💡✍️ "Ideas = Gold" - Artist Development Newsletter #1
Nov 29, 2022Hey Friends -
Welcome to the Artist Development Newsletter.
Every Sunday, I send an email providing actionable tips for artists and industry on one area of the music business.
Today we will discuss 5 simple methods to capture your ideas.
Let's jump in.
______________________________
Whether you are an artist or you work in the music business, we all know ideas are like gold.
They are precious.
They are the currency with which we write songs, build marketing plans, create album art, book tours, design merchandise, craft press releases, and much more.
Everything we do in the music business stems from ideas.
The thing about ideas is we have lots of them.
A 2020 study estimated the average human has around 6,200 thoughts per day.
That is 258 thoughts per hour and 4 thoughts for every minute.
With that number of thoughts bouncing around our brains, it is impossible to expect that we can remember everything we think.
It is also impossible that we will remember all of our ideas.
If your livelihood depends on ideas as mine does, then this is a problem.
So, let's explore a simple solution.
"Capture it now; figure it out later."
When ideas strike, we rarely have time to explore what they could become.
Or how to implement them.
That doesn't mean we shouldn't remember them, though.
To remember our ideas and allow them the opportunity to become more than just one of the 6,200 thoughts in our head, we want to build a system to capture our ideas.
Here are some of my favorite analog and digital methods to capture ideas.
Analog -
I carry a Moleskine journal everywhere I go.
I go back through my Moleskine ideas daily to stay on track.
For anyone in the music business, a Moleskine can save countless ideas from the idea graveyard.
Robert Greene's Notecard Method
Robert Greene's method is one I've been reading about recently that makes a lot of sense if you are an avid notetaker.
Handwriting notes so they live in one place and are available for reference or inspiration is a fantastic asset for "idea lovers."
"I can't begin to tell you the things I discovered while I was looking for something else."
Digital -
The iPhone notes app and voice recorder are two of the quickest ways I use to save an idea.
Next, I will take my ideas from my notes or voice recordings and transfer them to Notion.
I've added my Notion Note Tracker as a free download here.
It is my digital version of Robert Greene's Notecard Method.
Workflow Recap -
Analog - Moleskine > Notecards
Digital - iPhone Notes or Voice Recorder > Notion Note Tracker
Hybrid - Moleskine > Notion Note Tracker
Next week we will break down how to take the ideas you've captured and put them into action.
See you next Sunday!
Neil Mason
Did you enjoy this week's newsletter?
Please share it with someone you think would enjoy it too!
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to the newsletter here.
______________________________________________________________________________________
When you're ready, there are 3 more ways I can help you:
1. If you're looking to organize your business, I'd recommend starting with the Artist Development Bundles.
These templates are built to use in Notion and are FREE, with the option to pay if you want to support artistdevelopment.net
→ Artist Development Touring Bundle
→ Artist Development Organization Bundle
2. Promote yourself by sponsoring this newsletter.
3. Work with me 1:1 to grow your brand or business. (Booking into December 2022)
Artist Development Newsletter
Join our growing community of artists and music industry professionals who every Sunday, receive an actionable email providing insights, systems, and tools on one music business topic.
