The true artist is a tortured artist (and I’m here to help you)
Ah, the predicament of the tortured artist...you’ve dedicated your whole life to your craft, and not only do you not get rewarded for your talents, you watch from the sidelines as hustlers get all the glory.
I live and breathe this torture every day, but it’s certainly not a unique predicament. Many of my fellow creatives feel this way. That’s why the “tortured artist” is a live-and-kicking archetype.
But why is this archetype even a thing? I think I’ve worked it out – and I think I know how to help you…
Honouring the artistic muse
Whether you’re a musician, visual artist, or writer, you yearn to spend time on your craft, and every spare minute is spent doing – or thinking about – your craft.
I remember during my early years of vocal exploration I would refuse to leave the house on errands with my mother so I could be left alone. And in that precious (and private) half hour, I would sing to my heart’s content.
And these days, after a long day in the office, I rush in the door and pick up my guitar before I’ve even taken my coat off.
I’ve written songs at midnight; I’ve written songs at 6am. I’ve written blogs on the busy commuter bus; I’ve written blogs during bouts of insomnia. When the muse appears, I obey.
If you’re reading this, I’m sure you can resonate. Our craft is a deep calling; it’s a compulsion; we have no choice in the matter.
We will say no to social invites, we will neglect the housework and our relationships, and we will get into debt – all to appease our muse.
And most crucially, to be in communion with our craft, we must spend endless hours in solitude. Some might call us loners or nerds.
Build it and they will come?
This is where the issue occurs. We no longer live in a world where we can simply ‘build it and they will come’.
If we want to reap any financial or reputational rewards, we must possess a wholly other set of skills: sales, marketing, networking (in short: the ability to hustle).
The creative landscape feels more saturated and noisy than ever. It’s overwhelming. How on Earth can we ever get noticed? What if we don’t want to – or simply cannot – hustle?
A race to the bottom of the brainstem
We all know that the internet has turned into one big race to the bottom of the brainstem, where people are debasing themselves, left, right and centre to get clout.
Everyone and their dog are now ‘having a go’ at what we have spent all our lives in service to. And the kicker is that these people have hustler skills in abundance – exactly BECAUSE they’re NOT true creatives.
After observing this phenomenon for a little while, it seems you can only be one or the other. It’s a matter of bandwidth. You’re either a creative or a hustler.
The people who are creative AND successful are certainly not doing it alone. They have resources that many of us don’t (supportive parents or a rich partner, for example).
Wasted talent
For every successful creative, there are hundreds – maybe thousands – maybe millions – of equally talented creatives, suffering in the shadows, wasting their talents in soul-destroying jobs (hi there 👋).
As a result, the public landscape is sagging with mediocrity. We are spoon-fed the beige, the plain, and the harmless. Perhaps by design. The powers-that-be can’t handle too many radical artists at once.
Is this problem a law of nature or is it a social construct? It seems that the reward structure of our society is rotten to the core, at least for us creatives.
I am daunted by this reality. I’m working on my next EP and I REALLY don’t want to promote it. I don’t want to beg for recognition. I want to be rewarded purely based on the merit of my craft. I want to create, not hustle. Promoting my last EP nearly sent me over the edge.
The mission of marketing
Ironically, despite avoiding promoting my own music, I am a professional marketer by day.
I have worked as a writer, project manager and content creator for several organisations across the music and live events industries.
Therefore, I have frontline experience of what it takes to get a project off the ground, to make people buy your product, and to come to your event.
Success requires daily graft, that’s thoughtfully designed and executed to exploit people’s subconscious desires. It often goes against the grain of what true artists stand for: truth, beauty and integrity.
Marketing is essentially a shit-throwing competition. What will resonate? What will cause controversy? What will people remember?
Cant’ beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? But what if you simply can’t bring yourself to join the game of shit-throwing? Are you content to let your art wither away and die a lonely death?
Because whether we like it or not, that’s the world we live in. And like you, I fucking hate it.
Marketing support for true artists
By showing up at my desk for 40 hours a week for several years, safe to say I’ve learned the very best (and worst) trade secrets. And I am now preparing to bring my marketing skillset under my umbrella of offerings – to help people like you.
Watch this space for a pick-and-mix package, especially for TRUE ARTISTS that will offer:
Professional music production
Artist development and vocal coaching
And 360-degree marketing, across socials, web, email, distribution, playlist pitching, interviews, gig-booking, merch, and more.
As a suffering singer-songwriter like you, I understand the feelings of frustration and doubt. I understand the feelings of jealousy and injustice. I understand the toe-curling cringe of self-promotion.
And it kills me to see insanely talented creatives scraping by while half-baked, delulu hobby-ists get traction.
I have always had a bee in my bonnet for injustice. So, with my nearly 10 years of marketing experience in music and live events, I will hustle on your behalf – at the most affordable rate I can manage.
Together, we will get your music out to the world.
We will hack the algorithms
We will build up your mailing list
We will make your branding look shit hot
We will turn you into an editorial/podcast wet dream
We will get you on playlists, on the radio, and on the stage where you belong.
Watch out for more information soon. But if you are buzzzzzing with excitement at this prospect, please do get in touch!
THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY FREYA ASTRELLA, AN EXPERT VOCAL COACH IN EAST SUSSEX, UK.
Freya is a bonafide vocal technique expert and is one of the only teachers in the region to have gained Estill Voice certification. Freya holds a First Class BA(hons) in Professional Musicianship, a VocalTech Diploma, and a Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance. She is currently undertaking the Vocal Process teacher training course.
Freya has taught all ages and abilities at BIMM, Access To Music, The Academy of Music And Sound, TheatreTrain, Stagecoach, and The Rock Project. She currently coaches at Rhapsody Artist Development in Seaford. Furthermore, Freya was a lead writer for VoiceCouncil.com, which was the biggest online resource for singers.
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