The Sting 🐝

This week I submitted a demo track over to a licensing agent that I had a lot of excitement about.

Her response was “I don’t even know what genre this is, or what I would do with this”.

Ouch, that was not what I expected. I thought it would blow her socks off, but instead she was just left confused and slightly repelled.

Suddenly, I was forced to see it through her eyes and ears. The stellar horn part I thought was badass sounded like “circus” music to her.

Yeah, I felt disappointed, sure. But honestly not for long.

Because she just gave me incredibly important feedback that I needed to hear. And she was totally right. I was so close to what I made that I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

And this isn’t my first rodeo.

Within an hour or so I was laughing about it. And the reason I can laugh is because I know I can easily pivot and make something different, or better, or just start over.

I’m learning to Trust My Self.

Last week I wrote about learning to not need “reassurance” from others, because of your own trust and belief in your PRACTICE. The practice of making music regularly.

Not every song will be a home run. There will be a lot of ground balls and strike outs.

Learning to dance with this reality of making bad music (or art) consistently seems crazy. But it’s the only road I know that leads us to making really great music.

By submitting yourself to the Practice you no longer have to worry about the result after hitting SEND. because you’re going to give and submit so much more! Over and over you’re going to say, “Here, I made this”. And every time it will be slightly uncomfortable.

But your commitment to the Practice will be your lifeline. NOT, whether it’s accepted or loved or validated.

And that is how you take the “sting” out of hitting SEND.

I’m so passionate about getting into a rhythmic, consistent practice. This has literally changed my life. And one way I do this is to work with other passionate homebred music makers every Saturday in an activity called On the Hook.

We get together and play a Game that I’ve come up with, to be worked in less than an hour. It’s slightly uncomfortable because it requires a push ourselves, and quick decision making. But it’s sooooo fun.

This isn’t for everyone. Forcing yourself to stay within the practice of making music is hard.

But this might just be exactly what you’re looking for right now. Want to join us this week?

Zion