This week’s newsletter is another mindset related one (as opposed to something specifically marketing related) however it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.

In my day to day life, in and out of work, I’ve been seeing a lot of negative stigma around the idea of failure.

This newsletter highlights:

• Reframing the idea of failure

Let’s dive in ⬇️

Okay so…boom. Without sounding like another one of these internet thought leaders (lol) I think society, the entertainment industry, and we as people in general need to reframe the idea of failure. In recent weeks…from content I see on social media, conversations with colleagues in the industry, and what seems like a general overall sentiment of negativity toward trying something and failing, failure has a bad rep.

People are getting clowned or made fun of for trying a new skill, hobby, behavior, strategy, etc and getting shamed or made fun of if it didn’t work out or they didn’t see the success they wanted.

Artists getting made fun of because the music they’ve been releasing hasn’t connected yet.

Content creators feeling like they’re “failing” because none of the pieces of content they’ve put out have caught traction or seen the kind of success they want.

An entrepreneur being shamed or guilted because their new venture didn’t work out.

As I kept seeing this reoccurring theme throughout all these different areas of life I couldn’t help but think…how can you hate on someone for trying?

Trying means they were bold enough to take action on something that was likely challenging, scary, or difficult and actually attempted it. They were courageous enough to put themselves in a position of being uncomfortable.

That artist took action on releasing those songs…it just hasn’t connected yet.

That content creator took action creating that content…the lack of anything catching steam doesn’t make them a failure and if they are considering their efforts a failure, they at least tried.

I see this idea a lot in the music industry - people looking down upon what they deem to be “failed artists” or “creators” who in their eyes are releasing music or content but nothing has connected yet.

To fail at something you need to actually try it. Key word being try!

Trying something means you took action.

Most people are too afraid of what other people think to actually take any action.

I think it’s a really interesting reframe and one that’s applicable to almost anyone, regardless of the industry or business they are in. Particularly so for creatives who sometimes measure their worth or value based on the results of the art that they put out.

It’s so easy to categorize -

• Art released into the world that gains attention = success

• Art released into the world that hasn’t gained attention yet = failure

Most entrepreneurs fail before they experience break throughs.

Most athletes “fail” based on these theories.

The average batting average for an MLB player in the Hall of Fame is .303. That means hitting 3 out of every 10 times, or missing 7.

The average field goal percentage in the NBA is .451 which means players miss more than they make. They “fail” more often than not but shooters keep shooting.

The music industry, and entertainment industry at large, could benefit from rethinking how we think about failure.

Thanks for reading, until next time.