Today, I want to talk about hard work—not the motivational fluff, but what it really looks like in your journey as an artist in the music business. The hardest work is often what you don’t know how to do yet.
For example, if I asked you, "What’s the one thing that would help you make real strides in your music career this year?"—that one thing, if accomplished, would make everything else easier. That’s your priority.
But here’s the challenge: You might not know how to get there yet. Maybe it’s building a fanbase, landing your first major gig, or getting your music featured on a popular playlist. If you could achieve that one thing, many of your other struggles would start to fade away.
But what often happens is that instead of working on the big unknowns, you go back to what you’re comfortable with—whether it’s practicing the same techniques, playing smaller shows, or posting on social media without a real strategy. It’s like replaying an easy level in a video game because the next level feels too difficult. No matter how many times you replay that level, you’re not moving forward.
The hard work in building a music career is facing the unknown, failing a few times, and continuing to push forward. That’s what real growth looks like. You might try to release a new track, pitch to industry professionals, or connect with your audience in a new way and fail five or six times. But the priority—whether it’s getting your music heard, growing your brand, or landing a major opportunity—remains the same.
Many artists, when faced with a difficult challenge, prefer to retreat to what’s comfortable. But growth is stressful, whether you’re expanding your reach, overcoming creative blocks, or trying to stand out in a crowded market. Stress is part of solving problems, and if you’re tackling problems you don’t know how to solve yet, welcome to the journey.
If you knew everything, you’d already be headlining festivals or making hit records. The path, though, is about turning the unknown into the known through trial and error.
Take the music industry—it’s tough to break in. You might think, “If only I could get my music in front of the right people, or build a strong enough brand!” But the more complex the challenge, the more other artists won’t even try to compete with you. They’ll be discouraged by the difficulty, leaving room for the ones who stay relentless to succeed.
Think of it like this: There’s a giant rock in your path, and behind it is your breakthrough—whether that’s a record deal, a growing fanbase, or a big performance. The bigger the rock, the bigger the reward. And if you keep pushing, figuring out how to move that rock through creativity, persistence, and learning new skills, you’ll be the one to get that prize.
The faster you dive into solving these hard problems—taking action rather than overthinking—the sooner you’ll make progress. You’ll learn far more from releasing your first single, booking your first tour, or running your first serious marketing campaign than you will from endless research or waiting until you feel “ready.”
So, when you face something difficult—whether it’s developing your brand, networking, or writing that next hit—remind yourself: This is exactly what success looks like. It’s doing the hard stuff.
Real Talk and the hard truth - Right now, there are probably things in your life that haven’t changed. If your actions stay the same, it means you haven't truly learned anything. Every video you watch, every book you read, every interaction you have—ask yourself, will this change my behavior? If not, it’s been a waste of time.
If this is resonating with you and you need help with your music career, you might be a candidate for my mentorship program. Grab a free consultation appointment here https://KjSawka.as.me/student-consultation