TEM277: Leonard Cohen on the seduction of inspiration
Why waiting for inspiration before doing creative work is a trap that feeds a cycle of inaction.
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TEM Coaching Tip: The best advice I've ever received
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received came from a mentor who was the tough love sort. He always did it with compassion and kindness but he never, ever shied away from telling you what he thought you needed to hear, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.
He told me that if I wanted to evaluate my belief systems, ignore my thoughts and ignore my feelings and only look at my actions.
This piece of advice has had a profound impact on me since the moment I first heard it.
If I tell myself that writing this book is important to me and yet only manage to sit down and actually write a few times a month then it is not nearly as important to me as I’ve been telling myself.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The problem comes from my perceived priorities and actions not lining up. That’s when there is a conflict within myself and frequently with others. This can lead to a constant feeling of not doing enough or of being inadequate. When these two things are severely misaligned I can feel like an impostor.
I once heard author Ramit Sethi say that if you want to reveal your true priorities, document every single thing that you do in a calendar for two weeks. Write down everything you do, from time on Twitter to composing music.
At the end of those two weeks take a look at two things: your calendar and your bank statement. Sethi argues that a person’s true priorities are revealed through how they allocate their time and their money.
The clarity that comes from this process frequently has two profound effects.
The first is it can make you more honest with yourself about your true priorities. It can actually free you from goals you feel that you “should” have when in reality they either aren’t for you or aren’t for you right now.
The other is it can make you get honest with yourself about your pursuit of some goals. If after undergoing this process you still feel strongly that something your actions have been neglecting is still a priority, it tends to make you change those actions in a hurry to better align with your thinking.
The bottom line is our actions tell us far more about ourselves and our current trajectory than our thoughts and feelings ever will and should always be front and center when evaluating ourselves.
Are you in alignment?
Better align your actions and goals with TEM Coaching and watch how fast you start achieving them.
Quartet #7: Starting a Movement, the One Trait Every Successful Musician Possesses and More
You didn't hear from me last week because it has been one hell of a stretch but this time in a good way!
Last weekend I got to perform with Jonathan Fishman, the drummer for the band Phish, and it was a dream come true. It left we speechless.
I also got to perform with soprano Denyce Graves which gave me goosebumps.
Then I saw Pearl Jam for the first time in 31 years and a group that is very special to me, Medeski Martin & Wood, for only the 2nd time in 10 years.
Lots of rewarding gigs and lots of shows attended have reminded me of why I do this whole musician thing in the first place!
And without further ado, here are this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. How to Start a Movement
This is an absolutely brilliant video from Derek Sivers. In under three minutes he breaks down how to start a movement.
There are so many lessons to take away from this super short video. It is a must-watch!
2. The 5-Hour Rule: How to Turn a Wasted Day Into a Successful One
I like this simple system for making learning a priority. Reading is something that I have to make a priority or it doesn't end up happening.
3. The One Trait You Will Eventually Need
There is one trait that literally every successful musician I know possesses.
Some need it early in their careers. Some need it late. But you will need it eventually.
4. Share Files Using End-To-End Encryption via an Automatically Expiring Link
This is one of the tools I have no use for whatsoever until I suddenly have a use for it and then it's awfully handy!
It allows you to share files up to 10 GBs with end-to-end encryption. And the link automatically expires so any creative work is not floating around the internet if you don't want it to be.
This Week's TEM Episode
TEM276 is all about how you shouldn't ever decide for someone else that they're not interested in what you have to offer and why anytime you do it is the fear talking.
I also get into how this mindset is not a license to spam people with frivolous requests and how to tell if your request is legit or not.
My Final Thought of the Week
Here's a quote to send you on your way:
“Music frees your soul from the dungeon of your mind.”
—Wiss Auguste
From meeting and playing with one of my heroes (I still can't believe that happened!?) to seeing some spellbinding concerts over the last two weeks, my soul had an awful lot of freeing from the dungeon of my mind.
