Category: WorkCategory: Work

This from Amie McNee:

“You have to learn to continue to hold your art when people are apathetic about it, because you will know your creation has something to give before the institutions do, before the culture does. It is hard to be the first that knows, but it is the artist’s job to come first.”

The artist’s job comes first. If people walk out of the venue during your show, it is not your job to change the music you are playing.

On our recent “Find Your People On Substack” call we talked about finding our people, which of course led to building an audience, getting more subscribers.

But what if we think beyond mere subscribers?

We dream of reaching a big audience, but what does it mean if we’ve got no one to lean on? On our lowest days, who are the people that we can text or get on a phone call with?

We don’t just need a big subscriber count, we need good people in our corner.

Come to our FINDING YOUR PEOPLE ON SUBSTACK – SATURDAY EDITION this weekend.

Saw this while walking around Portsmouth, NH, from the “Public Poetry Project.” This is run by the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program, where they organize submissions from poets to be featured in businesses around town.

There are people who would love your work and they aren’t even on social media – they might just be out walking around town!

This isn’t about growth hacks or audience building, it’s about finding your people on Substack (and beyond).

Step by step instructions are for putting together Ikea furniture, not building fanbases. We’re dealing with real people, with complex lives, not shelving units. Through the tension of talking with strangers about our work, we gain understanding, and see the possibilities through the eyes of other people, and their journeys traveled to get there.

Our Escape Pod Zoom calls provide the on ramp to such conversations. Finding our way with intention, because we’re done hoping or wishing for an algorithm to magically deliver us our biggest fans, right?

Thursday, May 28 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Register here → https://luma.com/84g45pka

Saturday, May 30 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Register here: https://luma.com/j33otsdz

Brye posted a video about making her song “Lemons” on an iPad issued from her high school:

“How crazy is it that a song that could be on Sirius XM Radio, streamed a hundred million times, literally chart on the global top like viral 50 or whatever… it was literally made on GarageBand. You do not need fancy equipment, you do not need a degree to make money and to do this is your job.”

The second part of the video hits on something I’m always talking about on our Zoom calls, which is talking to and learning from other people:

“Watch YouTube videos, ask the people in your life who also might do music, or people online for tips for advice. Most of the learning I have done has been watching other people produce, or asking questions, or like watching those interviews… like my favorite interview of all time I think, Ethan Groska, he’s my favorite producer, and I learned so much from like an interview called like Meet the Makers I think and he talks about his process.”

Watch the full clip here via TikTok. Link via Daring Fireball.