Our most powerful realizations need the empty void to take shape. Think of this as a call to be a creative rebel in your own life: to trust your thoughts and instincts - even when they go against what everyone around you believes or what seems expected.
NOW IS THE TIME
Now is the time for artists to take hold of the industry and transform it.
In fits and starts, life is struggling to return to equilibrium. It feels like the industry is collectively circling, stalking the “opening bell”, ready to pounce on any and everything they can book to make up for lost momentum and income.
Of course they are. This has been financially devastating for artists, venues, and everyone who supports the industry. There have been so many creative moments bringing hope, but are still overshadowed.
Sometimes it feels like we're on the downhill side of hope. But I can’t help feeling like it’s a moment of power.
Opportunity was creeping closer.... but still feels just out of reach. But what if it could be different?
What if…. Artists had power?
What if this crackling energy could be channeled as one into rising up and creating a new way of doing business?
Who would you be?
So many of us struggle between being our real self, and letting our fears leave us spinning, trading truth for money. The panic is palpable.
Luke warm, and settling.
Hiding.
Grinding on.
Giving up.
What would it feel like if you only played for YOU? No fear, no second-guessing, no attachment to "societal success"?
What would be different?
The world is craving REAL. Especially now. Some of the first images as the world grappled with CV-19 were the Italians serenading one another. It was a gorgeous, raw, and a most powerful display of human connection. THAT’S why we listen to music.
TO FEEL. To have COMMUNITY. To be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
We listen because the entirety of our lives are reflected back to us and make us feel not so broken and not so alone. We feel hope and joy and pain and love.
THAT is art. THAT is a true gift to bring all of humanity.
Why should that gift be molded into something it’s not to fit a perceived ideal? The power is lost, the connection is lost, the truth is lost.
So…. Are you feeling it too? What if life WAS different?
Now is the time to create a new reality. A new industry. What would that look like?
W️HAT DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?
SURVIVAL
Does it feel like you’re in survival mode right now? Hell most of us are. Few shows, if any. Burned out on the FB Live thing. Venues closed. Tours rescheduled. Broadway canceled. Wondering how long it’s going to last and wtf are we going to do?
Definitely survival mode. But that’s ok.
Did you know there’s power in it? Not in a primal, “survival of the fittest” way, but a productive way…..If we can allow. Power lies in the dark. Transformation. Genius.
BUT it’s only found by leaning in to what’s going on inside. (I know, what does that even mean?) Ever hear that question…. “How are you REALLY doing?” Do you answer it truthfully? Are you hiding from yourself, sweeping the darkness under the rug? Most of us try to flip it around, rationalize it all, and find that positive attitude.
Stop it. Feels a little controversial to say that.
But seriously, stop it. Quit trying to “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” and “put on your big girl panties”. It’s OK to feel overwhelmed, tired, and scared. It’s OK to be worried and spinning in every direction. It wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t feel all of the emotions that are triggering - especially right now. That’s all part of our human experience. So go ahead and wallow.
Here’s the thing tho… The spinning doesn’t stop until you allow. Lean in to that human-ness. Empty it allll the way out. Not a vent here, or bitch session there. That’s like fixing a cavity but leaving the decay underneath the filling.
THIS is where you can pause that circular conversation of doom going on in your mind…Not by forcing a smile or looking for the bright side.
Keep looking closer…
>What is this situation trying to tell you?
>Where is that darkness coming from?
>Why is it keeping you from showing up? There’s time to be playing and creating and building your business like you want to, but just… aren’t.
>What’s going on?
Only by digging in can we begin to alchemize those feelings of darkness, (or what I call The VOID), into our success. So, How are you REALLY doing?