From time to time, some soul searching is important.

WordPlay T. Jay did some of this himself lately and it brought him to the question, do musicians have their focus in the wrong place?

The thought led T. Jay to dive into that question and how to make sure the focus is in the right place to be successful.

“Musicians do their music, but also do social media, promotions and marketing and all these other things that are outside of just being creative,” T. Jay said. “There’s nothing wrong with being good at multiple disciplines or having an expansive brand, but if people enjoy your art, why not give them more of just that?”

To keep that focus where it needs to be, T. Jay suggests starting out by building a foundation.

“You have to have a system you can put together and grow from, like the foundation of a house,” he said. “There are some elements to that, like way to earn revenue, having a consistent way to market and having a consistent way to create.”

For marketing especially, it’s important to have a way to be able to share your music but in a more automated way that it doesn’t take you away from creating too often. You also have to have the foundation to create, which could include things like equipment or knowledge about mixing and mastering.

Once that system is in place, you can begin to master your craft and continue working at it.

T. Jay pointed to a book by Robert Green, “The 48 Laws of Power,” and what he says in that book about mastering a craft.

“First, you have to discover your calling and get in touch with your natural ‘inclinations,’” T. Jay said. “Then, you have to apprentice with the masters. When I first started, I followed my uncle around and watching him make music and DJ, learning how to mix, master and create my own beats. Now, I apprentice on the web and watching YouTube to continue to grow my craft.”

Over time, the apprentice has to become the master.

“You have to be socially aware of what your fans want, what your associates want and what’s best for your friends, family and yourself,” T. Jay said. “You have to be in tune with those intricacies that drive people. You also have to be deeply creative and obsessive with you craft, make it a part of you and continue to hone in on it.”

A key to reaching that point is discovering your intuition and understanding what your gut or spirit is saying to you.

“Another element is to make sure your work is the best you can possibly put out,” T. Jay said. “You want to do all you can to be a great performer, have an emotional appeal, mix and master well, and be culturally relevant.”

For more on this topic, check out the video below, and go to T. Jay’s YouTube channel for other tips on how to hone your craft and become a master.