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Vivid Ma | Pianist(@vivthings)'s profile avatar HD Profile

Vivid Ma | Pianist

@vivthings

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🔥 RISE Program CEO👇🏻
🎶 I help working musicians build & monetize online
✨ DM “RISE” to learn more
🎹 Toronto Weddings & Events
💌 [email protected]
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changing direction felt like proof that I wasn’t good enough… but looking back, I was judging myself by a very narrow definition of success. I’d spent years developing my musicianship, but building a career also required skills I hadn’t practiced nearly as much: making my work visible, communicating its value and turning interest into paid work. Learning those skills changed what I could build with my music. Today, I coach musicians on those same skills inside RISE. I know how personal it feels when you’ve invested so much into your craft. I spent 6 years of my life thinking of nothing but music, and still came out into the industry utterly lost. and that’s why I care about giving musicians practical support on building out their music careers with the help of a personal brand- the way I think is the easiest and highest ROI way to go about it in 2026. Comment 🔥RISE🔥 to work with me and join a community of musicians who get it~ follow @vivthings to learn more about content, musicianship, and business 💪🏻 #20s #musician #musiccareer #personalbrand #entrepreneur by @vivthings
79
25 days ago
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Younger viv hated the saying, “things are going to be okay”, because it never felt that way. yet, here we are now, and things turned out more than okay 🥹 Follow @vivthings for more of my journey Inspo @showerbeerr #20s #musician #musiccareer #musicianlife #pianist by @vivthings
140
7 months ago
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6 months ago, I threw myself into content as a way to escape my pain. At first, it was to prove myself. I wanted to become so big that my ex would see me and regret not choosing me haha. I dove into building a business to show how independent and strong I was, like “look what a catch I am, I can do this business thing too!” but somewhere along the way, it stopped being about him and returned to being about me (thank GOODNESS). this past year has been wild. there has been so much discomfort, growth, momentum, and healing. I’ve learned to actually enjoy my own company. I’ve learned that success means nothing if it’s coming from pain or at the expense of my mental and physical wellbeing. and I’ve learned that choosing myself is the most freeing thing I could ever do. it’s crazy how something that started from pain ended up changing my whole life. and now I’ve built a beautiful community... what a cool thing to be doing 🥹 thank you for being here with me ❤ and follow @vivthings for more of the journey. PS. If you’re ready to turn your pain into purpose, comment ✨READY✨ to see if we’d be a good fit in working together in my 1-1 RISE coaching program to build out the life of your dreams ❤️ #20s #musician #navigatinglife #musiccareer #heartbreak #entrepreneur by @vivthings
70
a year ago
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somewhere along the way, we started treating life like a checklist with deadlines. graduate. move abroad. find your thing. build a career. have it all figured out. i’m learning that i can want more for myself without making where i am right now feel like a failure. there are still things i want to try, places i want to go, and parts of my life i’m figuring out. but i don’t want to talk myself out of things just because i thought they should have happened sooner. this is your sign that you’re on the right path, and you’re exactly where you need to be ❤ follow @vivthings for more of my journey as a pianist, creator, & entrepreneur~ #20s #growth #mindset #perspective #personaldevelopment by @vivthings
16
15 hours ago
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Modern musician canon events… How many did you check? 🙈 Follow @vivthings for more of my journey as I build as a musician, creator, and entrepreneur!! #20s #musician #musiccareer #musicianlife #classicalmusic by @vivthings
2
a day ago
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I went from $0 to $4k/month as a musician within 3 months of job hunting as a new grad. Over time, I built new skills and stacked income streams into a portfolio career ($10k months~!) Here are 8 you can stack for an extra 3.5k/month 👇 1. PRIVATE LESSON + THEORY Package your teaching with extra support, practice resources or recital opportunities. Give students value beyond the lesson hour, and price for that support. 2. PERFORMANCES Concerts, weddings, hotels, corporate events. Put together playing clips and a repertoire list, then proactively reach out and pitch venues. Have some sort of online presence so that it’s easy to find and hire you. 3. ACCOMPANIMENT (pianists) Reach out to ballet schools, instrumental studios and local high schools that need pianists. Look for regular rehearsals and classes alongside individual performances. 4. SESSION RECORDING I listed myself on Fiverr and Upwork for extra opportunities. When a custom song or recording request came in, I’d prepare it. Set up a clear listing with samples, pricing and turnaround times. 5. MARKETING FOR MUSIC BUSINESSES Double down on digital marketing skills. Start by building your own brand. Once you understand how it works, help other music brands as a digital marketer or social media manager. I did marketing for a piano academy and Piano Adventures. 6. COACHING I built RISE for musicians from skills I’d developed myself. Start with a problem you know how to solve. Test a focused paid offer, collect feedback and improve before expanding. 7. BRAND PARTNERSHIPS These came after I built my following. Grow a loyal community, understand how to make good content, and showcase brands you already use and love. 8. SMALL-BUSINESS CONSULTING Build skills beyond your craft: accounting, marketing, business strategy. Find a problem you can solve. Your understanding of musicians gives you an edge with music businesses. Every income stream takes time to build out- none are easy! Start with one, get good, then stack 🙂 Save this to plan your next income stream and follow @vivthings for more of my music journey~ #20s #musician #musiccareer #pianist #musicianlife by @vivthings
