Being a Savage (Blog)

[James81]

Originally Posted by Fendaril

Yes Steve does have a way with words. He has tried many a time to help people set up their own income-generating blogs, failing each and every time, like a horrible college student.What does that tell you? It tells you that people's brains are so molded by external influences, that they have auto-piloted themselves to not accomplish anything they want.

They get stuck on their limiting beliefs:

"I can't do it"

"It's too hard"

"It's goona take to long"

This is why only 1% of blogs succeed. 99% of blogs are run by the general masses, being led by their brainwashed minds, subconsciously leading them to failure.

Thankfully, Steve and other good people have come up with a solution that could help people in your situation.

Site Build It

They do everything for you. All those details you can't figure out.

Hey, link me up to your blog. I'd like to give it a read.

[Fendaril]

Originally Posted by James81

Hey, link me up to your blog. I'd like to give it a read.

Ok.

Personal Development for Smart People - Steve Pavlina

There you go.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

It's so crazy how you can start out thinking "this will be making me money" and it becomes something else relatively quickly.

[MariconesUnited]

I haven't read this thread yet. I just came in to say THANK YOU to Steve! That blog post really hit close to home! I love how he mentions that there are no guides on this path. I think that's been my biggest challenge, finding my way through life without relying on idols or guides. I must say it does feel good however to have a supportive community

[MariconesUnited]

We're all still in the system. Steve may be a successful entrepreneur, but entrepreneurship is within the system parameters. Nothing wrong with that. I think that using Steve as an example goes to show you that you can be a positive influence while making money and being a part of the system!

But if you look at the success ratio of the system...It's not very high.

How do you define success? Depends on who you ask. I define it as finding happiness and fulfillment and being a positive, uplifting influence to others.

And what do I mean by "the system"? In a larger sense, it's the society that we've created for ourselves. But more precisely, it means trading goods and services for money. Wherever and whoever you are that is your modus operandi. And why do we do that? Because we fundamentally believe in the same concept: possession. Why do we start wars? To acquire more land and resources. Why do we steal? Because of fear of scarcity. Or because through the lens of the ego we never have enough.

So I'm going to try a social experiment. If that wording scares you remember that a lot of what you buy at the grocery store is genetically modified. The only difference between most social experiments and this one is that you know about this one!

So what's the experiment? It is to get rid of the possession concept. What would a world free of that concept look like? The answer is I don't know! But I do believe it would be much more liberating than the world we live in here and now!

I'll start a blog or website soon where I'll disown one of my possessions. I will make it very clear that it is impossible for it to be possessed by anyone under any circumstance, law, treaty or any condition for the rest of eternity. That object will simply be. I will then invite everyone to try it out as well, and see how far we can go with that notion.

Feel free to do the same experiment on your own, or start a website with a similar idea behind it as well. It's not my idea anyway! I don't believe in possession remember?

[Savage]

Originally Posted by MariconesUnited

We're all still in the system. Steve may be a successful entrepreneur, but entrepreneurship is within the system parameters. Nothing wrong with that. I think that using Steve as an example goes to show you that you can be a positive influence while making money and being a part of the system!

Yes, definitely. Over time it's interesting to see how one's definition of "the system" will broaden, as you continue to peel away more layers.

For example, you may find that you no longer eat the way everyone else does. Or you may find that your relationship path strays from what the system teaches is normal.

Or you might even be born with a body that the system considers abnormal.

[Janine]

Originally Posted by Savage

Yes, definitely. Over time it's interesting to see how one's definition of "the system" will broaden, as you continue to peel away more layers.

For example, you may find that you no longer eat the way everyone else does. Or you may find that your relationship path strays from what the system teaches is normal.

Or you might even be born with a body that the system considers abnormal.

We all eat. We all have relationships. There are no layers to peel. You are no different from anyone else on this planet. We are all the same species.

[Maugrassia]

Originally Posted by Janine

We all eat. We all have relationships. There are no layers to peel. You are no different from anyone else on this planet. We are all the same species.

It's not the what, but the how. We're all of the same worth. It only matters what we do with that worth.

Each society has a definition of it's own norm that it tries to hold everyone to. And it's all about fitting into your own norm.

[cacheborn]

Originally Posted by Savage

Do what makes you happy. When you're happy, you can get away with being extremely unrealistic. Life will bend over backwards to fulfill your desires.

