Sustaining mental health wellbeing in the music industry

My experiences have not been easy. In 2008, while playing in the band Panic Cell, I felt the lack of financial longevity despite our successes. After six years of deep involvement, both onstage and off, I began to experience severe stress and anxiety, leading to sleep disturbances and even seizures, which lasted for over 10 years. Medical professionals identified stress and anxiety as key contributors to these physical manifestations. It took a number of therapy sessions and “letting go” of baggage for me to overcome the feeling of being an imposter and being a constant failure due to heightened levels of needing to learn new things on a regular basis. An all too common thing for many of us?

The music industry is prone to self-doubt and the pervasive question: “Am I good enough?” Yet, it’s possible to navigate these challenges with the right mindset and support. The music business is not a faceless entity; it’s a community of some really passionate individuals striving to balance creativity with business pragmatism. I often question why I remain in this industry and avoid a “traditional job”, but it boils down to my deep care for music and the people within it. Hearing about negative experiences motivates me to mentor and guide others, sharing lessons learned to prevent similar pitfalls. The final piece of the puzzle was my mum telling me that my parents always knew that I would do something very unconventional.. this was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders as I long felt that I’d let them down.