Do Musicians Often Resemble Underpants Gnomes?
Tags: creative process, Entrepreneurship, goal-setting, music career guidance, music careers, music education, music entrepreneurship
“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”
–Henry David Thoreau, author
In a classic episode of the animated comedy South Park, the main characters track down a clan of gnomes who have been stealing the townspeople’s underpants.
The gnomes explain that their actions are part of a 3-phase plan – shown here – that’s guaranteed to bring in handsome profits.
Unfortunately, I’ve found that musicians often pursue comparable half-baked scenarios.
Musicians as Underpants Gnomes
The musicians’ version of the gnomes’ business model goes like this:
1. Practice until good enough
2. ?
3. Be successful
Like the gnomes, aspiring artists who live by this model conclude that acquiring an ample amount of something automatically brings success.
So they’ll practice intensely for years, believing despite long odds and scant knowledge of the music industry that they’ll get “discovered” or win lucrative auditions.
(In case you’re wondering whether gnome-like musicians might be in the minority, see this recent study by Hoverman, et al: 61% of surveyed music students who had access to entrepreneurship resources and knew that they were available didn’t access them.)
Musicians as Insightful Entrepreneurs
As an alternative model, I propose this oversimplified but empirical outline:
1. Practice and study deeply, build creative skills, learn about yourself and the music industry, develop an artistic vision
2. Incrementally implement your vision in real-world situations under the guidance of mentors, multiplying your expertise and earning power
3. Live a fulfilling creative life
Musicians who take on this sort of approach grow their artistic prowess in tandem with their ability to thrive in today’s music profession.
Their creativity burgeons, and they generate ongoing demand for their work regardless of whether they function as performers, educators, composers, conductors, contractors, arrangers, recording engineers, artistic directors, or whatever.
Gnome-free Music Education
What’s stopping young musicians from adopting this sort of expansive model?
For many, they are. The requisite resources are available; they have to adjust their attitudes and then access them.
Others may find themselves enrolled in schools that cling to 19th-century curricula. I hope that such students will speak up and help bring about constructive change in their institutions.
Related posts
Are Conservatories Keeping Pace?
Artistic Vision
Competitive Advantages
Entrepreneurship: Not a Slice of the Pie
Preparing for Portfolio Careers
To learn how arts organizations are replacing gnome-like business models, see “Creative Placemaking Has an Outcomes Problem” by Ian David Moss (May 2012), which inspired this post.
© 2012 Gerald Klickstein
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Mat (The Laughing Bard) said:
May 16, 12 at 02:51You like South Park? Me too…
You’ve made me feel sort of sheepish here, as I’m afraid my ‘plan’ is awfully similar to the first one you described. I’m not terribly worried about that AT THIS STAGE, as I’m still developing what you would call an ‘artistic vision’, which is to say I don’t know exactly what I want to do with music yet. And I’m sloooowly learning about the music industry as I make small inroads into it.
Astrid Baumgardner said:
May 16, 12 at 09:37Great post, Gerald!
Musicians need to be industrious about their art as well as their business side. I would add to you Step 2 that musicians convert their artistic vision into long-terms career goals and then break those goals down further into short-terms goals and action steps. The act of translating the dream into a goal and then into an action step makes it a lot easier to stay focused and motivated.
Gerald Klickstein said:
May 16, 12 at 10:23Mat – Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you’re doing the sort of exploring that will enable you to distill your vision and make it a reality.
Astrid – Wonderful advice! Attainable action steps that support big-picture aims energize us to advance as both artists and professionals.
Sam said:
May 17, 12 at 07:56Great stuff again, it’s so true that people don’t have a plan and just ‘hope’ for success. It almost never works like that! It’s great to have guys like you helping musicians along that path, it used to be that we would have to learn that through trial and error. It would definitely be wise to follow this advice! Thanks again Gerald
Gerald Klickstein said:
May 17, 12 at 08:06You’re welcome, Sam. It’s gratifying for me to know that you and others find my work helpful.
FCM said:
May 17, 12 at 09:29“Others may find themselves enrolled in schools that cling to 19th-century curricula.”
What’s with the soft pedalling? Conservatories are the damn root of this problem. They are inbred, backward-thinking, festering, Adorno-promulgating BS factories.
Name a single top-tier performancee-focused school which acknowledges the nuts and bolts of musician life. Maaaybe NEC is on their way. The rest are content to graduate thousands of musicians per years into a field which has tens of openings, wash their hands of it like Potius, and say, “You’re an adult, you made a choice to pursue this career, here’s your loan statement, you have six months. Oh, and please donate to the alumni fund, we miss u.”
Gerald Klickstein said:
May 17, 12 at 10:08FCM – I understand where you’re coming from.
Still, although many conservatories lag, more and more are updating their programs.
E.g., in addition to NEC, look at Eastman & Manhattan. Plus, in July, I’ll take the reins as Director of a new Music Entrepreneurship and Career Center at Peabody.
Change is underway. More in this post: http://musiciansway.com/blog/2011/04/are-conservatories-keeping-pace/
Rick Robinson said:
Oct 02, 12 at 03:04Try classicalrevolution.org
and cuttime.com
for some successes!
Liz Reid said:
Oct 03, 12 at 13:58Here’s a another group that’s turning the classical model around.
http://www.burlingtonensemble.com/