Telling your story like a modern musician

Modern Musicianship is empowering the journey of self actualizing, enlightenment, achievement and fulfillment through goals, projects, practices, processes, stories, flow and your life blueprints.

If you have yet to write out and tell your CORE story about you/your art/your band, today you will begin the process to do that. If you have already done that, then you have a choice. Either intertwine that story into your Potential Fan Sequence into your music marketing system, or you can tell a new/old/different story that would both tell your New Fans what you do and who you are.

 The Mission/Assignment for today:

Write out your about story/your goals/mission/purpose and go through the process in this training to start to define and tell your core story. This is really just a bunch of stories that will draw your fans in and spark a meaningful connection.

You are going to have 3-6 individual web pages with content as well as an email autoresponder sequence to build an evergreen funnel with as much or as little content as you’d like for them to receive…

These will be sent to Potential Fans automatically through a sequence of email auto-responders with a link that connects them to the content after a brief email message that compels them to continue the journey to your next piece of content.

This can literally be whatever you want. You can go to town and be as creative as you want.

I don’t want to give TOO many exact guidelines here because, in this case, you ARE an Artist, and Part of this IS an exercise and process you’ll have to experience for yourself. You want to create an authentic experience, ideally, the more accurate and real you are able to express and convey, I believe the better the response will be. Some people just may not be all that into it, but if you stay true to yourself, then you’ll likely be much happier with the type of people who are attracted and become loyal supporters!

I mean, think of your own tribe of 100-150 people sitting in a room just hanging out shooting the breeze... Who’s there? Who would you ideally want there? What are you guys doing and talking about? Literally, this is YOUR CORE fan-base, it could be WHOMEVER you’d like it to be, and the more you understand who those loyal Super Fans and supporters are-the easier and more successful you’ll be.

Think about how you can brighten up their day, what kinds of things are they doing/looking for/thinking about during the day.

What i’m talking about here is the Heart of the Grassroots Authenticated Music Experience. It’s knowing and connecting your story with the hearts and minds of their fans and followers. I aim to instill in you that you don’t need to think in terms of massive exposure, downloads, numbers, hundreds of thousands of fans... You could very realistically create and live in your paradise with complete financial freedom with only a few hundred Super Fans that truly fell in love with what, why, and how you do what you do. This is what we call Grassroots Career Development and it is the strategy i both use and teach my clients and students too as well.

And these could be any of your favorite kinds of people in the world. Remember, you’re not “Marketing,” to try to persuade or convince potential fans to become another customer... You are COMMUNICATING. Putting out transparent content and through an active dialog getting to know who those incredible people are that love and support what you do.

At the heart of Connection, the first step in the development of any meaningful relationship-there’s a story.

As a Modern Musician you are a Multimedia Storyteller, so you understand that there are tons of stories going on, interconnecting and branching off in many intricate ways between you, the situation, and whoever else is involved-at any given time...

For your Potential Fan Experience/Sequence, as an Artist there are many stories you could tell.

The story of where you’ve been, who you are, what you’re doing, why you are doing it, how that relates to your Fans, and how they can be a part of this Ongoing Story that you are inviting them to be apart of; may be one of the best places to start-unless you’ve already got something particular that comes to mind already.

Here’s how you can approach getting this done:

First start by just writing out the whole story, free flowing... NO EDITOR. Just let it go and write write write.

Choose a theme and format from above or simply one of the 5 below.

Documentary: Interviews: Show and Tell: Life story: Current Project:

Writing Your Brand Story:

Another thing to create is your brand story. This is a little bit different from your Unique Value Position, though it is apart of your brand story.Your brand story is 25-50 words and just summarizes what you representYour brand story can illustrate your purpose, your value or market positioning, and it can establish your credibility.

For me personally, one way to tell my brand story is:

From a broke, depressed, homeless high school dropout to creating his paradise as the music business architect, a master sergeant for the artists revolution, the worlds best music business coach.

OrAuthor of The Modern Musician, Founder of Music Business Liberation and Modern Musicianship, creator of the Modern Musician Blueprint and the Music Business Growth System.

