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 The Bravura Newsletter provides valuable information that you can use to reach your music career goals and to help you gain a balanced and enjoyable life whilst working within the fast-paced Music Industry.
What's Next? Hey there! Are you a musician, artist, a member of a band or someone who works in the music industry who feels stuck in a rut? Do you feel that your music career has become rather stagnant? Are you wanting more from your music career? Are you in the position where you have already achieved you music career dreams, but are now thinking "what next?" Achieving your music career dreams - whether they are getting that record deal or joining an orchestra or teaching in a music college - is fantastic. And if you have done this, well done you! But having achieved those dreams and having spent some time working in your dream role, are you ready for another dream? Some artists find that once they have achieved what they considered to be their 'ultimate' music career goal or dream, they have been left with a big gap in their lives - the gap that that initial dream filled, whilst they were striving to achieve it! Others find it quite a shock to discover that it wasn't their 'ultimate' dream at all - but just a stepping stone for another much bigger dream - their true dream! For instance, how many musicians do you know who have gone on to get involved in world politics? Bob Geldof springs to my mind! But there are plenty of others who use their musicianship as a way to generate debate on a massive scale - either by organising or being involved in world-wide gigs to raise money and awareness of specific issues or more subtly through the lyrics in their songs. Was this their true dream and or life purpose? Maybe - possibly - only they will know this for sure. Looking at a more typical example, signed artists often will seek a way to make their music career more fulfilling or satisfying than the first few years of their contractual obligations of writing 5 or so albums, promoting them and touring incessantly. Although Blur never officially disbanded, Damon Albarn has created for himself a wider and hopefully a more enriching musical experience for himself - by working on numerous projects such as forming Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad & The Queen, he also played a role in the film Face and has sung on other artists songs. He has travelled across the world - releasing albums that he recorded there - 'Mali Music' for example. And he has co-written film scores. So you can see how his first step of signing a record deal as lead singer of Blur has developed into so much more. So what is your next dream - possibly your true dream? Check out the following Tips to see if they can help you work it out. Tip 1 - Create your Circle of Dreams. To do this you need to take a large blank piece of paper and draw on it a large circle. Inside the circle you can write or even draw symbols to represent your dreams - these may be music oriented or every dream that you have for your whole life. For instance, you may be in a jobbing band, playing at local clubs and at private parties, singing covers. And you have decided as a band that you have had enough of playing other people's songs and want to start writing your own songs. So you can enter 'writing our own songs'. Yes - you can do this exercise as a band or as an individual. But as I have stated before (in my newsletter, Relationships - what a can of worms) it may be best to undertake this kind of exercise on an individual basis before doing it as a band - individual's dreams can get lost in group ones! There are heaps of dreams that you may come up with - just don't hold back. They could be to have a penthouse apartment in Manhattan or to be full of energy or to be happy or to learn a new musical instrument - the Sitar, perhaps! The main thing is to make sure that in the inside of your circle, you place everything that you want for yourself. Around the outside of your circle you can put all the things that you dream for the world and people in it - so this could be for members of your band or your family and/or the whole world. For example you may state that you want 'peaceful cultural and religious integration' and/or you may state you want your son to be healthy on the other hand you may state that you want a more stable music industry (!) - they're your dreams - so have fun with them! Tip 2 - Choose your dream. Okay, having spent some time writing or drawing symbols to represent your new dreams, you need to spend some time looking at them and imagining them once they come to fruition - which one of them do you particularly want to achieve next? which one really speaks to you? Which one makes you tingle inside with excitement? Which one is going to take you to a new height? Is your music career involved in this new dream? Is it that you can use your current music career as a vehicle to reach your new dream? Does it move your music career into more music-based projects and directions? Once you have taken a while to really think about this - choose your dream that you wish to pursue. As an aside - having your circle of dreams with you - you may find that some of them happen as a result of working on your new dream and you can continue to add to your circle of dreams and also continue to see how you could be influential in the world dreams that you have put around your circle. Tip 3 - What will your dreams bring you? It is good to be clear what achieving any of your dreams will give you. So if we take your music career dreams particularly, what will they bring to your music career? And how will your music career dreams alter your life? Will they bring you abundant creativity? Or keep your music career fresh and interesting? Or will they make or keep your music career fun? Will they help to provide you with a more stable income or wealth for you and your family? What joy or adventure or magic will your dream generate in you? Your answers to these questions will provide you with a massive amount of motivation as you head towards achieving your dreams, so try to keep them with you in case you have a moment of insecurity or someone else stamps on your dream. You can then refer to these answers and feel uplifted once more. I hope you have found this newsletter interesting and that it can help you to start taking a look at your next or true music career dreams and the other dreams in your life. And of course if you are having difficulties with any of the above Tips you can drop me an email to arrange a consultation call on how I can help you with your specific issue or situation. So, are you still thinking "What's next?" With very best wishes,  Bravura Group helping you brave the music industry http://www.bravura-group.com t: 01246 231 249 / 0845 456 460 e: lindsey@bravura-group.com I work with signed and unsigned artists and personnel working in the Music Industry who want to become more productive, creative and ultimately more successful in their music careers, whilst enjoying a more enriched, fulfilling and balanced personal life. If you have received this copy of the Bravura newsletter from a friend or colleague and would like to receive future copies, please visit www.bravura-group.com to subscribe. Thank you. |
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