The New Way of Artistry — Interview with Meneka Senn
From October 2019 to January 2020, I have spent most of my time besides school on an experimental opera tour on Mozart’s The Magic Flute (De Toverfluit) with Silbersee and Toneelmakerij, in which I had the chance to know a team of talented and dedicated artists. One of them was soprano Meneka Senn, who played the role of Pamina, the daughter of Queen of the Night. We have had great times in the dressing rooms during the 40 performances in the country and one of the topics we both are very passionate about was how to open more doors for growing musicians like us.
During the tour, I also got to learn that Meneka has been developing her own musician’s blog, the-journey-is-yours.com/, with many online engagements, and at the same time, managing the performing and organizing work as an active musician. It has always been a big question for me how the music industry will evolve as we proceed to the next generation of technology. And I believe there are limitless opportunities for musicians to lead a stressless life if we adapt to the ever-changing world. As a beginner of this journey, it is very interesting to see someone walking a few steps ahead who has the eyesight and bravery to create a different path from the others. Therefore, I have invited Meneka to join us with an interview for this edition of #KonContinue!
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Meneka Senn: HEY MOM!!!! [I was playing her mother in the opera tour]
Viola Cheung: [Laughs] Hey daughter!!! How are you doing?
I am well and healthy. You?
Me too, but I am longing for my haircut as summer is coming!
Oh yes, we will have so much more time to relax this summer, suddenly! What are your plans?
I will probably continue working on my final project for my studies as it will now be postponed and I have more time to perfect it. Are your projects affected as well?
They are! The opera festival in Lithuania and the opera festival in Holland I have been working for… both not happening. It’s a pity. But everybody has these kind of really sad stories of beautiful projects that are just… gone now.
I am so sorry for that. Especially for artists, a project can mean months or years of preparations, and involves dozens of people.
Exactly. We really hope that they can happen somehow in the future. How about the opera project you were supposed to sing in? Was it postponed as well?
Yes, I am glad that we will have a chance to stage it next year. I try to think of this as a chance to grow and rethink things for a better shot.
You are so right! It’s when everything slows down, we have time to reflect and contemplate.
This situation really reminds me of the chats we had in the dressing room months ago. You know, about your blog and online business…It was such a smart act to put the eggs in different baskets!
I know! We have been talking about this so much and you knew my opinion that musicians should be more involved online, because we are so vulnerable in our job field. Now, because of the pandemic, more and more artists and freelancers phoned or emailed me for help and advice. I can really see distress in my colleagues and the desire of getting a backup source of income has grown so much in just a short time.
It is really mind-blowing. Why don’t we generally think about getting backup plans as artists, or at least until recently?
I think it’s because during our musical education, we are not really taught to prepare for what happens after our graduation. I mean, the reality of what can happen. For example, we all are trained to prepare for auditions in great opera houses or orchestras, and perceive our own success in relation to these goals. While it can be an encouragement or a goal to move forward, it’s not the most realistic scene and definitely, not suitable for every music student. And many times, even if we can make our way singing and dancing our favorite roles in different countries, the rate of payment in some places or productions still cannot fully support our living in the Netherlands, for instance. But due to the highly demanding nature of our field, we tend to put most of our efforts on our crafts.
I can totally relate here. How did you recognize and start to make a change for yourself?
It was when I started to think, what if I want more flexibility in life, like buying an apartment or a car. Only with my freelance musician job, I just wasn’t sure if that was enough. I also run a music organization, Yala Music, myself and in order to fund the projects we want to do and pay my colleagues well, I need a stable stream of income to keep it running. It was really sad for me to see some of my colleagues at some points in their lives, maybe having a family, decide to give up singing and switch their career into something totally different in order to have financial stability. That’s why I started research and taking courses on online marketing. I then found out that it can allow me to do what I love and at the same time, gives me extra securities, as we can decide how to allocate our time and other resources as we want. When I first realized this, I was like: Oh my God! All artists should know about this!!
Yes, that’s true! But do we have to be very technically talented to start an online business?
When I first started my education about digital marketing and online entrepreneurship, my knowledge was so far from that world. I remember when I had my first webinar, I didn’t expect my mentor was on the screen and I thought he would see me in my pyjamas. I ducked under the table in fear before I found out how it worked. You see, I was such a technical nitwit!
[Laugh] That sounds like a scary experience… and how long ago was it?
It was Sep 2018, one and a half years ago. I think it doesn’t matter where you are starting from, but what’s, indeed important is the mindset that we choose to have. We may not notice this. But very often, musicians are fostered to own the “competitive mindset” in order to thrive or survive in the business. In contrast, a “creative mindset” is what can help us make better art and live in a place of abundance instead of lack. By then, we can always start from giving value instead of comparing between each other.
