Resources
resources that will strengthen you
Please find below my selection of empowering career resources for jazz artists. Let these ideas and concepts help you take the reins in your career. These transformative books, websites, blogs, podcasts and toolkits changed my life for the better. Let some of them do the same for you.
MINDSET
The War of Art (Steven Pressfield, 2012). If I could give you one book, this would be it. This little gem emphasizes the resolve needed to recognize and overcome the obstacles of ambition and then effectively shows you how to reach the highest level of creative discipline.
Mindset (Carol D. Dweck, 2017). Nothing has a bigger impact than changing your perspective. Do you operate from a Growth Mindset?
Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 2008). About the psychology of optimal experience.
The Art of Possibility (Rosamund & Benjamin Zander, 2002). On transforming your professional and personal life.
This Is Water (David Foster Wallace, 2009). Some thoughts about living a compassionate life. A witty manifesto full of life lessons learned by the brilliant writer of Infinite Jest.
Getting Things Done (David Allen, 2019). A great resource on productivity which offers help building new mental skills needed in an age of multitasking and overload.
Essentialism (Greg McKeown, 2014). I loved this book about ‘doing less, but better’, setting priorities, saying no, play, and more effective decision-making. A human approach to time-management from a minimalist perspective.
The Gift (Lewis Hyde, 2019). A brilliant, life-changing defense of the value of creative labor showing another way. The alternative economy of the gift, which allows creations and ideas to circulate freely, rather than hoarding them as commodities. Favorite quote: “To possess is to give.”
Creative Success Now (Astrid Baumgardner, 2019). This book lays out an empowering ‘Creative Success Now Methodology’ consisting of your mindset, authenticity set and creative skill set. Insights from the lecturer and coordinator of Career Strategies at the Yale School of Music.
The Inner Game of Music (Green, Gallwey, 1986). Overcome nervousness, fair of failure and self-doubt through a series of tailored exercises. Improve your intonation, artistic phrasing, technique, improvisation, composition and creativity.
BLOGS & PODCASTS
WTF Podcast. Ongoing podcast by comedian and master-conversationalist Marc Maron. Bringing the humanity and challenges to the road we all have to go.
Your Jazz Career Blog. My blog offers several articles on mindset for jazz artists. This Notebook Serie article is the perfect starting point.
ARTICLES
MARKETING
This Is Marketing (Seth Godin, 2018). A book that teaches you that marketing is about connection, empathy and making a difference in the lives of others. How do you spread your art?
To Sell Is Human (Dan Pink, 2013). This perceptive and practical book offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. Pink describes the six successors to the elevator pitch, the three rules for understanding another’s perspective and the five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive. We’re all in sales one way or another.
The Long Tail (Chris Anderson, 2008) Forget hits and the mass-market. The future of your music income is finding your niche-market(s). That in combination with the long shelf-life of online products (music) is a powerful strategy.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (Gary Vaynerchuck, 2013). A blueprint to social media marketing strategies that really works with a focus on how to develop high-quality content perfectly adapted to specific social media platforms and mobile devices.
The Ultimate Guide to Music Publicity: Proven Strategies For Getting Featured In Blogs, Playlists, & Traditional Media (Ariel Hyatt, 2021). A great read on publicity and playlisting by the NY based music marketing expert Ariel Hyatt.
Brand Yourself (Lucy Werner & Hadrien Châtelet, 2021). A great hands-on book on branding yourself with clearly defined steps to guide you through this process. Written for small business owners (which is you too), but just as applicable for artists.
BLOGS & PODCASTS & APPS
CyberPR Blog offers current marketing advice, PR tips and tricks for musicians and the music industry. Run by the inspiring Ariel Hyatt.
Marketing Mentor Podcast. A great marketing podcast for the creatively self-employed by author and coach Ilise Benun.
Your Jazz Career Blog. My blog offers several articles on marketing for jazz artists.
ARTICLES
The Long Tail (Chris Anderson, 2004). One of the most influential marketing articles of this century. The Future is niche-markets.
1.000 True Fans (Kevin Kelly, 2008). A most read for any performing and recording artist. You don’t need a million fans, you need a thousand true fans.
SELF-EMPLOYMENT
Linchpin (Seth Godin, 2018). Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future.
Start With Why (Simon Sinek, 2011). Implementing the ‘Golden Circle’ is solid advise for your career, marketing and art.
Blue Ocean Strategy (W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne, 2015). It presents a systematic approach to making the competition irrelevant and outlines principles and tools any artist can use to create and capture their own blue oceans (untapped markets).