A better thought is: I'm going to do what makes me happy, and no force on earth can stop me. Rar!

Copy that.

[Asten]

Originally Posted by Savage

Yes, definitely. Over time it's interesting to see how one's definition of "the system" will broaden, as you continue to peel away more layers.

For example, you may find that you no longer eat the way everyone else does. Or you may find that your relationship path strays from what the system teaches is normal.

Or you might even be born with a body that the system considers abnormal.

I won't get into why this synchs with me, but damn! How is it nearly every post you make here synchs with where I'm at (in lots of areas of my life) and is something with a message I need to hear?

I think is why I'm spending so much time here suddenly. I'll admit I wasn't entirely invested in the idea of synchronicies, but I think I am now. LOL

Originally Posted by Maugrassia

It's not the what, but the how.

. . .

Each society has a definition of it's own norm that it tries to hold everyone to.

Agreed.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Asten

I won't get into why this synchs with me, but damn! How is it nearly every post you make here synchs with where I'm at (in lots of areas of my life) and is something with a message I need to hear?

[Manuel]

Hello Steve,

I also completely agree with you about the post on the system and how trying to fit in can be a fruitless endeavour. I was wondering though if you could offer me your perspective on my personal situation. I know lots of people probably want that from you, but if I don't ask I surely won't get

I studied guitar at the conversatory many years ago, and being a musician and composer is all I've ever really wanted to do professionally. For several reasons (which I don't need to go into now) I never really made any money with music. After my studies I worked in all sorts of jobs, none of which were a success, as I didn't LIKE any of them. I got fired a few times, in other words, exactly the result you describe of the system spitting me out.

Right now I don't have any job and I have enough money left in my bank account to support myself until the end of April. Now, let me first say that I definitely believe it is possible to make money playing music, composing, writing blogs etc. I also totally agree with you that the excuses people always make are nothing more than fear and that if I really want to make money as a musician/composer I will have to start taking action towards it. No argument there, and I definitely want to start taking this action. But since I only have enough money to support myself for just one month, doesn't that mean that I will ALSO need to look for a job as an employee for right now??

I mean, it takes TIME to start making enough money independently before you can support yourself from it, and I don't see how I can possibly start making enough money in ONE month, considering that I'm basically starting from scratch. Doesn't this mean that I will HAVE to look for a job, at least for now, in order to pay my bills, and then work on the music in my free time? I guess what I'm asking is, if YOU were in this situation, would you ignore looking for a job as an employee and only focus 100% of your time on making money in music? Because if I do that, and after one month I haven't made any money yet, I will have a BIG problem!

It seems to me that going after your dreams without excuses is indeed not unrealistic, but isn't it unrealistic to ignore the fact that I will have bills to pay one month from now and having no idea IF and WHEN more money will be coming in?

Thanks in advance for you take on this!

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Manuel

Hello Steve,

I also completely agree with you about the post on the system and how trying to fit in can be a fruitless endeavour. I was wondering though if you could offer me your perspective on my personal situation. I know lots of people probably want that from you, but if I don't ask I surely won't get

I studied guitar at the conversatory many years ago, and being a musician and composer is all I've ever really wanted to do professionally. For several reasons (which I don't need to go into now) I never really made any money with music. After my studies I worked in all sorts of jobs, none of which were a success, as I didn't LIKE any of them. I got fired a few times, in other words, exactly the result you describe of the system spitting me out.

Right now I don't have any job and I have enough money left in my bank account to support myself until the end of April. Now, let me first say that I definitely believe it is possible to make money playing music, composing, writing blogs etc. I also totally agree with you that the excuses people always make are nothing more than fear and that if I really want to make money as a musician/composer I will have to start taking action towards it. No argument there, and I definitely want to start taking this action. But since I only have enough money to support myself for just one month, doesn't that mean that I will ALSO need to look for a job as an employee for right now??

I mean, it takes TIME to start making enough money independently before you can support yourself from it, and I don't see how I can possibly start making enough money in ONE month, considering that I'm basically starting from scratch. Doesn't this mean that I will HAVE to look for a job, at least for now, in order to pay my bills, and then work on the music in my free time? I guess what I'm asking is, if YOU were in this situation, would you ignore looking for a job as an employee and only focus 100% of your time on making money in music? Because if I do that, and after one month I haven't made any money yet, I will have a BIG problem!

