Why the big aversion to change?

Seriously, change is going to happen, whether we like it or not. Musical styles, hair styles, fashions, car designs, technologies, attitudes, climates, and the weather, just to name a few things. Nothing stays the same. Even our bodies are a study in change. Old cells die off, new ones are formed. From moment to moment we're not the same beings. So, why is it that we resist change? Why are we scared of it? What attaches us to a certain moment in time? Are we scared that it will never be as good, or even better than it is right now?

As musicians, we can set ourselves into a style, but that style is going to go out of popularity. Sure, it might eventually come back, but what do we do in the meantime? I mean, you have legacy acts like the Stones, or AC/DC that ride waves of popularity, but can that really sustain an up and coming act these days? What is the aversion to growing as artists? Seriously, I don't understand it? Is it really "selling out" to ensure that you prolong your career? I think I'm okay with being a sell out then.

Purism and Elitism have caused a very real level of stagnation in the music industry. Futuristic Glam Rock bands won't be caught dead using modern equipment to make their music. The same goes for the small scene rock bands that still think you have to sport the "look" of long hair and stained denim. My favorite though, as a sound engineer, are the people who have to have that Analog sound, so bad that they're willing to live with a substandard and dated recording to be "cool". Not that I really have a problem with old equipment and technology being used, but at least do something new with it.

The same is true for the business side of our industry. We're still stuck in the mindset that the only way to build our career is the old "tour till you drop" tactic. While live performance is still an important part of it, there is so much more that can be done to get our names, and sounds, in front of the right people. Why play the game of "this is how it's done", when we can be the innovators of how it CAN be done?

Stagnation is a bad, bad thing. Embrace technology. Embrace change. Quit playing the game and start doing something that hasn't been done before. You might be able to make waves that way.

Build it and they will come! If you do enough leg work to make sure they see you, anyway.

How many other people do what you do? How many of them do it well? What makes you different from them? What makes you stand out? What makes you outstanding? What makes you special? Are you really special, or do you just feel that way?

Say you are, "that special". What are you doing to make sure everyone knows that you are? How do you draw people to your brilliance? I hate to break this to you, but they aren't exactly like moths to a light. You may build it, but they're not going to break down walls to get to you.

We live in a time where communications with our potential audience, fans, or clients, is easier than ever. But, it's also harder than ever too. Why? Because we, as a society, are jaded by advertising and marketing. We've seen it all before. We've heard it all before, and we have DVR!!! We don't have to watch commercials. We switch the dial on the radio when the adds come on. Well, those of us dinosaurs that still listen to terrestrial radio, anyway. We block pop ups. We drop all the asshat network marketers from our Facebook friends list. WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!!!!

We are in a position though to get back to the real basics of building a following or finding the right clientele. It's communication.

If we do what we do, and talk about what we do, then we're going to start catching the interest of the people who actually give a shit about what we do. Those are the ones we want to talk to anyway, right?

Doing is 100 times better than talking about doing. No, if you build it they will not come. However, if you build it, and talk about building it, and post pictures of the process of building it, and promote the people that are helping you build it, you will see them come. Whether it's in trickles or in torrents will help you determine if you're talking about it in the right ways and in the right places.

Traditional advertising and marketing are becoming less effective. Now's the time to just talk, openly and honestly, about what it is that we do. Don't sell to people, become indispensable to people.

The difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits

Have you ever heard the saying "if you chase too many rabbits you won't catch any"? The logic there is pretty sound, no? If you spend too much time chasing odd and varied goals, it becomes really damn hard to accomplish anything with any degree of success.

At the same time, how many times have you been told that diversification is the key to continued success? Sounds like a contradiction, right? The problem with cliche based advice, in any area of your life, is that no one really takes the time to really understand what it means.

There IS a difference between diversification and chasing too many rabbits. A lot of people don't take the time to figure out this difference though.

An example of chasing too many rabbits might be the guy down the street that fixes motorcycles and runs a lawn care/snow removal service. In a situation like that you may have moderate success doing both, but there's no room for growth because there's no room for serious dedication to either one.

Diversification though is a whole other animal. A good example of diversification is the musician who writes, records, and performs music, but finds other ways to make his talent work for him, such as licensing his music to film, tv, or web. He's still working within his field and can fully dedicate to growth and expansion, but is finding other avenues to generate the income he needs to make that growth happen.

