A lot of what we do doesn’t work out. We make big mistakes or small mistakes that add up. What comes after these moments is what defines us. Do we give up? Do the same thing over and over again? Do we make effective changes? Do we even get back up? This is what defines us as entrepreneurs.
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Taking photos, making programs, making plans are all easier than actually producing a concert. A marketing plan is not the same as a concert (or actual marketing). You need musicians, music, a venue, and an audience. People must be contacted. Venues must be booked. Trust must be built with the audience. We mustn’t confuse the thing with what talks about the thing. Plan, create a great website, then roll up your sleeves get to doin'.
Take a break if you need it. If you can’t remember why you’re founding an ensemble, then take a break. Get some distance. Don’t think about it for a while. Then, return with fresh eyes and a willing spirit.
Programming is tough. But we need to ask ourselves whether we’re programming for our audience or for us. Who gets priority? Probably the customer, the audience member. And maybe you can introduce them to something they didn’t know they liked all along.
Sometimes we’re big fish in small ponds. Sometimes we’re small fish in big ponds. We should find the pond that matches our desire for challenge and growth.
If you feel stuck, change something. Zig or zag. Try a different approach. Or take a (not too long) break. Try something and see if it works. If it doesn’t try something else. Do until you break through the stuckness.
Everyday goes by, and it’s easy to get lost in the details. I need to this, and this, and this. There’s too much to do. Some things you’ll never get around to doing. The best thing you can do is to deliberately decide what you won’t get to, the things that just aren’t that important. Otherwise, something vital but not urgent will slip through the cracks and hurt your long-term goals. Don’t get lost in the shuffle. Each day is your opportunity say, “This is the day I got x done.” It’s also the day you didn’t get a lot of other things done. Be deliberate about each.
Isn’t it obvious that music has real-world impact? Isn’t obvious they improve the lives of audience members? Yet, the deep attachment and the effects of that attachment that we musicians have for music isn’t obvious to the outsider. When they wonder and ask “what’s so great about it?”, we shouldn’t respond with “Isn’t it obvious?” or “I don’t have to justify music.” We should take the time, explain to them, show them, build that relationship with them. Maybe eventually it will become obvious, but until then we’ll have to settle with actually inspiring them and with actually having an impact we can talk about.
Musical entrepreneurship builds businesses with people. You can use people. Pay them, make them do what you want or need. Or you can build relationships with them. Share your vision with them. Engage them. Inspire them. Ask them for help. Invite them to join. As an entrepreneur and a musician, you can’t do anything without them.
We all have plans and hopes and dreams, but only the things we do, that we finish count. If you spread yourself too thin (as I do!), you will never finish anything. Therefore, we must decide what our daily tasks are--what minimum amount of what activities should we do each day to move us closer to our goals. Then, we must decide where we will place our focus. Deadlines help, but strategically deciding the best times to accomplish things will move us forward at maximum efficiency. Some things you should never do, even if they sound appealing. Some things you should do everyday. Some things you should do sometimes. The best part about all this is that we get to choose each. Just because something has a deadline doesn’t mean you should do it. Choose and focus.*
*The title of a book on Japanese businesses by Ulrike Schaede, one of my grad school professors. |