MONDAY BYTES – September 16, 2013
Early this summer I had a conversation that’s still haunting me. It happened at a festival where I gave a talk and did some one-on-one advising sessions.
It was a conversation with a talented young violinist who wanted to talk about a career issue she was worrying over.
The young woman explained she’d always been focused on an orchestral career and did well in auditions, and that her concern was that in the back of her mind—and this sounded almost like a confession—she was also attracted to the idea of playing backup for country music groups.
My response was, “Sounds cool—what’s the problem?”
She looked at me with surprise and relief and went on to explain that she hadn’t felt comfortable talking about this with anyone at her school. She thought people wouldn’t “approve” . . . that they might look down on her, or think she was “selling out.”
Now would anyone have actually given her a hard time about this at her school? I don’t know—but that she even had this concern says a lot about the cultures of music programs.
It also points to an issue that’s common to musicians and other “creatives”—whether in or out of school.
It’s the issue of daring to act—to take initiative—even when we fear what other people might say or think.
The violinist and I only had time for a short conversation before a performance. But we discussed how it was VERY possible to have a dual-track career, and we brainstormed ways she might do a little “R&D” — researching the appropriate venues and recording studios in her area, and how she could do some networking and possibly sit in on a jam session at a club. We outlined specific action steps she could take to get started.
As we said goodbye I was glad to see that this talented young woman now had a light in her eyes, and her face was lit with the confidence to get started on the future she was dreaming of.
Questions for the week: Do you have the guts to act on your “secret project”? Have you talked it over with a trusted mentor or adviser—and taken steps to get started?
For info on working with me: details are HERE.
Monday Bytes archived posts are HERE.
Dream big, Plan smart, Live well!
