There’s this sentiment about being in arts and entertainment (aka, “the culture industry”, or one large corner of it) that goes like “If you don’t have the time and energy to market yourself and create at the same time, I guess you don’t get to play.” With a further inference that being on social media is the way to address that problem; if anything, the assumption goes that “talent finds a home in building a personal brand”, as well as developing skills that previously were – yet again – the responsibility of someone else entirely, like mixing and mastering.
The problem here is that in terms of being promoted or backed by corporations, either directly via contract, or indirectly via social media platforms, distribution has been gamed against the people doing the creative work – then on top of that, marketing has been largely punted off onto artists. So then, what artists are left with is whatever their contract states in terms of income via advances or royalties – and a lot of things that are best left to agents and/or lawyers to address. In other words, it’s the same old, same old, just worse, but with the added perception of a level playing field – covering up how the upward incline to success is steeper than ever, especially if the goal is “stardom at all costs”. It’s not just that the so-called brass ring is still very much in place – it’s that it’s even harder to grab it, let alone use it in any meaningful way.
Further, having a “personal brand” assumes some level of making yourself presentable, if not celebritizing what you do. Which is definitely not for everybody – it presumes some level of acting, if not lying at least somewhat, as well as extroversion. What if this is just not somebody’s thing? “I guess this isn’t for you, then.”
None of this is a fair ask, all the more in its new “Everybody gets to be a celebrity for 15 seconds” version. The most obvious example of this is so-called “influencers“, but increasingly, it applies to all forms of public-facing professional work in the arts.
While I don’t think there’s some sort of Illuminati-like scenario, where the heads of major galleries and recording labels (and so on) get together and plot out how to keep the rabble in line, I do think that it’s in line with long-standing, anti-creative tendencies in the larger society. Especially in the US.
There’s ways that the economic realities of being a working artist are weaponized to not only discourage making art, they’re specifically designed to make people give up any hope of success.
What they don’t tell you is that this is not just about success as in being a superstar or whatever, but success period.
The good news though is that it doesn’t have to be like this, you just need to learn a balance between success and fame. Which is harder than it sounds, for sure! It is possible, though:
– Yes, you can make a living as a working artist, and without selling your soul;
– Yes, you might go through ups and downs;
– Yes, you might have what used to be called “salad days” back when that as a marker of poverty, temporary or otherwise.
If anything, this is one of the best times I’ve been through or heard of to be a working artist: multiple revenue streams, increased ability to work on your own terms, actual means to build an audience that has affinity with your best, most creative, most “you” work. That’s in spite of how much things have becoming celebritized to the point of being unsustainable. There’s two paths, in essence: the one where you sell your soul, and the other, where you get to decide your own future. So, which one will it be?
It’s time for a reconsideration of what this all means – which has already begun, as is shown by services such as Bandcamp and Patreon – but even that is dependent on social media, and further, being under contract gives artists a leg up in that regard. It’s become a huge mess, and is still unsustainable.
The biggest roadblock here is not even capitalism as much as courage and perseverance. There’s enough weird shit that happens when you’re on this particular path, the last thing anybody needs is starting to second-guess what might happen. Let alone second-guessing for someone else, which gets doled out constantly: family, friends, teachers, pundits, random assholes. People who don’t know jack shit about you or your work will be like “well, you see”, all full of confidence about their stunningly unoriginal takes. This line of thinking is key to people in the arts making shit life decisions, including business ones. How do you think people wind up locked into bad recording contacts, and so on? All of that is about getting people hooked on the idea that sustainability in the arts as a profession is exceedingly rare. So then, people look at things such as record deals as “the only option available.” It’s a mind fuck, not a favor, or even necessarily a recognition of talent.
The old patterns of “fame coming at a price” are starting to crop up, if they ever went away. It’s time – yet again – for a reversal of that trend, especially when it comes at the expense of someone’s well-being. Do the work, build your skills and your stamina, persist.
