ON 'GIGS' & 'FLYERS'

Punk legend Mike Watt said it best:

‘...we had the most control at the gigs. So the idea was to get people to the gig.

We divided the whole world into two categories: flyers & gigs

You’re either doing the gig or everything else to get people to the gig’

If you are an artists in any medium these are only two things you need to concern yourself with:

The Gig (what makes you money/ you love to do)

And The Flyer (the thing that gets people to the gig)

It’s as simple as that...

Social media is a flyer. It is NOT a gig.

Your novels are your ‘gig’, your paintings, your music, your products, your sculptures, whatever.

I’ll say it again.

Social media is a flyer. It is NOT a gig.

The vast amount of creative people spend an absolutely inordinate amount of time on promoting themselves and building a brand.

*You* are largely irrelevant.

The gig is what matters.

The gig is what sustains you.

Which is not to say that ‘flyers’ can’t be creative & enjoyable.

I’ve seen great music videos,
I’ve seen fantastic interviews
& I follow people who turn twitter into an art form.

All well and good.

But as a consumer and as a human I want access to a better calibre of GIG

Gigs are what we remember:

We remember the novel and not the beer commercial

We remember the concert and not the backstage interview

We remember the film and not the press junkets.

So make flyers, make them as expertly as you can, learn how to persuade and seduce and draw people into your fan club.

But spend more time mastering your art

Spend more time playing gigs.

Because the gig is the reason we all got into this in the first place...

CC @NielsKnk @romanopiumtales @TheLivingLogos @waronweakness