Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stefani M.C. Janelli. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Stefani M.C. with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic is something that is constantly surprising me. It’s full steam ahead once I find something I am passionate about and dedicated to! I would credit both of my parents for instilling a strong work ethic in me from a young age. Watching both of my parents continue to work hard for our family despite any challenges that came our way, growing up was extremely powerful. Another reason I have such a strong work ethic is working in the service industry during high school and college. The skills you learn, like communication, how to deal with other coworkers and customers, how to be efficient, and how to adapt quickly, are skills that truly develop your work ethic and drive. If I never learned these skills, The MIC would have never existed.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
In 2020 I launched The MIC, also known as The Music Insight Column, and I’ve been working on growing the platform and community ever since. It began as a space where I could just write about any music that interested me until I found my passion in writing about, working with, and covering independent artists. There are so many resources for artists now that allow artists to create and release music with virtually any gatekeepers, whereas before, you would have to be signed to a label for any hope of success. That’s so incredible, but the other side of the coin is that it’s so challenging for artists to break out of the din of an oversaturated market. What I aim to do with The MIC is give a platform for these artists to be celebrated, whether that be by telling their story through an interview, featuring their music in a review, showcasing one of their performances in our YouTube series, or getting their tunes heard through a playlist. We are now about to launch even more ways to help artists thrive! Our new services will include our current offerings like EPK building, one sheets, and biography writing, but now we’ll also work with artists offering more packaged project and label services! Stay tuned for more updates!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
While I’m still growing and learning every day personally and professionally, three things that are the most impactful in my journey are 1. determination, 2. marketing and networking, and 3. passion. To continue to build The MIC into something that was more than a musical journal but an actual music blog and platform took determination. If I were not determined to make it work or to be “successful,” it would not have continued. But to have the determination, I first needed to have the passion, passion for something I love, passion for other artists, and celebrating their music. And while both are necessary for my journey, I also think that more tactile skills like marketing and networking were and continue to be very effective. Knowing who your audience is and how to cater to them and give them what they’re looking for and need as a platform and community does take a decent amount of networking with the right people and artists and marketing who you are and what you offer. If you’re early in your journey, I recommend you take advantage of your network! Talk to your friends, colleagues, professors, and family. They could have a lot of great advice or resources for you. If you know what you’re passionate about and you’re determined to achieve it, nobody can stop you.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
When you’re starting out, with any project or field, I find it best to move forward with your strengths. As the saying goes, “jack of all trades, master of none.” While starting The MIC, I knew what my strengths were, and that was writing about music. But as time went on, I felt it was best to start improving in areas that I did not feel as strongly in. For example, when I decided to start a YouTube series, I knew nearly nothing about it or where to start. While I still would not consider myself an expert, I certainly made strides and learned how to record and edit a video, use proper lighting, and upload videos to YouTube! The MIC is now celebrating the 3rd Season of our YouTube series, On The MIC.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themicnj.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themicnj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theMICnj
- Linkedin: https://www.themicnj.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/themicnj
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCltnC7M8HL4IsZ68oB0khFA
- Other: https://linktr.ee/themicnj
Image Credits
All photos Photo Credit: Stefani M.C. Janelli, The MIC
