February Artist Tips – advice for serious artists
It Takes 10,000 Hours to Be Great
10,000 hours has become a part of everyday language when talking about people who are great in their field. The idea of becoming a genius at what you do after 10 years of dedicated practice was brought to the mainstream by Malcolm Gladwell in his bestselling book Outliers.
The concept of 10,000 hours can be traced back to a 1993 paper called The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance by Anders Ericsson, a Professor at the University of Colorado. The part most people fail to mention though is that regular feedback from a mentor is required for you to make the necessary adjustments for improvement.
Make a personal commitment to dedicating time to your craft as an artist. Along with consistently writing, recording, and practicing you must also gain feedback from someone who can help steer you in the right direction. Failure to do this will result in you hearing harsh feedback, some which may not even be valid, when you share your work with the public.
Practice makes perfect. To be an ‘Outlier’ you must surround yourself with a network of people whose honesty you can rely on. Be the best version of yourself and enjoy expressing art.
Remember – it takes 10,000 to be great.
If you are an artist and have a question about having a successful career in the music industry tweet @peppergrain using the hashtag #ArtistTips
