Embracing Individuality and Abandoning Comparison
By Avalon Stone
When you compare yourself to someone else, you automatically create competition between you and the other party, and undermine the value of individuality.
When I first started playing shows and my set was after someone I thought was incredible, I would outwardly say how tough of an act they were to follow. I thought I was just paying them a compliment but I was also wearing doubt on my sleeve. What I didn’t realize was, this over-modesty indicated a fragile ego.
This need for approval is a distraction from artists (and people in general) expressing themselves in the way they want people to see them rather than what they think people want to see. This is not about being inauthentic, but rather the opposite. It’s about possibility and understanding how you want to come across as an artist.
The truth is, we are different from other artists, and all artists and musicians are different from each other. That’s the beauty of it. Why compare two things that are different instead of recognizing and appreciating the bravery it takes to be unique?
Loyal fans become loyal fans because they fall in love with not only the music, but everything surrounding it. Sharing your distinctive story and self makes them feel like they know you on a deeper level. You will inevitably isolate people in this pursuit, but those people were never meant to be your fans anyway.
Look at Lady Gaga and the meat dress she wore in 2010. She received death threats and was condemned by animal rights groups, but was also named by Time Magazine as the top fashion statement for that year. People still talk about it to this day. Society fell in love with the shock factor and how she handled the criticism.
Don’t make things surface level or generic because you want everyone to like you. Dig deeper.
No one wants to hear how you’ve loved to sing your whole life and now you’re “the next rising pop star.” It is overused and honestly a turn-off. They want to hear about and see what sets you apart. They want an escape from the mundane. They want to be seduced by your skeletons. They want to know what goes on behind closed doors.
Stop spending time trying to be as good as someone else is at being them, and focus on being the best version of yourself. The world doesn’t need another person trying to be Taylor Swift. The world does need another person who is hell-bent on embracing their true self.
Focus on being the best at being you.
Avalon Stone is a grunge inspired rock artist based out of Kitchener, ON
Website: www.avalonstonemusic.com/