Ask for little. Do a lot.
Ok, I admit. Hashtags are weird, overused, and sometimes even annoying. But, there is a time and a place for them. For someone [ahem] looking to market something [cough] and stand out in a crowded marketplace, they can be used to make sure a lot of potentially interested people see your posts and learn more about what you’re doing — or trying to do.
And when used properly, they serve an honorable purpose.
When I launched Magic Room Brand to offer musicians everywhere a viable option for sustainable accessories, I wanted to use a hashtag as inspiration, something that was a mantra to represent the brand — not so much about what is made, but instead, what is made possible.
The hashtag needed to be personal. It needed to be a call to action. It needed to simplify a more profound thought, and it needed to be less about products and more about the philosophy of the brand and ideal customers.
#bewhatyoumake
After much deliberation, that’s where I ended up.
Be what you make. It’s a simple call to action that really only asks two things:
- Create stuff. (Stuff can be rad).
- Don’t be a poser. (Posers are never rad).
If you make art, be art. If you make music, be music. Hell, if you make crap, then yeah…go ahead and be crap.
The key is that the hashtag does more than it asks. It’s intent is to be a rallying cry for creative souls everywhere. But, it has a secret other purpose, too. It’s a daily reminder for me to fully put myself into whatever I am doing at any given moment. Inspired work stands out…you always know it when you see it.
With starting a music supply business, my main goal was — and is — to provide value to musicians through beautifully designed products that let them proudly do what they love to do. Asking to be a part of someone’s passion is a HUGE ask, and I don’t take the opportunities to do that lightly. If I want to build something that deserves to be a part of people’s passion, then I need to be someone that deserves that chance, too. It really is just that simple.
Respect for those that are out there doing it, being it
Some of you might know what the NAMM show is. It’s the largest music industry trade show and it’s happening now in Anaheim, CA. I couldn’t make it out there this year, so I sent two Magic Room Brand endorsed artists to the show on my — and the brand’s — behalf. Jimmy and Matt are hard-working, humble, creative souls that perfectly personify the brand, the hashtag, and are exactly the kind of people for whom I continue to build this business.
These guys are out there living it, being it, and making it and I couldn’t think of more inspired artists to be at the show in my absence. These guys don’t just represent the brand, they are the brand.
What do you make?
We all make something, whether on purpose, on accident, or just by circumstance. When you’re making something you’re passionate about, how hard do you go?
It’s easy to say you have to be “all in” when you do anything, but let’s be honest…it’s not reasonable. I propose editing that to where we go “all in” when we’re doing what we feel we are born to do. Our calling…our true passion.
My hashtag isn’t about selling gear…it’s about living a life that invests every ounce of your being into your passion — whatever it might be.
Thanks to Jimmy and Matt for being straight up #awesome all the time.
For everyone else, I know passion activities take time and are hard to keep up with. When you do make the time, go all in. Passions deserve it.
#bewhatyoumake
