Discord?
We’ve all missed opportunities, but maybe it’s time that we intentionally invest our efforts in the opportunities that better align with our own magical journeys.
P.S. thanks Dino Corvino for that Monster Children tip
:: LIKES LIKES AND MORE LIKES ::
Since I’m on social media less, I need to share the work of other artists and creative individuals in spaces like this. Enjoy.
“The primary objective in any creative work should always be developing and disseminating content that truly resonates with and engages your audience. The content should be meaningful, insightful, written, recorded or filmed for your audience. The people who give a shit. The people who care.”
Joan Westenberg from ‘The creator economy can't rely on Patreon’
“The music industry from an A+R and strategic marketing standpoint has been super lazy. They fell into a trap of using “data” to found who to sign without deeply considering that any person can make a song that pops off on TikTok but not everyone is built to be a star IRL, perform, build a real fan base and be an actual working artist.”
Zeena Koda (via)
“I believe companionship content is evergreen and everlasting. It’s not an of-the-moment format that will rise and fall in dramatic fashion. In contrast, short-form video could just be a glitch in the long arc of consumer media.”
Anu Atluru from ‘Companionship Content is King’
“In a world where TikToks dwarf all over forms of consumption and a video that someone spent a day making will get more attention than something a studio spent years and millions of dollars to make, who needs prestige?”
Yancey Strickler from ‘The prestige recession’
I’m Seth Werkheiser, and I’m grateful you read Social Media Escape Club.
Unapologetically, I’ve never been on TikTok for my work and I never plan to. That app is a time warp worm hole and the name fits. I always feel like I’m being hypnotized “tick…tok…tick….tock”
I blankly stare when others explain that I need to be more engaged, bolster my on-line presence, more "in tune" with the world like they are... as they sit inside in a poorly lit room, on a screen living through algorithms. I work with people, close enough to feel their breath. My job is stressful but it's my calling. I re-charge several ways. One is by writing (not very well, but trying), another is turning wood: bowls, vases, etc. (which I am good at). When people see what I have created, imagine my surprise at their first response... I need to get on etsy, ebay, whatever and start selling, networking, getting my name out there. Most of them are horrified when I tell them I'm giving it to my child's bus driver that works his ass off and is kind to the kids. Or that it's going to a co-worker that has been a nurse for 30 years and is retiring. Live because you love living. Be kind to others. People will be drawn to your light when you are living the path ordained for you. It may not be the 150,000 followers that your loud-mouthed (friend). I tell my children that they will most likely have only a small number of true friends in their lives, and that's okay. I tend to choose quality over quantity.