Long Emails
Shorter emails, sent consistently, sustain connection much better than one long one every few months.
Packing an email with links and offers and stories and updates and discount codes is too much…all under the idea ‘we’ll make up for our lack of consistent communication by sending out an email that includes everything because it’s really important that they know everything’.
The solution is to send more emails…to people who look forward to getting emails from you…and then don’t overwhelm them with long paragraphs and links.
You don’t usually enjoy getting long emails either.
Email others the way you’d like to be emailed.
»» I subscribe to quite a few artist email lists just to see how they utilize their email list. Most don’t do a great job…even though they have an understanding that the people on their email list are their most dedicated fans.
»» If you’re going to go with a long email format, be consistent and make it worth it.
It's Not Too Late
...to do the thing you always wanted to do.
Ok fine…it might be too late to do the exact thing in the exact way you wanted to…but it’s not too late to do something strikingly similar. (ie. Time has run out on my NBA dreams but I could still play competitively everyday and coach a middle school team)
Usually when we say, ‘it’s too late’ what we really mean is, ‘Life didn’t hand me the right cards at the right time and now I’m screwed forever’.
You’re not. You’ve got time. It’s not too late.
Types Of Mistakes
Is the mistake a wrong note or is the mistake the distraction it causes you, which takes away from connection with your audience?
Is the mistake tripping over a cable or is it taking the audience for granted?
Is the mistake your voice cracking on the high note or is it a failure to prepare?
Is the mistake not hitting the lighting cue or is it the failure of giving the audience an extra special moment if you would have hit the cue?
Is a mistake missing dance step or the look you gave your fellow performer when they missed one?
Technical mistakes are the easiest to point out and the ones most often pointed out. But I don’t think many artists got into this to parade their technical perfection.
The types of mistakes you focus on goes a long way in revealing your answer to, ‘why are we doing this?’
Mints Before Salads
If you serve the dinner mint right before the salad it’s likely that the salad isn’t going to taste how you hoped it would.
It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the salad…or the mint.
Putting on a show is the same way. Each song is setting up the next song. Don’t serve the mint before the salad. And don’t get rid of the mint or the salad. Rather, refine your service.
An Extra Million
We seem to have well laid plans for what we’d do if we had an extra million dollars but are very unclear about what to do with the amount of money we have.
We attach an elusive dream to an elusive amount of money and live on hypotheticals as so called fuel for our hope…as oppose to making plans with what we have for the money and outcomes we desire.