All the best musicians have expensive gear duh
Real advice: diversify ! Try a new genre or style that you haven’t yet. Sometimes you have to expand horizontally instead of vertically
May 22, 2025
Comments (2)
Make an account to reply.
Related Recs
if you have a hobby/passion/talent whatever, buy that piece of fancy gear you consider getting from time to time. get the leica. get the juno. get that expensive ass nvidia graphics card. you deserve it
i finally bought my first hardware synth and holy shit i've been missing out, this thing sounds fucking amazing. i havent even recorded yet just flipping through the presets has me amped
May 17, 2025
🏭
within any algorithm based platforms, this is kind of the only move right now. posting at high frequency on socials, using high trafficked sounds on tiktok, posting on IG stories. there are specific strats out there and the targets keep moving, so do some research and pick the ones that feel the least like pulling your nails out for you.
with spotify specifically, if you qualify for Marquee or Showcase definitely try to do those! otherwise make sure to use spotify for artists pitch to playlists and include a canvas. you can make em for cheap (free even?) on Clipchamp.com.
if you play shows, do those locally as much as possible. integrating into your local scene is a great way to sell physical merch (make your own for as cheap as possible and get creative), and making connections leads to more show opportunities and more people who might check you on streaming or bandcamp - which you should be using since it’s free even if no one buys your stuff at first!
DO NOT!!! use SubmitHub. it’s money you won’t get back and a lot of people on there now just profit off of offering small artists blog placements for sites no one reads and that will not build you an audience. you should pitch yourself on your own to indie curation platforms you like via DMs/email though, that’s a great way to get on a playlist.
overall it’s rough out there but if nothing else you can always post here and these lovely folks might give you a listen!
Mar 26, 2024
🎨
i only have an associates degree in illustration and had to further my skill set on my own and i taught myself how to play [mediocre] bass and the most important thing is consistency. i’ve always been told practicing something five minutes a day regularly is better than once a week for two hours…and it’s true!
for visual art, try doing a self portrait every day, a plein air painting or sketch… really anything! even if you don’t like it you’re learning and growing. don’t bombard yourself with fancy supplies and remember you have to learn the rules to break them. art history and foundational drawing practice are very important. hone in your skills with line and value and once you master that explore some basic color theory. drawing observationally (still life, models, landscapes) will help you immensely no matter what you decide to do with your talent. if you’ve got the budget for it, see if you can take a class at a local arts council or community college. digital art is just as valid if you’re worried about going through materials and a great medium for quick warm ups and practice. you’re really interested in painting, try doing master copies, that’s where you copy an existing work to kind of get a feel for the techniques the artist used and it’s completely fine and dandy to do so. i had a professor who would make us do weekly pencil self portraits in the style of various artists and it was extremely helpful in terms of problem solving. art is basically just problem solving with form and color.
as for instrumentally, i had no background in music and no schooling or guidance to help me. i also decided to play bass with no background in guitar which i am told is slightly blasphemous but i just really enjoy a juicy bass line! i’m def not perfect, in fact i am quite a wonky bassist, but i’m having a good time ☺ research different styles and models of the instrument you enjoy along with basic maintenance and caretaking. do you need any additional materials for this (pick, amp etc…)? sort of like the master copies, find a few players of said instrument that you really look up to. i taught myself VERY basic music theory via youtube (that site will be your best friend!) and scales and warmups there as well. once you’ve got the muscle memory for all that you can begin to emulate the music you look up to. i would teach myself the bass tabs of my favorite songs, and once i got the hang of them, sort of dissected them to see what makes them work, which helped me develop sounds of my own invention.
hope this didn’t sound like too much! it’s hard to comprehensively give advice on this sort of thing as being self taught isn’t a linear thing in my experience. i hope this helped some and best of luck with your creative endeavors and remember having. fun triumphs over all else <3
Jul 31, 2024
Top Recs from @grape
🙈
My god everything is experienced better this way. Stop looking at guides, walkthroughs, endings explained (my least favorite), even the blurbs on the back. Such a rare opportunity in this time to go into something without knowing anything about it, yet so rewarding. To be pleasantly surprised or blown away, to have no idea what’s happening, to find that you really didn’t like it, an opinion formed on your own.. nothing is more valuable
May 29, 2025
🧠
Yes!! I know you so well!!!
Mar 23, 2025
May 4, 2025