You may have noticed that it’s getting harder to get recognized and to thrive as a musician.
Funding for the arts is being cut. Many of the traditional avenues for professional advancement are crumbling around us. Orchestras and opera houses are closing. Classical and jazz audiences are declining. Schools and universities are cutting back. The pandemic shut-downs forced many once-thriving venues to close.
Many musicians now feel lost and overwhelmed — what do we do in the face of these challenges? The challenges are steep and it’s easy to feel dismay as we discover that the usual answers (try harder, get an agent, get a university job, get a full-time orchestral position, etc.) are increasingly rare or ineffectual.
Part of this difficulty is due to the decline of traditional outlets for music and the rise of the internet. For many musicians, the internet poses as much a problem as a promise.
For example, former music audiences are now turning to social media and distraction instead of seeking authentic musical and artistic experiences. What this means for musicians is that, instead of connecting with audiences via local venues and opportunities, we are forced to compete for audience attention on the global stage. This leads to such fierce competition that only the top .01% of musicians get recognition and money in return for their music performances and recordings.
To make matters worse, traditional music education leaves many up-and-coming musicians woefully unprepared to navigate this new landscape. By and large, students are still being trained for musical professions that no longer exist, or which only a very few will attain. In addition, the high-pressure, technique-focused learning environment tends to leave students burnt out, injured, and anxious, rather than full of the creative vitality that could actually help them build the careers they want.
As a result, many up-and-coming musicians are left feeling lost, overwhelmed, and frustrated. They have a burning desire to share their music, have developed impressive skills and talent, and they want their artistic voice to be heard and appreciated. But the state of the world and their musical training have left them largely unable to do this.
So, what do you do, as a heart-on-fire musician, trying to get recognized and thrive in today’s world?
Here’s the real reason you and other musicians need to find satisfying answers to these questions: the world is starved for meaning, beauty, and real connection. As a result, collectively, we are suffering from polarization, isolation, strife, the diseases of despair, inequalities of all kinds… many are understandably troubled by the state of the world.
While Western, industrialized culture often dismisses the arts as merely “nice to have,” the arts have a tangible and vital role to play in a world in turmoil: to be an antidote to the chaos, disconnection, and division that we’re all feeling these days.
There’s a practical and personal side to the story, as well. You, as a musician, need to support yourself with your music. You need to build a career, get gigs and students, and otherwise support yourself doing what you love.
This has never been an easy proposition, but is even harder now with the rising cost of living and disappearance of many traditional venues and opportunities for musicians. And it’s even harder still for those who have been burnt by high-pressure, technique-focused learning environments that, while undoubtedly helpful to developing important musical skills, nonetheless leave out many aspects of musicianship that are necessary now more than ever: mental, emotional, and physical wellness, how to be resilient under pressure, how to connect with a deeper sense of purpose, and how to navigate making a living in the internet age.
The result for many musicians are variations on the themes of hiding, holding back, getting injured, or burning out. Obviously, none of this will help you thrive given our current circumstances.
What’s needed is to reclaim your inner artistic aliveness, your musical magic, your magnetic presence, and a purpose-driven path forward.
Imagine walking into an audition, recording session, or performance and feeling totally free, in the zone, and on top of your game.
Your body is relaxed. Your mind is calm. You feel lit up from within.
And then, when you play?
The room gets still. People lean in. You can see that they’re hungry for more.
You’ve gone beyond just playing a bunch of notes, or even trying your best. You’re transmitting something deeper, the creative aliveness that comes straight from your soul.
This is your Soulforce, and when you transmit it you become the kind of performer who lingers in people’s memories. Who touches hearts and changes lives. Who heals old wounds and lifts people up.
This is the “X Factor” that is so obviously characteristic of great performances, but is also so elusive.
When you get in touch with your X Factor your career starts to open up. You become an unforgettable player, in demand, and beloved by audiences. And you also play your vital role in creating a more beautiful, harmonious world.
After all, what else but music can reach beyond the polarization and emotional armoring that now keeps us stuck in strife?
What if your X Factor was exactly what the world needs from you right now?
Before you fully express your Soulforce, your X Factor, you need to come to terms with what’s blocking you. Here’s the good news: the obstacle is the path. In other words, by approaching your obstacles from a place of wholeness, aliveness, and connection, they will automatically transform into your greatest creative gifts.
This is true even if now:
- Repetitive strain injuries are wearing you down
- Performance anxiety keeps hijacking your power
- You feel invisible, unsure if your art really matters
- You’re stuck in perfectionism and disconnected from your joy
- You’re struggling to get noticed or make a sufficient living.
Here’s the truth: These obstacles aren’t personal failures. They are a result of being brought up in a system and learning environment that trained you to be more of a technician than an artist on fire.
What you need isn’t more effort, proving your self-worth, or pressure.
You need Soulforce.
When you get in touch with your Soulforce:
- Your body becomes relaxed and free
- Your technique becomes effortless and fluid
- You feel calm and energized
- Your creativity radiates with aliveness
- You magnetize audiences and opportunities
Helping musicians make this shift from effortful technician to Soulforce artist is what I do. I help musicians like you dissolve all these obstacles so your brilliance can shine through.
I know this path because I’ve lived it.
My career as a violinist was once threatened by repetitive strain injuries, stage fright, and burnout. These issues inspired me to dig deep and explore the inner workings of our bodies, minds, and souls through methods like the Alexander Technique, meditation, and peak performance psychology.
Through these methods, I was able to not only find relief from my issues and enjoy a thriving career as a professional violinist, I found something even deeper and more important. I discovered purpose, Soulforce, and the ability to touch my audiences’ souls every time I perform.
I even wrote a whole book on this topic! It’s called Soulforce: How to discover your artistic purpose, create more freely, and make art that matters. In it, I outline what I call the Soulforce Arts Approach, a map to the deeper journey of artistry.
Since then, I’ve dedicated my career to sharing what I’ve learned with other musicians. I’ve now helped hundreds of musicians reclaim their fire, freedom, and flow — many of whom now perform with more ease, presence, and fulfillment than ever before.
✨ Want to begin that journey yourself?
Download my free PDF guide: “The Secrets to Discovering Your X Factor” — and discover the inner shift that will help you become the kind of musician no one can ignore.
Because you were never meant to just perform.
You were meant to move people. To be remembered.
To be alive onstage — and in your life.
Joseph Arnold
Violinist & Alexander Technique Teacher
Creative Thriving Coach for Musicians
Director of the Soulforce Arts Institute
Author of the award-winning Soulforce
