Three Key Lessons For Creatives

Despite the sheer number of creative people out there, the number of lessons being passed down from one creative to the next can be few and far between. Sure, there’s school and traditional education but really, what the modern creative needs is a combination of the X Men Academy, Juilliard and the movie Fame (but without the mutants, ballerinas, dancing in the streets and unwanted pregnancies).

The closest thing I can relate to what I’m talking about is the recent 6-day lecture series I attended at the Red Bull Music Academy. Sure, there was a specific target audience for these lectures, but the lucky Chosen Ones weren’t the only kids who walked away from the experience with a little something extra – this ‘ol girl also happened to learn a thing or to (in spite of myself.)

I have always believed that the best way for an artist person to create something spectacular is by accepting that all forms of personal expression are intrinsically linked to one another and, by dismissing this, you are selling yourself short to the possibilities you can achieve and aspire to. In other words, embrace all the pretty things and realize they are all connected to reach full awesome capacity. That’s why, back when I was sitting in the RBMA public lectures, I could personally identify with a lot of what the speakers were saying. Even if it was pretty much all about making it in the music business – something I personally have no desire to do. If you tilt your head slightly and act like a girl (hear what you want to hear) the lectures turned into beacons of hope for any young person in the creative field, urging them to work hard for what they want, to know their worth and to give their dreams a shot regardless of what other people say.

The first lesson was delivered by Vinnie Da Vinci when he said, “The first 10 years, you don’t make any money. Forget it”. You could almost hear the audience’s thoughts as the gravity of this statement hit them. “10 years? Are you kidding me?” We’re a generation that can’t wait 10 minutes, let alone 10 years. The internet has spoilt the virtue of patience and the thought of anything taking that long to achieve is enough to make any restless creative squirm.

But there is something to be said about endless endurance vs instant gratification. It leaves the undeserving by the wayside, it proves you mean business and that you refuse to compromise in your dreams. Plus it also allows you time to grow into yourself and the better you learn who you are over time, the more your sound, writing and art style gather weight and personal craftsmanship.

“Know who you are and what you’re worth,” Black Coffee said again and again.

He’s worked hard to get where he is and he’s not going to accept substandard equipment, dodgy hotels and sub par gigs. He confidently asserts that he’s not being a Prima Donna as some promoters claim. He just believes in himself and his talent. His point was beautifully illustrated by the story of when he was approached to remix a Macy Gray track. At first he refused because the song just wasn’t quite right and, despite his agent pleading with him to change his mind, he requested a different one. Lo and behold, the label did what he asked and he made a kickass track (naturally). Then when it was time for payment, he once again refused to be paid the $600 they offered and wouldn’t accept anything less than $10K, and to his agent’s complete surprise, they accepted. Which goes to show, never sell yourself short. If you are talented and know your worth, others will too.

Francois K was told by a lot of people that what he wanted to do or his approach to things wasn’t quite right, but he forged his own path and he sort of inadvertently made DJing what it is, pioneered remixing and is one of the forefathers of House (so, no biggie that I had no idea who he was before RBMA). The golden thread of his lecture was summed up in his line, “Sometimes when you truly believe in something, then you gotta do it yourself. Give it a chance, give a shot.” This is because, unfortunately my friends, along the way you are going to find people telling you that your dreams won’t work or that you’re wrong for even trying… but do it anyway.

So what if you have a different way of thinking? This is your path and your dream, and no one is going to make your dreams happen for you. Take a chance and just go for it.

You see! You don’t need to know how to use an analog synth to learn something from these guys. These are important lessons for anyone to learn. So, a quick recap of the key lessons for creatives that came out of this:

There is a good chance it’s going to take a long time to get where you want to be but keep at it.
Believe in yourself, know your worth and others will too.
If you believe in something then give it a shot and do it yourself.
Oh and drink Red bull (well, only if you want to).