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey, 20.13). An important book on how principles and balancing all of life’s dimensions leads to fulfillment. Read this when you need meaningful change.
Business Model You (Timothy ClarkAlexander Osterwalder, 2012). A visually engaging business model approach to reinvent yourself and your career. Understanding the building blocks of a business will empower you to make better business decisions.
The 4-Hour Work Week (Timothy Ferriss, 2011). A paradigm shifting blueprint on how to build a career build on freedom and having time for your passions. Eliminination is key.
BLOGS & PODCASTS
www.careersinmusic.com
Expand your imagination on what is possible with music and get advice on how to get started.
The DIY Musician Blog offers advice on a multitude of organisational, marketing and business matters for DIY musicians.
Your Jazz Career Blog. My blog offers several articles on strategy for jazz artists.
CREATIVITY
Steal Like An Artist (Austin Kleon, 2012). A creative manifesto to guide your creative career with principles such as ‘Do good work and put it where people can see it; Be boring (it’s the only way to get work done.); and, Creativity is subtraction.’
Show Your Work (Austin Kleon, 2014). The followup to ‘Steal Like An Artist’ is about that critical next step on a creative journey―getting known. It shows you why generosity trumps genius, getting findable and much more.
Creative Quest (Questlove, 2018). A unique new guide to creativity from my fav drummer Questlove on how to live your best creative life.
The Artist’s Journey (Kent Nerburn, 2020). A beautifully written book full of insight, solace, and courage to help young artists on the winding road to creative fulfilment. What does life as an artist entail? Read this.
The Artist’s Way (Julia Cameron, 2016). A practical, spiritual and nurturing book on recovering your creative self. Simply a must-read.
Big Magic (Elisabeth Gilbert, 2015). A powerful en generously written book on how to live a creative life. I especially enjoyed her perspective on you serving creativity instead of it serving you and on transcending the ‘suffering artist’ mindset.
BLOGS & PODCASTS
The 21st Century Creative – Blog & Podcast. Concepts and ideas on how to function as a 21st century creative by a poet/coach Mark McGuinness.
Your Jazz Career Blog. My blog offers several articles on creativity for jazz artists.
MUSIC BUSINESS
All You Need To Know About The Music Business (Donald S. Passman, 2019). The industry music bible for artists and other music professionals. This tenth edition puts a stronger and much needed emphasis on music streaming services.
Music Money and Success: the insider’s guide to making money in the music business. (Jeff Brabec, Todd Brabec, 2018).All you need to know about how to make money as a musician in films, television, video games, ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, record sales, downloads and streams, advertising, ringtones and ringbacks, and much more.
Beyond Talent (Angela Myles Beeching, 2020). Simply the best book on how to built a career in music I’ve ever read. It’s both practical without ever losing track of the deeper challenges of being an artist. If you buy one book, buy this one.
Be Your Own Manager (Bernhard Kerres, Bettina Mehne, 2013). A handbook for classical musicians to develop a great career. It packs many tips beyond the classical realm.
The Musician’s Profit Path (Bree Noble, 2019). A comprehensive, 5-stage framework with clear, step-by-step guidelines so you always know what you should focus on and what you should NOT focus on so you don’t waste valuable time and money.
How To Make It In The New Music Business (Ari Herstand, 2019). A stable career can be built by taking advantage of the many tools at our fingertips: conquering social media, mastering the art of merchandising, embracing authentic fan connection, and simply learning how to persevere. This book bundles the latest trends and offeres insightful success stories.
INSIGHTS & WORLDVIEWS
- https://jazzfuel.com/ (a great service by booking agent Matt Fripp)
- https://aeon.co/
http://blog.strategyzer.com/ - https://www.theschooloflife.com/
- http://www.99u.com/
- https://onbeing.org/blog/
- https://hurryslowly.co/
- https://www.brainpickings.org/
- https://www.ted.com/
EMPOWERING TOOLS
- https://www.canva.com/
- https://mailchimp.com/
- https://bandcamp.com/
- https://artists.spotify.com/
- https://www.reverbnation.com/
- https://toolkit.mozilla.org/
- https://www.nesta.org.uk/help-me-innovate/
- https://www.creativeconfidence.com/tools (on Design Thinking)
- http://musicbusinesstoolbox.com/
- http://www.liberatingstructures.com/ls/
- http://stproject.org/resources/tools-for-transformation/
- http://www.projectcanvas.dk/