Art, Advice and Stories

By: Valerie Carricato & Philip Garcia
VQS Advice Blog | Cover Image by Kelly Sikkema

How can you use your music career to give back?

Table of Contents
1. Donate to Your Community
2. Get Involved in a Social Movement
3. Give Back in Other Ways
4. Use Your Talent to Help People
5. Create With Purpose

Our purpose as artists is to serve and create value with our art. When we’re just starting out in music, we are told that success is measured in how much money we will get from our art. But what if success is measured in how much you give back? Here are our 5 ways to help your community using your art.

1. Donate Time to Your Community

_{^{Photo By: Morgan Housel}}

What if we could encourage artists to donate their time to volunteer by…

♥️ Holding a book drive for a local library?
♥️ Teaching kids music lessons?
♥️ Or even giving out food at a soup kitchen?

Being generous makes us rich beyond measure, and as the goods or services are spread through the community, everyone benefits. By donating time, food, or money to the community, it shows that artists are using their talents to make a good change for the people.

2. Get Involved in a Social Movement

_{^{Photo By: Ross Findon}}

What if we gathered a few local artists to take action and start a new movement?

It’s time to get involved. Can we hold benefit concerts for people in need? Or write songs that empower? Imagine the growth in the community.

Taking action and joining social movements is beneficial to the community by showing solidarity. Use your music skills to bring attention to current events or issues.

3. Give Back in Other Ways

…and maybe get something in return!

_{^{Photo By: Larm Rmah}}

Instead of performing at local bars, clubs, and venues for exposure, you could perform at a charitable event and give back.

You can leverage all of the individuals putting on the event to help you with future bookings and perhaps even gain some private or corporate bookings. By giving back your time, you still gain the exposure you need in your career. The idea here is to give a little back, the returns will always come back to you.

4. Use Your Talent to Help People

_{^{Photo By: Anthony DELANOIX}}

Research shows that many bands build from an ideology of “making it big” in other words becoming rich and famous. Instead of the goal being “get rich and famous”, what if we encouraged all artists to change their mindset to “How can I use my talent to help as many people as possible.”?

If this were to happen, the focus would now shift to creating a positive impact on the people around you. The value of your work increases and your audience will grow with you.