Indie Artist.
Being indie means independent thinking, making music and related decisions based on your own internal compass instead of following outside voices. It is about a self-representation that highlights your uniqueness as an artist. Indie is not just about music and art. It is more than what bands you listen to and what you wear. It is a culture and a way of thinking. Following will determine if you are truly indie, so read carefully.
Be Independent
Make sure you approach life in an independent manner, just like the indie musicians and movie directors you admire. With thousands of forms and genres of music available around the world, remember that music fans are not waiting for your music. Most commercial ventures get swallowed up by major players with strong market presence. This makes it imperative for you to make your presence known, if you do not plan to join a major. While joining a major takes away the hassle of marketing, because they are well-known and have considerable power and finances, it also increases the chances of success. However, working independently offers more freedom of thought and action. Keeping this in mind, strategizing your association with major labels or listing out marketing procedures to be followed is as important as creating good music. Do what makes you happy and don’t be afraid to deviate from what’s considered normal. Wear clothes that don’t match because you like the clashing patterns. Colour your hair weird colours because you like the colour. Take up a weird hobby because you don’t think it should be weird.
Appreciate
Find that diamond in the rough. Appreciate the world around you. Being indie is all about being appreciative of everything, about liking things that are neglected or that deserve more love than they’re getting. From small-time musicians trying to get by to lovingly crafted, rather than lovingly budgeted films. That is what being Indie is all about. Having said that, no label is going to develop talent in you. You have to prove yourself. All they care about is how much they can earn from the connections you have made and the fans that follow you. They are already successful. They are going to add your success to theirs to remain successful. Your talent is going to get you fans and your fans will get you investors and labels. So do not undermine the power of connections. Get on to the internet, start connecting. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter kind of platforms do not require any expertise and is the best place to advertise yourself. YouTube is the new radio. Upload all that you can, whenever you can, and make sure it is good. Listeners are searching for new videos all the time.
People
You’ve only got this one life to live, to pursue your dreams. So live it and spend your life openly loving the things that you love. Don’t think about what people are going to think about you. Why should you anyway? If you start thinking about what people are thinking about you, what will people think about? Wear what shows who you are, listen to music that expresses your soul, and never pay attention to the haters. They’re just upset that they don’t enjoy life as much as you do.
Relationships
Date whoever you want, you can stay totally single. Don’t think about what society would think. Date more than one person at a time, without cheating and make sure to maintain your independence in every relationship you have.
Expression
Take actions in your life that express your individuality and what you believe in. State your opinions freely, and let your appearance express your individual personality. If you don’t like something going on in your country or your work place, protest and work to get the issues on the next ballot. In mainstream culture, people tend to follow rules and just like things because everyone else likes them, not because they’re actually good. People can always have different opinions, but you should evaluate new things to see whether you think they are actually good. In indie culture, people take quality seriously. Set the standards bar high for music, food, clothing, and everything else in your life.
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