Telling your story in the modern music business like a Modern Musician

Remember, the purpose of telling your story of self and/or Art is to begin to create common ground with your audience by sharing a story that reflects the values that brought you to do/develop/work on your art and growth of your business, and where those values come from.It’s not necessarily the individual details and facts about your story that draws them in, but rather the unifying theme or underlying values that connect with your audience.

The key to storytelling is understanding that values inspire action through emotion. We experience our values emotionally — they are what actually move us to act. Because stories allow us to express our values not as abstract principles, but as lived experience, they have the power to move others to action as well.

Modern Musicians embrace the power of telling stories to both propel them where they want to be and to authentically connect with their audience.

Your story is the heart of your brand, and where everything should stem from. telling your story is about identifying and translating your identity in order to build and establish a connection and relationship with your audience.If you are struggling with finding some place to start, or the key impact/transition points, here’s a quick boost.

Experiences:

• childhood

• hobbies/interests/dreams

• quirky/outstanding characteristics or talents

• transition to adulthood

• skills development and direction

• role models and aspirations

• career path and development

• passion and purpose

• conflicts with authority figures

• legal/family/personal issues

• struggles/challenges/adversities + outcomes

• major choices/decisions

Effecting:

Family, career, relationships, tragedy, twists of fate, unexpected surprises, major shifts in perspective or outlook.

Attitudes, beliefs, philosophies, dreams, fears, desires.

Further, Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Who are the main characters in your journey/story?

What’s your mission?

How have you failed or succeeded in your mission/pursuits/career/life so far?

What are the secrets you wish you would have known?

What the heck are you currently saying? It’s a bizarre question... But think about it like what if the universe came down, and so graciously hosted soft spoken Mr Morgan Freeman who asked you on behalf of the cosmos, what exactly are you saying in life? With your life?

Yet one more exercise if you are having a hard time figuring out how to communicate what you are trying to say:

Why do it?

Because you need and want to know what your life means.And because you need to understand how to explain it.

it gives you a stronger perspective, and a greater sense of confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Remember, the purpose of telling your story of self is to begin to create common ground with your audience by sharing a story that reflects the values that brought you to work on your given issue, and where those values come from.

The key to storytelling is understanding that values inspire action through emotion.

We experience our values emotionally — they are what actually move us to act. Because stories allow us to express our values not as abstract principles, but as lived experience, they have the power to move others to action as well.


Finding your story of self’s “choice point”

A story of self tells why we have been called to serve. It expresses the values or experiences that call each person to take leadership on a given issue.The key focus is on choice points: moments in our lives when values are formed because of a need to choose in the face of great uncertainty. When did you first care about being heard, or learn that you were concerned about the issue on which you want to take action? Why? When did you feel you had to do something about it? Why did you feel you could? What were the circumstances? What specific choice did you make?

 
Some other questions for developing your story:

Your CareerWhat thing in your career are you most proud of? Why?
What was the lowest point of your career? What did you learn from it?How and why did you choose the career field you were/are in?

Your Life Experiences

What struggles, obstacles, hurdles or pain did you experience along your road to success?

How did you overcome or move beyond them?

What did that teach you?

What have been the happiest experiences of your life? How have they shaped you?
What have been the most transformational experiences and moments in your life? How can they help you serve others?

What are your biggest life lessons so far?

Your BusinessWhen did you know you HAD to go into business for yourself? What was the thing or event that propelled you to create your business and the way you’ve chosen to serve the world? What was your “turning point”?

What successes did you have along the way in your business, and what did you learn from them?
Where have you struggled in your business? What have you learned as you came through these struggles that will benefit others?

What client successes have excited you, and reinforced that what you’re doing is exactly what you’re meant to be doing? When did you know you were absolutely in your sweet spot, and working with your ideal customer/client?

Themes and Common Threads
What are the key themes or common threads that run through your life? Look back on the questions you’ve answered to find them.Crafting Your Story
You want two major things in your story:
You want your story to explain, “this is why I do what I do, and why I’m so passionate about it.”I want to see every artist become their best selves and live their best life. I want to see an army of modern musicians empowered to lead culture and liberate the music business.

