CELEBRITY COLUMN | STRIKE A CHORD: ‘Be open to criticism more than recognition’, writes Musician Arjunna Harjaie

There is no dearth of talent in people. However, what one does with that talent is what sets the person apart. We often question if only talent suffices. In this era, no. One needs experience and ways to be profitable in whatever they do. Artistes today cannot be rigid about their choices and styles. If one wants to make music a source of income, one needs to do smart work along with hard work.

These days, the internet has empowered artistes and musicians to create themselves into a brand globally. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter play a monumental role in creating an instant spotlight for emerging and established musicians without having to relocate to a city like Mumbai to establish themselves in the industry. Moreover, in Mumbai, people often only end up surviving and making ends meet and are left with no time to actually live their passion. My advice to these potential artists is to make optimal use of the social media. Wherever in the world you may be, if you have access to the internet, you have an unmatched power to reach out to the audiences and create a remarkable brand for yourself. Ensure that your decisions are viable and invest whatever little possible in publicising and marketing your content online. Create videos, blogs, pages that may not necessarily be a professional work of art. However, learn to be creative as well as consistent. There may be thousands of videos but you need to question what sets your content apart from theirs. Also, be open to criticism more than recognition. Since the internet works on anonymity, some of the responses might even be brutal. The key here is to learn to self-evaluate and assess. Every challenge brings with it an opportunity to learn. What determines your character is how you take up that challenge; as an opportunity to grow or a threat.

Work hard on yourself, invest time in honing your skills, collaborate with other artistes, market yourself and most importantly become entrepreneurs who take charge of their work, interests and life. Our upcoming musicians and artistes must learn not to be sombre about the impossibilities, instead, work towards creating possibilities.

Where musicians voice their thoughts about matters close to their hearts