house concerts and 21st century touring

Silliness is seriously under-rated. When was the last time you had a laugh without watching a movie or television? People with children have an advantage here, but you remember how to be silly, don’t you?

This took 5 minutes with “Photobooth” on my Mac. I felt (and probably looked) like I was 5 again. Yay for me. Game on. Wanna play?

Make yourself laugh today.

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When was the last time you changed what you do?

No matter who you are, it’s almost certain that there is something in your life that isn’t working as well as you’d like. For our purposes, let’s say it’s your music career.

Let’s assume you have

1. a clearly defined goal,
2. a vivid image of what success would look like, and
3. a bold or well-tested plan to get you there.

That’s assuming a lot - but let’s not beat around the bush. If you don’t have 1, 2, and 3 above… you need Tony Robbins, the Law of Attraction, or just a kick in the the tail feathers. No one else can help you until you get your ducks in a row.

This post is to help you realize if you’re stuck, and to suggest ways to get un-stuck so you can grow as an artist.

Here’s another bold assumption: You are talented - enough. Whatever you lack in talent can often be offset by energy. Many of those untalented people you see and hear on TV/radio simply work their butts off - even if it’s just 20 hours of mindless interviews.

—

If you are an artist, your job is to grow, and to display that growth through your art.

How do you grow? The same way any plant would. Absorb any resources that are available to you (water, nutrients, light), and then stretch yourself in the direction of more resources. Reach down/in for water and nutrients, reach up/out for more light.

Can you see the parallels? Artists reach down/in for self knowledge, better songs, discipline, and to find truth they care enough to express. They also reach up/out for new audiences, new experiences, and income.

What happens when a plant stops growing? It becomes obscured by the growth around it. It gets stuck in the shade, which limits the availability of light, which further stunts its growth. The plant can only try to live long enough until the surrounding growth is clipped down or dies. Can you see the parallels now?

Is it possible you feel the shade creeping in above you?

Here are some tell-tale signs of a stunted/stuck artist:

are you playing the same rooms you played last year?
are you getting paid the same (or less) then you were paid last year?
are you playing the same songs?
are you selling the same CD?
is your website the same as it was last year?
has your bio been updated or changed at all?
are your top 3 songs at CIYH, sonic bids, and myspace the same?

If most of these things haven’t been updated in the past 6-12 months, do you really expect things to improve? Why would they?

If you feel stuck, your challenge is to do something significant and new right away.
Here are some ideas:

Get a camcorder and upload your best 3 songs to youtube.
Hire a belly dancer for your next show.
Write and finish one crappy song per week until you come up with a great one.
Write with someone new.
Work up a few of your songs with a different instrument for your next couple of shows.
Fire your crappy bass player who is always late, never practices, and drains your energy.
Hire a pro to re-write your bio.
Organize a benefit concert

or… schedule your first house concert - even if it’s at your next door neighbor’s house. I’m convinced that at least one person believes in you enough to try. During your performance, you might inspire someone else to host a show. Then again, maybe you won’t.

Either way, you’ll grow.

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I’m sure I’m not the only artist who enjoyed a surprisingly low turn-out for last night’s concert. For some reason, most people preferred to stay home (and avoid the torrential downpour) and watch Michael Phelps make history. For a moment, I kind of felt like I was in lane 9.

However, the small crowd that gathered really enjoyed themselves, connected with me, bought CDs, and generally made me feel pretty good about the 5 hour drive that day, as well as the upcoming 5 hour drive back. Under the circumstances, I can’t imagine feeling the same way about the results at anything but a house concert.

It’s amazing that when you make the right choices, even a major set-back won’t shake your belief in what you do. In this case, it’s almost impossible to call it a set-back at all. It’s important to keep score - but it’s so gratifying that my scorecard is much different than it used to be.

Thanks for the Miga and coffee this morning, and your continued friendship.

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