Why I stopped DIYing

I’m a very literal person. The “do it yourself” lifestyle was extremely appealing to me because as a scrappy kid that had to rely on myself from a very young age, it helped reinforce the narrative that I can handle everything on my own. I did this for a long time. I went to seminars. I read books. I went to conferences. I studied. In the end I became a little bit of all of these things:

• music business lawyer

• self-help enthusiast

• website builder

• photographer

• video editor

• stylist

• teacher

• writer

• audio engineer

• booker

• manager

• social media manager

• producer

• and somewhere way down there, a musician. The reminder usually came after a very exhausting concert that I wasn’t prepared for because after booking the gig, sourcing the musicians, advertising it, getting ready, prepping my set list, getting charts ready for the band, and figuring out how to get to the venue with all my gear and unload my car alone while the car sits alone in a questionable part of the city, I didn’t have an ounce of energy left to put on a good show.

I know what you’re thinking. “That’s not how you do it, Hal.”

I know that now. And truly, this post could be called, “I misunderstood.”

My word for 2021 is COLLABORATION. Work with people who are photographers. Get some great photos. Work with people who are good with social media. Get more followers. Work with musicians who are invested in your music, and you won’t have to do it all yourself.

Once I realized where I erred, things changed. Now, I have a process, and I have a team. I have a group of people I go to to help me realize my vision and goals, and I feel really excited about it.

No more DIY. No one really does it by themselves. It’s ridiculous to think you can handle all of these jobs and do a good job without serious training and investment. Nowadays I have a whole lotta help to make my dreams come true. So here’s my new acronym this year: DIWH (do it with help).