In school I was known as the music kid - the one who played music all day and wanted to make it professionally. I was aware (read constantly reminded) that less than 1% of musicians make a living and go on to success. So, leaving school, I knew that the path I was taking was unlikely to end with millions of fans and sold out tours. But why should that be the expectation and measure of success forced upon artists? Is it possible to feel ‘successful’ if you are not on top of the charts or selling out shows? This unrealistic expectation is difficult for artists to manage and is a source of anxiety for many of us.

I first experienced this expectation what I started performing as a solo act. Whilst writing and performing solo gave me complete creative control, it also came with the stress of doing it on your own. Every time a friend would ask “what radio stations have you been played on?” or “how many streams do you have?”, I would feel the weight of anxiety once again. I was highly motivated and worked hard as a solo artist, but I found it difficult to remain positive. I didn’t have the support of a band behind me to share a laugh if something doesn’t work. Sometimes, it was the more mundane things: I didn’t have someone to help carry all the gear in and out of shows. Promoting and performing music on my own was much more intense than I expected, and I had difficulty dealing with the pressure and anxiety.

This op-ed is not a diatribe on how crappy it is to be a musician. I do not believe it is and I am more confident than ever in the decision to pursue my passion. Anyway, where’s the fun if it’s all easy? I find it so rewarding because it is hard. Three years ago, I was lucky enough to be asked to join Royal East and I transitioned from being a solo artist to playing in a band. Being in Royal East has given me a huge boost in motivation and enjoyment. But even as a group, we all have times where we struggle against anxiety and fight to stay positive when we compare ourselves to the musicians that inspire us. Below are some things that helped me to change my mindset from hungrily seeking the end-product to enjoying every step of my music career.

My hope is that this article will shine a light on some of the missteps that I’ve made along the way. Hopefully, it may help you from spending your time and energy on similar mistakes and contribute to your long-term success and enjoyment of being an artist.

Cut out comparisons

I studied music with three musicians who are each selling out international tours today, and at times it’s hard not to wonder - why them and not me? The musicians who started literally to my right and left, in the same classroom as me, are now huge international acts. It took me time to realise that jealousy was killing my motivation. In any career, you have to focus on your own journey and not compare yourself with others. There is no science to why some songs get radio play and others don’t, so don’t worry about it. Most of my favourite artists get no radio play and it hasn’t seemed to slow them down! It helped my perspective to speak to the guys who are now selling out tours and they all had one thing in common: ever since they were establishing themselves, they worked their asses off constantly and made their own success. So, it seems the only science is hard work, which everyone can achieve.

Friendships are the key

At times it can be hard to balance professional and personal relationships within a band. It is important to keep your friendships strong and healthy. This can be easily overlooked, especially if you are in different social circles. We have had times where we lost this balance. We now know that we need to give our friendships time and attention. Make time to hang outside of band activities and talk about other things that are going on in each other’s lives. It’s easy to forget that everyone has stuff they are dealing with, so ask each other how you are all going.

Enjoy music now, not later

It is easy to get caught up thinking that my music project isn’t much fun right now. It’s stressful, it’s a lot of work… but, someday, we will become successful and all this will be solved! Why wait to enjoy? I’ve changed my mindset from ‘I have to’ to ‘I choose to’. I choose to practice hard, I choose to write bios, I choose to organise gigs and I choose to stop putting off enjoying being in a band until the future. I came to realise I have to enjoy it now! Why wait to enjoy working with these amazing guys, why wait to enjoy spending hours after work writing music and practicing scales? This is what I wanted so I choose to enjoy where we are now and not look for the future. It helped me to re-define myself from an aspiring musician to the successful musician I aspired to be.

If it doesn’t work, stop doing it

For years, the band brought basic song ideas to each practice with the intention of workshopping and expanding the new ideas together. We always struggled to write as a group, but we kept persisting with it. Recently, we realised that this way of writing does not work for us. Now, we write in groups of two or three, each coming up with our parts in these smaller sessions. Then we play the more mature song as a group. Be aware that the way you’ve always done things may not always be the best way. Take a step back and analyse what you are doing and if it isn’t gelling, change it up!

Keep at it

If you have a passion that you’ve chosen to pursue, pursue it relentlessly. This doesn’t mean keep doing the same thing year-in, year-out. Try and view what you are doing objectively. I played in a number of bands and also played solo for years before joining Royal East. I learnt what worked and what didn’t from each experience, and considered what we could have done better. When each project ended, I tried to see it as a learning experience rather than seeing a failure. Think about what ingredients are missing when something doesn’t work and see how much better you do next time when you add them in.

Learn from the good and the bad

Take time to analyse what works and what doesn't. Did you play a show where everything felt right and the crowd were super into it, to be followed by a show that just didn’t click? Ask why. Maybe the size of the stage was too big/small, maybe your foldback wasn’t mixed well, maybe you didn’t engage the crowd as much? Instead of just thinking that show was bad, it can be really helpful to look at the things that worked and things that don’t, and plan what to improve for next time.

No “I” in team

As I mentioned above, I struggled as a solo artist for a few reasons, so being in a band where the workload and pressure is shared amongst a group has been great for me. If you are a solo artist, try to collaborate and work with others to learn from their experiences and increase your support network. When working in a band, share tasks evenly and play to each member’s strengths. I am lousy at networking, but I spend hours every night writing songs. Our bass player, Tom, doesn’t write many songs but his networking is through the roof. He is always meeting people and getting Royal East on their radar which I could never do. We no longer all try to do everything. Instead, each member specialises in their preferred area.

Set your own success

While you’re cutting out the comparisons, you should define what success means for you. Think about what is important to you or your band and put a plan in place for how you want to get there. If you want to release a new single and you do so, then you are a success! Set a goal and achieve it. This is not selling yourself short, it is being true to yourself and achieving what you want out of your music career.