OMG! I finally have a few days off! What do you do on your day off from work?
I described my recent day off to a friend, and he replied, sadly, “Wow, it sounds like you worked on your day off.”
I loved my day off to do work!
You see, there are two types of work for an artist or musician. In How to Be Creative, cartoonist and author Hugh Macleod describes it as the “sex and cash theory.”
The sexy work we love to do (for me writing original songs, recording original songs) is the stuff I get to do on my days off! The cash work is the work that helps pay the bills. (Right now, this is playing covers at bars.)
I enjoy playing my covers gigs, too, but it should be no surprise that really fun moments is writing and performing my original music.
So my days off are the days might sound similar to my days working; but trust me, it’s different.
Driving a few hundred miles to spend 10 hours working on music at Catherine North Studios--yep, that's a great day off!
“The overnight success myth is simply that, a myth,” Seth Godin reminds us.
I’ll add that this myth is dangerous to a musician or artist. It can keep us from doing the necessary work.
Myths: Justin Bieber reached success by simply posting Youtube videos, being on a singing TV show will make her successful, graduating from the right art school will be the ticket to success, being an opening act for a successful artist will be the moment you “make it.”
There is no single moment where an artist “makes it.” There are tons of baby steps that help us get to tangible destinations.
Don’t let the myth of giant leaps stop you from taking baby steps.
Set List – Ann Arbor Art Fair 107.1 Stage
July 18, 2013 – Ann Arbor Art Fair
107.1 FM Stage
- Empty Cup
- Love Birds
- Don’t Mess Around with Jim*
- Made a Mess
- Damn Fine Day
- Mahogany
- Here Comes the Sun^
- Only the Rain Knows Why
*Jim Croce cover
^Beatles cover
Big thanks to hosts John Bommarito and Matthew Altruda for having me play the 107.1 FM stage! Whew, it’s a hot one, today.
When One of my Dogs Died, My Other Dog Accepted Change. (A Metaphor for Being Scared of Spotify)
This week, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke made headlines criticizing Spotify; the shit hit the fan in the music world again over a dead topic.
(Read here and here; and Lefsetz’s critique here and here. Oh and this. )
I understand his argument; but I also need to remember what it was like for Gunshy when my other dog Bonnie died. (Analogy time!)
Everyone needs a Bonnie for a pillow.
When Bonnie died, our sweet boxer named Gunshy went through a major adjustment. He went from being the beta dog, the one who followed Bonnie’s lead, to an unknown world: the only pup!
The first day as only dog, he peed in the house because he didn’t know how to ask us to go outside. He looked at us, walked behind a chair, lifted his leg, and peed. He then tried to lick up his own pee because he felt sad that he broke a rule. (He was the sweetest dog, ever)
You see, it was Bonnie’s job for years, to tell the humans that Bonnie (& Gunshy) needed to go potty. Gunshy’s job was to let his bladder hold it until Bonnie made a stink.
After Bonnie died, Gunshy learned how to be the alpha dog. It took a while for the transition to be made, but he didn’t try to recreate the past. He lived in the present, and found his new place in life. When we got a new puppy, named Lois, Gunshy had had made the full transition to alpha.
In the music business, we are still mourning death of the old guard. (Pre-Internet, CD sales, etc.) I’m sorry, but it’s already dead.
Musicians and artists need to spend energy adapting to the unknown future. Death and change are inevitable. How you adapt is your choice. Musicians need to be like Gunshy, find a new place in this complex world.
Waiting for Bonnie to tell us to go outside isn’t going to happen.
Gunshy had his turn at becoming a pillow, too.
You Need to Be as Good as the Beatles!
“You need to be as good as the Beatles to make it!”
I think this statement is f’n ridiculous.
The month before I quit teaching, I attended a wedding. The uncle of the bride sat next to me at dinner, asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was leaving my teaching job soon to focus on music.
The conversation went from lighthearted to uncomfortable, quickly. It ended with him belittling my music goals. Somewhere in the conversation he asked, “Are you as good as the Beatles? You need to be as good as the Beatles!”
I love the Beatles. I think they wrote some of the best songs ever. But I want to scream any time a Baby Boomer tells me I need to be as good as the Beatles to make it.
You see, the Beatles were just four, hardworking guys who worked with other hardworking people. They studied great songs. They played long gigs. They loved music.
But they also lived in a time where pop music, TV broadcasted performances, and loud concerts were new. A time where there was a monolithic culture.
There won’t be another “Beatles.” Many say this as proof that “music today isn’t as good as then.” Bullshit! We can’t have another Beatles because we can’t recreate that time. (Nor should we want to…)
What we can do is create something that makes us feel great, and hope it makes others feel great.
Don’t try to be as good as the Beatles. We don’t need another Beatles. Try to be as good as your best self. We need a unique you.
Photo by Anne Glista
