We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Steven Lindsey a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Steven thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to think about what my purpose in the world would/should be. I have always been the type of person who believes in being a source of inspiration and support for those who I believe need just a little extra help. So when I finally got around to where I could use my purpose and helping people out I gravitated toward the community I belonged to, which is the LGBTQ+ community. With that, I created #IndieArtistSpotlight in which I promote black queer indie artists and interview them on Instagram live. I’ve always had a love for music and I believe that independent artists don’t get the same support as major artists do so why not be the person who can create a space in which these artists can get what they deserve? I had to do it. I will be transparent and say that there has been a couple of moments during this process where I lost myself and didn’t believe I could take on this project and be successful, but that didn’t last long, I started to see how many people started to connect with content and how much the artist were benefiting from the platform. So far I’ve promoted and interviewed 25+ artists, created musical playlists on all streaming services, and also created a solid foundation and relationships with each one of them. I wouldn’t change a thing about my experience thus far and I’m currently working on taking everything to the next level. The sky is the limit and I believe that my purpose will constantly evolve and give my life new meaning.
Steven, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have a huge social media following, so with the numbers I have I used that to my advantage. I knew that when you have a certain level of attention I should make sure to do something to inspire others to believe in themselves. So I took all of that to built a business in which I can create my own success and bring those in my community up with me. The services I provide for #IndieArtistSpotlight are creating promotional flyers for each artist, promoting their current singles or album, adding their music to a playlist on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal, and also conduct a one on one interview on Instagram Live so that people get to know the artist on a personal level. The most difficult part of the whole experience has been trying to be better and better each time I create a way of promoting the artist. You have to be more creative and strategic about how you present the brand and I would doubt my ability sometimes. But when I finally noticed that people were eager to support and develop a love for the artists and that more artists were reaching out for services. Which with that I got the reassuring notion that I was doing what I was meant to do. The following has grown for not just for me but for the artists as well, and that was exactly how I wanted it to be with creating the platform.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being able to see what my business could do as far as creating success for not just myself but those who I believe deserved to be as well.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Being a fan of the artist first has been a part of my strategy. I believe that if you’re gonna support something or someone you have to be a fan first. That’s what has made it so easy for me to build relationships with each artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/steviesofetch_
- Instagram: @steviederrick_
- Facebook: Stevie Derrick
- Twitter: @steviederrick_
Image Credits
Shanté Carlan (for the first photo)