By Ana Barajas @anabarajasmusic

 

All of us who dedicate ourselves to art independently have similar struggles, limitations, and freedoms, regardless of where we are., But every path is unique, and today I'm going to try to make some notes based on my experience. Maybe someone can relate. I've been in the music business for almost 20 years, and a lot has happened since then, but since 2011 I've lived outside of Colombia, which, I suppose, It makes me today an independent artist of the diaspora. But what does it mean to be an independent artist?

I think an independent artist He is above all someone who is self-managed, in other words, an entrepreneur. The general definition of the word (found in several articles on the subject) is: “An entrepreneur is someone who, starting from an innovative idea, independently develops a project they passionately believe in, finds a way to make it a reality, and assumes the risks and consequences that this entails.”

What often happens in music is that we get stuck on the materialization of the innovative idea, But the fear of taking on the risks and consequences of bringing that idea to fruition often paralyzes us. And so many good songs are left there, hanging in the air, without finding anyone to listen to them or a way to continue growing. In an industry increasingly dependent on algorithms, social media, and marketing, Independent artists have a harder time breaking through the huge barrier of record labels. major, of big budgets and making our songs survive beyond the two weeks after release. I believe, however, that The challenge for the independent artist is to survive long-term in such a harsh ecosystem. Incidentally, I want to focus on five points that I would like to touch on in this article, notes to keep in mind and that, from my experience, have greatly influenced my path both in successes and in mistakes.

Independence and creative freedom:

There is nothing more valuable to an artist than creative freedom. In this sense, the independent artist has everything to gain. Art, as an expression, has no financial motivations; it is something personal, intangible, and unique to each individual. The challenge here is to keep the flame of curiosity alive, to explore without fear, to push boundaries, to collaborate, to investigate, to observe, to listen, to smell, to feel, so that one can then create with greater freedom. The more the boundaries of perception expand, the greater the freedom of creation will be. In this sense, I think that my independence has allowed me to explore my individuality, cross borders, share with whomever I want, and do tango on a Monday and experimental music on a Tuesday. Record a song with a metal project and then have a concert with an Andean music ensemble. From all these experiences, I've gained many friendships, many recordings, many concerts, and many wonderful memories. I couldn't turn back now and abandon this path because I can't find anything else that brings me so much reward in my life.

The relationship with money

In general, I think that Many of us who dedicate ourselves to art suffer from a certain aversion to money. Perhaps we dream or flirt with the idea of being "rich and famous" because that's what we've been sold for centuries as the idea of success, but in reality Very few artists have a healthy relationship with money. Whether it's because it's difficult to find monetarily valuable opportunities, because we lack negotiation skills, or because we don't know how to save, plan, and manage money long-term, because we don't value our art enough or because we think that making money from our art is selling our soul to the devil. None of these beliefs is necessarily a fundamental truth. What is certain is that improving our relationship with money and understanding it as something necessary to safeguard our freedom is an important part of an artist's growth. Whether we like it or not, art is a profession, and if one wants to make a living from it, or at least derive some financial benefit from it, We need to know how to connect art with the economic system in the most beneficial way for our independence and autonomy. Beyond the vain statistics of social media, I believe true success lies in sustaining a long-term career where freedom and autonomy aren't compromised by our own management shortcomings. These are critical points that I've personally had to learn to navigate: to monetarily value my work, learn to negotiate on equal terms, organize budgets, plan and learn how to apply for scholarships and opportunities for my projects. I'm still in that process.

DIY (do it yourself)

Today more than ever, an artist must be “hands on” in the development of his career. Learn about production, network, learn to edit videos, and learn to design promotional graphic material., Being constantly learning about different aspects of the industry and finding a team, however small, that believes in your music and is willing to work with the same passion as the artist. In my particular case, in these years of my career I've had to learn about production, promotion, social media management, video editing, and graphic design., of copyright, of music licensing and well the long list goes on, as does the long learning process that may never end. I think it all has to do with an internal process, in which I have understood that it is not only about making music but about a lot of other things that make a musician an independent artist.

The Ecosystem

No matter how independent the artist may be, He does not live alone in the artistic ecosystem. This is another important point to consider: however much a solo career develops, music is made collectively. Major musical movements and counter-movements have emerged from local circuits., Because that's where creativity is nurtured. Playing live, listening, collaborating and learning from others, especially in a local scene, is fundamental to music., That is where the great sonic revolutions arise from. That today, I think, are happening “silently” everywhere, despite a mainstream decadent and sickly.

Mental health

We artists have in our hands the possibility of living a healthy artistic life, in freedom and in balance. It is necessary to break the myth and the false idea of “success” that has been sold to us by an industry that only wants to profit financially from the artist, The eccentric and unattainable "star" who ultimately ends up emotionally and physically exhausted and alone, forced to feed a long line of people who have become dependent on her talent. Today more than ever I think that, although the road may be hard, we can do whatever we want with our music on our terms without self-destruction and without enslaving ourselves in an industry where the well-being of the artist is the least important thing. Learn to say NO and ask for help when needed. Learn to value time with family or loved ones, because they provide the emotional support needed to move forward., learning to take breaks, to rest and to take care of our inner world. I'm still learning and working, on a path that remains uncertain but exciting. In any case, in recent years I've come to value my independence more and have learned to focus my energy on continuing to grow on my own terms.