It's a fine line between the two, but it's one that we have to find in order to be the best we can be. To grow beyond the normal limitations of our skill or trade.

What can you do to hang up your rabbit chasing ways and diversify?

Be Prepared Part Deux: Curly's Revenge

So, the other day I posted about the need to be prepared for the flood of new work that can come in from your prospecting efforts. Well, this week has totally shown me the need for another type of preparedness. What to do when you have a critical equipment failure at a very inopportune time.

The fact is that we all have those pieces of equipment (studio, shop, musical, or whatever) that we use, and possibly abuse, on a daily basis. It's the heartbeat of our operation. It's the key to our ability to do what it is that we do. Yet, at the very bottom of it, we have to admit that they are things and they do wear out. The best thing we can do is be prepared for the eventuality and do our best to minimize the effects of it.

Have a back up. Whether it's backing up the files from your computer on a daily basis, or having an extra guitar or mixer on hand, or keeping a daily updated disk of your new book project in the glove box of your car, do what you can to eliminate as much of the pain as you can.

Most of all, keep a level head and know what you can and can't do about it. It's just a part of life and with some pre-planning and a dedicated system of having back ups in place, it won't be a devastation. Just an inconvenience.

It's okay to say NO!

Every day new opportunities present themselves, and we even notice them if we're looking. The question is though, should we jump on every single one of them? Is it a bad thing to want to be picky and only take on the things that will better us and further our efforts as business folks?

I don't think it's bad at all.

We're in business to make an impact on the world and to be compensated for our time and efforts. Of course, I think it's important to keep it in that order too. It is a big thing to understand though, and it really changes the way you look at opportunities.

Take a careful look at every opportunity that's presented to you, or favor asked of you, and make sure that there is a tangible compensation for the time and effort you're going to be expending, and it should certainly better your situation.

Now, I'm not saying that you should look to get rich off of each dealing, but it should be well worth your time, and if it's not, then there's no shame in saying no.

It sounds selfish, but we have to put our own interests first. If we don't, we're not going to make it. Besides, I've noticed that the more I'm willing to say no, the less often I have to do it.

Do your thing, it's who you are.

Be Prepared: Not Just A Boy Scout Slogan

Man, it is certainly true that when it rains, it pours. Yesterday I talked about keeping moving and how good things come to those that put in the effort. Today has been a perfect example of the truth in that. It's like the floodgates of business have opened up, which has kind of made me think about how prepared I actually am for this.

Often times, especially when things have been slow, we tend to put all our effort into looking for opportunities. We're on the hunt for new clients, better paying gigs, or bigger and better projects to attach ourselves to, which means that we may not be paying as much attention to how well we can handle the work load that could come from it.

It's not a difficult thing to plan and prepare. It just takes diligence and a realistic, editing eye to what it is that we're doing. Nothing that self starters like us can't handle, right?

What we do here is break down our goals into blocks of time and figure out how many of which types of jobs will fit into those blocks. Then, it's time to figure out your individual rate of conversion. How many bids to submit, emails to send, phone calls to make, or people to visit in order to fill those blocks. By building a plan for our prospecting, it becomes a ton easier to handle the work load once it starts rolling in.

Happy hunting and best wishes for a busy Spring!

Don't Stop Now, It's Just Getting Good!

Ever heard the sentiment that it's not the end of the journey that counts, it's the journey itself? It's taken me a long time to understand that thought, but I think I get it now.

If we beat ourselves to death trying to reach our end goal, we won't enjoy all the little victories along the way. Hopefully we each have a nice long life ahead of us, so wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't enjoy every single minute of it?

No matter what our direction is in life, or what we do with our time, it's important that we keep working, that we keep bettering ourselves. To stop is to stagnate and who knows what fun, important, and beneficial stuff is yet to come?

It's certainly true that quitters never prosper. It's always the ones that are willing to put in the extra time and effort that see the biggest rewards in life, so don't stop now.

A little single-minded determination goes a long way. Keep moving toward your goals, even if they're nowhere in sight, just yet. You will reach them and you'll probably have a hell of a lot of fun in the process.