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Here is the reason for this article: Because I want to write about you and there are certain protocols online writers need to compile information!!

There done. You need not read the rest of this article.

But if you decide to go further, here are all my reasons further affirming that YOU NEED AN ONLINE PRESENCE.

Now this goes for any craft or artist. Although today we will specifically talk about musicians. Gone is the time of schmoozing clubs and venues for your debut on the radio, or your chance at a label, or even to build your audience. We are in the internet age, and although this doesn’t ring like a genuine standard to us neurodivergents – an online presence is necessary in this day and age!

I’m going to start with the “Pros” of this Pros vs Cons list.

You know that one kid? You know the kid. That lives in the middle of a rural town… the types of music surrounding them perfectly cultivated by the society they live in. That kid who reaches out over this amazing connection device we call the internet – to see what else is out there? Maybe its small feelers at first… music that shocks them, it’s not their taste. Music that surprises them it even exists … still not their taste. Then finally they come across this one song.. the lyrics seem to reflect this life they’ve been living. The beats seem to inspire their soul. Finally they’ve found something that makes life seem less mediocre. They click some more and find the rest of the musician’s work. But how can they be part of this more? How can they integrate this more into their life rather than a fleeting piece of joy they plug in and out of each day.

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So they click on albums similar to. They start building a repertoire of what exactly is the kind of music that makes them feel most them. Where do these musicians even play? They find the musician’s origins, where they are playing their shows next. On the musicians social media they see clips of their lives shows. They can mentally prepare to dive into this music Wonderland with everything they see. They decide to take the leap and be there for the next show. Their life is forever changed by the personal growth it takes to put yourself into an environment with their peers. They look back at the younger-them who was in a different life before they found THE music.

This person should be entirely what you need to put your shyness to the side and put yourself out there. A message in a bottle to whoever needs it. Because they need it. That one person needs to read the book, or see the art, or feel the music that makes them feel comfortable enough to take that reach too.

That one person.

Lucky for you the pros list stretches on because each “one person” is connected to a web of people that they want to also experience the things they love. This is made immensely easier in the internet age because press “Share” and you can send it right to them. Or at the very least they can put it on their feed for that “one person” who follows them that needs it.

Here’s one of the cons.

Creating an online persona in the Influencer Age can feel vapid and disingenuous. As we are a baby civilization with our technology and our WWW we are going through an interesting phase of the curated, inauthentic, plasticized online scrapbook.

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AT THE END… and you know what’s interesting? The whole next generation of journalists are going to have so many voices to choose from. So many videos and sound clips to refer to. We are still a baby civilization.

Here’s some tips and tricks to push through that bit of creative block that stops you each time.

1. Recognize that most creative people are neurodivergent. Forcing ourselves to do something we HATE is like lugging huge bags of groceries up 11 flights of stairs (I did this today… thanks faulty fire alarm on Floor 29..). It’s tiring… its gruelling… and why isn’t there just an elevator to make life easier?
2. Make it as simple as you can. The block lots of us feel is because you want to cultivate a online presence that completely represents you. You want it perfect, and that strive for perfection ultimately blocks you from just starting. Just make it simple. One picture and one song is better than none at all.
3. Practice self-compassion. Who you are as a person changes every day. What you post today isn’t the end all of you. If you decide you don’t like it tomorrow, change it! Picture your first post like a baby draft … it is open to edits and change as much as you like.
4. Ask for help. We live in a city of SO MANY CREATIVE PEOPLE. Yes asking for help might seem like you gotta cough up some finances to the best Social Media Curator out there, but this isn’t so. You might have a friend that just feels joy in making the posts that you can find so gruelling. Maybe there’s a funky BCIT student out there that needs some practice and resume building – and would lend you a hand just because you asked! But they will never know unless you ask.

So be patient with yourself. Don’t hate on yourself. Don’t assume that anything you post is going to be hated on by others.

Just remember that one kid who might need that one post to ultimately change how they view the world. Your posts might not feel life changing, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t life changing to that one person.

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Written by Volante Matheson, Radio Arts & Entertainment at BCIT

Contact: vmatheson1@my.bcit.ca