When people go to pursue careers that are creative like music a lot of people will have opinions about what you should do and how you should do it. Some of this advice may be beneficial, but most often the opposite. You know yourself better than anyone, so when you read through these "5 things no one will tell you about your music career" look objectively at your life to help you move toward what a successful career looks like for you.
1. You Might Need To Try Something Else
You may or may not be on the right path with what you are doing. If what you are doing gives you energy and you feel it in your gut, than that is a direct indication to keep going. If you are constantly frustrated and drained in a bad way by being a musician or singer than reassess. If you continue to ask yourself questions and explore you will find the exact thing that you should be doing. You will find the right combination for you when you look at your life like this.
2. Focus Only On Your Strength
Go all in on what you are best at! If your strength is singing, get all the books on the technique of singing, the voice, hire a singing coach, practice exercises everyday, go all in on becoming the absolute best singer you can be because that is your best shot at making the most of your strengths. It is easy to have other people take care of the mixing, mastering, and all the business aspects of your career. You will thank yourself for doing what you are already good at one day.
3. You Will Win If You Don't Quit
This can go against the first point of this article. How do you know when to try something else in the music industry or something else in general? How do you know if you stick this out you will become the best musician in the world? Almost every artist has some of these questions in their mind. The truth of the matter is that you know deep inside you what to do. It may not be comfortable but it is what your intuition is telling you and it is what will make you happy in life. With that being said, you are on the right path and are facing difficulties almost everyday. If you stick it out long enough you will win. It is inevitable that if you are doing everything you can to make your music career come true and you do it over a long enough time period (years) you will win. Everyone else will give up and you will be the only one left standing on top.
4. You Need A Form Of Income
Financial lack in the music industry for musicians is a serious subject. The best case is to make money from music and be able to live your desired lifestyle. Until this happens you may need to find income to support yourself. There is no shame in doing this to take care of your cost of living. The financial piece being taken care of will give you peace of mind and make more room for creativity.
5. The 10,000 Hour Rule
This rule was made popular by Malcom Gladwell in his famous book called "Outliers". It highlights how The Beatles became the best band on the planet in their hay-day. The Beatles performed at a 24hr club in Germany for 10+ hours every single day around the clock for months on end. Before anyone knew who they were the band played and practiced together more than any other band on the planet. This gave the members the ability to become so in sync with one another and become so good that their music has and will stand the test of time for generations to come. They put in their 10,000 hours and if you do too the sky is the limit!