COMMUNITY
We have nearly endless opportunities to incorporate our values into our music. From creating a fan community anchored in belonging and inclusion to partnering with a social justice organization while on the road. Typically, these tactics and strategies get the most coverage and sometimes are the only ways to be active in our movements. We know, though, that these strategies are best if they are rooted in our values and built on top of personal work that we have done and have, yet, to do.
Social Media
As a person or band that works with social media to connect to fans, announce upcoming or released projects, and generally share our work in music, it's worth figuring out how social media does or does not fit into our lives in a healthy way. Everyone will be different in their ideology and approach, but the work to determine the role of social media in our private and professional lives will include a lot of self-awareness, practice with boundaries, and a clear vision of what you are and are not asking social media to do.
Social media can be difficult to contain. That makes this work hard, but not impossible.
Start here:
Since social media and your relationship to it is so personal, your path to a good balance with it will also be personal. If you're just getting started with your evaluation of it, try this quick listen.
Resisting the Rural/ Urban Divide Myth
We may unconsciously lean back on stereotypes of urban or rural populations which leaves little room for nuance and guarantees a stunted perspective. Behind these generalizations are misconceptions about poverty, the undervaluing of rural communities, and a multitude of myths that keep us focused on what we feel like divides us. Once we educate ourselves, we can not only grow as musicians, but we can spread healthier information through our presence on stage and in our music.
Start here (and click for a larger collection of links on this topic):
Belonging & Inclusion
Fostering inclusion and belonging means creating experiences that reinforce a sense of connection, community and shared destiny.
You won't be able to connect and live in a world of shared destiny with everyone. However, when you disagree with someone, or they disagree with you, it allows for vulnerable work to find the places where you can connect.
None of us has the energy to fix everything, but adjusting your lens to focus on the things we have in common will help our whole society pivot towards a healthier, more peaceful coexistence.
The goal of an inclusive democracy is not one where everyone agrees. In fact, it's one where there is space for differences.
Start here:
adrienne maree brown's "We must become scholars of belonging"
Breaking Isolation
Being authentic, present and honest breaks isolation. This creates a connection between you and others, and in the cases where it's public, it also creates space for those who are listening and hoping to feel seen, too. You can’t always puncture someone's isolation, but you can create an atmosphere for yourself and others that encourages connection and growth.
The goal is not to prepare musicians to become mental health practitioners, but to understand ways that our music and relationships with other musicians and/or an audience can be a positive and essential experience for all. By nature, music can be very isolating during its creation, but recognizing and breaking our own isolation will offer an opportunity to create an atmosphere for our bandmates and fans to do the same.
Start here (and click for a larger collection of links on this topic):
There is a growing understanding of how isolation can create circumstances that leave individuals vulnerable to extremism globally. As musicians, fan communities offer an important and natural break to isolation, making fan engagement important beyond the benefit to your personal career.
To learn more about the new global far right and recruitment of youth, Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right is a good place to start. This link includes a conversation with author Cynthia Miller-Idriss about her latest book and other work.
Touring
As a musician, the first thing that comes to mind after making your music, is how and when you can share it with as many people as possible, as deeply as possible. Your touring choices- from what cities and venues to book, to what artists you share a bill with, to what information you promote- can reflect your values and support local efforts in important ways.
Adding new towns or venues between your stops in larger markets offers an opportunity to connect with communities that tend to be passed over. With minimal digging, it’s possible to find vibrant scenes and communities that you could plug into while on tour.
Start here:
Try adding some lesser known spots to your tour. We’ve compiled a short sample of venues and BIPOC-led organizations for Washington State. Could this list be a starting point for your next tour? As you build your tour to other locations, what can you discover about who is on the ground and how you might connect with and support local efforts?
Take inspiration from other artists and venues.
Backlash
There is a difference between trying to avoid backlash versus anticipating and having a strategy for backlash. It could be that you or your band made a mistake and have an apology to make. On the other hand, backlash could also mean that what you are doing is effective and there is predictable resistance to your impact from those threatened by inclusion.
Your own personal de-escalation preparedness will be the key to understanding more about any backlash, plus your best course of action will not be determined in a state of duress.
Start here (and click for a larger collection of links on this topic):
Since backlash and the response is so individual to each scenario, consider using topics in the Me section, like apologizing and listening, as a starting place. No matter the situation, responding from a defensive place will likely not generate productive results.
Collaborating with Justice Movements
Successful collaborations with justice movements, community organizations, advocacy nonprofits, or other collectives benefit from general partnership skills.
What are you offering? What do others need? These are great places to start, but the most effective collaborations are built on trust and authentic relationships. Setting expectations within your collaboration while creating pathways for honest communication will generate more change, plus build resilience for weathering bumps--like backlash, misunderstandings, or unexpected problems--while working together.
Being realistic about what you actually have capacity to offer a group or movement will also make your collaboration more successful. And that's a win-win for all.
Start here:
This is an article about how nonprofit organizations can effectively partner with each other, but there is some helpful translatable information.
Click here for a short list of links to artists and venues who have leveraged their space and platform in micro and macro ways to raise visibility about important issues.