And what is your story?
This is one of my most favorite questions to ask people. Not only is it an open-ended question, but it more often than not gets the person to really tell me something that isn’t just surface level fluff.
So often we may get bogged down with trying to keep up and maintain every single thing that is associated with being an independent artist that we forget in integral aspect to our real reason for pursuing our passion… to create & connect. In the midst of posting to IG, livestreaming on YouTube, taking pictures of yourself being creative, making some poll on Twitter to generate engagement, and on and on and on – you forget that the main thing folks want from you is just you. But again, we’re all so busy trying to make sure all the plates are spinning that we forget the small detail of not having enough hands to spin all the plates with.
Your fans want to know what’s your story. Meaning, what makes you do what you do? Have you ever had your soul beat up by an unforeseen event? Why do you have that lisp and how have you made it not be a hurdle in pursuing your artistry, or do you still consider it a hurdle? These are some of the things that people actually want from an artist, not just another foodie picture on IG (unless of course you are a foodie in which case having lots of food-related pictures is part of your story).
If I for example mention that one of the reasons I make beats like this one is because I went to private school as a child and was exposed to a lot of liturgical music, then it would start to add to my ‘narrative’ as far as what comprises some of my influences as a beatmaker/producer. That little extra detail alone now begins to add another shade to the mosaic that comprises Duplicuts. Now other connections can begin to unfold based on that one detail and you can see how it’ll lead to other things and perhaps even further exploration.
So while I’m not saying don’t post your foodie pics, just remember that your fans want to know your story over everything else.