We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erica Lane a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Erica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I’m going to reinvent the question, because I exist in both worlds. “How do you successfully practice your artistry while working a full time job?” During certain periods, I’ve worked exclusively as an artist/creative, and in other stages of life I’ve maintained a regular day job. In the last five years, I have married the two and am able to pursue a lucrative career in music while enjoying a rewarding occupation as a church music director. It took me years to realize that I could do both effectively, but the first thing I had to do was place my priorities in order.
Since I graduated college, there were certain years I taught choir in schools and other years where I only focused on producing and performing music. The former afforded me a humble but steady paycheck with benefits, while the latter was an absolute risk and based on income from projects and touring. I found that when I worked a regular job, I longed to be immersed in artistry. And when I focused solely on my artistry, I longed for financial stability. Over those years of going back and forth, I was inadvertently honing my skills of leadership in the world of education AND in the world of music performance and collaboration.
After marrying and becoming a mom, I became a worship leader and music director at a downtown protestant church, where I am now able to reap the benefits of utilizing my creativity and train and teach others in music. I also continue to release music and tour from time to time, but I am careful to schedule it in a way that does not interfere with my full time job.
My family is my top priority, therefore my job is an important part of contributing to their well-being. My music career is still high on the list and brings incredible opportunities to myself and others, but it is flexible while my “day job” is fixed. Being an independent artist with a full time job allows me to be both entrepreneurial and systematic, working at the pace that suits my needs and fits around my fixed schedule.
I believe God gifted me with musicianship, not only to create music and share it with others, but also to help other musicians have meaningful experiences.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My mission is to bring joy to people through music–to provide an outlet in the midst of a fast-paced life. From the Billboard Charts to movie soundtracks to live concerts, my arrangements and original songs have made their way into the hearts of listeners around the world. Described as a multi-genre artist with a powerful voice, I have a knack for invoking emotion and inspiration when I sing to a crowd or record in the studio. My ultimate passion is for God, and all good things come from Him, so I believe music is a gift for everyone. Not only do I enjoy songwriting and singing, I also love conducting choirs and ensembles. One of my favorite things in the world is to be united with other singers and share the musical journey of an extraordinary piece together with them.
How did you build your audience on social media?
One thing I resisted for a long time was regular sharing on social media. I didn’t take the time to really connect with listeners beyond posting about a release or performance. In the last year I’ve been more intentional about showing my audience the personal side of me, and it is making a difference. I grab video snippets of behind-the-scenes rehearsals and conversations with other musicians, and I find that people enjoy learning what goes on behind music-making and what motivates the artist in everyday life. So it is my goal to continue to be more transparent to my audience moving forward, which in turn helps to grow my social media presence.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn the reason I do music. Let me explain. When I was younger, I couldn’t stop thinking about getting a huge record deal and singing to massive crowds and selling platinum records. I was a typical young aspiring artist who wanted to make it big. But the problem was that I was creating music for my own desires, and that could only take me so far, because I wasn’t creating music for the benefit of others. I was frustrated half the time because I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it. But eventually I came to understand that music is meant to be shared, and when God called me to a vocation in music, it wasn’t for me alone to reap all the benefits–He designed me to bless others with it. So after more than a decade of striving to be a star, I went through a personal traumatic experience that woke me up and helped me realign my priorities. I realized that PEOPLE are more important than music, thus bringing opportunities to others can be personally fulfilling, and it can open up new and better opportunities when I care about other artists and learn from them.
Image Credits
James Campos