It has totally left me energized for all aspects of my portfolio career - even if a little exhausted from a lack of sleep.
But I'll take it!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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TEM276: Don't say no for them
Why you shouldn't ever decide for someone that they're not interested in what you have to offer and why that is not a license to spam people with frivolous requests.
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TEM Coaching Tip: The Worst Advice I've Ever Received
Standing out from a lot of contenders over the years, a famous quote that was shared with me is without a doubt the worst piece of advice I’ve ever received.
It comes from Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi and there is a good chance you’ve heard it before:
“Quitters never win and winners never quit.”
There is one fundamental problem with this quote.
Time is the most precious commodity any of us possess. Each of us only gets 24 hours in a day which means any time you say yes to something you are by definition saying no to something else.
It should be noted that saying yes to something doesn’t only apply to taking on new things. Any time we continue something we’ve started we are in a way saying yes to it all over again.
Because you can’t do two things simultaneously, quitting something you’ve started that is no longer the best possible use of your time is not only okay, it should be celebrated!
Winners quit things all the time. It’s just a matter of quitting the right things at the right time.
TEM Coaching Tip: The One Trait You Will Eventually Need
The one trait you will need at some point in your journey as a musical entrepreneur is perseverance. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t needed it. Some need it right out of the gate. Others have a lot of initial support and gain momentum early in their careers. Regardless, you will need perseverance at some point.
One story from early in my career immediately comes to mind. When I was an undergrad at Northwestern I had the opportunity to sub for a week with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. It was a new music concert in Orchestra Hall and the tuba parts were complicated and exposed. It was a wonderful experience.
When I showed up for the dress rehearsal, the bass trombonist told me that the conductor had been looking for me. There was still time before the downbeat so I went and introduced myself (our first conversation) and asked what he needed. What transpired was one of the proudest moments of my career.
He told me he had been recording every rehearsal and that my “playing and due diligence” stuck out to him and he wanted my name and number to be able to call me for studio work. I was elated! I thanked him profusely and gave him my number.
My excitement only grew when I told my professor at Northwestern, Rex Martin, about this encounter. When I told him that the conductor was Cliff Colnot he lit up. My professor was not prone to hyperbole and told me that Cliff Colnot had the best ears in all of Chicago. He also said that he controlled a huge portion of the radio and television jingle scene in town. Back in the 90’s there was a lot of studio work in Chicago so this was a really big deal. He couldn’t have been more proud.
And then my phone never rang. Not a single time.
This was my senior year of college and I had played a total of two paying gigs in over three years. This was my big break. And this wasn’t just someone who would pass my name along. This was from the person who literally had the power to make it happen. Then nothing.
I was demoralized.
At that point in my life I had person after person complimenting my playing but no one was paying me to do it. And you can’t pay your rent with compliments!
Luckily I kept my head down, kept working hard and eventually I had my breakthrough. But in the interim it was brutal.
Every person who has succeeded in the music business has experienced some variation of this story. If you are at the very start of your journey, know something like this is coming. And if you are well into your career like I am, know that it will probably happen again at some point.
The key is to expect it. You will be better equipped to persevere through the inevitable adversity if you know it’s coming.
Quartet #6: Breaking Bad Habits, a Cool Checklist Tool, and More
It has been a week! (I get into it a little bit below.)
Feeling very thankful for a lot of things this week and especially for all of you on this TEM journey with me.
And without further ado, here are this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Habits
This guide to habits from James Clear is must-read. He breaks down what a habit is, three ways to form better ones, three ways to break bad ones, how to make a habit stick and gives some recommended books and articles on the subject.
Reading and acting on even one idea featured on this page will help every aspect of your portfolio career.
2. Bob Dylan on What You Can Learn From a Child and What You Can Learn From a Thief
Bob Dylan dropped this list in an interview back in the 80's.
