DMC Futures: A Reflection, by Jodie Robertson
As part of DMC’s yearly mentoring programme DMC FUTURES, Jodie Robertson, a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist fromDumfries & Galloway, undertook the ‘Songwriting and Establishing a Musical Career’ Mentorship with Sarah Jane Scouten, a three-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee.
Now that Jodie’s mentorship with Sarah Jane has come to an end, she has reflected on her time taking part in the DMC Futures programme, what made her apply for a mentorship and what advice she’d give to anyone thinking about applying for a mentorship in the future. Read Jodie’s reflection below!
DMC Futures: A Reflection, by Jodie Robertson
I am a 21-year-old acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter from Dumfries and Galloway, currently based in Ayrshire. My material involves light, easy-listening melodies often with a variety of finger-picking styles and patterns in contrast to personal, emotional lyrics. My music mainly revolves around the subject mental health and relationships as well as my experiences as a young woman growing up in a working-class environment. I have been performing for around ten years whether that be musical related or within a theatre setting.
I applied for the DMC Mentorship mainly to help my professional development. I wanted to learn more about the art of song writing and how to look at my material from a critical angle. Although song writing is very personal and subjective, I felt it would be worthwhile to see which areas I could improve on.
Being an emerging artist, I also wanted to learn about the music industry as a whole and from a personal perspective of someone who currently works within it. Since I am due to release music, I felt applying for this particular mentorship would be a good opportunity to learn about promotion, professional relationships and establishing myself as a musician/songwriter.
Image by Will Downe.
I felt that I needed to work on my approach to song writing, especially since I often experience writers block, whether that be with different creative exercises or ways of finding inspiration. I also wanted to work on the editing process of writing and learn how to not be overly precious with lyrics and do what is best for the song.
I wanted to hear about my mentor’s first-hand experience of working in the music industry and her journey as an artist, especially at the beginning of her career, since I am currently within the early stages of mine. I wanted general advice on how to make music my full time career.
Working with Sarah-Jane definitely was such a great experience. She was always really willing to answer any questions I had to ask and I always felt comfortable when seeking out advice
We had two sessions per week – one dedicated to song writing and the other dedicated to learning about the industry and establishing myself as an artist. In our song writing sessions, we analysed my own material and Sarah-Jane advised me on how I could further develop my songs and the concepts I discussed within them. She recommended exercises to do this and also activities that could help me when I wasn’t feeling as creative. We also discussed her own writing processes behind certain songs and how she constructed her previous albums.
Image by Will Downe.
In terms of our brand and industry sessions, we talked about ways to promote yourself, networking but also general advice on the different ways that you can begin to establish a full-time music career.
An important thing that I took away from our sessions was creating a healthy relationship and mind set towards your work and career as a musician, and that there is no specific right way to establish yourself.
I think the mentorship has been fundamental to my professional development and I have already put into practise a lot of the things that I have learned – I would definitely apply for something like this again! I’ve been really inspired when writing as well as revisiting and editing older material. I feel a lot more informed about the industry I am entering and generally feel a lot more confident in myself as an artist and songwriter.
My next steps are to work on the release of my debut and follow up singles this year and let people hear the music that I have been working so hard on. I’ll be continuing to write material that I enjoy and develop my skills as a songwriter.
Generally, I want to progress just by learning, collaborating but also by putting myself forward for opportunities, such as this mentorship, that will help my professional development.
Image by Will Downe.
I would recommend applying for a mentorship, especially if you have questions or uncertainties about the industry you’re going into. I think there is only so much that music industry literature can teach us, especially as everyone’s journey is different. It is really worthwhile to have a one-to-one honest discussion with someone who is more established within your chosen industry and can offer advice from their first-hand experience on things that you are unsure of. It can help you progress by keeping you informed and you can also learn from their experiences.
My main suggestions for anyone thinking about applying are to stay eager and make sure you ask questions on anything you are uncertain about. Working as a musician is a continuous learning process and I believe that being part of a mentorship is a great way to stay informed and help put you in the right direction.