Ah, just look how fast 2021 went by. While it was a challenging year on many levels, I truly hope you had a joyful, musical, creative and abundant year filled with love, laughter and singing.
What’s that? You want MORE music, MORE singing, MORE creativity, MORE love, and, MORE money? I hear you!
Make a Plan of Action and Stick to It
Yes, yes, we flighty, artistic types find it hard to make a plan of any kind. Plans are for CPAs or MBAs. Well, let’s make believe CPA = Creative Person At-large and MBA = Music Business Authority. So, now, how can we get better at making plans? What’s that word that starts with P? PRACTICE!
Start PRACTICING making a plan. Wake up. Get coffee. Sit down with your calendar. Make a schedule for the day, allotting time for work, gym, vocal warm-up, rehearsing music, emails/calls/texts to business people, meals, cleaning, guitar, kids, dog, whatever you’ve got going on.
At first, you may only get to 2-3 things on your list, but what do I always say? PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.
Start planning to do things that may be out of your comfort zone, musical or not, whatever that looks like for you.
Once you consistently manage to get to all the things on your list, challenge yourself. Start planning to do things that may be out of your comfort zone, musical or not, whatever that looks like for you: speaking up for yourself, climbing a rock wall, learning songs in Portuguese, marching for a cause or making dinner for 12 people (when you figure that one out, let me know!)
Get All the Working Parts in Order
One way to insure that more good things happen for you is to make positive choices supporting that goal. So, first and foremost: take great care of your body, mind AND spirit. When these three elements are attended to and aligned, we’re more likely to get more done and attract more of what we want.
So, develop other practices just like you do for your voice: try yoga, exercise every day, make sure your weight falls at a number that feels good to you and is good for you, stop smoking, drinking (really, stop any bad habits that impact your worldly being), eat and drink healthy, organic foods and beverages often, get more than 7 hours of sleep each night, sit for meditation each day…you get the drift.
Find New Creative Things to Learn
Are you being all that you can musically be? Answer that question honestly and figure out if there’s anything more you could be doing.
Have you been putting off creative work that would raise your musical vibration? If the answer is yes, make a promise to yourself to: learn piano, guitar, saxophone, sight singing, songwriting, etc. If you can, take lessons.
If you can’t afford the time or financial investment, do what you can. There are lots of resources available all over the interwebs. But please do your research and pick your teachers wisely; lots of quacks roam the interwebs. And LOTS of incorrect lyrics! Argh!
Here’s my 2021 epiphany: my first “real” acting gig was in an off-Broadway show in NYC in mid-2015 and boy, did I get bitten by the acting bug; I read plays, tapped actor friends for pointers, auditioned all I could, etc.
Then, I met a great acting coach in Nashville, got cast in another show and just became the assistant theater director for Backlight Productions, an amazing organization that teaches theater, dance and music to adults with special needs.
So, am I making a ton of money? No, but now I get to do what I love and spread more joy.
Going boldly where you haven’t gone before is a big statement. It says: this is ME and I love ME. That level of self-love and self-awareness will be a lovely gift for you, your singing and songwriting and your adoring fans.
Happy New Year!
Jaime was a Musical Director, coaching voice and performance for Disney and wrote “Working With Your Voice: The Career Guide to Becoming a Professional Singer” (Alfred Publishing). As a session singer, she ‘jingled’ for Coke, Pillsbury, Folgers, Chevrolet, and hundreds more. She’s sung on thousands of live gigs (covers and original music) and toured for years with Leon Russell and Sam Moore. Jaime sang BGVs live and digitally with George Strait, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Webb, Miley & Billy Ray Cyrus, Johnny Mathis, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Willie Nelson and others. She performed off-Broadway in “Search: Paul Clayton”, toured nationally with “Old Jews Telling Jokes” and presently coaches students in voice, performance, beginner guitar/piano, studio singing, songwriting and auditioning in NY, CT, LA, Nashville and virtually. For bookings: www.workingwithyourvoice.com
