I love music. However, I’m not a fan of the music industry. I decided to join this industry because I’m a creative individual. I hoped that the industry would be understanding of people like me, that it wouldn’t adhere to conventional rules, and that it would recognise my belief that art should be free from the oppression of the establishment.
I’m fortunate to have steered my career away from large corporations and towards startups and independents. I’ve made some great friends along the way.
However, as you delve deeper into a career in the music industry, two things become unavoidable:
- To be successful in your role, you must learn to work with gatekeeping corporations and abide by their regulations.
- You will start to run your business like a corporate music business thinking it is the only way to succeed.
For those of us who exist in a creative realm, where innovation is essential for creation, the music industry can be a real challenge for mental health.
This eventually leaves you with 2 choices: conform or disrupt.
In this post, let’s discuss some experiences and solutions to help you stay sane.
The internet and mental health
This blog post has been revised twice. It was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns were widespread and screens were our only source of reality.
SXSW 2021 began with a keynote from Adriene Mishler of Yoga with Adriene. It highlighted how yoga can be an effective tool for mental health support in the music industry, taking us away from our screens and thoughts and back to our breath and bodies. It was a useful reminder, one I often forget.
The internet is undoubtedly a major factor in the prevalence of anxiety and mental health issues. We spend so much time focusing on our screens that we neglect our bodies. We allow ourselves to stay in uncomfortable positions without noticing, and our adrenaline runs rampant without us taking the time to relax and engage our parasympathetic nervous systems through breathing exercises.
Adriene used the opportunity to discuss her experience with recorded videos and how they can be used to “slow down time”. She mentioned yoga classes, where people may feel rushed or do poses incorrectly. With recorded videos, people can pause and do things at their own pace. She also highlighted how it provides a new kind of accountability, where there is something to show up for (the video) without the pressure of others.
This is interesting and I think this is an important part of the progress of a more healthy “digital life”.
But more importantly, it’s important to remember that yoga is not just about poses or exercise. The more philosophical definitions of yoga refer to slowing down, being decisive and determined in thought and action, non-duality and self-awareness.
This can all be found and experienced by detaching from the internet periodically and spending time with our breath, no matter how much progress you make with stretching, strength and asanas.
Yoga with Adriene
Adriene’s foundation videos were incredibly helpful to me in 2021, so I’m familiar with her face (many of us are). It was interesting to see a less candid, more professional side of Adriene and hear about her history and what goes on behind the scenes.
She has many responsibilities as an entrepreneur, and it appears she is always busy.
I somehow expected her to live an ultra chill life and just post yoga videos as her job. But it turns out she’s a very active businessperson, actor, marketer and yogi.
Of course! There’s no way somebody achieves what she has by accident…
This made me think of how people likely perceive us in the music industry from outside:
“They just sit around playing with instruments all day, life must be so fun and easy”.
But this situation is stressful for everyone in the music industry, from musicians to executives.
I believe that if we don’t practice physical and spiritual exercises that focus solely on ourselves and our relationship with ourselves, we are more likely to try to prove to others how hard we work, how valuable we are, and how much we know. This, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons we use social media. A broader teaching of yoga, and more access to its spiritual side (moving away from the typical “fit girl in yoga pants” approach we find in the West) could be the answer to reducing social media addiction and helping people find more peace within themselves and their lives.
How we navigated the music industry during lockdowns
Life was tough for us during the lockdowns. Mental health in the music industry has been discussed more frequently since then.
However, much of this narrative is based on the underlying principle of how to adapt to, or at least manage, corporate culture. It’s almost like corporate brainwashing disguised as mental health advice; merely coping strategies for a larger issue.
For me, it’s a constant wrestle of finding balance between:
- Having a strong sense of purpose in my work and wanting to perform well
- Facing industry challenges
- Constantly growing but not burning out
- The two wolves inside: maintaining being an artist as well as businessperson
- Wanting to spend more time in nature
- Wanting to spend more time in my body (movement)
- Managing social life expectations and mental drain
- Fighting societal ideologies and corporate viruses constantly demanding my attention
I rely on martial arts as an outlet. Practicing it regularly – ideally twice a week and at least one gym session – helps me to maintain good mental health.
The lockdowns made it difficult to stay in shape. I attempted home workouts, which I was able to do decently. However, it was far from enough, and my training levels have yet to reach their former heights.
I tried to practice more of the stoicism and meditation I had studied for some time to maintain tranquillity amidst all the disruption, uncertainty, and isolation. I also liked to dabble with yoga to try and reconnect with my body. I’m terrible with the poses and flexibility, so I found Adriene to help me focus on that.
But it wasn’t enough.
More yoga in 2023
As 2023 approaches, I recognise the need to make breath and body work a regular part of my routine.
I’m prepping to move to a new flat back in my hometown. This will give me more space for yoga, and I can finally get back to more regular karate training and gym sessions.
Yoga and the music industry
I strongly believe yoga could be a great asset in addressing mental health issues in the music industry. I see an accessible form of yoga as an invaluable tool to help improve our mental wellbeing.
The music industry was fully digital for an extended period during the lockdowns. We’re entering a new digital age, with technologies like the metaverse on the verge of becoming our new virtual reality.
Most of our music consumption is already digital, so it makes sense that much of our work in the music industry is done online.
We’re all trying to learn, apply, and make decisions faster than before the pandemic. We’re taking fewer breaks due to the threat and insecurity in our industry. We feel that if we don’t adapt, we won’t survive.
Taking care of ourselves is essential. We must ensure we don’t become overwhelmed and keep our stress levels low. To do this, we must remember to fill our own cups first.
If we observe our breath regularly, we’ll recognise that we are alive and that is important. This should motivate us to be more aware of our physical selves. We can then take out the mat and explore our bodies with curiosity.
The music industry will always be ok in the end. Best to look after ourselves first
Even in the event of an Armageddon, with only a few survivors struggling to find food and water daily, music would still be found to help us cope. It is an innate part of being human.
After we had learned how to trade again, capitalism would revive and the music industry would return.
My point is, it’s important to take care of ourselves before we focus on the music industry. The music industry will take care of itself, and taking care of yourself starts with the breath – this is yoga.
But don’t carry mental health burdens alone
Mental health issues should never be faced alone. Build a support network of people who won’t judge you, no matter what you’re going through. Take small steps each day to help and strengthen yourself and your resilience. If you feel isolated or in crisis, reach out for help. Start with someone close to you that you trust, and ask them to help you find a professional if your bad feelings persist. Call somebody who can help you get more help. There are people who care and are willing to help without any other agenda. There is love in the world.