The biggest roadblock to making money as a musician is in the way we think about money. It isn’t the fact that money’s hard to find; it’s everywhere. If you really want some, you can find it. That doesn’t mean you’ll always be doing something you want to do, though. And not everyone can easily cope with the mentality needed to make it. 

Being “destitute” in 2023 has got more to do with our personal convictions and the way we see the world and ourselves. There are some situations out there that are completely horrific and abusive, yes. But that’s not what I’m talking about in this article. That’s another kind of conversation; one about politics and human rights. This is about business; the dream of reaching financial goals as an artist. And making money as a musician is not easy in this competitive climate. So let’s revisit that big brick wall: 

Attitude—and learning to change it. Allow me to tell you a story.

I grew up hating money, because my father was a very successful businessman and I saw the ugly side of the psychology that goes along with that. For years, I fought against the idea that money makes a person turn into a misogynistic, selfish manipulator. I was young and naive, and didn’t see a good representation of wealth. I saw trickery; money used as a tool to hurt people. So I immediately set out to be different and defy the norm. In the process, I regret that I caused my relationship with my father to become estranged. By the time I “grew up”, it was too late. He’d passed on, and there was a different kind of healing that had to be done. But my life lessons were still valuable. 

I didn’t change my mind about money after his passing. That would take decades. I’d spend my life as an angry anti-conformist, living in communes and befriending those with more obscure, underground spiritual belief systems who loathed money and “worldly things”. I was a Buddhist for a while, a hippie, a punk, and a metalhead. It was an eclectic mix, and it would evolve into something quite weird—always hanging onto the notion that making a living was a terrible thing to do, and the typical American family lifestyle would turn me into a square, sterile and boring psychopath with no regard for humanity. 

Yes, that was an extreme mindset, but it was mine. And I clung to it like letting go would murder me. 

Attitude is everything. And hating money as much as I did will do something to you. It breaks your ability to live alongside normalcy in any way. It closes doors. It obliterates opportunity. Avoiding hard tasks, responsibility and ignoring important business aspects of being a musician (or any type of artist) is wasted time. Trust me on that; I spent most of my life believing that building financial stability was an evil worse than anything else. I chose living in poverty, and wore it like a badge of honor. It took a peculiar, personal deprogramming to let go of these financially destructive ideas. 

I did eventually get my house in order. I had to take a hard look at myself in the mirror and stop being a brat about it. My die hard “creative spirituality” wasn’t based on being spiritual at all. It was based in resentment. And that resentment wasn’t hurting anyone but me. 

One must be psychologically versatile and open to change, and that doesn’t just mean living off lentils and brazenly trudging barefoot into the nearest hippie coffee bar. Start noticing every opportunity around you as you network and experience new things with other music professionals. Surround yourself with people determined to reach their financial goals, whether it be other creatives or a finance broker. Every human being has a lesson to share. The second I decided to dismiss my father’s lesson, I closed a very important door. 

The way to earning a living with your music or art will all begin with your temperament. There are countless ways to earn money with your music, and opportunities live everywhere. The belief that you should only make music because you love it and not for the money is such a limited mindset. There are so many angles to surviving in this world. There are ways to build financial stability as an artist without feeling bad about promoting yourself. 

To keep the right mindset for building a stable career, there are things that must be overcome:

The guilt of self promotion.

We’re shamed every day for promoting ourselves in any way. Putting our selfies on social media to get attention, being told we’re narcissistic for wanting our art under everyone’s fingertips. Think of it this way, however; any person using such a trick to “humble” you is doing nothing more than using the art of manipulation to keep you from growing. If you find out selfies are working to get people over to your art, then don’t feel guilty about it. Do what works, and get better at it every day.

The desire to play all day and not engage in real work. 

Learning the business side of art means working and testing yourself. Getting better at something we’re not good at is not a desirable way to spend time. You have to put real effort in as though you’re back in high school, taking exams. You have to study, research, and build new skill sets. There’s no easy way out of this, and that right there will cause most musicians to fail. 

Having zero confidence. 

Those born into poverty are taught that confidence equals arrogance and pride, which is the church definition for being a bad person. This leads you down a dangerous path of financial hardship. One of the biggest tactics to sustain power by the clergy throughout history was to keep people poor, consequently keeping them from any educational opportunities. If you’re smart, you can rise against oppression. Deprogram yourself from the idea that building confidence will mean you’ll turn into an egotistical bully. That’s not what confidence is.

These are just a few things that keep most creative people from becoming adept at business, and you can move past them. The aim here is to understand that financial stability and becoming successful in art all hinders upon your mindset. Psychology has more to do with building wealth as an artist than any of the thousands of blog tips you can find to “make extra money”. So get up and conquer your goals. It’s time.