Hi Fam!! Today is all about being inspired and overcoming fear.
I want to talk to you if you have doubts that are holding you back. A slight shifting of your attitude could dramatically improve your situation as a pro musician. Please remember to share this article so that we can help as many people as possible…and so that I can become incredibly, massively huge! 😛
First off…try to assess yourself honestly but positively.
I am not the best singer. I am not the best guitarist, either! I’m definitely not a marketing guru. I don’t have to be all these things to be successful with music! I’m friendly, professional, reliable, have a decent voice, am pretty proficient on the guitar, and I know how to “read a room”. I know what is working for me. Mostly though, I don’t get bogged down by my “shortcomings”. How you look at your situation will have a huge impact on your success moving forward. This is as true about a career in music as it is for anything in life.
Find your strengths and focus on them:
I’ve listed some of what I’d call my shortcomings at the start of this article. It’s good to look at yourself objectively and know the areas of your game that need the most work and improvement. That doesn’t mean to dwell on them or to let them own you. You are bigger than your self-perceived flaws. They are just one part of what makes you who you are. Remember, we all have flaws. The same is true about your strengths. They are another part of what makes you unique. We ALL have strengths!
For example;
Say you feel super self conscious because you don’t like your voice. That’s a pretty daunting obstacle to overcome, I agree with you! Somewhere in your arsenal of strengths however is the key to overcoming this situation. Perhaps you can play some mean guitar and are a social butterfly. You could partner up with a singer – maybe someone you know, someone you met at open mic, a singer from craigslist or the local Facebook musicians’ page. Put together a great setlist and start booking gigs (click to learn how to book gigs).
You are still learning, remember that!
We can’t ignore our shortcomings the way an ostrich “sticks it’s head in the sand” – as the expression goes. That being said our deficiencies can’t be the goggles through which we experience our world!
While focussing on the good things that make you the person and musician that you are, remember that you are still here, learning. Time is a gift that allows you to improve at whatever you dedicate yourself to. If you feel you aren’t a good musician then spend some time in the woodshed (aka practicing…any Charlie Parker fans out there?). If you don’t like your voice you can hire a vocal coach or a singer. If you don’t know how to market yourself watch YouTube vids and reach out to people. If you aren’t making enough money gigging then try teaching as well (Click to learn how to find music students). Nobody knows it all. It takes time to learn. If you are serious about wanting to be a pro musician then keep learning and improving. With this attitude your shortcomings will becomes strengths! (so be patient and you’ll get there).
You’ll get there! Start taking action today and you will see results!
If you think you aren’t ready, keep working. If you think you have too many flaws, keep finding your strengths. If you think you aren’t good enough, know that most of us feel (or have felt) that way! It’s funny how the same situation can appear totally different and have a way better outcome by shifting your focus and taking baby steps to rectify the situation.
Knowing your faults can be useful but being crippled by them is very detrimental to both your progress and your mental health.
Please remember to;
- Focus on your strengths and what makes you unique (while acknowledging areas you need improvement),
- Spend time improving,
- Know you can do it, and have fun with it!
Life’s too short to focus on the scary stuff. There’s definitely a lot of freaky things involved with being a pro musician. Will I make enough money? Will I enjoy it? Will I be crippled by stage fright? These are all valid questions. If you work at it though, it will improve! (And you won’t need 5/6 pints to find the bravery to get up on that stage and kick ass every day at work!). Don’t forget to check out the other blogs articles I’ve written to help you find success. If you need more inspiration, check out this awesome video I had made on August 8th, 2017 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
You got this!
Time waits for no one. Live your dream. Be a Music Entrepreneur!
