Rocket Ship Parts
If you had a lot of money you could buy all the parts to build a rocket ship. A little more digging and you could even find a set of directions.
Then you could get to work. But even with all the parts…and even if you followed all the directions to the letter, would you trust your rocket ship building enough to climb in for take off?
Probably not.
The thing you’re missing is someone who knows how to build a rocket ship. Someone you can trust and who trusts their own work to achieve lift off.
And if you were in charge of finding this trusted person to build the rocket, would you seek out and choose the cheapest one? I hope not…I hope you’re not looking for a deal…it’s too important.
Two things from this metaphor…
You can’t build your career alone. Even if you’re smart. Even if you know how.
It’s probably not worth it to hire the cheap one. You’ll save money but pay so much more in other ways.
Little Tiny Rooms
When you’re starting out as an artist you don’t have any money. Since there’s no money you end up with a lot of the small version…
The small rental house for the entire band
The smallest rehearsal room (or the small basement in your small rental)
The small van
The small stage at the small venue with the small green room
The small hotel room
All of these feel like negative consequences for not having money and fame. So when you get a little money and fame you want bigger everything. More space. More room to spread out. More distance between people. It feels luxurious. It represents the distance between the broke band you started out as and the success you’re achieving now.
However…
Cramming everyone into one hotel room is a bit uncomfortable, but everyone having their own hotel rooms isn’t as much fun.
There’s something to be said for all those little tiny rooms. The constant close physical proximity…it coerces a type of connection that you can’t get with more space.
»» I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t grow into the big venues and luxury hotel rooms. You can still grow chemistry and connection and it’s wonderful. It’s just different if you haven’t done the small stuff together.
»» The good thing is unless you’re The Rolling Stones you’re gonna end up in a small van sometimes, a small green room or a small rehearsal space because the big ones were already booked. Enjoy it.
The Pull Of The B Listers
You put out your first single and then a few more and then the whole album. It hits. It connects. Momentum is building, doors are opening, things are finally happening.
And now your management and label want to get the next record made and released as soon as possible.
You say, ‘no problem’…you have a plan. Because beyond the ten songs on the first album you had ten more that were pretty solid but just didn’t make the cut…but they were good and you like them and there’s nothing wrong with them and…
And now, as the urgency escalates for new material those B list songs are starting to sound really good.
This is not a good plan. Not that an old song can’t be resurrected. But there’s a reason those songs ended up on the B list.
You need to write new A list material. And that’s hard. It took a long time to come up with the ten A list songs that went on that first album…and it would be so much easier to just release the ten B listers next…to sidestep that pain and agony and unknown. At least the B listers are familiar and you know what you’ve got.
Dig deep. Do better. Put in the work and dig out the gems.
One More Song
Ladies and Gentlemen, We have one more song!!!
How is the audience suppose to respond? Cheer? Boo? Weep?
We have one more song is a confusing thing to tell the audience.
We have one more song gets said because it gets said…it’s in artists subconscious so it comes out without thinking. And there’s the issue, the not thinking, and not training yourself as a performer to have something better in your subconscious for the times when you’re not thinking.
Find something more creative, more true to the cause, more in line with the arc of your show….at the very least, something that isn’t confusing for the audience.
Personal Music
New Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple
Making music is very personal. It’s suppose to be. It can’t help but be.
But one of the trickiest things about releasing music is that the way people respond isn’t personal. They’re only responding to the beats and the chords and the melodies.
As much as you put yourself into the music, the music isn’t you. It may be a tiny little slice of you but it isn’t anywhere close to the whole you.
So when someone doesn’t like the music, rest easy, they’re not your enemy.
When someone does like the music be glad you could make and put out something into the world that someone else likes.