Many times when working one-on-one with artists, either to write their bio for them or to help them prepare to talk about themselves in a media interview, I often hear them say, "But I don't have a story of hardship like all the other artists have." First of all, not all artists have stories of overwhelming hardships, and not all stories have to be sad or devastating to be interesting. This mentality of "I have to have a (for lack of a better term) 'sob story' to be successful as an artist," comes from too many nights of sitting in front of the TV watching American Idol and The Voice. The reason we see a lot of background stories of hardship from the contestants on these shows is because the contest is being televised, and stories of hardship and overcoming those hardships make for great TV and great ratings. But is your goal to be on TV, or is it to be a successful artist regardless of how you arrive at that goal?
There are plenty of artists who have had lives of mostly "smooth sailing" while also being recognized as relatable and endearing to audiences (take Taylor Swift for example). I have some clients who fall into the "overcoming all odds" story category (one in particular who has an AMAZING story of injury and recovery that TV producers salivate over), and I have some clients who fall in the "life is good and always has been" story category. With both types of clients, I teach each of them how to tell their own personal story in a compelling way that still touches the audience members' hearts no matter what their background includes. Do you know how to tell your story? Better yet, do you know how you want the rest of your story to look as your future unfolds?
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