It seems to me that going after your dreams without excuses is indeed not unrealistic, but isn't it unrealistic to ignore the fact that I will have bills to pay one month from now and having no idea IF and WHEN more money will be coming in?

Thanks in advance for you take on this!

Do what you need to do to pay your bills if that's important to you.

But no matter what, carve out some time every day to practice your music. That time is sacred and should never be sacrificed, not even for bills. Better to let your bills go overdue than to let your happiness be sacrificed. If you aren't happy, you'll sabotage your financial results anyway.

If you practice your music every day, then you'll get good at it. For greatness in this field, you can expect needing to practice about 5 hours per day for 5 years... or 2.5 hours per day for 10 years. Then you'll be pretty darned good at it and should have no trouble making oodles of money if that's what you want.

If you enjoy music, then do music. If you want to make money to pay your bills, then do that too, but don't sacrifice your music for bills. If you have time to post in the forums here, you have time to be playing music.

If you can't afford anything, bang two sticks together and sing.

You have to pay the happiness bill first. That's the only way you'll be able to create abundance in the long run. Otherwise ten years from now, you'll still be in this same situation, fussing over how to pay your bills, doing the minimum to get by... and wondering what might have been if you practiced your music along the way.

[MariconesUnited]

Originally Posted by Manuel

Hello Steve,

I also completely agree with you about the post on the system and how trying to fit in can be a fruitless endeavour. I was wondering though if you could offer me your perspective on my personal situation. I know lots of people probably want that from you, but if I don't ask I surely won't get

I studied guitar at the conversatory many years ago, and being a musician and composer is all I've ever really wanted to do professionally. For several reasons (which I don't need to go into now) I never really made any money with music. After my studies I worked in all sorts of jobs, none of which were a success, as I didn't LIKE any of them. I got fired a few times, in other words, exactly the result you describe of the system spitting me out.

Right now I don't have any job and I have enough money left in my bank account to support myself until the end of April. Now, let me first say that I definitely believe it is possible to make money playing music, composing, writing blogs etc. I also totally agree with you that the excuses people always make are nothing more than fear and that if I really want to make money as a musician/composer I will have to start taking action towards it. No argument there, and I definitely want to start taking this action. But since I only have enough money to support myself for just one month, doesn't that mean that I will ALSO need to look for a job as an employee for right now??

I mean, it takes TIME to start making enough money independently before you can support yourself from it, and I don't see how I can possibly start making enough money in ONE month, considering that I'm basically starting from scratch. Doesn't this mean that I will HAVE to look for a job, at least for now, in order to pay my bills, and then work on the music in my free time? I guess what I'm asking is, if YOU were in this situation, would you ignore looking for a job as an employee and only focus 100% of your time on making money in music? Because if I do that, and after one month I haven't made any money yet, I will have a BIG problem!

It seems to me that going after your dreams without excuses is indeed not unrealistic, but isn't it unrealistic to ignore the fact that I will have bills to pay one month from now and having no idea IF and WHEN more money will be coming in?

Thanks in advance for you take on this!

Can I give you my take on this? Where are you at right now in your musical abilities? Are you in a band? What kind of music do you play and compose?

Steve mentions the amount of hours you need, but I'm always weary of that approach. Someone once said that it takes 10,000 hours of practicing something to get really good at it. To me it's all hogwash. We all vary in talent and in how fast we can learn. I would suggest you don't take any drugs as that would slow down your progress. Cut out the negative influences from your life. And ADVERTISE!! Tell everyone you know that you're committing to your music career! Use social networks. Check out the local bars for playing shows. If you really want to do this and you have a friendly approach, people will help you with anything and everything if push comes to shove.

Get out there, enjoy your art, and enjoy life!

[Manuel]

Originally Posted by MariconesUnited

Can I give you my take on this? Where are you at right now in your musical abilities? Are you in a band? What kind of music do you play and compose?

Steve mentions the amount of hours you need, but I'm always weary of that approach. Someone once said that it takes 10,000 hours of practicing something to get really good at it. To me it's all hogwash. We all vary in talent and in how fast we can learn. I would suggest you don't take any drugs as that would slow down your progress. Cut out the negative influences from your life. And ADVERTISE!! Tell everyone you know that you're committing to your music career! Use social networks. Check out the local bars for playing shows. If you really want to do this and you have a friendly approach, people will help you with anything and everything if push comes to shove.

