“Your image is more important than your music.“ Have you ever heard that? Some Christian artists say “It doesn’t matter what I look like. Everybody should be looking at Jesus.” Maybe your audience should be looking at Jesus, but you’re the one on stage and they’re looking at you. For this reason, your image — the way you look — matters. We as human beings make assumptions based on what we see. What does your style say about you? Is it the message you want to portray? What does your personal style say about you and your music? Why is it important to match your personal style to your style of music?
At a concert I attended last year, I remember an artist walked to the front of the room and got ready to sing. I made an immediate assumption about her style of music based in the way she was dressed. When she began to sing, a completely different style came out. I thought ”traditional gospel” when her style was actually more of a contemporary smooth jazz sound. When I closed my eyes and listened to her sing, I saw someone who looked like Lauren Hill. When I opened my eyes, she looked more like Shirley Caesar or Tramaine Hawkins.
Why is it important to match personal style to your style of music?
It’s a part of your brand and message. As an independent artist, you need to create a brand to separate you from all the other independent artists out there. It’s a distraction from your music and message if you don’t look the part.
It makes you recognizable to your fans. Remember Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing? She was self-conscious about her nose so she got a nose job after the movie. What she didn’t realize was that her nose was part of her brand. After the nose job, she was unrecognizable and couldn’t get a job in movies again.
[text-blocks id=”199″ slug=”revenue-streams” plain=”1″]
I asked recording artist, Trish Standley, about it and here’s her advice:
How do I choose a personal style?
- Study artists in your genre
- Study popular artists and find a happy medium.
- Incorporate things you like that can be a part of your physical brand (flowers, a style of hat, scarves, etc.)
- Seek someone out if you don’t have fashion sense. To save money, find a student in a college who can help. You can work out a barter where they help you with your style and you can be a part of their portfolio.
- Try an up-and-coming designer.
- If you choose a stylist, choose one who can go through your closet and put pieces together that you already have to create a look.
Do you have any tips for sticking to a personal style once chosen?
Matching your image to your style of music takes study and time. Whatever image you choose should translate to your pictures, videos, public appearances, etc. Never go to an event without looking like you do in your photos. Make sure you can afford the look you’re portraying in your photos so that you can maintain it. You should stick with it for at least 3-4 years. If you change your image, do it slowly so you stay recognizable.
About Trish
Trish Standley has been a recording artist since 2009 when she released her first album. Her mother is a master seamstress who made Trish’s wedding dress. When Trish was 15, she was put into modeling school to help her overcome her low self-esteem. Trish went to school for fashion merchandising but eventually changed her major to marketing. She’s been interested in fashion from a young age. “There’s so much freedom in fashion.”
Trish hosts fashion shows and speaking engagements on the dos and don’ts of fashion. She serves as a consultant to independent artists and others seeking fashion and shopping advice. Her radio show, Style with Trysh, airs Sundays at 6pm EST on the Survival Radio Network.
[text-blocks id=”199″ slug=”revenue-streams” plain=”1″]