The Platform Dilemma

I have always struggled with saying I was just one thing. Like - "I am a jazz vocalist." And then a voice in the back of my head would say, "Yes, but I am also a..." This condition has only been compounded by my book endeavor, or, as my husband calls it - a whole new front to fight at (as in: Art Is WAR!). And yet, somehow I can't help myself. I find that life is simply too short to be doing one thing only. I'm not saying that this is true for everybody. But for me this works. Sort of. Until I get into the realm of social media and the dreaded "Platform Building" that everybody in the blogosphere seems to be going on about. Well, here's the hitch I've encountered with that thing:

For obvious reasons I cannot stay on message.

When I write about my life as a musician the bibliophiles lose interest and start unfollowing me on Twitter. And when I describe my trials and tribulations as a first time novel writer I can just about see my fellow musicians' eyes glaze over with boredom, their attention pulled to something else, more exciting, more relatable.

What to do?

To be honest, I haven't sussed it out yet. For the moment I have resigned myself to a somewhat schizophrenic online presence: Facebook for the musicians and Twitter for the writers, with some overlapping occurrences. That's the best I can do for now. The blog does lean more toward the writer side, since I started to chronicle that journey here. But it is and very likely always will be a crossroads between these two passions of mine, because trust me: when that new album drops in 2014 you'll hear about it here!

So how about you? Are you in the same boat as me? And what's your solution to the Platform Building Dilemma, or PBD? Do you have a working strategy in place? Or do you just ignore the whole thing and get on with your life? Sound off below, I would love to learn from you.
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  1. Roland D. YeomansJuly 16, 2013 at 5:43 PM

    Be yourself. Your varied background gives you depth. You cannot please everyone, and you will become like that poor rooster on the weathervane if you try.

    I try to entertain, teach, and give a glimpse of who I am. Those that stay with me are my target audience. Those that do not were never going to be my target audience anyway. :-)

    I write a series of novels surrounding a haunted French Quarter jazz club where the ghosts of jazz greats sing, and the owner tries to create a safe haven for lost souls in his club.

    I often have the ghosts of famous writers drop by my blog and talk about how to write well. I have fun, and I think if I do, then my visitors will as well.

    Have fun with your varied interests. No one feels the call of your dreams but you. :-)

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  2. Elisabeth LohningerJuly 16, 2013 at 5:59 PM

    Thank you, Roland, for your encouraging post and input. I like the idea of your French Quarter jazz club! I'll swing by your blog to see what you're up to.

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