Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anastasia Petrova. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Anastasia, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I’m not sure I’ll ever truly overcome it, but I’ve learned to manage it by making sure I’m aware of expectations when it comes to my work. I have a very structured way of working & I make sure that’s communicated to my clients – when they know what to expect, I know I’ll deliver every time.
A part of it I’m sure also comes from having constant practice – I work on 2-3 songs every week, so when you’re constantly active in your industry, you know that you’re on top of trends, expectations, tech developments. etc. Building confidence took time, but a lot of it came down to doing consistently good work and building happy, long-term relationships with clients.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a songwriter, music producer & mix engineer, based out of Toronto. My day consists of meetings with artists about their project(s) & goals, writing, producing and recording music for them and with them. I also write music for television.
The most special part of my job is connecting with like-minded creatives and helping artists take their vision from idea to tangible product. I love meeting people and hearing their stories. I love trying to tell their stories through music. I feel very lucky to have my artists’ trust and to be in such a vibrant and every-changing industry. Most of all, I love making music, all kinds of it! My specialization is pop & pop-adjencent genres but I’ve worked on everything from heavy metal to jazz & folk – it really just comes down to what’s inspiring to me in that moment.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Patience, resilience and ambition. You need to be patient enough to understand that getting good at anything, let alone creative work, takes time. You need to be resilient enough to hear a million no’s and not get discouraged. You need to be ambitious enough to hear the no’s and still believe that somewhere after a thousand of those, you’ll hear a yes and find someone who really believes in what you’re doing. Essentially, you need to understand that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
It also definitely helps to have some business knowledge. Working in music most often means you’re offering some type of service or getting hired to offer a service; learn to understand the contracts you’re signing, figure out what services you want to offer, be someone who people love to be around.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There’s a few, but the music industry bible is “All You Need To Know About the Music Business” by the entertainment lawyer Donald Passman, the contents of which I’m sure you can guess by the title.
On a non-musical note, the book that’s had the most impact on me is “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell – in my eyes, that is a must-read for anyone. I can’t quote from the book directly, but it explores themes of discipline, personal development and examines the factors that contribute to high levels of success. Me being my own brand, it was important for me to understand how to treat myself as a business entity and that book did exactly that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ocevnsideclvb/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasiapetrovamusic/
