That does sound bad, right? The world is tough.

Artists fight hard to stand out. The music is personal. The words, pictures, stories we tell. Real experience packaged into something that can pay our mortgage. Obligations to brand image feels like a sell out to a lot of people who spend their whole lives creating and composing. The music should matter most. The work matters most, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. 

First, art or music is not an essential thing for survival, so people will spend their money on things that satisfy those needs first. The leftover money anyone has to support art is just that—whatever they have left. Secondly and more disturbingly, is the fact that you can’t count on people paying attention to and paying for your work just because it’s good. In 2013, The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study investigated by social psychologist Chia-Jung Tsay (University College London) showing evidence that shocked music lovers: image cues and the way music is presented makes a bigger impression on how audiences evaluate music than the actual skill, or finished product. 

This is just one study, but it isn’t the only red flag we instinctively notice as we continue to build an artistic empire. There comes a time to stop dismissing what we inherently know we have to do in order to make a statement and get our music or art shown—we have to work on that branding image. There’s more noise out there to compete with now than there ever was. But branding isn’t just colors and logos. 

Good branding, for artists and musicians, is a relatable experience and the essence of you. It is what connects you to your audience. It’s the creation of an always identifiable, recognizable “mental home”. A mental place that really resonates with the people who love who you are. Because in the end, you’re not marketing your product. You’re marketing yourself. Your life. Your personal experience. Branding for musicians goes much deeper than a stage name and a logo. 

Colors express a mood. Black has historically worked for metal and punk genres because it gives people a sense of rebellion and individual power. Cotton candy colors gives acid pop its relatable identity because its audiences want an escape into a blissful, euphoric experience. It’s natural to associate childlike colors with fantasy and ecstasy. There’s a well thought out plan for color schemes that go into branding for artists. 

The hardest part is sticking with it. Artists, by nature, are curious explorers. They generally want to try different things, push limits and challenge norms. It totally contradicts the sterile, corporate world, which does have a part to play if you want to make a living. So you must be consistent and find a way to marry what works commercially with what you feel you really are as an artist. 

Image matters, and it always will. People judge what they buy and what they pay attention to according to image. There’s a reason companies spend millions of dollars on the right photography, styles, and names, and why they don’t deviate. 

Don’t discount the power of image when it comes to building a career with your music, visual art, or whatever you do creatively. Images are powerful in this world, and that’s not a new thing. They’ve been powerful as long as we have been human. The biggest reasons for demonizing and shaming those who put work into their personal image has been to keep competition under control. Don’t be ashamed of your image. It’s important. It will sell you. It will get your work into people’s homes and keep it there. 

Find your identity—be what you feel, and stick with it. Choose a style, a color scheme you love, and build that style into your own world. Create a visual that you identify with first, and hold on to it. Your audience will find you, and they will be looking for something they can always recognize and feel comfortable in. It’s like bringing someone home. Bringing them to your home. You are the product. It’s simple psychology.

Your attitude is a visual. It will pay your bills, and you do deserve that. Making music takes money, and artists have a particular sensitivity to their own ethics. You have to get past the fear of selling out and go ahead with your business plan, because you can’t continue to make your music for free. Giving everything away for free—not getting what you need to keep living and making music will eventually burn you out.

It’s the ugly side of becoming successful in artistic fields. And it’s necessary if you want to keep going. That is, unless you were fortunate enough to be born into superior wealth. Visuals have more to do with how consumers make their choices than we want to admit. There are millions of people in this world, fighting and navigating their way to freedom. To ignore the image is to ignore opportunity. All you have to do is to realize the power you have in your own style, and use it. Image doesn’t have to be something fake. We all have an individuality. A big part of that individuality is the way we present ourselves. And that’s not something to be ashamed of.