It features three things you can learn from a child and seven things you can learn from a thief and it's good stuff.
3. It Is Never Too Late
If you ever catch yourself believing that it is "too late" to begin a new chapter in your life there's a good chance you are lying to yourself. It's just a line we use to let ourselves off the hook without losing face.
And people like Sharon Jones and Toni Morrison are the proof that it is never too late in life to start anything.
4. Free Checklist Maker Tool
The further I get into my career, the more I appreciate tools that do one thing and do it well.
This is a website that allows you to make checklists from scratch but it also has templates for checklists to track things like drinking enough water during the day or 12-week plans that could be used for things like planning social media posts or practicing routines.
This Week's TEM Episode
There is no TEM this week because my father had a seizure early Sunday morning and life turned completely upside down for a few days. Luckily I was in Massachusetts with them when it happened and was able to help them navigate things.
The good news is he is doing much better and is out of the hospital. If you're the vibes type then send them his way!
TEM will hopefully be back next week.
My Final Thought of the Week
Closing this newsletter with a quote has been working well so here's another one:
“Time and health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.”
—Denis Waitley
If you've got your health, cherish it. And only spend time on the things that truly matter because all of us will be out of time at some point.
Here's to a happy and healthy week!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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TEM Coaching Tip: It is never too late
The stories of the people who find success in the music business at an early age are always celebrated and amplified. This was true before social media and is exponentially more true today. There’s nothing the Facebook algorithm likes more than a 23-year-old landing a prestigious gig or someone young hitting it big.
The prevalence of posts like this can make it feel like a high percentage of people have found success early in life. In turn, this can feel quite discouraging for anyone who has not experienced that same level of success on a similar timeline.
But there are so many examples in music and across the arts of people who have not “made it” or found their true calling as artists until later in life. (“Made it” is of course in quotes because everyone gets to define what success looks like for themselves.)
The incredible Sharon Jones didn’t record her first album until after she turned 40 and didn’t find widespread success until her late forties. She left us far too early but the music she left behind has made an indelible mark on the world. If she had decided that 40 was too old to start a career in music the world would be a worse place because of it.
Similarly, the amazing Jessica Meyer (who I interviewed for TEM73) didn’t become a composer until she turned 40. In a short period of time she went from never having composed a thing to having her pieces performed all over the country to critical praise. When you hear her talk about composing, you can tell that she can’t imagine her life or career without it. And she didn’t start until she was almost 20 years into her professional career!
Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison didn’t get published until she was 39. I could fill page after page with examples just from the arts. The world is littered with examples like these women.
Just know that we all have a voice inside of us that will tell us we are too old. Or that we are too young. Or that we are too something.
That’s just the fear talking because it’s simply not true. In my experience there’s nothing you can do to prevent that voice that’s inside us all from speaking up in the first place. And the only way to make that voice go away is by simply doing the thing it’s telling you you can’t do.
It’s never too late.
Stop Putting Off Your Dreams
Let TEM Coaching show you exactly what your next step should be to start making your musical dreams a reality.
A Quartet of Ideas - September 1, 2022
Yesterday was my first day teaching at West Chester University. I am filling in for a friend, Dr. Jonathan Fowler, who is on sabbatical. I have 17 (no that is not a typo!) tuba students for the semester, on top of my Hitz Academy students and TEM responsibilities.
It is going to be a busy and very fulfilling fall. Wish me luck!
And without further ado, here are this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. 20 Small Ways To 10x Your Personal Development
I like the premise of this list: Small things you can focus on to implement big changes in your life.
This is a great list. I especially like #2, #13 and #17 but think #15 is kind of dumb. But this entire list made me think!
2. Avoiding the Sunk Cost Fallacy
The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.
Avoiding falling into that trap is really difficult. And really important for any entrepreneurial musician.
3. Tool I Couldn't Live Without: OneTab
OneTab converts your tabs into a list and not only gets you more organized but also speeds up your browser. You can even share a list of tabs with someone which can be very handy for teaching or collaborating with someone on a project.
