By Carson Braymer
Moving can be daunting. We live in a day and age where relocating can be outstandingly difficult, especially when you’re a musician who relies on more than a day job to pay rent. As a twenty-three year old moving to Austin, Texas, I had a whole handful of worries in moving away from the place that I rooted multiple bands, built relationships with guitar students, and established myself as a relatively respected local musician. However, upon completing my move and settling in to my new home, I realized how truly motivated I was- not just to find a new musical niche, but to completely rebuild my musical identity. I felt like I truly had a means by which to take an exciting, new, and radical approach to my music and writing. With that motivation in place, I made a game plan with the help of my good friend Charlie Matthews. My three essential thoughts on being a musician in a new environment or town include the following- a willingness to step out of your comfort zone, a desire to network, and the drive to allow yourself the time of day to create.
Image: Erin Keller
Whether you’ve played bass in Bon Jovi cover bands or lead guitar for shoegaze, post-rock groups, relocating means that you will be surrounded by new EVERYTHING. You’re going to hear new bands, see new art, and think new thoughts. To coincide with that idea, it’s exceedingly important to maintain an almost overly-open mind and express a genuine willingness to step out of your creative comfort zone. What I mean by that is this- as a player in a new place, you have an endless amount of opportunity to contribute to and build upon the experience you already have. Never played in a country band? Start working some chicken picking exercises. Always wanted to play percussion with Latin-jazz cats? NOW is your chance. Write a song that breaks away from your usual vibe, or at least use the influence of your new surroundings as a catalyst by which you can grow around. Taking a trip to a few local record or guitar stores will introduce you to an unreal number of people just like you, which brings me to my next thought.
With a fresh start in a rad place, you’ve got to be driven to connect with the artists and players in and around your new home. Networking can be a huge drag for some people, and the thought of rebuilding your network from the ground up can be intimidating- but you’ve got to remember that you can use your old connections to build new ones. Don’t be reluctant to pull out your old band’s record or to build a “musical resume” of tracks and demos that you can send to potential band mates or booking agents. They’re out there, and they want to hear you. They want to recognize you, and that brings me to my final point.
Allow yourself the time of day to create new art and GROW your creativity. After all, you are the embodiment of your art. Nothing in the entire industry can make or break an artist like the presence or lack of identity. Creating and writing gives you identity, and that same creative identity bleeds into every part of your life, even the parts that don’t include music. For artists, we have a wonderfully beautiful opportunity to contribute to the art of the world. You owe it to yourself and everyone in your new town to share your art, and collaborating with the other creatives around you will do just that. Make the time to create, and then share what you’ve made. That’s how you’ll be recognized, and that is how you will weave yourself into the web of musicians and makers.
Moving is less daunting when you’ve got a plan, and even less so when you can think of it as a springboard for your music. Being in a different and invigorating location provides more chances to reinvent yourself than I could ever begin to list, but I am hopeful this is a beneficial start. Lay a firm foundation for your musical home, and you can guarantee yourself growth. Take that growth and capitalize on it! The motivation of moving presents a wealth of opportunity, ripe for the picking. Get out there and pick. (Get it, picking? Like a guitar?!)
