I think it’s safe to say we will look back to these days and call it the Coronavirus times because right now, there is not a single sector in this world that has not been directly hit by the pandemic. Some are new to the quarantine, others have been laying low for a good while now. Us, being in Italy, we’ve been isolated since the end of February. Getting close to a month soon. However, the world ain’t over and people are incredibly flexible and adapt easily to the sudden restrictions. Here are 5 pretty awesome things you can do at home as an artist this period.
5. Connect With Other Musicians
When was the last time you’ve actually dropped a genuine comment on an independent artist’s music video on YouTube? You don’t remember? Good, ’cause now you don’t have any excuse NOT TO support your peers. Get on those forums, groups, dedicated platforms, and find 1 new artist a day you actually like. If you do this every day, for 30 days, by the time Coronavirus leaves us, you’ll have 30 new musician friends. Pretty dope, ain’t it?
4. Give Thanks To Your Supporters
Don’t we all LOVE supportive comments and encouraging messages? Yes we do. But do you know who stands behind that support that keeps you going? Real people with real needs. Say ‘Thank You’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ as much as you can these days. All you need is 15-20 minutes a day to catch up with the old and new fans, and show some appreciation. Good manners and a grateful attitude will go a very, very long way.
3. Write New Lyrics
Most artists are also incredible lyricists. But what happens when you get caught up in real life with the day job? AND the family issues? AND the occasional gigs? AND your mental health? Often artists find themselves with no time to write new material. Get that pen and start laying those rhymes down, because, even if you don’t have the right beat at the present moment, you WILL be needing NEW lyrics when the studios open up again and you find yourself going nuts in search for a new good song. Cut half the future effort NOW, so that you can focus on other things later.
2. Analyze Your Progress So Far
It’s easy to get stuck in: create > release > promote > repeat. Did you know that record labels employ actual researchers and analysts to give them basically a spreadsheet of how their main artists are performing and what’s working and what not? You got to do that research on your own so that you know what to do more of, and what to do less of. What’s the age group most responsive to your music? What country is predominantly favoring your genre? How many likes vs dislikes you get on average? What music videos are the top viewed and why? What’s the common denominator in your top performing songs on Spotify? If you’re able to answer all these, you WILL KNOW 100% what to do next and you WILL SAVE TONS of dollars. Or euros. Or liras. Or whatever is used in your area.
1. Pick Up Something Else Than Music
I know this might sound counterintuitive to you right now, but think about it for a second… If you live and breathe music, chances are, you’re getting slowly stuffed with it. Meaning one day you will wake up and be like ‘why the F am I even doing this?’ and you’d be right. Your brain needs to engage in activities that are UNRELATED to your music career as well. You have to make sure you keep a healthy amount of passion and drive for your craft, and you can only do that as long as it feels like A CHOICE and NOT A CHORE. If you can’t name me a good movie you’ve seen recently, or a captivating book title other than music marketing books, it’s HIGH TIME you took a break. Go play some video games, go follow a new makeup tutorial, play dress up, color some books, read something you always wanted to, clean up your room and working space, do your nails, try beading, or knitting, try a new haircut, a new recipe, read other articles on our website, so on and so forth. Be HAPPY and let your passion for music come back to you in its purest form.