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. 

Let’s be honest, writing bios is probably one of the least fun and most stressful parts of putting together your EPK (Electronic Press Kit). Most of us are pretty uncomfortable writing about ourselves, and since we’re always downplaying our accomplishments anyway, it feels really unnatural to then gush about them for 500 words.

So if you’re a little uncomfortable writing about yourself, you’re not alone. It is seriously weird to boast about how awesome you are and then send that to people. But trust me, you can overcome this. It’s actually not as hard as it might sound, and once you get to work on your bio, you’ll see what I mean.

That said, if you’re really struggling, consider hiring a bio writer. PR companies usually offer this service, as do plenty of freelancers, so if you’re really feeling stuck, spend the money, save yourself the stress, and have a professional whip one up for you in a couple days.

If you’re up for the challenge of DIY-ing it, we’ve got you covered. These five tips will guide you smoothly and seamlessly through writing your next bio. 

Spend enough time in a city’s music scene, and you’re bound to run into musicians who feel jaded and disenfranchised. More often than not, these sorts of creatives have been working for years with little local or no recognition and support, so it’s understandable why many musicians feel left out of their music scenes. But instead of lamenting the fact that your work has been passed over or even downright rejected by your local scene, there’s a much more productive and rewarding option to pursue: building your own.