Mission, Vision, and Values: The Foundation of Your Artist Brand

First of all, hi! I’m Gerard Longo, and I’m the marketing/SEO guy here at Music on the Move Studios. You may also know me as the Founder/CEO of Underground Music Collective, a digital music resource and multimedia services company based in Nashville.

Alongside those roles, I’m also an artist coach, and I was invited to share a little bit of insight behind my work. So, let’s start from the top…

Most of us begin the creative journey by trying to figure out what to do, or how to do it. Rarely do we begin by asking ourselves "why?"

In my opinion, “why” is the most important question. Our “why” is our North Star; our compass for what we want to create in the world. It helps us focus our time and energy — including those spent on our creative pursuits — on activities that bring us further into alignment with ourselves. It is the focused foundation on which our platform must be built.

I developed UMC Coaching to help creative entrepreneurs — musicians and otherwise — identify their “why,” based on 10 years as an independent creative. We do this, so that the goals they set and the opportunities they create fit into alignment with their overall goals.

How do we do that? It all starts with identifying your mission, vision, and values:

• Mission: What were you put on Earth to create? What do you feel called to do?

• Vision: How does your mission appear in the world? What does it look like? Sound like? Feel like? Who’s on the journey with you? How is the world left better for your creation?

• Values: What core beliefs give meaning to your mission and vision? (I would argue that this is the most important piece!)

From there, we can develop our stories to reflect our core truths, and set and execute goals that align with them.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’d be happy to chat with you. Reach out and book a call with me!