I've only been using OneTab for about a year and I can't remember life without it. Check it out!
We can create our own momentum by choosing something incredibly small to share with the world and that sure beats feeling overwhelmed!
This Week's TEM Episode
TEM275 is all about the power of starting small and it was inspired by idea #4 above.
And in that vein I put video of TEM275 up on YouTube! This is a major step for me and I'm quite proud of it. (There were a number of TEM episodes that went up on YouTube a while back but the person who did those stepped away from Pedal Note Media and I hit pause on video for the last year!)
It is absolutely nothing fancy but I worked my tail off this week using the brand new beta version of the Descript app called Storyboard. I'm proud of how it turned out but hopefully within a few months it will be clear that TEM275 was me just getting started!
My Final Thought of the Week
I will again leave you with a quote this week:
“Perfectionism is a disease. Procrastination is a disease. ACTION is the cure.”
—Richie Norton
Take some action, even especially if it's small and watch what happens.
Here's to great ideas and to executing on them!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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TEM275: The power of starting small
Whether learning a new skill, making something creative, or partnering with someone, starting small is the way to go.
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TEM Coaching Tip: Avoiding the Sunk Cost Fallacy
What is the Sunk Cost Fallacy and why is it so easy to fall for it?
According to The Decision Lab:
“The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.”
They then illustrate it with a perfect example:
“Imagine that you bought a concert ticket a few weeks ago for $50. On the day of the concert, you feel sick and it’s raining outside. You know that traffic will be worse because of the rain and that you risk getting sicker by going to the concert. Despite the fact that it seems as though the current drawbacks outweigh the benefits, why are you still likely to choose to go to the concert?”
I’ll admit that under normal circumstances I would totally still go to this concert and would use whatever I needed to talk myself into it! This is not really a problem when we are talking about one evening of our lives. It is a big problem, however, when talking about big career and life decisions.
For example, if you are three semesters into a 3-year doctorate degree and over time have realized that you no longer have the career or life aspirations that led you to starting the degree in the first place, it can feel much easier to finish the degree (while taking on thousands more in student debt) than quitting only one year away from the finish line. This is because of the sunk cost fallacy.
The same goes for continuing in a chamber ensemble you founded but that is no longer aligned with your artistic goals, staying in a teaching job you don’t enjoy but that required a multi-year certification process to get or continuing a private teaching studio you took years to build even though you no longer enjoy teaching.
A big part of the problem is other people. You won’t ever need to explain away finishing the aforementioned doctorate degree to anyone but you will need to do just that to a number of well-intentioned people if you abort with only a year remaining.
But no matter what got on your current path, if it’s no longer heading in the direction you wish to go in, you must ignore sunk costs when deciding what your next move should be.
And that doesn’t mean you always abort. When there are family members depending on your current path or other such life circumstances at play, there is a lot that goes into decisions like quitting something with a steady income.
But we will make the best decision for ourselves and the people in our lives when we ignore the resources it took to get us to this point and only look at what should happen next.
Actionable Advice for Goal-Oriented Musicians
Join the many musicians who have used TEM Coaching to unlock their true potential as artists and leave your first session knowing exactly which actions to take next to move your career forward.
A Quartet of Ideas - August 25, 2022
Quartet of the Week
1. YouTube Shorts Algorithm Explained in Q&A Format
YouTube has an official Creator Insider channel which shares tips, strategies and data on everything related to the video platform that is the second largest search engine in the world.
Thanks to the rise of TikTok there has been a massive shift to shorter video content across a number of platforms. If you make video content, or are thinking of starting, you must check this out.
2. James Clear on the Daily Stoic Podcast
This Ryan Holiday interview with James Clear is wonderful. He talks about saying no to things, being flexible in life, taking tiny and specific actions to move yourself forward and much more.
