The “Two Out of Three” Rule for Your Arts Career

Somewhere on social media a couple of weeks ago, I saw a video about about a piece of career advice floating around in the music world, and I can’t stop thinking about how useful it is for anyone in the arts. I shared it with my great friend (and co-author!) Jackson Cooper and he encouraged me to share it with all of you.

The advice was this: when hiring a musician, people look for three things –

#1 They’re a good musician.

#2 They’re reliable.

#3 They’re a good hang (translation: fun, gracious, easy to be around).

Here’s the kicker: you only need two out of the three to get hired.

When I heard it I thought: THAT IS SO TRUE.

It’s a wonderfully grounding perspective, especially for students and early-career professionals. Yes, work on your technique and your skills—be the strongest musician, actor, dancer, or manager you can be. But don’t get tunnel vision. People also want colleagues who show up on time, meet deadlines, and bring a sense of humor, empathy, and grace to the work. Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills are not “extras”—they’re core career skills. And as Jackson pointed out – those human skills at the top of the list of what people look for in employees and collaborators in the age of AI.

So by all means, practice your scales, run your lines, master your spreadsheets. Just remember to be someone people actually want in the room.

And thanks to my great friend Jackson Cooper for urging me to share this advice here.