AEWest Spotlight: Charlie PS
Our AEWest program begins in just a few weeks and while applications are still open we are sharing a few past participants experiences and successes.
How have you grown as a musician since AEWest?
Since AEWest I feel like my confidence as an artist has grown. Now, I don’t just see myself as a performing artist but a businesswoman and an entrepreneur.
What was your biggest takeaway?
My biggest takeaway from AE West was the important lesson of time management and SMART goals. Before the program, not only was I lacking the information to move forward with my career, but I didn’t know where to start on managing all the goals I had for the future and how to take the steps to achieve them.
What was the most valuable lesson?
The most valuable lesson given from AEWest is the understanding of the music industry on a deeper level. I no longer feel lost and always one step behind the constantly changing industry but feel like I am moving forward right alongside it and excited for the changes as they come.
What advice would you give for someone thinking about taking AEWest?
The return investment through taking AEWest is immeasurable. Realizing that I can self-manage more aspects of my career than I ever imagined will go on to help me not only save my budget but also create personal industry connections and strengthen my confidence in myself as an artist and businessperson.
What was the most surprising thing you learned?
I was most surprised to learn how many of the other alumni felt the same sense of uncertainty as me when we first started the program. Social media has this way of making everyone around us seem so confident and sure of what they are doing, so to see other artists that were at a similar point in their career feeling the same way was incredibly relieving.
What challenged you the most?
The biggest challenge for me was brand identity and awareness, as this is the thing that I struggle with the most as an artist. This activity feels stressful and like you are putting yourself in a box; AEWest was able to break this process down into bite sized steps and explain that the ‘artist branding’ process can be one that’s constantly changing rather than this ultimate decision of who you want to be. What was the most meaningful moment of the program? The most meaningful part of the program was getting to connect with so many likeminded artists. It was relieving to discover I wasn’t the only one that felt totally lost on how to move forward with my career and now it’s so rewarding to see everyone from the program moving forward with what they learned from AEWest and gaining success and confidence in themselves as artists.
How have you been able to use what you’ve learned in your career?
To use what I learned from AEWest during my most recent release was something I was excited for. Learning the in’s and out’s of time management, release planning and self-ran PR and radio campaigns has made for an incredibly rewarding process during this release cycle. How did the program change the way you think about your business? AE West was the catalyst in how I started seeing the many ways of how I could develop my music as a business. They helped us explore the many potential avenues that help develop an artist and their music into a successful business and covered the entire process from business licenses to taxes to revenue streams.
How did the program prepare you for your next steps?
AEWest helped me not only navigate the impact that COVID-19 has had on the music industry but also provided me with valuable tools to help prepare for new releases, apply for funding and keeping my business as self manageable as possible; the ongoing mentorship they provide is a huge asset in the continuation of my success as an artist.
