It can be easy to fall into the trap of believing that not being signed to a label or having access to expensive instruments and equipment is keeping us from realizing our potential in music. It’s often easier to blame things outside of ourselves for our inability to achieve what we want to through music than to take a deep, unflinching look inward at what we need to change to be better. A truth that could apply to most of us is that money, better equipment, and recognition can’t help us in our quest to make great music nearly as much as time can. 

Usually, the ideas explored through music are viewed as more dangerous than the act of music-making itself. But being a serious musician actually does come with some serious health risks. Some are unexpected, but all are preventable. There are plenty of things we can do as musicians to write, record, perform, and tour in ways that are as healthy as possible. Here are three health risks to watch out for:

WD-HAN is a ReverbNation trio with a sound completely their own. Hailing from “outer space,” the band has been going strong since forming in high school. Featuring an Aussie frontman, a renegade female drummer, and a soulful guitarist, WD-HAN is bringing the blues back into popular music, making a name for themselves with more than a decade of face-melting live shows throughout the Southeast.

The band has shared the stage with some of music’s biggest acts, and has been selected for countless ReverbNation opportunities over the years. Get to know the band, their philosophies, and even their favorite beverages in this interview:

Lots of people know what it’s like to play an instrument for a couple of months, but few can relate to the experience of trying to build a life as a serious musician. Because of how musicians are portrayed in books, movies, and TV, those living in the non-musical world often have inaccurate ideas of what it’s actually like to make music seriously and/or for a living. Here are four things non-musicians inaccurately believe about musicians:

Many adults look back at who they were during their middle school and high school years and are thankful for being older and wiser. In most every way, being an adult is easier than being a teenager because of the confidence, security, and freedom that comes with age. But one thing that comes easier to teens than adults is finding and becoming passionate about new music. 

While most adults are content to keep listening to the music they discovered in their youth, serious musicians need to continually seek out new music in order to stay challenged and engaged in their work. In other words, if you rely only on the same musical influences you discovered in your teens, a relatively short period in your life, you’ll be limiting your creative potential in a huge way. 

Even without today’s modern and unprecedented challenges, sustaining a career in music can be a monumental task. Every serious musician’s definition of success is different, but it’s safe to assume that most of us want to create music and have our work connect with audiences in a meaningful way. That overarching goal sounds simple on its face, but every artist faces massive threats to their career that they’ll have to take seriously if they intend on creating music over the long-term. Here are three to look out for:

Successful music careers are often associated with musicians who give everything up for the sake of their music and end up getting rewarded for their sacrifice with money, fame, and critical accolades. However, the captivating rags to riches stories we read about profiling successful musicians don’t always tell the real story of what it takes for someone to find their footing early in their career. “Take care of yourself” might sound like bizarre advice for someone trying to defy the odds and find success making music, but taking your needs seriously could be the thing that keeps you creative, healthy, sane, and out of debt in your career for decades to come.