Recently Steve Jobs, the CEO and creator of Apple passed away after a long battle with cancer. As a musician you have probably used some software, hardware or at least secretly wept over a Pixar film that Steve Jobs had a hand in making. He has changed the face of technology, his company has opened so many doors for the indie musician that it has completely changed the music industry. What few realize is his life story and how out of sheer coincidences and being in the right place at the right time can change your life. How being turned down, told no, or talked bad about can actually be a a good thing.
Before going on please take time to watch this video of Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 giving a speech to inspire graduates to do what they love in life.
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com
In the music industry passion and inspiration are essential to success. You can use all the great technological tools created by Steve, but the most important thing you can take from Steve is inspiration. In his speech he talks about his life, and his visions of what his life priorities were. He inspired his audience by talking about how he over came adversity and learned new things he was passionate about and then paid it forward by creating some kick butt technology! But being serious pay attention to how he spoke to the audience, he brought them in with a story about connecting the dots. A story that brought him down to their level, possibly even below them and then discussed a chain of events that got him to where he is today. Although specific to his life, each viewer can relate to this and as he finishes you yourself probably started thinking back to the events that got you where you are today.
While you connect the dots, think about how your music career got from dot to dot. How did you get your first show? Did your Aunt Ella know the guy at the cafe or was it your cousin Bobs birthday party? The second show, was it booked because of someone at that first show? How about how you found your second guitarist? Was he originally in another band you had a show with? Each opportunity you have opens you up to several more. Think about that when you play your next show and want to leave right after you perform. Although Steve Jobs says you can't look to the future to connect the dots, you can be conscious of the potential dots you are erasing before they even appear. In short, each time you communicate with people or make yourself present at a gathering, you are walking down a proverbeal hallway of doors. You really don't know which one will open up to you and put you on the road to success, so treat each of them as if they were a winning lottery ticket.
Steve continued on with his speech to talk about his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and how you should live each life as if you were dying in a sense. This attitude towards life makes you give your all in everything you do. The simple words of wisdom Steve gave to this graduating class will stay with them their whole lives. Not because it was delivered by Steve Jobs but because he was able to relate to them by bringing himself down to their level, sharing his knowledge and life experiences that they could relate to. He threw in some comedy and a quote to keep them thinking but it was that connection that got them hooked.
I'm sure we all learned some information from this speech, be it a life lesson or facts about Steve's life. More important is the delivery, because each speech a person gives is essentially a branch of their self branding and branding of the company they represent. Steve was able to take Apple off of its pedestal of a corporate God, and personalize it, make it relatable to the audience. He was able to connect with them personally be disclosing personal stories, and then made it memorable by instilling life lessons throughout and encouragement. Sure as a musician you may not be looked at for giving great life advice but you can offer stories that make you more approachable and memorable. So next time your guitar string breaks on stage instead of telling a cheesy joke, try telling a story about how when you went to a show the other week the guitarist broke his string and decided to sing "this is the song that never ends" until he replaced it and how you couldn't get it out of your head for a week. What you just did was related to your audience (by telling them you go to shows too) you overcome adversity in a positive manner (misfortunate guitar string blunder) and then provide them with a deeper understanding of you.
Take every opportunity to brand yourself, open up a few windows to let the market see whats inside but always be conscious of what window is open. Learn from what Steve Jobs has just delivered, use his words in your personal life and in your career. Being a successful musician is more than just marketing your music, its about branding yourself, and knowing how to make yourself memorable and connecting with your audience.
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