Music Pool Berlin part one: five mental health tips for musicians

In the first of our two-part round-up, we share 5 things we learnt at our collaborative panel talk with Music Pool Berlin - from knowing your business to dealing with labels.

It’s no secret: although it’s great to be professionally engaged with your passion, the very nature of the music industry brings with it a framework that makes us vulnerable as human beings. As Help Musicians UK’s recent study reported, musicians are three times more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than the average (UK) population. Factors at play include precariousness of living conditions, merging of personal identity with profession, working late and inconsistent hours, alcohol and drugs, heavy touring schedules and simply never switching off.

Over-plucked till self-destruct: How can musicians avoid becoming an instrument to be played by the opportunistic music business – and, moreover, maintain a healthy creative mindset? As we learnt at this year’s Dialogues mental health series, coming together to talk about these issues  – taking ownership of them, even – is the best way to bring about change.

Last month, we continued the conversation in a collaborative panel talk with Music Pool Berlin, an invaluable organisation which supports musicians with practical resources and advice. “When I read the study and heard that dBs Berlin [now Catalyst] was organizing an event series on the topic,” said our moderator, cultural producer and curator Andrea Goetzke, “I got the idea to also organise one of our Music Pool Berlin community evenings on the topic of mental health and music.”

Our fantastic panellists were: electronic artist Emika, artist manager and agency owner Andy Inglis, !K7 head of artist management and former label owner Rachael Patterson, and philosophical advisor and coach Florian Goldberg. Bringing together extensive knowledge from all corners of the music industry, they discussed the health issues that arise, how we can take better care of ourselves and others, and what we can do to turn detrimental working conditions and structural issues on their head.

Read on for the first of our two-part round-up.

But in an industry where branding is everything, is there any way we combat this? According to Emika, it’s all about keeping a distance: “Emika is like a glove,” she said. “I created certain guidelines that I could put on and take off.” One of the rules Emika is most strict about is not sharing anything personal online: “I don’t focus on what I share with people around me; it’s around my music.” And Andy agreed: “It’s very healthy to be able to separate yourself from your public-facing career or identity, even if they are linked in every way.”

The best way to regain control over your life, Florian advised, is “for an individual is to ask, what can I do to change things where I am?” “For artists, it’s good to make your own plan,” he continued, “then do it and follow it up and find the people who are willing to collaborate with you.” In the end, it’s all about prioritising your own well-being. “If you keep your eyes on the prize, it really doesn’t matter what comments people throw at you,” Emika added, “you have to just be focused on what you want and know why you’re doing it.”

Forgoing the traditional management structure, Emika told us, she created a business persona where she is comfortable “talking about a lot of money and convincing a CEO that they should back [her].” And taking three days out to do her accounting doesn’t mean she can’t still get inspired. “I put on music and catch up with listening while I’m doing my accounting,” she revealed, “so I always find a way to somehow be inspired even though I may just be doing business stuff.” Finally, Emika advised, never assume that others know better than you: “there’s a lot to be said about going with your gut.” If a meeting or a business deal doesn’t work out, don’t take it personally; “just move onto the next thing.”

Still not keen to do all the business stuff? That’s okay. According to Rachael, transparent models that allow the artist to make choices about how their money is used “are starting to exist and starting to be quite helpful.” You’ve still gotta have your head screwed on though.

In Florian’s opinion, artists shouldn’t feel pressure to follow the conventional path as there are always alternative ways to carve out a successful creative career. “Don’t be too impressed by the expectations,” he said, “ask yourself, 'what is it that I want to do with my life? What do I want to contribute? What niche could I find and settle in there and do my thing?'”

What it’s lacking though, she says, is the money to get the project off the ground: “Maybe music studios with lots of money should support projects like this, or fund studio equipment. If we can’t break the old industry, then we should help artists do it for themselves.” And, of course, as Emika suggested, if you can leverage your fan base, you can also earn a little extra cash from platforms like Bandcamp, Patreon and YouTube.

Want to gain more mental health and music industry insights from our panellists? Click here to read the second part of our Music Pool Berlin x Catalyst Music (formerly dBs Berlin) panel round-up with five more things we learnt – from the importance of creating a good routine to dealing with drugs and alcohol.