For a lot of creators, COVID was the defining second when people took their first leap into making an attempt to be on-line. The world shut down, and there was social media after binging Tiger King, napping, and making sourdough acquired previous. New Orleans musician Joshua Starkman simply needed to make folks completely satisfied. Now, nearly 80,000 folks watch Joshua’s infectious movies, rooted in nothing however sharing pleasure with folks all for New Orleans music.
Each week, reside from his lounge, a smiling Starkman strums his guitar, jamming with musicians of each sort. He exhibits why New Orleans stays a cultural powerhouse, it doesn’t matter what occurs on this planet. The movies are easy: unfold happiness by way of the facility of music. And that’s it.
From Aspect Hustles to Severe Jams
After gigging round city for a decade, Starkman performed in varied bands, recorded on different folks’s albums, hit pageant levels, and toured nationally and internationally as a sideman. (He’s even been fortunate sufficient to play with the legendary Preservation Corridor Jazz Band, which led to enjoying with Hozier and Robert Plant. It’s no huge deal.) Whereas his skilled life thrived within the metropolis he cherished, Starkman used social media to attach whereas his private life fell aside.
“I began making these movies on the web, form of from a tragic place. I acquired a divorce. I made a decision that one of the best ways to form of snap out of it from everyday was to take a seat in entrance of my cellphone and, play one thing on my guitar, and smile. So I assume I used to be form of giving myself a sanity rope from everyday through the use of social media.”
New Orleans: The Actual Influencer
Initially, his purpose in getting on digital camera was to entertain his pals. Given town’s “reside within the second” ethos, he by no means thought folks would share and like his movies in a city that’s not infamous for being on-line.
“I’ve at all times loved entertaining, making my pals chuckle. After which I spotted that I might get in contact with any of the musicians in New Orleans, and from there, the concepts blossomed.” Now, Starkman sees himself as an envoy for New Orleans tradition. Certain, he’s had lots of the metropolis’s distinguished musicians — like Bounce Queen Large Freedia — on his platform, however he needs to broaden what he’s doing to maintain the inventive flame of The Large Straightforward alive. “I additionally interview folks, so for the previous seven years, I’ve been making content material, and I’ve grown a enterprise out of it, a whole lot of which is tied to alternatives within the metropolis.”
New Orleans is a significant vacationer vacation spot — nearly 20 million folks go to town yearly — and Starkman takes delight in serving to folks uncover its choices. Whether or not it’s music, meals, or tradition, his Instagram and TikToks supply a small slice of New Orleans life that individuals throughout the globe crave.
And so far as Starkman is anxious, he’s simply getting began.
Instagram’s Chaos vs. YouTube’s Lengthy Recreation
To develop his attain, Starkman has needed to broaden his considering. Like many creators, he’s specializing in transferring to YouTube to make the most of its infinite potentialities with longer-form content material.
“There’s only a lot I can do over there [on YouTube], speaking about what I can do with musicians and folk from everywhere in the metropolis, however extra long-form.” Starkman was candid when requested about making a dwelling in a hustler-first financial system, particularly in an arts-driven metropolis like New Orleans: “Social media is the engine for my a number of streams of revenue. I’ve a various form of community of revenue, whether or not reside gigs as a musician, as a backing musician, or a present that pays at one fee to place collectively a band. However I additionally monetize the very best I can.”
He continued about creating in a world that may typically really feel like standing on quicksand:
“I need to do issues on my phrases. You play the sport to an extent, but when it’s not aligned with you feeling calm or being productive and doing all your rattling factor, then I might simply say don’t do it as a result of they’re at all times altering the goalpost anyway. Simply make nice sh*t.”
Burnout, Algorithms, and Staying Sane
Being continually on-line requires huge psychological and emotional vitality, and creators like Starkman usually are not proof against burnout. In keeping with a 2023 Adobe research, 62% of creators report feeling burned out by the relentless strain to put up constantly and chase algorithmic approval.
For creators who depend upon social media for his or her livelihood, this cycle can really feel like an exhausting race with no end line. Starkman is aware of this grind too effectively however refuses to let it devour him. As a substitute, he sees social media as a device — not a lure.
“I credit score it to folks power-posting constantly. You be taught suggestions and methods. I’ve pals which are mega accounts, like tens of millions of followers, and it’s nice. However there’s a sure stage of neurosis that they’ve about approach and getting the put up up at sure instances and ensuring that it’s good. And for me, I’m all for dwelling out on this planet too. I don’t wish to get misplaced within the field. I feel that makes folks fairly fight-or-flighty.”
The strain isn’t nearly perfection; it’s about continually staying forward. Social media algorithms can really feel like quicksand, rewarding viral success someday and burying content material the subsequent. In keeping with a 2023 Hootsuite report, solely 32% of social media customers actively interact on each TikTok and Instagram, that means creators typically face the problem of catering to vastly totally different audiences on separate platforms.
For Starkman, the answer lies in leaning into what feels actual, not chasing fleeting tendencies. “There’s no system for these things. The goalposts are at all times altering anyway. You simply should make nice sh*t and let the chips fall the place they could.”
Faking It Gained’t Fly (Particularly in New Orleans)
If there’s one factor Starkman has discovered from this expertise, it’s to remain true to his mission: to create music, to be a beacon for New Orleans tradition, and to stay genuine as a creator.
“Being on-line requires the information that not the whole lot is what it seems to be. Simply since you’ve acquired a bunch of followers doesn’t imply they’re legit. Some folks don’t have an precise fan base. They’re simply paying nonetheless a lot per thirty days to spice up their posts and create a picture of being well-known. And I don’t have respect for willful inauthenticity. Typically these movies are enjoyable [the ones that go crazy viral]. You may inform by trying in case you’ve been on social media lengthy sufficient. You may inform, like, ‘Oh, it’s not one million hearth emojis from the identical account 10 instances.’ You recognize, you’ll be able to inform when somebody’s genuine.”
And for a metropolis like New Orleans and Joshua Starkman, you’ll be able to’t pretend being actual. Even in case you attempt, you’ll get sniffed out like awful meals. If there’s one factor New Orleans can’t truck with, it’s a nasty plate.
