I interviewed one of my favorite people to collaborate with Suz Paulinski aka the Rock/Star Advocate about all of the best musician mindset hacks.
Why is she one of my favorites?
Because she focuses on MINDSET and becoming a musicpreneur (music entrepreneur); if your mind ain’t in it you will never succeed as an indie artist. The following are some of her bad-ass musician mindset hacks.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and why you love working with artists.
“I, myself, am not that musically inclined and I love to live vicariously through them. I also know that so many musicians struggle to have those left brain skillsets – like staying organized, time management, dealing with spreadsheets and contracts. I love that stuff and I think I’m really good at it, so for me to be able to have a chance to help artists and people who inspire me to do what they do without getting run down or discouraged and give up, that’s just literally why I wake up every day. It completely lights me up.”
2. You are a mindset coach. What does mindset mean and why should artists focus on their mindset?
“I think of mindset as your perspective on what a situation is and I really think that our realities are defined by our perspectives. Two people can look at the same exact thing and see two completely different realities. I think that’s why it’s so important to have a positive, strong mindset. If you have a mindset of ‘everyone is against me,’ then you’re not going to reach your goals.”
3. What is the most evident mindset shift you think artists need?
“The mindset going from DIY musician to entrepreneur. That’s what I promote with everything that I do. The reason I do that is because if you see yourself from that perspective as this independent freelancer, then that’s what you’re going to embody. If you want a career in music out of this then you have to own the full scope of it.”
4. When is an artist ready to release music?
“You’re never going to feel ready. You can’t wait for that moment when you feel ready. But, you also don’t want to jump the gun. I know people who have been sitting on music for years and years and years because they don’t feel ready. And then there are people that record the music and immediately put it out. Both of those scenarios are wrong. It’s somewhere in the middle.”
5. We live in a singles world where artists are recommended to release music every 4-6 weeks. Do you recommend this strategy?
“I definitely recommend that strategy because that’s where we are right now, that’s how people consume music. Ultimately, I always say to artists, though – ask your audience!”
6. Where should an artist begin prioritizing tasks for their releases?
“Priorities are always linked to your values. If you look at what actions you take, you’ll see what it is you value. There’s always time to get things done, but there’s also time to get things done that matter. If you have a certain goal in mind, make sure you’re prioritizing tasks that serve that goal.”
7. What do you think the number one roadblock you see artists run into when they try to release music?
“The number one roadblock I always see – and it’s going to be no surprise coming from me – is mindset. Artists give up too easily and they get frustrated. They feel as though they’re the only one running into these issues and they put themselves down for it. The best thing you can do is get your hands dirty.”
8. What do you consider effective goal setting?
“This goes back to your values. If your goals are in alignment with your values, then that’s effective goal setting.”
9. I’m a huge fan of your book, The Rockstar Life Planner. Can you explain why you created it?
“Thanks so much for being a fan! My business partner Alyssa B. Jackson and I are very, very proud of this latest edition, The 2019 Rockstar Life Planner. We both love to plan, and I was going to Barnes and Nobles and I could never find a planner that had all of the pieces I wanted it to have. I wanted to plan out my newsletters and track my social media.”
10. What is time blocking and how can an artist use it with releasing music?
“Time blocking is my absolute favorite thing. In a nutshell, time blocking is drawing boundaries around chunks of time in your day so that you’re giving all your priorities priority. While it’s important to have priorities, it’s more important to prioritize those priorities.”
11. How can an artist build a team if they don’t have the finances to do so?
“There’s always a way to build a team. There are virtual assistants that will cost you some money, but not a whole lot. There is bartering, and working with friends and family.”
12. What is your best nugget of advice to keep artists from getting overwhelmed and stressed out?
“I’m going to leave you with the best nugget of advice I can possibly think of. Be kind to yourself. I know it sounds like ‘oh, great, thanks, that didn’t help me get a bunch of more followers.’ No, it didn’t, but as somebody who’s been in the industry for over 15 years, I can tell you… burn-out is real. Burn-out will put you so far behind the curve of where you want to be. It doesn’t need to happen.”
Did you love theses musician mindset hacks? Then you might love Cyber PR LAB 3: Release Music with Ease, with Suz herself!
