TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Empowering Your Artistic Journey

As a music artist or music industry professional, the path to success is filled with challenges and opportunities. While external factors such as industry trends, label deals, or connections can influence your career, the most empowering aspect of your journey is taking responsibility for your own growth. Your potential is limitless, but only if you take full ownership of your development, overcome self-limiting beliefs, and step into the driver’s seat of your career.

Defining Your Vision: The First Step

The first move in taking responsibility is to clearly define your vision. What kind of artist do you want to be? What message do you wish to convey through your music? Without a guiding light, it’s easy to be pulled in multiple directions by external pressures. Take the time to clarify your goals, because your vision will serve as your compass.

“To thine own self be true,” said Shakespeare, and this is especially relevant for artists. Authenticity is the foundation of building a sustainable career. When you understand and embrace your unique artistic identity, you begin to create a future that’s genuinely yours, not one shaped by others’ expectations.

Embrace Full Responsibility

One of the most common sources of interference in reaching our potential is the tendency to blame others or external circumstances. As Glenn Beck said, “I was still searching for someone to blame for my suffering…so that I could stop hating myself.” When we place responsibility for our challenges on others—whether it’s industry gatekeepers, a lack of resources, or even our circumstances—we lose the power to change our situation.

Taking responsibility means owning every decision, every action, and every result, whether good or bad. As an artist, this might mean acknowledging that the reason you haven’t been writing is not because the industry is too competitive, but because you haven’t made time for it. It could be recognising that your fear of rejection is stopping you from submitting your demo to labels (Showing my age).

“When you have made a bad decision, stand back and say, ‘I am responsible.’ Just use it as a learning curve, and you will know what to do differently next time.” This mindset shift is key. When you own your missteps, you open the door to learning and growth, and this is what separates those who reach their potential from those who don’t.

Overcoming Fear, Guilt, and Other Interferences

Fear is the first negative emotion that blocks our potential. Whether it’s fear of failure or fear of success, it keeps us in our comfort zone. But here’s the truth: we are born with only two fears—the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling. Everything else is learned, which means it can be unlearned.

Next comes guilt, resentment, envy, and anger—all emotional interferences that rob us of our peace of mind and distract us from our goals. As artists, it’s easy to look at the success of others with resentment or to feel envy for those who seem to have it easier. But these emotions weaken our energy and creativity. As the saying goes, “Five minutes of anger wipes away a full day of positivity, creativity, and energy.”

Taking responsibility means acknowledging when these emotions arise and working to release them. Acknowledge the emotion, understand where it’s coming from, and then make a choice to let it go. As you clear away these emotional interferences, your creativity will flow more freely, and your performance will improve.

Welcoming Feedback, Not Blame

In the pursuit of greatness, feedback is invaluable. Yet, many of us take feedback personally, as an attack on our self-worth. But remember, feedback is the breakfast of champions. When someone gives you feedback—whether it’s a fan, a producer, or a manager—ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” and “How can I improve?”

Instead of blaming others or circumstances when things don’t go as planned, take responsibility for your role. Did a gig fall flat because the venue wasn’t right, or did you not fully prepare? Did your single not get as many streams as expected because of poor marketing, or because the song didn’t resonate with your audience?

Taking responsibility for your choices empowers you to make better ones in the future.

Turning Responsibility into Empowerment

Ultimately, taking responsibility is about empowering yourself to create the career and life you envision. This doesn’t mean going it alone. In fact, building a strong team around you—whether it’s a manager, lawyer, or PR agent—can help you stay on track. But remember, you are the one at the helm. No one else can do the work of defining your vision, building your craft, or staying true to your artistic voice.

At the core of it all is the quest for peace of mind. The more responsibility we take for our actions and thoughts, the more peace we cultivate within ourselves. And as an artist, peace of mind is the foundation of your creativity and success.

As you continue your journey, let this be your code:

“I am personally responsible for my choices regarding how I think, feel, and act in relation to myself, others, and the environment. Within the realistic limitations of my existence, I make my life through my choices. I always have the power to choose. My choices always have consequences, for good or ill.”

The road to artistic success is paved with intentional choices. By taking full responsibility for those choices, you are choosing to step into your potential and remove the interferences that hold you back. Now, what’s your next move?