Get out there, enjoy your art, and enjoy life!

Well, as far as needing to put in many hours is concerned, that is not an issue anymore. I already have MORE than 10,000 hours invested in playing guitar and composing (I started playing 29 years ago ). I just never made any effort to do it professionally for various reasons, among which the most important were severe emotional instability and a muscle injury which prevented me from playing well. I am now ready to finally pursue it, however. I know my craft, I just have zero experience in trying to make money from it.

The thing is that I am basically starting from scratch, from a money making point of view. In all the previous years I was never really involved professionally in the music industry, so I have no network to speak of and I will need to learn everything related to building a career. I HAVE been out playing at jam sessions lately, but to be honest I am a bit stumped on how to create playing opportunities that actually generate some income!

[invisiblehouses]

Originally Posted by Manuel

The thing is that I am basically starting from scratch, from a money making point of view. In all the previous years I was never really involved professionally in the music industry, so I have no network to speak of and I will need to learn everything related to building a career.

I'm sort of in the same boat, although I've only been playing for a little under 28 years myself.

My problem was a scarcity mindset that came from believing the complete and utter horse**** my parents had been filling me with since I was 7 or 8 years old: "Well you just can't play music for a living." "Why not, mom?" "Well, you just can't. Nobody ever does." (Yeah. I know: WHHHAAAAA??!!!).

What they really meant was: "I can't imagine myself as the parent of a professional musician, so I'm not going to allow my child to have this dream." And, INFP that I am, parental approval was way more important to me than it should have been, so I caved. "Y'oughtta go to college for engineerin'," they said. Boy, did that system spit me out hard.

Lotta music coming into my life lately. Opportunities for making music, people who make music, people talking about music. At 34, I may be a bit long in the tooth for that goofy childhood "I wanna be a rockstar!" thing, but I figure I've got at least another 50 years before my fingers start falling off; that's a staggering number of days in which to bring joy to people by writing songs, playing music, and teaching them about music. There is no shortage of ways to reach people, and it's when you start providing value that value gets returned to you.

So I'd tell you this: go out and make someone happy with your music. Even one person, for starters.

I'll make sure to do it, too.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Manuel

Well, as far as needing to put in many hours is concerned, that is not an issue anymore. I already have MORE than 10,000 hours invested in playing guitar and composing (I started playing 29 years ago ). I just never made any effort to do it professionally for various reasons, among which the most important were severe emotional instability and a muscle injury which prevented me from playing well. I am now ready to finally pursue it, however. I know my craft, I just have zero experience in trying to make money from it.

The thing is that I am basically starting from scratch, from a money making point of view. In all the previous years I was never really involved professionally in the music industry, so I have no network to speak of and I will need to learn everything related to building a career. I HAVE been out playing at jam sessions lately, but to be honest I am a bit stumped on how to create playing opportunities that actually generate some income!

Networking is critical if you want to succeed in this arena. It's critical in just about any field.

If I had your talent and wanted to break into the music biz, I'd ask one of my friends in that industry for advice on how to get in. If they knew I had real talent, they might be able to give me a referral to a group I could perform with for a bit, and that would help me build more contacts. I'd also hang out with them as much as possible and try to make new connections through them.

I know some successful musicians who are able to make a good living from their work. One example is Freddie Ravel. He toured with Santana for several months as their keyboard player (Rachelle and I saw the show and then went backstage thanks to Freddie). Definitely an extroverted type of guy. He's extremely talented and very well networked.

If you are indeed very talented, then it shouldn't be too difficult to build connections. You just have to get out there and meet other musicians. Go where they go. Make friends with them. Then prove your talent when you get the chance. If you're really good, work will find you.

[cacheborn]

Originally Posted by Savage

If you practice your music every day, then you'll get good at it. For greatness in this field, you can expect needing to practice about 5 hours per day for 5 years... or 2.5 hours per day for 10 years. Then you'll be pretty darned good at it and should have no trouble making oodles of money if that's what you want.

Interesting. Malcom Gladwell, in Outliers, says a similar thing. Why did Beatles went on to become the music icons? Before their fame, they used to play in strip clubs in Hamburg every evening for eight hours straight. The sheer amount of time they spent playing made them the best in the business.

Same goes for Bill Gates who got phenomenal amount of programming practice in days when computers were far from a novelty. Other examples include Mozart and Bill Joy (Founder of Sun Microsystems).

