Right now, with the pandemic, times are HARD for musicians, stage artists and performers.
Really hard.
No in-person performances, teaching hustled onto online platforms, lack of opportunities, uncertainty and long-term future instability.
But is this different from normal? Or is it just a matter of degree?
And why is it that some people seem to thrive while others are barely surviving?
So why hasn't it evened up the odds? Why are there some people who are making even these difficult times work for them and others who... well, who are just not.
If you know me at all, you'll know what I believe - that our major roadblocks are not external, but that they lie, often buried deep in our unconscious, inside us.
Back in 2011 I was STUCK. And fed up. And frustrated. Wanting to perform more as a violinist, but I had all these thoughts:
- I don't know how to make this happen
- There are so many amazing violinists out there, there isn't space for me
- It's going to be so hard
- There isn't any money in performance
- I'm not good enough
- Etc. etc.
- Like creating my own violin and guitar duo, playing concerts and making two CDs.
- Like writing, repeatedly, (and it was HARD to be so persistent) to the manager of a local orchestra until they took me on.
- Like accepting jobs that were scary... but ultimately led to more and more opportunites and my pre-Covid work, two seasons in a musical.
- SELF-BELIEF (which includes, self-confidence, perfectionism, etc)
- VISIBILITY (self-promotion, social media, reaching out)
- MONEY (limiting beliefs specific to us starving artists as well as more general ones.)
- REJECTION & JOB INSECURITY (that comes with a lot of BAD memories)
- MY SUCCESS & OTHER PEOPLE (how will your family, colleagues, teachers, friends react if you become much more successful?)
- SUSTAINIBILITY (the unseen downside to success which can block us and seem totally unfathomable)
- CREATING A VISION (did you ever? do you dare? do you give up before you start? how much do you limit your possibilites?)
