Hack Artists

Origin story: When I was a junior in high school I was in a quintet for Solo & Ensemble. I was the sole first violinist, and the piece that we chose was definitely out of my ability level. I believe we only did the exposition of Beethoven's 18th string quartet. Our performance, as you might expect, did not go very well. 

I felt very ashamed that our performance went so poorly, but at least we finished together. The judge did like that we attempted actual repertoire, but we definitely should have picked something easier. The only thing I really remembered from the critique was when the judge basically called me a hack artist. That was something that really resonated with me, because if that performance you only saw from me, you would think the same thing. 

However, I did not let that one poor performance set me back. If anything, I was way more motivated to get better at being a violinist, and especially leading an ensemble. That summer and subsequent year, I really dedicated myself to getting better at the violin, at least to a level where I would be a significant leader in the orchestra. In my senior year was also when I had set my mind to go to school for music. Although I was too scared to apply for a real conservatory, I still ended up going to school for music and got a scholarship to play my violin. Although I am not going to school for violin performance, it is still a very important part of my college experience. 

However, I clearly didn't let go of the hack artist comment. I decided to use it as a part of me. When I first decided I wanted to make a band with my friends, I decided I wanted to do it all myself, so I created my own record label. Hack Artists. 

It is an independent record label, and I have to use DistroKid for distribution(follow my link for 7% discount), but it is still very much a record label. Running an independent record label as a wide-eyed, eager to learn 21 year old is a daunting task, but if you don't start and make mistakes, you'll never learn. 

If you can take anything from reading this it's to make mistakes, or as I like to say "fuck around and find out." Don't let what others say and think about you distract you from your own vision. Good luck, have fun.