In every case, the number of hours they spent practicing their skill comes close to 10,000 hours.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by cacheborn

Interesting. Malcom Gladwell, in Outliers, says a similar thing. Why did Beatles went on to become the music icons? Before their fame, they used to play in strip clubs in Hamburg every evening for eight hours straight. The sheer amount of time they spent playing made them the best in the business.

Same goes for Bill Gates who got phenomenal amount of programming practice in days when computers were far from a novelty. Other examples include Mozart and Bill Joy (Founder of Sun Microsystems).

In every case, the number of hours they spent practicing their skill comes close to 10,000 hours.

Just putting in the time isn't enough though. To achieve excellence you have to do what's called deep practice, which essentially means practicing at the edge of your abilities and practicing each individual aspect of your work. If you practice inside your comfort zone, you won't likely master your work.

[Lamusa]

Originally Posted by Manuel

Hello Steve,

I also completely agree with you about the post on the system and how trying to fit in can be a fruitless endeavour. I was wondering though if you could offer me your perspective on my personal situation. I know lots of people probably want that from you, but if I don't ask I surely won't get

I studied guitar at the conversatory many years ago, and being a musician and composer is all I've ever really wanted to do professionally. For several reasons (which I don't need to go into now) I never really made any money with music. After my studies I worked in all sorts of jobs, none of which were a success, as I didn't LIKE any of them. I got fired a few times, in other words, exactly the result you describe of the system spitting me out.

Right now I don't have any job and I have enough money left in my bank account to support myself until the end of April. Now, let me first say that I definitely believe it is possible to make money playing music, composing, writing blogs etc. I also totally agree with you that the excuses people always make are nothing more than fear and that if I really want to make money as a musician/composer I will have to start taking action towards it. No argument there, and I definitely want to start taking this action. But since I only have enough money to support myself for just one month, doesn't that mean that I will ALSO need to look for a job as an employee for right now??

I mean, it takes TIME to start making enough money independently before you can support yourself from it, and I don't see how I can possibly start making enough money in ONE month, considering that I'm basically starting from scratch. Doesn't this mean that I will HAVE to look for a job, at least for now, in order to pay my bills, and then work on the music in my free time? I guess what I'm asking is, if YOU were in this situation, would you ignore looking for a job as an employee and only focus 100% of your time on making money in music? Because if I do that, and after one month I haven't made any money yet, I will have a BIG problem!

It seems to me that going after your dreams without excuses is indeed not unrealistic, but isn't it unrealistic to ignore the fact that I will have bills to pay one month from now and having no idea IF and WHEN more money will be coming in?

Thanks in advance for you take on this!

Making a living as a musician or through any other artisitc discipline has little to do with how good you are. In fact, it's irrelavant. The concept of good and bad is merely a judgement. It's people who control the industry who decides what's good or bad based on its capacity to make money. Generally speaking it doesn't matter what it is. It's a business. If I want to paint a dot on a canvas and put it on a wall and call it art then what I need to do is find/create an audience for that. That's where the focus should be. And if your talents as a musician stray from what mainstream record companies are putting out which translates into what most people are listening to on a regular basis then what do you with talent or very little talent do because one person's path to success (in anything, really, and especially as an artist) is another person's hamster wheel.

I've been a professional artist for many years now which means my income comes solely from what I do as an artist and it's been a bumpy, curvaceous, frustrating, beautiful ride that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world - and I'm still riding it. What makes most people successful beyond any talent they have which of course is all subjective is determination. If you have a strong vision for yourself as a musician you must honor that vision. You must be uncompromising and you must be determined. What I've learned the most all these years of ups and downs in my career the almosts but no cigars the rejections and being ignored is first and foremost to believe in myself and what I have to offer the world. It's made me stronger and prompted me to define my own bottom line. I may not be rich in money right now but I certainly am free.

I do not advocate that any one quits their day job if they don't have a lot of confidence - or money yet. Look at your unique particular set of circumstances and really get quiet and listen to your heart about it and relax, too. Their are infinite possibilities. Be prepared for every way you may feel inadequate as a human being to rear its head at you because you are no longer working within the system to thrive. Be persistent and stick to your path no matter how long it takes. Any advice you receive even if it comes from someone whose career path looks like one you should follow must run by your unique personal freedom filter. you have to see if it resonates for you. If I just blindly listen to other people thinking they know more than I do I usually end up regretting it - though of course it's how we learn to trust oursevles more, too.

