Just discovered my main link to my web site from here was not working : ( Fixed now. Ok so I have a confession. I have been following cyber PR queen Ariel Hyat's work for a while now. It was only week one of the blog challenge that I actually bought the whole Music Success in 9 weeks- but i have been reading as much as I can of the bits she releases and also checking out her YouTube clips etc for atleast a year: ) So I have a little head start on some of these things.
My first lessons with creating a cyber web world was with myspace. I joined back in 2007. I was in the process of working on my first album and it was very exciting to begin to release things to the world in such an easy way. Great to be able to publish things as they were progressing and start getting some feedback without actually having "published" it yet. I began to realise how much easier it was to get feedback from people a little further removed. I started making some wonderful contacts with industry people, other musicians, people who were really inspiring me on so many levels. Myspace is where I met Brian Siskind who I ended up making my first album -ri-solv- with.
I also have made lasting contacts with radio people, bloggers and other musicians. There is so much for me to share on this subject. So much of Ariel's writing rings true with me. Using web 2 technology to find people you genuinely have something in common with, who you are genuinely interested in, who inspire you and who want to support your work is a wonderful journey. One of the first blogs I started to follow was of Ariel's friend and colleague Derek Sivers. (founder of CD Baby) His blog is always interesting and always inspiring. It ranges from tips on being a musician, being an entrepreneur, web 2 marketing to more general ideas and stories about how to be a better human being : ) I signed up for his RSS news feed and after watching and reading for a while I began leaving the occasional reply. After leaving maybe 3 replies on random threads, topics I was genuinely interested in I received an email from Derek Sivers! At first I thought... hmmmmm must be an automated response when someone leaves more than 3 messages. I thought... ahh well I shall respond anyway and see what happens... What happened was we got into an extended email exchange - I sent him copies of my music and links to my web sites and he gave me invaluable encouragement, advice and inspiration. He is a wonderfully positive and inspiring human being and his encouragement came at a time that I really needed it. My favorite line of his was to tell me he thought I was " totally super awesome" . Not just awesome or super but "totally super awesome" : ) There have been many more of these stories of connecting with amazing people through social networks and blogging. It allows you to connect and speak with people it would otherwise be almost impossible to ever meet. I shall relate some more of these stories over the coming weeks. Time to rest up for my big day. Teaching drum circles with children, catch up with a friend then dance training and then a rehearsal.
Oh and also today I applied for an Artist in Residency program in Sydney for a few months next year. I would get access to a living space and rehearsal/performance/gallery space for a few months next year. It would be a great opportunity to promote my work in Sydney and really foster some creative collaborations next year: )
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