Selling Art, Not Selling Out

Tag: music

Logan Nickleson on Misunderstandings About Marketing, Finding Your Audience, and Using Psychology to Your Advantage – Cracking Creativity Episode 73

Logan Nickleson has always had an admiration for the arts. When he was a child he liked to draw and paint. When he was 15-16 years old he started getting into music. And for college, he went into journalism.

While in college, Logan saw the changes that were happening in journalism. So he changed his major to advertising. This led to his internship at an advertising agency.

His internship turned into a full-time job, where he worked on numerous projects. It was during this time that a revelation came to him. While making short videos for clients, he was having a hard time finding music for his videos. So he decided to use his own music.

Inspired by stock photography sites like Death to Stock and Unsplash, Logan decided to take all the music he created, and started his own stock site. The only difference was his stock site would for music. Thus, Music For Makers was born.

In this episode, Logan talks about why marketing has gotten such a bad rap, the most essential element for finding your audience, and how we can use psychology to our advantage.

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Charlotte Eriksson (The Glass Child) on Facing Obstacles, Knowing Yourself and Your Fans, and The Importance of Your Why – Cracking Creativity Episode 66

Charlotte Eriksson grew up in a house where athletics were emphasized. The arts weren’t celebrated and you weren’t supposed to express your feelings. Her family didn’t grow up listening to music, so she didn’t really discover it until she was 16 years old. That’s when a friend introduced her music that touched her life.

From that moment on, she knew she wanted to be a musician. She knew she wanted to spend her life creating that same magical feeling for other people. And at the age of 18 Charlotte moved to London to pursue her dream. Since that moment, she has released several albums, toured all over Europe, and has published three books.

In this episode, Charlotte talks about facing obstacles, knowing yourself and your fans, and the importance of knowing your why.

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“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche Quote Art

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Print available on Storenvy.

“You did what?”

Many people who hear those words become squeamish. We only hear those words when we’ve done something unthinkable. We only hear those words when we do something brave.

Those are the words I want to hear when people learn about my journey. I want people to do a double take. I want people to wonder how I made that leap.

Whenever you hear about someone leaving a cushy job to pursue their dreams, you become skeptical. “You did what?” They tell stories about all the doubters. The haters. The jealous.

Those doubters are the ones who are insecure. They are the ones who aren’t pursuing their dreams. They are the ones who feel like they need a change. They are the ones who feel like they are making a mistake.

Skepticism is often a sign that you are doing something meaningful. When you tell people about your work, do they move on to the next question or do they become curious?

One of the biggest signs you are achieving your dreams is when people look at you like you’re insane. There are many examples of people who were considered insane for leaving their careers behind:

Vera Wang started her wedding business with no experience in the wedding industry. Tim and Nina Zagat quit their legal careers to work on their restaurant guide. Ronald Reagan left his career as a famous actor to become a politician.

You are not the crazy one for pursuing your dreams. After all, you are just dancing. People who think you are insane just can’t hear the music.

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Photo by Florent Chretien