Watch the YouTube version here.

In the early days of my journey into the music production business, I found a companion in an unlikely form: the 'Six Figure Home Studio' podcast. Picture this - me, headphones on, pushing a lawnmower, clocking in over 40 hours a week, all the while digesting nuggets of wisdom this podcast had to offer. It had a buttload actionable insights for anyone looking to rise through the ranks (also, shoutout Passion Smassion).

One particular insight that stood out to me, after much skepticism, was the concept of a 'client avatar'. Now, I know what you're thinking. It sounds like one of those high-concept, jargon-loaded ideas that's easy to dismiss. Trust me, I was right there with you.

Here's the scenario: you're just starting out, barely putting together a client base, and someone tells you to create an 'ideal client'. It feels like being asked to paint a masterpiece without ever having held a brush. Absurd, right? And yet, as I embraced the challenge, I found myself creating 'Malik'. 

Malik was my imaginary ideal client - a 21-year-old barista with dreams of making music that resonates with people. He had his fair share of challenges, from finding the right studio that gets his sound, to managing the promotion of his music as a one-man show. And to bring this concept to life, I built a detailed 'client avatar' in Notion. Here's a client avatar Notion template for you to check out.

Malik became my secret weapon. I remembered him when I was swamped with less-than-ideal clients during my first cold outreach. He reminded me not to settle for working with people I didn't truly want to work with. After all, we're in a creative field. Creativity thrives on mutual respect and shared visions. If you're an artist, you can create a "producer avatar" as well, which would define who you want to work with in the future.

So here's to all the Maliks out there. Here's to understanding that having an 'ideal' isn't about chasing an illusion, but about finding your north star amidst the chaos.

Until next time, stay inspired ✌️

H