Here’s a special treat: my colleague and friend Matthew Carey is a pianist, music director, and coach from down under. His terrific podcast Studio Time is about “the big and small ways artists can change the world.” Matthew recently interviewed me. It was a fun, thought-provoking conversation unpacking how to get unstuck — the tools you need.
Matthew’s Studio Time podcast series invites listeners to “discover the unconventional approaches that artists have developed to create unique results in their lives and careers.” And to “learn how you can apply these ideas to transform your own work.”
Based in Brisbane, Matthew is a smart, creative artist with a terrific perspective. He’s also got a great voice and accent—so check out Studio Time.
Unexpected connections — networking at its best
Matthew and I met in an unlikely place. We both took Seth Godin’s Marketing Seminar and his Freelancer’s Workshop. These are popular online courses attracting professionals from every corner of the world and every type of business.
In a sea of lawyers, accountants, investment bankers, and consultants, I was amazed to find Matthew. A fellow music career coach, he’s the founder of The Business of Performing.
Matthew and I exchanged ideas and feedback—and the course platforms gave us a great excuse to get real about the challenges and goals we set for ourselves in our work. It’s been wonderful being able to learn from each other.
And I love how technology lets us all make meaningful connections with people across any distance. Boston meets Brisbane—go figure!
In my interview conversation with Matthew me Studio Time, we covered a range of tools and resources to help musicians get unstuck. And I revealed how my own career missteps led me to find and learn many of the practical strategies and tools I now share with others.
How to get unstuck — the tools
Here are the show notes from Matthew with the tools and topics we covered:
- “Why Angela decided to compile the answers to the questions she was most commonly asked by musicians and turn them into this book.
- What initially being turned down by a number of publishers (before signing with Oxford University Press) taught her about rejection.
- Adam Grant’s Work Life Podcast episode “Bouncing Back from Rejection.”
- The Tools and Coming Alive by Barry Michels and Phil Stutz.
- Read more about Resistance in Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.
- What happens when you get the exact thing you wanted and worked towards, only to discover it’s not what you thought it was going to be?
- When is the right time to begin thinking about and planning how you might build your career?
- Answering the artist’s eternal dilemma “How do I describe myself?”
- Try this exercise before taking your next promotional or headshot photos.
- Check out an example of great photography on Joshua Roman’s website.
But wait, there’s more . . .
- Why getting clarity about how you want to market yourself and your work creates a better connection with your audience and better performances.
- Where music schools might be failing their students.
- Why the selling part of “selling out” isn’t the problem. It’s when you discover you’ve fallen out of integrity with why you became an artist that you need a reset to get back on track.
- Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanney”
Thank you, Matthew: Here’s to more networking and connecting for all of us!
Have a question about your career goals? Hit me up in our exclusive Musicians Making It Facebook group—happy to have you join the conversation!
And for more tools for taking action, see my Five Productivity Hacks and this post on aligning your actions with your goals.
Looking forward,
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well
