Just Do It (Put Yourself Out There)

Stop waiting for the stars to align in order to put your art out into the world!

One of the most common things I’ve seen from aspiring artists around me is this trepidation of not making music/releasing/performing music until they have obtained everything they think they need to do it. Spoiler alert… you will never get there. You will always feel like you need something else before you’re comfortable putting your music out there. And honestly, even though I am speaking through the lens of music, this can really be applied to any creative medium.

You really have to just do it. Put yourself out there. Be bad. Be cringe. You have to take the first step. So many people want to release their work and have it be perfect. How realistic is that? If you were to release your magnum opus right out of the gates then everything that follows would have to be inferior. There is something beautiful about the never-ending quest to one-up yourself. To push the boundaries. To be your best. I am not necessarily advising you to put out something sloppy, lazy, and half-assed, but I am advising you to work hard on something and even if it never feels perfect or complete to just put it out into the world. I promise you that no one is looking at you through a magnifying glass. Most people honestly won’t even care. BUT someone might. And that’s what you want.

Let’s run the risks of putting out your music before you feel like it is the multimillion dollar earning platinum record you want it to be. If it is your first release then it will be the song that introduces you to a world of potential fans. I heard someone say once that if you like, statistically that means someone else out in the world likes it too. Your taste is not so one-of-a-kind that no one else shares your interests. And there are people out there who enjoy music that is “rough around the edges”. Your first release is your jumping off point. You need to make noise for people to hear you. And I’ve seen far too often these musicians who scare themselves into never realizing their work be frustrated that no one knows of their talent. My response to that is to pick and choose: Are you talented and deserving of people to hear your work? Or are you not where you think you need to be for people to hear your work? You cannot claim both perspectives (and yet so many do). It’s like pressing the gas and the brakes of a car at the same time.

From my own experience, I look back at my early releases and I don’t think they are the best. Sometimes I want to take them down from streaming. But I stop myself and realize that at the time I made those songs, it was my best. And keeping them up allows for someone to possibly find those songs and resonate with them. Those songs that I don’t feel the most proud of might be how someone gets into my more current work that I am proud of. Why would I limit myself and my reach by letting me get in my head about my past work?

And even if I did go through with taking down my past work, I still have the freedom to do that down the line while still benefitting from the fanbase I was able to cultivate at the initial time of release.

I hope I am communicating effectively that the pros of just putting your work out there and letting the world experience it far outweighs the cons. Will there be hate? Possibly. But let me be the one to tell you that most of the people who will try to tear you down are those that want the courage to do what you’re doing themselves.

So that’s pretty much it. Make your art and share your art! Put your heart into it and keep pushing to be even better! You never know what will come out of it!