Making known or communicating your "well-formed thoughts” is known as self-expression. For music makers, the need to constantly put how you feel in the form of music is a necessity. Learning to foster self-expression is essential in putting your feelings into your music.
Music as a form of expression can take different forms; putting your thoughts into writing, singing them, or making them into a beat. Yes, making them into a beat, beats express vital messages; a slow beat is often linked to a dynamic sound, while a jiggy or fast-paced beat is linked with happiness or dancing.
Regardless of the form, you choose to express yourself, learning to harness self-expression is integral for you as a music maker. Humans are incredibly blessed with a more developed brain than other living things. As a result, we are endowed with the natural ability to process well-formed thoughts.
When our mind and brain collaborate to make these "well-formed thoughts,'' there is an urge to express them in a language we understand, which completes the communication chain. Communication starts from a well-formed thought to words spoken or in any other form that expression can be well achieved. Self-expression is very vital in making music that connects to audiences the right way.
1. Know yourself - A famous Socrates quote says, "Know thyself." We know many people who live through life without ever finding their true identity, individuals who go anywhere the force of life pushes them. People who stand for nothing and fall for anything. When we discover ourselves, it brings us a true identity. It builds beliefs that become the cardinality of our lives.
It bolsters self-expression when you know yourself because there is an identity you stand for that breathes through your music, thoughts or any form of expression. Only when you complete the cycle of self-discovery would you be able to say, like Oprah Winfrey said, “I was once afraid of people saying "Who does she think she is? Now I dare to stand and say, "This is who I am."
2. The Rule of Emulation - People influence us in our immediate and remote environments as we go through life. In the world of music, sometimes we have people we want to pattern our lifestyle or music after. It is advisable to painstakingly select the people who influence you or people you look up to for motivation. Emulate the right people; this will help your focus and keep you going as you aspire to reach the heights of the model you are emulating.
Several activists spend time digging into the historical materials of their predecessors to be able to guide them on the right path and give them the boldness to express themselves when the need arises in recording their music or writing a song tap influence from their model and learn how to express yourself.
3. Break Free - A considerable part of self-expression starts from the mind. There is a need to break free when the mind is posturing as a weakness instead of strength and making you feel lesser than you should be. Free your mind and soul from feeling less than enough, and build the belief that you can, and your talent can take you places.
If the mind is free from the things holding it back, that is when it can function as it should. Your music would come from a place of peace; expressing yourself won't be a chore anymore but something that flows freely.
4. Allow mistakes - Making mistakes is essential in the human learning process. Allowing mistakes would help you take more risks in your music career and overcome your fears. If you do not try, you will never know what heights you can reach. Take a conscious effort to express yourself even when it is rough.
Destroy the hesitancy that comes each time you try to express yourself; that way, you will be able to build the confidence you need to always express yourself. If you are learning a new instrument or even starting your career as a rapper or singer in whatever form, do not be afraid to take on challenges. Make mistakes and learn from them.
5. Build confidence - Build confidence in your craft. The first step to achieving this is having constant practice, and always putting your best into creating your music. Every time you get a chance to practice, do it like your life depends on it, so when you get out there, people only see the result of consistent practice.
We naturally trust processes we have completed repeatedly; we have high confidence in things we know the end from the beginning. While we have an absolute fear of things we are not sure about. Also, perfecting every detail of your music would build that confidence you need to express yourself at any given time.
6. Live in the moment - Try not to overthink the future. The thoughts of the future are capable of weighing you down and reducing your focus on the present. Instead, you need to take every moment as it comes and let the future take care of itself. This will help free up space in your mind and help you to focus on the immediate things and foster your self-expression.
7. Build memories - Create your library of memories. Design timelines in your life and archive them to always have something to hold on to. The memories you create today can serve as music content in the future. When we look at events or happenings in hindsight, nostalgia is always precious, and this feeling can fuel the creativity you need to express yourself.
Taking your self-expression to the next level begins with finding yourself; the rest becomes easy when you do. Take all the time you need, go back to the drawing board, and redirect yourself if you have been doing things impeding your self-expression. Get it right with the above steps and rejuvenate your music career
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