Music Maker Mindset #3 | Navigating Online Hate | How Maya Angelou’s Strength Can Steady Musicians
Keeping your focus amidst the digital storm
by Rich Steve Beck - PMFC Global Editor, Industry Networker and Mastering Engineer
The Woman Who Found Her Words
Maya Angelou wasn’t always the towering figure we know. As a young girl, she’d sit and watch the world unfold—simple stuff, like rain streaking down a pane of glass, would snag her attention. She’d puzzle over its paths, its shapes. “I didn’t have to figure it out; it wasn’t going to change the world; someone else had probably done it,” she’d later say. “Didn’t matter—I’d mess about with words and thoughts just because they pulled me in.” No fuss, no grand plan—just a kid finding her own quiet joy.
Later, when life turned brutal—trauma, prejudice, the slog of getting heard—she wondered if that old curiosity could hold her together. What if she stopped letting the outside racket define her and leaned into her own beat? “I decided to shift my view,” she wrote. “Like I’d read poetry for the pleasure of it, I’ll write and speak whenever I want, without worrying about what others think.” No bowing to the din—just a firm grip on her own voice.
It started with a notebook. One day, amidst the mess, she jotted down a few lines—nothing fancy, just a way to settle her mind. Friends and skeptics alike asked why she bothered. “It’s not about proving anything,” she’d say, steady as ever. “I’m doing it for myself.” That was Maya—unruffled, standing tall while the noise swirled around her.
From Lines to Legacy
Maya didn’t let those scribbles sit idle. The more she played with her words, the more they sharpened. She’d ask herself if a soft phrase could carry the weight of hurt—or maybe turn it into something brighter. “Before I knew it,” she’d write in her memoirs, “I was working through the same old struggles, but it felt different.” What began as a private refuge grew into a legacy that still resonates, all because she wouldn’t let the chatter pull her down.
For those of us in the music industry, there’s real grit to borrow here. Picture Maya shrugging off the slights of a harsh world, not out of duty, but because she knew they didn’t own her. “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury,” Marcus Aurelius once said, and Maya embodied that—her strength a quiet pushback against the hate. Online trolls and digital digs? They’re today’s version—loud and pointed, but toothless if you don’t engage.
The Weight of Online Criticism
Online hate lands hard in music. You upload a track to SoundCloud or Instagram, and soon enough, some faceless critic’s tearing it to bits. It’s not just idle talk—studies show it can ramp up anxiety and dent your confidence, especially when your work hinges on what people think. Billie Eilish has opened up about how it cuts, even with her millions of fans; Lady Gaga’s been there too. From bedroom producers to headliners, it’s a shared burden—those words can hang about, making you question every note.
Then there are the pro trolls—hired to slag you off, sometimes just to prop up someone else. They’re not random; they’re deliberate, and that stings more. It’s enough to make you wonder if it’s worth the effort. But Maya’s steady resolve offers a path through—her way wasn’t about clapping back but rising above.
Staying Grounded Like Maya
So how do you hold your own when the online flak flies? Here’s what Maya’s approach brings to anyone in music:
- Tune Out the Rubbish: Maya didn’t waste time on every jab—focus on the listeners who matter and let the rest slide. They’ll burn out eventually.
- Rely on Your People: She leaned on a close-knit crew to keep her steady. Build yours—mates, fans, fellow artists—to balance out the noise.
- Take a Break: When it got heavy, Maya stepped back. If social media’s a swamp, log off—your head’s worth more than that.
- See It for What It Is: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters,” Epictetus said, and Maya would agree. "Treat hate as background static, not truth".
- Hold Your Own: “Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner,” Lao Tzu noted. Maya stuck to her craft—keep making music for its own sake.
- Let It Go: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” Eleanor Roosevelt pointed out. Maya knew trolls only win if you let them—don’t.
These aren’t quick patches—just practical steps to stay focused, pulled from Maya’s backbone and a few sharp minds, when the digital world gets rough.
Keep the Music Moving
Maya Angelou didn’t let the world’s barbs stop her—she wrote her way to strength and left a mark that still echoes. “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes,” she once penned, “but still, like air, I’ll rise.” That’s the game plan for us in music too. Online hate and trolling? They’re just fleeting shadows—irksome, but not in charge. Lock in on your craft, your circle, and the spark that drives you, and you’ll outlast it all.
Nina Simone had it nailed: “You’ve got to learn to leave the table when love’s no longer being served.” Maya’d nod—let the haters yap, but don’t let them kill your rhythm. Keep creating, keep pushing—your music, business, and community are yours to shape.
Put this together on March 21, 2025, with a coffee and Maya’s Still I Rise in mind. Keep at it, folks.
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