One way I've found of making money through my art is by teaching people how to do what I do. I'm free to create my own curriculum and I've learned even more about craft through doing this. This could be a side gig for you as you continue with your regular job and with first and foremost making your music. This is just one of many options. Best wishes!

[carenkh]

Originally Posted by Lamusa

Look at your unique particular set of circumstances and really get quiet and listen to your heart about it and relax, too. There are infinite possibilities. Be prepared for every way you may feel inadequate as a human being to rear its head at you because you are no longer working within the system to thrive. Be persistent and stick to your path no matter how long it takes. Any advice you receive, even if it comes from someone whose career path looks like one you should follow, must run by your unique personal freedom filter. You have to see if it resonates for you. If I just blindly listen to other people thinking they know more than I do I usually end up regretting it - though of course it's how we learn to trust ourselves more, too.

I wanted to pull this out, to quote all on its own. This is wonderful!

[Manuel]

Originally Posted by Lamusa

I do not advocate that any one quits their day job if they don't have a lot of confidence - or money yet. Look at your unique particular set of circumstances and really get quiet and listen to your heart about it and relax, too. Their are infinite possibilities. Be prepared for every way you may feel inadequate as a human being to rear its head at you because you are no longer working within the system to thrive. Be persistent and stick to your path no matter how long it takes. Any advice you receive even if it comes from someone whose career path looks like one you should follow must run by your unique personal freedom filter. you have to see if it resonates for you. If I just blindly listen to other people thinking they know more than I do I usually end up regretting it - though of course it's how we learn to trust oursevles more, too.

One way I've found of making money through my art is by teaching people how to do what I do. I'm free to create my own curriculum and I've learned even more about craft through doing this. This could be a side gig for you as you continue with your regular job and with first and foremost making your music. This is just one of many options. Best wishes!

Hello Lamusa, thank you for responding in this thread. Perhaps you missed it but I don't HAVE any job at the moment. I agree that following advice from others blindly is not the best thing to do, but I am never sure what to do if I listen to MYSELF I am always in conflict about what my mind says is the best choice logically and how I feel about it. For example, I have done some guitar teaching in the past, but I hated that almost as much as any of the other jobs I have done! If I approach this logically then the quickest way for me to make some money as a guitarist is to teach, but if I don't like it, what is the point of doing it then? However, if I only do what I feel good about, which is performing and composing, I see no way to earn enough money with that in the short-term so I'll also need to focus a lot of time on getting a job to pay my bills now.

I think it's just fear that is stopping me from choosing a path, ANY path towards earning money as a freelancer. I am just not sure how to get myself to take action instead of endlessly preparing for it. I also get overwhelmed very quickly thinking about everything I need to do. For example, I would like to have my own website, but when I think about having one I start thinking doom scenarios like I would need to learn about HTML and God knows what else for a whole year before I even know enough to build a basic site! I always see the roadblocks everywhere instead of the possibilities. How do you change that attitude? It feels so ingrained in me. I can choose to think differently in the moment and decide to focus on what to do to get to where I want to go, but then a few hours later in the same day I am back thinking about the roadblocks. It feels like such a struggle for me to constantly focus on success, it feels unnatural to me! Does anyone else have this experience or am I just weird?

[Hampshire Girl]

I don't think you're wierd at all! You remind me of a very close friend of mine who has lots of aspirations but gets so overwhelmed when he tries to think about them he ends up treading water going nowhere.

Chunking is one way to help tackle problems and help to get focussed - break it down into smaller steps and tick off small victories - you'll be amazed how much progress you make rather than trying to tackle the 'big stuff' straight off.

Also prioritising your needs and objectives. It sounds like your primary focus needs to be getting a job to get a regular income in, then you'll have some security to focus on your music, even if it's just for a couple of hours a day as Steve says. Meeting your basic needs like paying the bills must come first, but you need to keep feeding your passion to keep it alive. Good luck!

