You need one.
You need a lawyer that even you are a little bit afraid of.
A lawyer who isn’t looking for friends when negotiating…a bulldog who is getting the best deal for you where YOU still get to be friends with the other entity afterward.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
Knowing and understanding your vision, as an artist, is important. Maybe the most important when it comes to having a career as an artist.
But having your answer to “What’s the vision?” can be a long process of opening your eyes.
So if you can’t answer that question right now how about:
What do you need right now?
If you know what you need right now, that’s the instant fuel for spurring meaningful action for yourself and the people around you and on your team.
Being able to consistently answer ‘what do you need right now’ is a great way over time to get closer to the answer of ‘what’s your vision’.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
If your show tomorrow night got cancelled, what would you do instead to be effective? Who would you reach? How would you make the most of it?
Is the thing you would do instead of the show something that is actually more beneficial than the show…even if the show hadn’t been cancelled?
Maybe you should cancel the show. Well, maybe you should keep your end of the deal because at this point you’re committed and the show is tomorrow and you don’t want to be a jerk.
Better said…maybe don’t book that show next time.
You need to gauge the value of putting on your show.
(The value of your show is hopefully always very high…but the value of putting on the show is something completely different)
Also worth noting…artists view shows as a big deal, so to cancel (or not book it) and replace it with something else, that ‘something else’ would also need to be a big deal, big value.
So whatever comes to mind that would or could sub in as a show-replacement…do more of that too.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
If everything goes right during the show, you will leave the audience in a huge lull when you get off stage.
A subtle (or not so subtle) yearning and wishing that you could have stayed forever.
A true gift to your audience.
The higher the high is at the end of your show right before you leave the stage, the bigger the deficiency when you exit and leave the audience. And that pendulum swing is a powerful moment.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
I don’t think you feel as good as you want to when you walk off stage.
I think you act like you feel great but really you have a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts about what just happened…about what you just did on stage.
Was it good? Was I good? Did they like me? Maybe I should have…? Maybe I shouldn’t have…? Why did the audience…? Why didn’t the audience…? Do I even care? Is it ok to care? Where’s the beer and bbq?
You want to believe the show was good because that’s what you just spent your time doing…So you act like you believe it was. You hide the second guessing and the subtle (or very apparent) let down of the show.
I’ve been there a million times, and you have too. Now is just the first time we’re telling each other.
I think you want your show to be great.
And it isn’t.
Or maybe it is but you don’t truly believe it is.
In both cases, when you walk off stage night after night after night, there’s a lot of internal questioning and doubting going on when you walk off stage.
Oh yes you experience the post-show adrenaline buzz and all the pats on the back, and it’s all smiles and good times for a minute. But that voice is still doubting and wondering, and getting louder.
I want you to walk off stage every night thinking, feeling, knowing and believing “I did it”.
I’m going to say that again…
I want you to walk off stage every night in the most bold and humble way, thinking, feeling, knowing and believing I DID IT.
Most of your self doubt and fake confidence about your live show has come from a lack of definition for the word “it”.
So I can help you with that. I want to help you and I’m willing to help you. I’m the guy.
Email me. Call me. Send me a postcard, drop me a line.
It’s about to be winter which usually means a lot less touring. A perfect time to re-tool and re-define.
I hope your walk off stage will become a victorious one, fulfilling and meaningful.
p.s. I’ve observed and experienced this post-show internal confusion in artists playing bar gigs, clubs, theaters and arenas. It has absolutely nothing to do with the size of the crowd or the size of the paycheck.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com
Even great ideas don’t take care of themselves.
It was a great idea to want to go to the moon.
It was a great idea to make that Sgt. Peppers album cover.
I’ve watched documentaries about both. Both are great ideas that didn’t take care of themselves.
Take care of yours.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com