Let me show you mine:

The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Louis Armstrong
Britney Spears
John Lennon
Mark Knopfler

Pretty strange mix there. I don’t even listen to all of them, and yet they populate some part of my mind.

That’s is the basis of personal branding. You have to give yourself a profile you’re comfortable with and which defines you as a person and as a musician. This doesn’t mean changing who you are, it just means drawing clearer lines around yourself (hence the word “profile”).

Everything you can do for your own brand is already with you, you only have to harness and package it in a smart way.

So Step 1: Who are you?

Where are you from? What are your roots?
Where in the world have you been?
What languages do you know?
What music did you listen to at age 10? Age 15? 20?
Are you religious?
Do you smoke?
What are your hobbies?
What is your political orientation?

You see, it’s not that easy to find out who you are. The questions could go on, and you will realize that you are someone unique and different. Try answering some of those questions mentally, then create a summary of what you think is interesting about you.

What would you write in your CV? What would you want to your Grand-kids to know?

I hope I got your mind churning there, stay tuned for more Personal Branding. Until then, be sure to subscribe or you might miss something!

Post from: The Good Musician