I highly recommend at least throwing this on in the background while you do things around the house. But I'll warn you that you might find yourself stopping what you're doing to take notes.
3. A Minimalist Calendar With a Twist
This is a very cool tool. It is a super stripped down calendar that only shows you one week at a time and there isn't any hourly scheduling. It's kind of brilliant, actually.
I have laid out the big things I have to get done for the week and which day they will get done. It's surprising how effective this is at clearing away the clutter in my head.
4. The Best Quote I've Ever Heard About Being an Artist
The latest from TEM Blog is titled "Just Create" and features the single best quote I've ever heard about being a creator of anything and it comes from the legend pictured above.
Every once in a while a certain collection of words frees you up and helps you to be your best self. And that's exactly what this quote did for me.
This Week's TEM Episode
TEM274: The problem with simply working hard features wisdom from Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (who would have made one hell of a music business coach!) as well as some insights from Simon Sinek on the concept of passion, but from an angle I'd never really heard before. And one that totally relates to being a musician with a portfolio career.
My Final Thought of the Week
I leave you with a quote:
"The purpose of today’s training is to defeat yesterday’s understanding." - Miyamoto Musashi
So happy training!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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TEM274: The problem with simply working hard
As Seneca once eloquently pointed out, you have to know exactly where you are headed.
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TEM Coaching Tip: Just create
If you are like me, you can sometimes fall into the trap of judging the thing you are making while you are still making it.
This is a trap because judging it in real time rarely if ever makes the thing you are making better. This always feels like we are being dedicated to the art but all it actually does is give us an opening to convince ourselves that it’s not quite ready to share with the world.
But the only thing we should be looking for is good enough. The question should simply be “Is this good enough to share?”
If the answer is yes, share it with the world immediately, because the answer to “Could this be any better?” is always yes. But that’s also a trap.
Trying to make something “perfect” is a form of hiding. Continuing to tweak something is what we do when we don’t yet have the courage to share it because it’s a lot easier than admitting to ourselves that we’re scared.
How do we not fall for these traps? The brilliant artist Andy Warhol sums it up perfectly in less than 20 words:
“Create art and while someone else is judging the work that you just did, go create some more.”
We have to create art and as soon as it’s good enough, share it, and then create some more art that we also share as soon as it’s good enough.
It’s the only way.
Actionable Advice for Goal-Oriented Musicians
Join the many musicians who have used TEM Coaching to unlock their true potential as artists and leave your first session knowing exactly which actions to take next to move your career forward.
A Quartet of Ideas - August 11, 2022
I am off to the Berkshires today for one final visit in 2022. Nothing recharges me creatively more than that place.
And without further ado, here are the ideas of the week...
Quartet of the Week
1. Write a Letter to the Future This site allows you to write a letter to yourself that you schedule to be delivered at a specific time in the future and it is a surprisingly personal experience.
This exercise immediately brought my priorities into better focus. Highly recommended!
2. How to Create a High Impact Press Page and Why Everyone Needs One This is a great breakdown of why everyone needs a press page and how to make a good one. It also serves as a list of things to collect as you go through your journey to help tell your story to others.
3. The 7 Types of Rest That Every Person Needs I enjoyed how this doctor laid out the different kinds of rest and explained how rest does not only equal sleep.
I fall short on some of these fronts and need to do better!
4. How to Batch Create Social Content Whenever I get overwhelmed, the first professional thing to go is my presence on social media. That's because it never has to get done so it is always a candidate for getting put off for later.
This infographic is a great blueprint for how to batch the creation of your social media content and stay on top of things.
This Week's TEM Episode
For only the second time this summer, there is no TEM episode this week! I'm actually quite proud that I've only missed two weeks. But I'm also trying to be okay with the fact that between getting out of town and my wife giving a presentation out of state that I just don't have the bandwidth this week. Being patient and kind to myself is something I'm working on!
Be on the lookout for TEM274 next week.
