If you’re reading this then you’re trying to really dive into who you are as an artist, why you’re driven to do this in the first place, and what that means for your career, your audience, and your brand. 

1: WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE?

  • Be as descriptive as possible. 
  • Why is this who you are? 
  • Why will you pursue your art no matter what? 
  • What does success look like? 
  • What drives your message? 

2: WHAT IS THE CORE OF YOUR MESSAGE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?

  • What makes your message part of who you are? 
  • Why does it matter to you?
  • How does it manifest itself in your life? 
  • How does it affect your art at the most basic level? How does it affect your art at the most extreme level? 

3: WHY DOES YOUR AUDIENCE NEED TO HEAR YOUR MESSAGE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO THEM? 

  • How does it change their life? 
  • How does it make them want to hear more from you? 
  • How does it create a connection between them, their story, and you and yours? Why does that connection matter? 

4: HOW DOES YOUR SOUND REFLECT YOUR MESSAGE AND WHY? 

  • What about your sound touches on your message? 
  • What instruments, tones, energies, or vibes best express the feelings behind your writing and message? 
  • What are your influences and why do they affect your message? 
  • What parts of your influences hold the most meaning to you and your audience? 

5: KNOWING THESE THINGS, WHO DOES THIS MESSAGE AND SOUND MOST EFFECTIVELY TARGET AND WHAT IS THEIR DEMOGRAPHIC? 

  • Age? Social class? Ethnic background? Successes in life? Failures and struggles? Schooling level? Geographic location? 
  • Why do these things tie back into their connection to your message and your art?
  • Why does your sound resonate with them? Who else do they listen to? 

6: WHAT VISUALS EMBODY YOUR MESSAGE? HOW DO THOSE VISUALS CONNECT WITH YOU? YOUR AUDIENCE? 

  • Movies? TV shows? Artists? 
  • What emotions do those visuals convey to you? 
  • What emotions are conveyed to your audience by them?
  • Why do these emotions create a connection between you and your audience? 
  • How do these visuals tell a story that aligns with your music?

7. HOW DO ALL OF THESE THINGS COMBINE TO PAINT A COMPREHENSIVE VISION FOR YOURSELF? 

  • If you could make one wish to put yourself in any position in the industry what would that look like? 
  • In a perfect world, how does your audience respond to your music? How does it affect them? 
  • In a perfect world, how much money does this career make for you? 
  • How many live shows are you playing? What do those look like? 
  • How do your sound and visual brand intersect to accurately convey your message and vision on the deepest level? 
  • How does your visual brand affect merchandising? How does your sonic brand affect it? 

Now it’s time for self-reflection. 

WHERE ARE YOU AT IN YOUR CAREER AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE? 

  • What are your past successes? Past failures? 
  • What have you learned so far? How have you changed and adapted yourself to implement these learnings? 

HOW TRUE TO YOUR VISION ARE YOU BEING AND HOW IS IT AFFECTING YOUR CAREER? 

  • Are you effectively pursuing every avenue to bring that vision to life? Why? Why not? 
  • What does fully committing to that vision look like to you? Are you doing it? 
  • What is your audience getting out of your vision right now? What would you like them to get out of it? 
  • Is your current artistic product a fully effective conveyance of your vision? Is it exactly what you hear in your head when you imagine your sound? 
  • How true to who you are in the product you’re releasing? How true to who your audience is it? 
  • If it isn’t, what would happen if it was? 
  • If it is, what’s the next step for you as an artist? 

HERE IS WHERE TO GO WITH THIS. 

Hopefully, this has helped you put your career in perspective on some level. There are like a billion places to go with this but the first place to start is with the areas you are struggling with. 

Chances are, if everything is going perfectly you’re not one of the people filling this out. It’s also equally likely that this worksheet has highlighted some areas you need to work on. That’s good. Once you know what the problem area is you can begin to solve it.