💡✍️ADN #117: The Failure in Fitting In

Most artists start their careers with a simple but deadly instinct: blend in.

They study what’s trending, mimic what’s working, and chase approval like the last sip of water in the desert.

They play it safe because safe feels like the smart choice.

But here’s the truth: fitting in is the fastest path to being ignored.

The Myth of Playing It Safe

Somewhere along the way, you were told that success means checking the right boxes.

• Sound like what’s on the radio.
• Dress like the biggest artists in your genre.
• Write songs that feel familiar because familiar sells.

It’s a nice idea.

It’s also 100% bullshit.

Because the artists who actually break through don’t fit in.

They fit out.

They polarize.

They take risks.

They make people feel something — love, hate, anything but indifference.

They don’t just find an audience.

They create one.

The Danger of the Middle

The middle is the most dangerous place in the industry.

• If your music is “pretty good,” it’s forgettable.
• If your branding is “nice,” it’s invisible.
• If your message is “for everyone,” it connects with no one.

People don’t rally around safe.

They rally around bold, different, and unapologetically real.

And if you’re thinking, But what if I turn some people off? — good.

You should.

Because if nobody dislikes what you’re doing, nobody loves it either.

The Artist’s Real Job

Your job isn’t to be liked by everyone.

Your job is to be so uniquely you that the right people feel like they need what you create.

You do that by:

• Saying something that actually matters.
• Making music that sounds like you, not a watered-down version of someone else.
• Committing so fully to your artistic vision that people either get it or don’t — but can’t ignore it.

That’s how cult followings are built.

That’s how careers are made.

The Challenge

Look at your music, your brand, your message.

Where are you playing it safe?

Where are you trying to fit in instead of owning what makes you different?

Then ask yourself: How would I show up if I had nothing to lose?

Now, do that.

Because the world doesn’t need another artist who fits in.

See you next Sunday,

Neil

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