© 2019 Vinny Ribas
I used to write articles like this one 3-4 times every week to post on our website (www.indieconnect.com). I stopped a few years ago when I transitioned the company from a membership organization into a management and consulting company. Now, since we launched the Indie Connect App (www.indieconnectapp.com), I am forcing myself to get back into the habit of writing almost daily so you have fresh content to read every day. And it has transformed the way I think and feel!
How can that be transformational, you ask? There are 5 ways:
- Most of these articles come from an experience I just had while working with an artist. So having to write makes me think about and analyze what’s happening around me. I study situations, good or bad, and try to find the lessons in the,
- It sharpens my awareness of what is happening at all times. When an issue or idea surfaces, I jot it down as an idea for an article.
- It makes me stop and do something productive every day. My ultimate goal is to help others achieve success in their music careers. This is one way I can help the masses anyone who is not my direct client.
- It enables me to share my gift of teaching. That is something I absolutely love.
- It adds up to having a large library of useful information. Not only is that valuable as a body of work. It’s also gives me a huge arsenal of tools that I can draw on in any number of situations.
So why am I writing about this? Because it is no different than you as an artist or songwriter. Let’s look at the parallels. How would you think and feel if you made yourself work on your career every day? How would your progress change?
- You would most likely draw upon your daily experiences to write songs, to arrange them and to deliver them in a specific way. In other words, they would be filled with personal emotion and be authentic to who you are. That is what every fan wants. They need to know that they relate to you on a deeper level.
- You would become more aware of your surroundings, of things people do or say and even of how you’re feeling in specific situations. You might (should) keep adding things to your idea book for topics or hooks for new songs.
- It makes you do something productive for your career daily. That has no option but to move your career forward. It may take time, or you may not see the value right away, but it is effective.
- You would have the opportunity to share your music, and thus your passion with others instead of keeping it pent up inside. Nothing is more frustrating then having all kinds of bottled up creativity with no outlet.
- You would start amassing a library of songs, song ideas, sound effects or whatever else you create. For example, you might write and record a lot of songs that you never release. Then one day you discover you have library of songs that are perfect for syncing to film or TV, even thought that was not your intention as you were writing and recording.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also add that even having the discipline of reading these articles and others like it on a daily basis will have the same results. You would become a wiser artist or songwriter with new ideas and perspectives every day.
The bottom line is that it is very easy to stop ‘for a breather’ and then difficult to get started again. But by making it a personal rule to do SOMETHING for your career every day, you’ll never stagnate or become restless due to inactivity.