I can see what you have just mentioned in your blog which aims to help musicians along the way, like how to do an audition that we can be proud of, and overcoming limiting thoughts and rejections. I think you are setting a really good example that can benefit everyone! How do your colleagues react when they see your new blogs?
From time to time, I will hear people telling me they really like to read my blog. There was a while, when we were rehearsing for De Toverfluit, I didn’t have time to update and when I was back, there were messages like “Oh! You are finally back!”. Sometimes people will also ask me if I can talk about a certain topic they would like to read. I will adjust to their needs. And of course now, I write about online entrepreneurship on my blog more than I did before, because they are the most helpful and relatable topics at the moment.
I think it is such a great position to be, combining your identity as a musician and an online entrepreneur. Not only it is supporting your living but also supporting everyone to live up to their dreams and open up a new horizon!
That’s true! There are so many communities online. So when we put ourselves out there, we are aligning ourselves with different people all over the globe, which otherwise we would have never met. We no longer have limits in the knowledge we learn, or in the audiences we can reach, but have much more choices of people who are on the same page as us. Indeed, in the course I am developing about the entrepreneurial mindset and mindset transformation, I also talk about the 5 questions concerning your environment, followed by behavior, capabilities, beliefs and perception of identity. It is like if you want to quit smoking, you will not spend your time with smokers. Because connecting with people, who resonate with whom you want to be, is crucial for our own transformations, online platforms can be great tools for us to achieve personal growth.
Do you see that more and more content makers on the internet will be “competitors” in the future and we might be too late if we have not yet started?
I never felt that way since there are endless possibilities on the internet. It is like exploring the universe, there is no such thing of a boundary as long as we get creative. I have suggested several ways to monetize on the internet in one of my blog posts, but there are way more than what I can count. We just have to be creative and always think about giving value… And you know what? You don’t need to have the biggest following to earn decent money. You only need to be who you are and stay connected to your message and your true audience.
What great news! As you mentioned about the course you are developing, are there any plans of you sharing your experience and knowledge in this field to conservatory students?
I am now working on a course for the conservatoire in Tilburg, where I graduated. Actually, they have a very nice entrepreneurship course for masters students already. Yet, I have to come to the conclusion that the key to be a successful and honest entrepreneur is our mindset. That’s why I am developing a mindset course for performing artists and I really hope to treat it as a starting point, and bring the concepts to more young artists in the future.
That would be amazing. I like to see these courses as the bridge between education and the real working field. What would be the first thing you will tell musicians stepping out from school?
I cannot stress this enough, musicians should always see themselves as a business or a brand. As we are making music, we are, at the same time, selling something like everyone else: your talent, your unique identity, the message you convey, etc. Therefore, we cannot be strangers to financial education and the commercialized world. To be honest, I really believe musicians have the qualities to be good entrepreneurs. Think about all the practice, auditions and performances we do. They have taught us how to stand up on our feet no matter what difficulties or failures we had, and keep a cool head upon criticisms that may or may not serve us. These are actually what big entrepreneurs do as well! I would say, always remember the valuable qualities you have: perseverance, flexibility, creativity, truthfulness…They will give us lights even in adverse times like this.
Definitely. It is a game changer once we realise making music is the first but not the last part of our job. As the last question, what is it in your life that helps you achieve a balanced lifestyle as a freelance musician and an online entrepreneur?
Maybe you’ll be surprised, I still keep a schedule book that I handwrite! Discipline is what really matters. And to make things easier, I find just by having morning and evening routines to structure the beginning and the end of the day, can help so much in managing the rest of the day, since the clear mind you have in these moments can help you be productive and make your work easier and fun during the day! I like to do some yoga, meditation and breathing exercises in the morning and very importantly, I adopt the “no phone policy” for both mornings and evenings. It can be such a “detox” for the mind and has made me feel much more focused, well-rested and self-respected. By the way, let me recommend the book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, by Deepak Chopra to all of you. The beautiful concept of combining spirituality and success is what I love about this book. Now, I am leading a reading group of a few singers and we are going over one chapter every three days. It is really enlightening to see how this book works with them in terms of changing mindset and habits.
Wow. I would love to get this book as well! Thank you so much for these inspirations! It is a joy to talk with you and I can’t wait to share your ideas to other musicians!
It is really fun to chat with you again! Hope it really helps and everyone, stay safe and well!
Thank you and you too!
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Meneka has shared more on mindset and online entrepreneurship for artists in her blog and online course. Here are some suggested readings for your interests!
Homepage of the blog: https://the-journey-is-yours.com/
Practical tips for artists: https://the-journey-is-yours.com/tips-tricks/
Ways to monetize online: https://the-journey-is-yours.com/2020/04/13/5-online-business-ideas/
More on inspiration and motivation: https://www.instagram.com/thejourneyisyours/