11
2 days ago
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one month out in the wild as a musician and entrepreneur, self employed!!! It’s been quite peaceful waking up, making my own schedule, and just full out chasing the life I’ve dreamed of. AND ALSO SCARY!!! TERRIFYING!!! Screaming into my pillow, imposter syndrome, “what if this or that” every day AGHHHHH!!! But it’s okay I think my 9am matcha and Pilates make up for it because I get to do that and practice instead of checking emails 🙂‍↕️ Follow @vivthings for more of my journey as I build out my dream life at the intersection of music, content, and entrepreneurship 🤩 #20s #musician #musiccareer #entrepreneur #selfemployedlife by @vivthings
3
3 days ago
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Ppl always ask me if my parents forced me to play piano like every other Asian kid… but actually, my earliest memories consisted of me begging my mom to take me to piano lessons. So my sister saved up money from her job when she was in her early 20s, bought me a piano, and it became my safe haven and means of expressing myself when everything else felt unbearable. How incredibly lucky I am to have it in my life, and to be so loved 🥺❤️ If you’re new here, hi, my name is Vivid, and I’ve been playing the piano since I was 8. I didn’t take it too seriously in high school, but when uni came, I realized I couldn’t give it up for med school or a prestigious engineering degree. So I went all in on it, burnt out, rediscovered my love for it again, did a BMUS and MMUS, and now I’m building a career at the intersection of music, content, and entrepreneurship. A mix of everything creative, expressive- and basically everything I love. So so grateful 🥺 So yea! I’m not building a perfect life, just one with discipline, heartbreak, doubt, joy... a messy bit of everything. If you’re figuring it out too, you’re not alone. Follow @vivthings for more of my journey. #musician #20s #growth #musiccareer #resilience by @vivthings
5
4 days ago
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Happy National Boyfriend Day to my favourite person in the entire world 🙋🏻‍♂️🌎 Thanks for making me feel like I can just be a girl around you ❤️ Follow @vivthings and @ericmotion for more of our entrepreneurship journey in our 20s #entrepreneurs #dating #couples #nationalboyfriendday #20s First vacation together in Italy!! 🍝 Kid at heart carving our initials into the bench… 🤣 1st road trip together!! 2nd date… 👀 First date, kinda nervous 🙈 We left our phones in the car for the entire date + just took our wallets and a disposable camera hehe @fujifilmx_ca by @vivthings
8
5 days ago
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My thoughts on how often musicians post each month 👇 1–4 posts: You’re testing the waters. Once a week is a start, but I wouldn’t expect much momentum yet. If you only announce releases or gigs, you’re barely giving people a chance to know you. Even these few posts can feel hard because you haven’t built the habit. 5–9 posts: You’re starting to build consistency, but ideation still feels hard. You’re getting some feedback, but you need more repetitions to spot patterns and refine your skills. 10–19 posts: A solid rhythm. Share your process, behind-the-scenes moments and who you are beyond your performances. Experiment with formats and notice what makes people curious about YOU. 20–29 posts: This is what I’d aim for if you’re serious about using content to grow your music career. You’re showing up most days and testing ideas. Have a strategy so you’re not wondering what to post every morning or just spamming covers. I like to alternate between lifestyle, career and my personal story. 30–35 posts: Wow, you’re posting once a day or more. Are those extra posts serving a purpose? If you’re doing everything yourself, I’d put some of that time into practising and preparing for your next concert. Make sure you still have a life worth sharing. 39+ posts: Unless you have a team doing this for you, go practise and get off social media 😂 Follow @vivthings as I build a career bringing content, entrepreneurship and music together, and share what I learn along the way. #20s #musiccareer #musicianlife #personalbrand #contentcreator by @vivthings
11
6 days ago
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on the surface, things look like they’re so perfect... but some days, i still wonder if any of this is going to go anywhere. i know it looks cool: i left my job. i’m building something of my own. i have people who believe in me i’m so grateful for that, AND there’s also so much uncertainty... doubt, imposter syndrome, wondering if i’m capable of making this work. my inner critic is the loudest voice, and honestly the hardest one to fight, because she’s with me 24/7. she’s there when i’m trying to work, when i’m resting, when something goes well and somehow i still find a reason it wasn’t enough. i’m learning how to keep moving with all of that. when i’m sad. when i’m exhausted. when it’s hard and i want to quit. while i’m grieving things i haven’t fully processed and healing in ways i can’t always explain. some days, moving forward is one tiny thing. keeping one promise to myself. doing what i can, then letting that be enough for the day. one baby step! 1% better 🙂 putting my energy back into what’s actually in my control, even when i wish i could know how it all turns out. if you’re here, thank you ❤️ for caring about me, for following this journey while i’m still figuring it out, for believing in something i’m still learning to believe in myself. i really have so much gratitude for this community 🥹 follow @vivthings for more of my journey! #20s #musician #musiccareer #entrepreneur #growth by @vivthings
18
8 days ago
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casual weeknight w me doomscrolling on the couch and bothering Eric while he’s cooking 🥘 Just 2 entrepreneurs building stuff together and being silly 🤣 Follow @vivthings for more #20s #ragebait #boyfriend #entrepreneur #dating by @vivthings
4
8 days ago
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