An Artist and His Phone

If I had a dollar for every minute this phone is in my hands. Business calls, managing Instagram, checking emails, handling analytics. This thing is a curse! That guy in the picture up there, that’s me, Aaron Brown (Aarnxbrwn), during a sound check for a show. I am a full-time recording artist, songwriter, producer, engineer, and entrepreneur. Music has become my life, and out of all the expensive equipment I’ve shelled out money for, my phone tends to be the most important piece, by far. Everywhere I go, my friends and family are complaining about my phone usage. What they don’t understand is this iPhone is my doorway to opportunity. It could be my next show or event, someone inquiring about my shop (The Living Room RVA), some type of discrepancy in one of my businesses, or maybe just engaging with my following on Instagram. All I truly know is that I have to have it.

In our world today, the mobile device has almost replaced a laptop or desktop in many ways. The trend is to accomplish as much as you can while on the go and through the hustle and bustle of your work day. For an entrepreneur, even more so, social media has created a way to connect with people without ever meeting face to face. A person like me realizes the power of such a tool, and even more so, realizes how seamless they have implemented these apps into the little $1,000 brick I keep in my pocket. Because of this, a generation of people who walk around with their face in their phone, and not what is around them, has emerged. Fishing in their phone because the chance of striking gold with your thumbs tapping on this backlit screen is actually prevalent in society today. One story, one post, one slide in the right DMs could warrant unseen success you never fathomed when you woke up this morning. As a musician, we seize this opportunity to put our craft out there on the gauntlet, and let people form opinions, create new fans, and engage said fans, hoping that one day enough eyes—or at least the right set of eyes—sees it and changes our current trajectory. We make business pages with our phone number and email available to the public, hoping that one day we see a weird number or email address pop up telling us everything we’ve ever wanted to hear. And to make matters worst, it’s possible, and it would be far from the first time it has ever happened. Not to mention the apps I use for analytics... Square to manage my finances and monitor how my store front is doing. Eventbrite to do the same exact thing with my shows and events for my entertainment company. Oh, did I mention apps like Canva and Photon to create flyers, promo graphics, and other designs on the fly? And how could I forget the infinite group chats with my colleagues for every venture that I’m dipping my toe in at the moment. All of that on top of checking my bank account, following the news, and Trump's latest antics—or just ordering Uber Eats because I’m too busy—leaving me paralyzed and nose to screen for ridiculous amounts of time. However, it all feels and is so necessary in our time and age.

I say all of that to say, yes, I am addicted to my phone—or should I say the opportunities and productivity it may warrant? The cellular device in our industry and society is a ticket, a share if you will, that we invest into minute by minute, hoping for a cash out at some point. Our greatest asset, our biggest distraction, but nonetheless, a necessary tool. Stay close to your phones my friends. Opportunity is calling. Now, if we could just get everyone to go back to Android... iMessenger is awesome, but my last phone was a little more proficient. LOL

A message from Aarnxbrwn...