“We spent a long time on it. Lots of long days, late nights. Had a handful of people working with us who we really trusted. It was great. Lots of ideas thrown around, lots of creativity. There was some butting of heads and even some all out shouting matches and people walking out. But we were all after greatness, and in the end, we used that shared vision to unite us and over come our differences. We can’t wait for everyone to experience what we’ve worked so hard on.”
What is this paragraph referring to?
Most artists associate it with making a record.
But what if it was (also) about creating your live show?
Yes yes yes, we need more live shows with this kind of attention and effort.
Here’s an interesting and extremely educational exercise for you and your band to do, separately and together…
Write a short little essay, 3 or 4 paragraphs about why the venue/promoter/agent was correct in turning you down for the gig.
If you’re willing to dig into this, my guess is you will not only find some grace for the person who turned you down, but also some definition about who you are and who you are not, and some added awareness of aspects you and your team can tighten up on.
Notice the last paragraph started with “If you are willing to dig…”
So the flip side would be…If you are not willing to dig into this, my guess is you will keep harboring negativity (even slightly) toward the person who turned you down, you’ll likely forfeit an opportunity to become more aware of your identity, and miss out on discovering ways of improving your team’s culture.
Doing exercises like this is out of the ordinary. Your brain will play tricks on you, probably saying “no one else does this, so why should I do it”.
But if you will get over that initial fear hurdle and just start putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard…you will increase the value of your day.
You know why Cam Newton has caused such a reaction?
Because Cam is the type of person who gets a reaction. He is just is that way…ever since I’ve known about him, that’s what he does.
There are other people who, totally despite themselves…slip under the radar, or always come off authentic, or worried, or get away with things, or can’t get attention, or come off self righteous.
It’s vibe, energy, the thing you emit.
And some people are just lightning rods for chatter.
I know quite a few other people like Cam. They walk into a room and people notice. People love talking about them, be it good or bad. Once their name comes up, everyone has an opinion.
Don’t you know people like this too?
My friend Nick calls them sitcom friends. There could be a television show about any of these type people and for some reason everyone else would care…and talk about them.
Being someone who is constantly prompting opinions and reactions from others is a true gift, and also a burden.
I don’t feel bad for Cam. I don’t feel good for him either. I don’t know him.
He’s someone who gets a reaction, causes a stir, a magnet of attention. That’s his gift and his struggle.
Despite what you do, or what you say, or the clothes you wear, or the car you drive…what do you put out there?
It’s probably a source of your greatest strength and greatest weakness.
p.s. Athletes view themselves as athletes. The general population, including myself, consumes athletics as entertainment. The games are usually entertaining. The post game interviews almost never are…not the case on Sunday.
We have starving artists everywhere. It’s a struggle. They can’t keep up. They don’t stand a chance.
Both big artists and small artists are struggling because they insist on eating the cupcakes instead of the four course meal.
It doesn’t matter the level of success you’ve achieved, if you keep only paying attention to, and seeking out cupcakes you will never sustain.
Cupcakes are sugar pops, adrenaline pops. The phone call you’re opening a big tour. Your song is finally on the radio. Taylor Swift tweeted at you. The standing ovation.
Cupcakes are tasty, but the buzz always fades. It wasn’t designed to sustain. It’s a cupcake. It’s delicious, and you should absolutely enjoy it…but it’s a cupcake.
When artists start centering their diets around cupcakes, the end result is an empty belly, an empty core.
You don’t have to be a starving artist. No matter what level you’re on.
Start incorporating and even enjoying the full meal now. Even the vegetables.
