Whether you're an independent musician, alternative, artist, indie band, indie pop artist or indie rap etc, we al have one thing in common. We love music. we love it so much that we would take low paying gigs or free ones just so that we could do that thing we like, when we are alone/at home, we are obsessing over how to get better. Listening to and emulating the people we respect.
Constant imposter syndrome is a daily activity. Why am I making music? Who am I to think that I can succeed in any way if so many are already above me. Thing is the love for the music always wins in the end. So even on days where it is hard to go on, the fact that you can create at all, is enough energy to keep shooting your shot so to speak. I make music in my head constantly. Doing it in the studio is almost a way to scratch the itch.
On the other hand, we suffer from a kind of peculiar optimism that can seem like hubris to most. To keep doing something without seeing instant results is not something that many people are used to. It is uncomfortable. That being said the discomfort quickly goes away once we get a good idea, its like all the suffering was worth it, even if the song only gets three plays, that will suck, but there is a sense of accomplishment in what you made, perhaps why we can take it a bit hard when our music isn't received as well as we hoped, but still we continue. Life is full of adventures and failures for a creative, for we're often following a unique path. Even two musicians who are friends will have different experiences while doing the same things.
Life is character building for you as a creative if you let it. There is a lot of EGO in creativity, trying to get your point across and spending tonnes of time honing your craft can make you feel justified in certain ways but always remember that you are a student of art and I feel like things go way smoother that way. Knowing that you will fail and your ideas may suck or seem like they suck is all part of the journey. To new indie bands and unsigned artists, the rewards you will reap may not be obvious at first. Because I didn't have access to certain resources and tools, I was forced by circumstance to learn how to do a lot of things myself and many years in the future I am really grateful for the things I have learned and that i now know because I'm better equipped for success, I know how to take a no. I can build the entire track myself I don't need to find a mastering or mixing engineer or find somebody to record for me. I can just Do all aspects of the creation and ultimately have way better control of my final vision.
So in essence, life is pretty dynamic as a creative. You make choices that many people may be afraid to. You spend time on things that seemingly only matter to you, it can be a frustrating and lonely road but only because your fans don't know about you yet. Once The right people discover you, you'll find that your effort really was worth it the entire time, You just couldn't see the outcome straight away