What is the difference between a great thought and a great action? Pretty much the only difference is...getting off your ass! Running The NatCave Studio for so long I have seen countless artists walk though the door. The artists that last are the ones who have that voice in their heads that commands them to take action on their ideas. It is so sad to see an artist come into the studio fully aware of their talents and abilities yet does not utilize the will to complete the thought. Its like showing up to a marathon, stretching, tying your shoe laces, on your mark, get set, go... "Ah screw it", then walking off the track.
Fortunately for me, the phase where these type of artists were the majority ended long ago but every now and then someone stirs up the deja vu. Within these group of procrastinators that come to the studio, the favorite procrastination engine is studio cost. That's the easiest one to dish out. I used to try and encourage these "sort-of" artist but what I've learned is its not about cost, its about value. Cost is determined by the studio. Value is determined by the client. Clients who appreciate the rate in the studio are the ones who understand the value that they get in exchange for the studio rate. So the 13 year old using his moms computer to illegally download instrumentals and software will not understand paying $50 an hour for studio sessions. Its just not in the brain chemistry. They have predetermined what they do to be a hobby and create a ceiling that no one can break for them, they alone must choose to take their gifts more seriously.
I was once asked do I take it personally when someone decides not to record at The NatCave. Honestly, when I first started it would bother me. I wondered what I might be doing wrong. Then I discovered that when an artist comes to the studio, my job is usually not to sell artist on using the studio, my job is to sell the artist on themselves. Most new artist lack confidence, intimidated by negative thoughts. The artists that keep coming back to the studio are the ones that don't hear these voices or if they do, cancel it out of their mind, confident that when everything is said and done, there will be a new track in this world, one that would not exist had they not fought for it to be here. Witnessing this happen time and time again is what keeps me enthusiastic about new projects and always ready to encourage someone who can't see the potential of their gifts. Yes, it cost something, so does everything else that holds value in this world. How much is your music worth to you? How much is it worth if gets you that record deal your dreaming of or perhaps that goal of 10,000 units sold independently?
If money stands as the first procrastination, time stands right next to it. There once was I time when I felt I didn't have time for things. What broke me out of that excuse was a simple time management exercise. As a matter of fact its so basic that it can easily be overlooked but I personally guarantee its success. Time was invented by man. We use time as a tool to identify when things happen or the duration of a task. Time is represented in numbers... so count them up! How much time do you really have? You'd be amazed. Most people work with the understanding that they don't need to plan out their days because things happen regardless. Gotta go to work, gotta eat, gotta sleep, etc. Unlike money, time is spent whether you choose to or not so once you acknowledge that you have to spend time, your job is to map out what your time will be spent on. If you choose nothing, guess what, time gets spent anyway, if you choose the wrong thing, the time is wasted.
Procrastination comes in the picture when you ignore the idea that time is passing. Sometimes we justify it by dropping excuses, doing something instead of what your procrastinating on, yet that's when value comes back into the picture. Just how valuable is that which you are procrastinating? Is it something important to you or is it an idea you're playing with. The difference between the two is crucial to your life. Ignoring a dream that feels real to you turns into torture as time passes. Everyone has their challenges in life and the rewards come to those who push harder than the others.
One bonus reason why artists procrastinate is they feel intimidated by the superstars. I've heard fantastic singers say "I don't have a body like Beyonce" or rappers say, "I'm not a gangster, how do I compete with 50 Cent?" The advice I give is again quite simple. The superstars we are all familiar with have one thing in common, there is a whole team of people that are working to keep them superstars. No one does it alone. When you're looking at a performer on television, you might as well look into a mirror because the individual you see is just as capable of accomplishing the same achievements. A team has to believe in you. They have to feel your success as strongly as you do. Eventually when you get the right combination of professionals together, you get the superstar you see on your television screen. There's only one way to attract professionals and that is to be a professional yourself.
Professionalism and procrastination simply don’t mix. So now in the event a talented artist decides against exercising their talent in the studio and they talk themselves out of a future they deserve, I have to shake my head and realize in some crazy way, it’s actually better for the real artist that they are not distracted by false competition. God bless ‘em!
Nathanial Foreman
The NatCave Studio
Brooklyn, NY
(888) 603-3587
Book Your Sessions Online Today!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment