I see it all around me, friends who have had gig cancellations and lost thousands of dollars. Fellow Artists who have seen all the time, effort and investment they have put into building shows fall to shambles as all of this year's festivals and concerts are shut down.
Fear and anxiety rises as the music industry wonders what we will do to make ends meet.
Imagine that.Overnight all the work you have booked in cancels. Your livelihood gone.No redundancy, no cancellation fees, no sick/annual leave compensation, And you don’t qualify for government assistance. Whatever you have in you bank account is what you have...till who knows when. FML The struggle is real.
And it’s heartbreaking to watch.
Its happening all over the world and its hitting musicians and entertainment professionals hard. A year ago I took steps to prepare a safety net for this kind of situation, and I’m super grateful for that. I realised that I had put all my eggs in one basket when it come to earning income, and should a day come when I wasn’t able to sing, I would be stuck without.
At that point I was doing gigs, teaching, studio sessions, recording top-lines and arranging BV sections. All heavily reliant on me having a voice. All eggs in the voice basket.
And then a wise friend of mine asked me what I would do if I couldn’t rely on my voice? And I was like ‘oh shit!’ I would be in struggle town real quick! And that conversation sparked a journey of finding more for myself. Diversifying my skill set so that I would have options.
It sparked what I call my FREEDOM journey. Because freedom to me, means always having choices.
I’ve learnt more in the last year then I have in my entire life. I stopped plateau-ing and seeing myself as just a singer. I took course after course and learning became an addiction. I learnt about marketing, technology, business, negotiation, management, automation, design, branding and communication. All at the same time as going through an intense personal transformation phase.
I LEARNT ABOUT ME. I dived in, confronted, made some mistakes, adjusted, pushed myself physically, emotionally and spiritually and what you see today is the result of that.
Shit has hit the fan around me and I remain calm in the chaos. I set up my options, so I have options. And I also have the time and energy to help others who don’t.
We all move and change in our own time. So for those of you who haven’t yet – Maybe this is life giving you an opportunity for growth. Try not to panic. Hold space for things actually WORKING OUT for you. Move your focus from the things you cant control to the things you can. Shift from looking at the problems to finding the solutions.
REACH OUT FOR HELP STOP WATCHING THE NEWS regurgitate the same information over and over again.
We have been told to isolate.
USE THIS TIME FOR WHAT YOU NEED. Heal/recover your voice. Refine your craft. Learn some new skills. Start an online business (this has been everything for me – reach out if you want my help with this) Write the album that you always say you are too busy for. Get inspired. Create. Create. Create. Be still and reflect. Plan the next few years out so you know where you are going with your career/life. Get a few ‘baskets’ going so you never have to be in this position again. Set yourself up. Gain clarity. GET IT TOGETHER
We are a strong community. We are resilient. And some of us are already finding ways to rise above the challenging times ahead.
It doesn’t help to wallow or complain or blame or rant.
It's time to change the way we work, structure and express.
It's time to grow and diversify.
It's time to think outside of the box and do what we do best – GET CREATIVE.
LET'S LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER. WE GOT THIS….
And if you want to catch me, I’ll be socially distancing from the vocal booth, Behind a camera, on your news feed or on Zoom….
Message me if you need some support Xx
Oh yeah ALSO – Come and do my Artist Mindset Online Program – It’s going to be epic
