As I’ve blogged about  before, Hanson has been one of my biggest inspirations. I recently came across an interview with Hanson that I found to be really inspiring. I found the interview on the Wall Street Journal’s Blog. You can watch the interview here.

Hanson
Courtesy of Wikipedia

In this interview, one of the things Hanson talks about is how they have to work really hard in order to be an independent band. They talk about how they stay busy making albums, doing shows, as well as investing money elsewhere. For example, they have a Hanson coffee (Kikombe Cha Kutoa), Hanson chocolates, a Hanson beer (Mmmhops), and a Hanson Monoploy game (Hansonopoly). They talk about how they could just spend their money on really fancy things, but how in the long run, that’s not safe for independent artists who want to continue being “full-time” musicians. They emphasize the importance of investing in other things as a back-up plan.

I think this interview is important for anyone who wants to be and stay an independent artist. I still haven’t released my CD yet, and I’ve only done one show so far, so obviously, I am nowhere near even considering being a “full-time” musician (I need to eat of course! 😉 ) But, if there ever were an opportunity for me to just do music (my greatest dream of all!!), this interview made me realize that even if I were to achieve that dream, it would be extremely important to do other things in addition to my music. If Hanson is successful and is doing this, it’s kind of a clue that if you are doing it all on your own, you need to work your butt off too.

So am I okay with the fact that once I finish my CD I need to work really hard if I want to succeed as an independent artist? If it means I can create and perform music that is true to me, I AM IN 🙂