I have an overwhelming passion and love for Jazz.

Jazz gave me the opportunity to develop my creative side in new and exciting ways. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some really talented artists and teachers along the way. The Detroit Jazz Festival has been streaming live and while enjoying the show, the connection between social media and Jazz became apparent. Developing your own brand and creating your own content are important to both. Here are a few insights that may come in handy on your social media journey.

Sometimes We Need To Run Before We Can Walk

One of my favorite parts of Jazz is improvisaton, which has to be one of the coolest things ever. In order to be any good at it you need to first make a ton of mistakes. You can listen and study to many of the Jazz greats but at some point you just need to give it a go. Once that first note is played – you are live – and no matter how bad or good it goes you need to keep going. There is no slowing down and this can be extremely uncomfortable at first. You may play a wrong note or two, but you can’t take it back so the only thing to do is to keep playing. With Social the same applies. Learning everyday and taking small consistent steps is important, but at some point if you don’t start taking risks expressing yourself you will never get any better at it. The sooner you start the sooner you will be able to leverage the opportunities that will come with your actions. Once you master this skill it will be so much more enjoyable.

Engagement – The Secret Talent of the Famous

Famous Jazz stars will tell you that engaging with their audience and making them feel like a part of the music is key to a successful performance. Sound familar? Just like in social media you need to “engage” and help make people really feel a part of your content. Just engaging is not enough – how you engage matters.

Learn From Your Mistakes

The more mistakes you make in the pursuit of excellence the better you get. It’s just that simple. Applying this to social media allows us to get instant feedback of how well we are doing. Study that feedback. One important note is that just because you may not be getting the results you desire, that does not necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. You may just need a slight adjustment or a little more perseverance.

Make It Your Own

Jazz standards have been around for years, but great artists have a way of making them their own. In order to stand out you need to have your own style, personality and your own unique content. You have to have something “different” to offer. I suggest that you take risks with social media and let your personal style come out. Give people a reason to come back for more.

If you need a little inspiration while leaving a comment or sharing this post take a minute to enjoy some sweet smooth streaming Jazz.