Staying Independent as an Artist (What Actually Helps Me)

There are moments when I realize that independence, for me, has never been about doing everything alone.

It has been about staying true to my rhythm, my nervous system, and my way of creating — even when the world around me moves faster, louder, and more aggressively than I can or want to.

I’ve been making music and art for decades now. Some of it has been released through labels, some independently, some quietly, some with great hope attached to it. What stayed consistent through all of this is the inner question:

How do I continue creating without burning myself out or betraying myself?

Art as a place of orientation

When I paint, especially abstract landscapes like the ones you see here, I’m not trying to impress or explain. I’m listening.

Colors, lines, repetitions — they organize something inside me long before they communicate anything outward.

This process has taught me something important:

Pressure never produces the work I love most. Presence does.

That insight slowly found its way into how I share my work, too.

Less noise, more continuity

For a long time, I thought I had to be everywhere, all the time. Social media, newsletters, platforms, statistics. The constant measuring quietly drained the joy out of creating.

What I needed instead was continuity without urgency.

A place where people who genuinely resonate with my work can stay connected — without algorithms deciding for us, without me having to shout.

That’s when I simplified things.

A small, calm foundation

Today, I keep things intentionally minimal.

• I create.

• I share when it feels aligned.

• I invite people to stay in touch, gently.

For my email newsletter, I use AWeber. Not because it promises growth or hacks, but because it stays out of the way. It allows me to write when I have something real to say and to trust that it will reach the right people in its own time.

If you’re curious, this is the tool I personally use:

👉 https://www.aweber.com/easy-email.htm?id=494713

No obligation, no strategy — just transparency.

Independence as a living practice

Independence, I’ve learned, isn’t a destination.

It’s a daily relationship with yourself.

It’s knowing when to act and when to rest.

When to share and when to stay quiet.

When to ask for support and when to simply listen.

My art, my music, and the way I share them are all part of that practice.

If you’re here reading this, thank you for taking the time.

It already tells me a lot about the kind of connection you value.

—

Oliver Ohene-Dokyi