Picture this tale of the self-managed musician: A scrappy underground boxing arena, smoke-filled and packed wall-to-wall with a myriad of characters, each straining to watch the unfolding drama at the center of the boxing ring. The announcer, dressed in a crisp white shirt and black tie, riles the crowd and shrewdly crafts a fierce anticipation for the looming fight:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTonight we have here an unprecedented match, the fight of the century\u2014unlike anything we\u2019ve seen before! In one corner, the reigning champion and heavyweight: The Manager! And, in the other corner, we have the underdog who has been able to miraculously come up from behind, making a way for themselves: The Artist! Who will win in tonight\u2019s match?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being an artist AND<\/em> your own manager can often feel like the scene I described above: On one hand, you have a deep desire to express your creativity through your music\u2014be it through songwriting, performing, arranging, or composing\u2014and on the other hand, you have a deep desire to create financial stability and sustainability for your work so you can, you know, eat. You are a self-managed musician. You do not have the luxury of hiring a manager just yet, and so you find yourself working as a full time artist AND<\/em> a full time manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While these two roles are not mutually exclusive (let\u2019s face it, who better to push your music than the person who knows it best: you!), it can definitely be challenging for the self-managed musician to find the balance between your artist-self and your manager-self. I find it hard to be creative when I\u2019m generally focused on more managerial tasks (such as running a crowdfunding campaign, booking gigs, managing unruly bandmates, etc.). On the flip side, I find it hard to be focused and efficient on the business of my music when I\u2019m writing and creating music.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, as a self-managed musician, how do we find that balance of manager and musician? I am still very much working on finding that balance myself, but there are a few things I have learned to help me weather this sometimes exasperating tension. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n First and foremost, when you sit down to write or play, do not have your email open and turn off your phone notifications. This is where the \u201cself-managed\u201d portion of self-managed musician should be all about managing your own creativity, and nothing else! <\/span>For me, every little bing or beep rips my attention away from the creative process. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s this venue telling me they want to book me for this date. Or maybe it\u2019s my producer getting back to me about our recording schedule. Or maybe it\u2019s that writer who is interested in writing a review about me.\u201d The moment that I hear that email or text pop up and those questions start running through my mind, my creative juices stop flowing. I take myself out of my creative mindset. For me, I have found it best to create a sacred space before I sit down to create\u2014one free of distraction, stress, and negativity, as these can easily kill creativity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Which leads me to my next point: it can be exceedingly difficult to be creative if you are stressed, and managing a band is stressful! Before I began pursuing music seriously, music was my outlet for stress. But once I began managing myself and stepped into the role of self-managed musician, my music became a source<\/em> of stress, which was devastating. I\u2019ve since come to realize two things: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n At the heart of it, we are artists and we NEED<\/em> to create to feel happy and fulfilled. However, at times, the sense of urgency you feel as a manager will outweigh your immediate need to create, and that\u2019s okay. We are the arbiters of our own fate and we need to create our own opportunities. It can feel exhilarating to snag that big gig or connect with that one important contact, but never forget the reason why you became your own manager in the first place: because you love music.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Finally, in the endless battle between your Artist-self and your Manager-self, be kind and gentle to yourself. As silly as this may sound, it\u2019s true. Working yourself up into a tizzy because you didn\u2019t send that one email or because that one opportunity fell through and if you had only just . . . just . . . I am the worst offender when it comes to these thoughts\u2014they keep me up at night, and I find that same anxious attitude works its measly little way into my creative psyche, making it hard for me to write at all. When I am gentle with myself and let myself off the proverbial hook, I am better able to focus on what\u2019s next instead of lamenting over what could have been. Think about it this way: If you had a hired manager and that person messed up, would you barrage them with criticism over and over? No (at least I hope not!), so then why should you do that to yourself?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n \u201cZing! The Manager pulls a left jab! Ka-pow! The Artist pulls a right hook! Ladies and gentleman that\u2019s it! The fight is over! This is one for the history books!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, for the self-managed musician, the boxing match should be a draw.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While these two roles are not mutually exclusive, it can definitely be challenging to find the balance between your artist-self and your manager-self.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":9862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9564,9568,9588],"tags":[115,7960,7961,864],"class_list":["post-9859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-features-articles","category-music-business-articles","category-music-career-advice-articles","tag-artist","tag-elisa-smith","tag-leah-waldo","tag-manager"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n