My story was a journey that led me through the process of self actualization, enlightenment and continues with my path to complete liberation to be achieved in 2022 or sooner

We’re different because our spirit is in this and music business liberation is a mission from god, we are an education, coaching and transformation company that will liberate the music business

You want the credibility so that they know why they should listen to you and give you the gift of their attention.

You want the vulnerability so that they can relate to you. and know that you weren’t always this successful—and were once just like them.You want it to be compelling, to draw the listeners in, to help them see why you’re the perfect person to help them.

You want them to see how your life and business experiences culminated in you developing the services, products, or system that will solve the problem they are struggling with.

You want to draw them in, and create connection. You want to build know, like and trust.

Your personal story really IS your marketing. It connects your ideal clients to you in a way that nothing else does. On the next page, create your personal story.

You see, the biggest reasons why brands and businesses who fail online and especially with social media is because they don’t realize that we are living in an age of CONNECTION and VALUE being the highest factors for branding and engagement.

Companies who fail to embrace the power of story and communicating their unique expression of who they are and what they offer to who, are going to either compete strictly on price, or will eventually fizzle out.

Building an audience or a tribe, connecting and engaging and delivering exceptional value to them is the model that is here to stay.

Our minds and our attention is too splintered, too fragmented, too UNfocused because of all the bumbling communications that attack our psyche from every which direction...

This translates into our world as modern content creators as not only an important model to build your business on, but THE ONLY model to build our business on.

As an Modern Musician/Artist, Personal, or Expert Brand owner it is part of your job to define your brands message by telling your story in everything you do.

From the way you conduct every aspect, every transaction, every interaction, and every element of what it is you contribute to the world.Those who do this, will win at business, and be successful in every area of their life.

Brands that remain vague, shifty, undefined, incongruent, will never breakthrough and service their clients on the highest and deepest levels...

To cater to and contribute to your clients/customers/audience highest levels of well-being and happiness is what YOU are going to do.

1. Now then, the first step is to go through the process of defining your brand.You’ve already started that by defining your Unique Value Positioning. You are going to go a little deeper and expand upon that.

2. The next fundamental piece of the process is that you realize that you are not the KING of your audience,
speaking from on high-AT them from a balcony as you gaze into the sky and project your almighty words...

Now, that’s an extreme example, but illustrates an CRITICAL element that you NEED to consider and reconsider if you are slipping into, or have been viewing yourself as being that kind of a leader.

If so, listen, that’s NOT what we need out here, there are times when you’ve gotta rally the troops and you’ve got some very important material that has to be delivered in a certain way that it will be best received for THEIR benefit, not yours...

What we need to do is to remember that you won’t get the raw information and insights by sitting in some castle-distant from the reality everyone else lives, and letting someone else feed you their politically manipulated “Assessments” of the current affairs, needs, wants, desires, of “the people.”

This is ludicrous. But it happens all the time. Please don’t become like the ego driven majority who are not coming from a place of service and contribution.Now, obviously the best way to both give your audience what they want, and deliver the best products and services that actually meet those needs and wants... That actually solves their real problems, and actually improves their health, their business, their lives in some way...

Is to simply, listen. You have to be out their with them, not talking... LISTENING.You’ve already learned quite a few ways to do that by now, and you are going to be learning a lot more during this phase, but keep that key perspective top of mind as you proceed in your business and product or service creation processes from here on out!

Deal?Awesome! We truly appreciate what you do.3. This leads into the third part of the process which is to replace “IMAGE” with “AUTHENTICITY.”This is another one of those buzzwords that everyone throws around, but it is the heart of what we are talking about here.authentic |ôˈθentik| (abbr.: auth.)
adjective1 of undisputed origin; genuine : the letter is now accepted as an authentic document | authentic 14th-century furniture. See note at genuine .
• made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original : the restaurant serves authentic Italian meals | every detail of the movie was totally authentic.
• based on facts; accurate or reliable : an authentic depiction of the situation.
• (in existentialist philosophy) relating to or denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life.