Von Tae is an independent hip hop/R&B artist hailing from Maryland. His latest singles “Problems” and “Contagious” can be streamed on his Spotify profile.
This conversation is brought to you by HelloFresh, delivering delicious ingredients and simple recipes straight to your doorstep each week. Save 40% off your first HelloFresh box with Balance The Grind.
1) To kick things off, could you tell us a little about your background and music career?
Entertaining has always been my passion. I started singing around 7 years old and eventually fell in love with hip hop as I grew older so now I try to incorporate both singing and rap into my music.
2) What does a typical day in the life of an independent musician look like? Can you take us through a recent day?
I usually wake up and I try to plan my entire day or the things that I need to do both personally and music related. I start usually by checking emails and if I have the time, I’ll do a little recording and updating social media. Outside of music, I’m in between working a 9-5 like most “starving artists.”
3) Do you have any tips, tricks or shortcuts to help you manage your workload and schedule?
I definitely recommend writing a list of things to do in the morning before you do anything else. It helps you visualize what you have to do and it help prioritize what you need to do in order of importance. If you don’t make time for certain things, you’ll become so caught up in everything else you forget to make it a priority.
4) In between your music, life and all your other responsibilities, how do you ensure you find some sort of balance in your life?
Making time for recording, rehearsals, photoshoots and everything is a priority for me. I’ve struggled before with this because I always get stuck picking up overtime hours to making more money at my 9-5. I set certain days of the week to do certain things, like Thursdays I tend to record my Vlogs and I try to shoot my videos on the weekend.
5) What does work life balance mean to you?
It’s so frustrating trying to balance work life but when you have it all planned out its much easier. Without a plan you’ll ultimately fail.
6) What do you think are some of the best habits you’ve developed over the years to help you strive for success and balance?
I’ve learned that social media has been my biggest challenge. I’ve struggled with waking up and being on Twitter for hours before getting out of bed and starting my day. I always give myself 1 hour to scroll and check out all of my apps and I immediately unplug from it for a few hours. I also make sure that I set weekly and monthly goals for myself as well.
7) Are there any books that have helped you improve over the years? (They don’t need to about work-life balance)
I haven’t read a book in years, probably since middle school. I do want to read Tyler Perry’s new book Higher Is Waiting.
8) What is the number one thing you do to make sure you get the most out of your day?
I make sure that I don’t rest until I’m done all of the things that I planned. Waking up early also helps me make sure that I get the most out of my day. I wake up early, eat a light and healthy breakfast and I stay focused.
9) Do you have any last thoughts on work, life or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?
My favorite quote by Tim Notke, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
If you found the above conversation helpful and inspiring, be sure to check out Balance the Grind’s guide to achieving a healthy work-life balance.