[Lamusa]

Originally Posted by Manuel

Hello Lamusa, thank you for responding in this thread. Perhaps you missed it but I don't HAVE any job at the moment. I agree that following advice from others blindly is not the best thing to do, but I am never sure what to do if I listen to MYSELF I am always in conflict about what my mind says is the best choice logically and how I feel about it. For example, I have done some guitar teaching in the past, but I hated that almost as much as any of the other jobs I have done! If I approach this logically then the quickest way for me to make some money as a guitarist is to teach, but if I don't like it, what is the point of doing it then? However, if I only do what I feel good about, which is performing and composing, I see no way to earn enough money with that in the short-term so I'll also need to focus a lot of time on getting a job to pay my bills now.

I think it's just fear that is stopping me from choosing a path, ANY path towards earning money as a freelancer. I am just not sure how to get myself to take action instead of endlessly preparing for it. I also get overwhelmed very quickly thinking about everything I need to do. For example, I would like to have my own website, but when I think about having one I start thinking doom scenarios like I would need to learn about HTML and God knows what else for a whole year before I even know enough to build a basic site! I always see the roadblocks everywhere instead of the possibilities. How do you change that attitude? It feels so ingrained in me. I can choose to think differently in the moment and decide to focus on what to do to get to where I want to go, but then a few hours later in the same day I am back thinking about the roadblocks. It feels like such a struggle for me to constantly focus on success, it feels unnatural to me! Does anyone else have this experience or am I just weird?

Well, this is the chronic human condition, isn't it? It's a matter of mental discipline and just like any muscle you have to exercise it a bit at a time so that you get stronger and stronger. You have to believe in what is not apparently there as if it is there. Think of an athlete who mentally rehearses their way to victory. If you can manage thinking/visualizing your success for even one minute a day for one week that's great then try two and so on based on what you can handle. It helps for me at least to write down my vision for myself and read it everyday no matter how I feel. This gets it into your consciousness more and more. You don't have to teach or do what you think is logical. The imagination is real. Step into that reality. Your journey won't look like mine or his or hers and, believe me, it's not all going to be pleasant. If anybody is looking for that guarantee they might as well give up now. I mean that.

The professional artistic life (professional and otherwise)is not an easy one for many people and many, many people give up because of it. You end up spending a lot of time convincing people that what you do is of value but most of all the person you spend the most time trying to convince is yourself. And once you convince yourself what any one else thinks is of no consequence. However, you must make music the priority. Surrender to your musical success in every possible way. Whether you get jobs along the way to pay the bills or not. That might just be part of your journey and if it is then make it musical. Music first. Terrifying, yes, but beautiful and worth it to yourself and generations to come. Dream big.

[Asten]

Originally Posted by Savage

To achieve excellence you have to do what's called deep practice, which essentially means practicing at the edge of your abilities and practicing each individual aspect of your work.

That's a fascinating insight (though somehow obvious, as those things tend to be) that definitely sounds right intuitively.

I'd be interested to hear more of your thoughts on that or what influenced that idea.

Which means I'm going to go Google "deep practice."

[Mynder]

If your heart and love are in it, "deep practice" is bound to come naturally to you. You'll get bored with what you can do easily, and try something new, more challenging.

[Excellent Lodestar]

Originally Posted by Savage

Just putting in the time isn't enough though. To achieve excellence you have to do what's called deep practice, which essentially means practicing at the edge of your abilities and practicing each individual aspect of your work. If you practice inside your comfort zone, you won't likely master your work.

Agree completely.
For example, real musicians will tell you that one hour playing live=10 hrs in the practice room...The Outliers thing makes sense when seen in this light. playing live has you constantly at you edge...the Beatles were GIGGING in Hamburg, not just jamming in John's Garage.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Asten

That's a fascinating insight (though somehow obvious, as those things tend to be) that definitely sounds right intuitively.

I'd be interested to hear more of your thoughts on that or what influenced that idea.

Which means I'm going to go Google "deep practice."

Read the book The Talent Code if you want to learn more about the concept, as well as related concepts.

[Asten]

Originally Posted by Savage

Read the book The Talent Code if you want to learn more about the concept, as well as related concepts.

I will, thank you.

[cacheborn]

Originally Posted by Savage

Just putting in the time isn't enough though. To achieve excellence you have to do what's called deep practice, which essentially means practicing at the edge of your abilities and practicing each individual aspect of your work. If you practice inside your comfort zone, you won't likely master your work.

Very true. Almost every writer I have read says the same thing. You have to show up for work and do your best, every single day. That's why it's so important that you are really passionate about that skill. It's not work if you enjoy it.