My Final Thought of the Week
I challenge each of you to do something this week that intentionally takes you out of your comfort zone.
Could be music/career related or something else entirely. Could be a small thing or something huge.
Here's to leaning into the things that make us grow!
Cheers, Andrew The Entrepreneurial Musician
TEM Coaching Tip: Tips on batching social media
I have been pretty obsessed with systems lately.
At times I can struggle to keep up with all of the various outputs I currently offer the world and the only thing that saves me is having systems in place to fall back on.
Between TEM Coaching, The Brass Junkies, Pedal Note Media, the various offerings from Hitz Academy and Band Director’s Guide it can all get overwhelming.
One of the things I can fall behind on is social media.
Posting on social media doesn’t ever have to get done, so it is always a candidate for being temporarily pushed to the side.
But I’m happy to report that I’ve found a solution and that solution is batching.
Rather than waiting for a hole in my schedule large enough to think up good content, make that content and then post it in a thoughtful manner, I try to lump those different phases of social media together.
It is incredible how much more effective it is! Not only do I get more done, but the stuff I make is also better because I am able to get into the content creation zone and minimize distractions.
This infographic is a great blueprint for how you can batch the creation of your social media content.
Make it clear who it is for
This is a quote from TEM273.
You might be the problem. Your work might not be good enough yet.
But you also might NOT be the problem. It might be good enough already.
Instead, you might not have it in front of the right people yet or made it clear exactly who it's for.
You can check out the full episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician here or wherever you listen to podcasts.
A Quartet of Ideas - August 4, 2022
A Quartet of Ideas for the Week
from The Entrepreneurial Musician
I could use your help!
I already have a ton of tools and links to share with you in the Portfolio Career Playbook so I'm not lacking material.
But that being said, I know you all encounter really cool and helpful things from time to time as you "surf the internet" as old people like me used to say.
So you'd be doing me a huge favor if you ever share some resource that has helped you in your musical journey by replying to one of these emails.
Thanks in advance!
And without further ado, here are the ideas of the week...
Quartet of the Week
1. An App That Combines a Pomodoro Timer With Priorities
I love Pomodoro Timers! I always feel like I get maximum results from my efforts whenever I use one because I'm forced to pace myself.
But this app has an added benefit. It also gives you clarity on exactly which tasks will most move the needle for you.
Peak focus plus crystal clear priorities is a successful recipe!
2. Should I Work for Free?
There are legitimate reasons to work for free but sometimes we convince ourselves that we should when in reality we are being taken advantage of.
This flowchart is quite helpful when trying to decide whether you should work for me in any given situation. And it's pretty darn funny, too.
3. How to Start a Blog that Changes Your Life
Starting my first blog at andrewhitz.com back in 2010 really did change my life. It not only lead traffic to my website but the simple act of putting my musical ideas into words and sharing them with the world made me a better teacher and player.
This article is a thorough step-by-step guide to starting one. If you've ever thought about starting a blog, you should!
4. What Is Tension and Why You Should Seek It Out
The latest from TEM Blog is about the value of intentionally getting yourself into situations where you don't know whether something will work out or not.
And I share a story about a specific gig I played early in my career that ended up being very important for my development (because I didn't know what the hell I was doing!)
This Week's TEM Episode
TEM273: You might not be the problem - This week's episode contains a great passage from Seth Godin about a comedian who bombs on stage but it's not their fault. Maybe this is you in some aspect of your portfolio career right now?
My Final Thought of the Week
I can't believe it's August already!
A new school year is right around the corner which is sad because summer is almost over but also exciting because I will have more time on my hands to work on projects I'm excited about.
I'm just trying to live in the moment and enjoy the remaining time I have with my family before both my son and wife go back to school and I'm suddenly alone with the dog again.
Have a great week!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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TEM273: You might not be the problem
What you are offering might already be good enough - this other thing might be the real reason you aren't getting traction in the music business.
Read More