10 tips on how to be a successful public performer and at the same time remain as private as possible

Can privacy work in the modern music industry ? Would an artist who doesn’t show their face, doesn’t do many interviews, doesn’t engage much in social media still have a successful career ?

A persona is a powerful thing to market, and yes, many use it, and the music industry encourages it, even pushes it, so personal privacy becomes harder to achieve however - it is not impossible.

So, how to be a successful public performer and at the same time remain as private as possible ?

If you need to use your real name, and obviously if you are appearing on world's stages under your real name you have to use it, here are my 10 tips on how to achieve it:

1. Be VERY SELECTIVE with where and how you appear. Limit your public exposure to ONLY what is necessary for your career.

2. Use social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to post ONLY about your work and related to your work activities !

3. If you are an instrumental musician, don't feel the need to show your face or use your voice. Use recorded sound materials exclusively.

4. Limit and control social media platform activities by declining invitations to groups or pages that could compromise your privacy.

5. Do not accept friendship requests from people you don't know.

6. Do NOT post ANY information that is related to your personal life, including photos, videos, names of places visited, names of family members and friends, dates, relationships etc.

7. Post only SOME of the KEY INFORMATION about your performances, travels, working schedules. Those who want to hear you perform or want to collaborate with you - will find you !!! Trust me on that.

8. Do not share your project ideas with ANYONE ! Ever ! Keep your projects completely private while you are creating them ! There will be a plenty of time and opportunities to share your project with your audience when it is completed.

9. If you need some external help with promoting your work then seek it in the circle of respected colleagues/institutions and/or trusted friends. Do not share their names though with anyone.

10. For your professional bio and promotion use a trusted website which you can control rather than social platforms which you cannot control and where your content could be stolen or copied, and your accounts hacked (It sadly happened to me. Read about it here: https://xeniazilli.wixsite.com/music-healing/post/hacked-facebook-account).

Now, to answer the above question: Yes, it is possible to be a successful public performer and at the same time remain as private as possible.

Statistics say that 3/4 of the great artists and great performers are the people many have never heard of (still enough people to fill the concert halls to the last seat to listen to their performances). Being popular and famous is not a proof or greatness ! Now, is it possible to be popular and great though ? Of course it is ! But that comes at a cost. Sometimes at a great cost. Are you willing to pay it ? The choice is always yours, of course.

And finally, here is the last question: "Do you love the art in yourself, or yourself in the art ?"

~ Constantin Stanislavski

Great art happens when you get over and beyond yourself and connect authentically to it and the moment of expressing it. A humble, explorative, curious discovery of the art is the right approach to greatness in performances.

Popularity and the number of followers on social media have nothing to do with that ! So if you wish to protect your privacy while being a public performer - I hope my suggestions based on decades of experience will help you.

FINAL QUESTION and a SIDE NOTE: It all depends how you define success as a public performer and what is important to you.

Is it loving the art in yourself, living to discover it, master it, refine it, enjoying the process of creation, be transformed by it and finally yes, share it with others, or is it you in the center of that art that seeks and enjoys publicity and attention, number of 'likes' on social media, number of followers; getting caught up in your own image, popularity, and the external hype surrounding your work ?

True, the later could seems like a success. To many it does. However, the self centered performances although they might appear technically skilled, will always and ultimately lack depth, authenticity and raw, genuine presence simply because the artist is more concerned with how they appear than with genuinely experiencing and conveying the work.

So, if you are a performing artist - how do you define success ? What does it mean to you ?

© Alternative Approach to Music: Inspiring - Healing - Empowering, Xenia Elizabeth Zilli