“The purpose in my visit is growth. Not necessarily artist growth or soul nurturing connection, but straight up business. Straight up business is still personal, in that it’s connecting with real people and following up in an effort to make real things happen in the future.”
I’m doing something I’ve never done. I’m at a music conference, hobnobbing and making connections with professionals in my industry. I’m putting my best foot forward, and attempting to glitz-up; via conversation and genuine connection, my musical output. This has historically not been my strong suit, as I’m more than a little introverted – but my conference compatriot and band manager is very comfortable in these scenarios, so I’m in pretty good shape.
This is not really a setting I’ve spent any time in save for a few ‘meet-ups’ and what-have-you. It’s a departure from my usual den of rehearsal rooms, recording studios, and coffee shops – but it’s ultimately good. It’s stretching me in ways I hadn’t anticipated and I’m enjoying it a bit more than I thought I might – in retrospect, it’s taken some time to prime myself for this adventure – but again it helps that my band’s manager is situated in a hotel room not far from me, and she is 10x the social butterfly that I am. I also have the unwavering support of my girlfriend, Lu, which I can feel from over 300km away.
The purpose in my visit is growth. Not necessarily artist growth or soul nurturing connection (though I’m down for that), but straight up business. Straight up business is still personal, in that it’s connecting with real people and following up in an effort to make real things happen in the future. I’ve been told that when your body, soul, and mind are in alignment with your purpose, that the universe conspires to support you. Those aren’t my words, but I like them and I’ll use them. I’ll receive that message and I’ll share it, because my whole life has led me to this point, through all the twists & turns & bouts with alcohol and self loathing, I am planted firmly in the here & now and I have to believe and facilitate the notion that something positive and affirming is going to happen here.
So wish me luck.
As this is being posted, I’m 2/3rds of the way through it and my brain and heart and notebook are all brimming. To be in the company of so many like-minded and career-focused people is encouraging. This is one of the very select places you can be where there’s no chance of anyone telling you that you can’t do it, or that you can’t make a career out of art.
I suppose I knew from the get-go that this would be a make-work project, and that I would come away from this experience with a broadened approach to what I do, but it’s hitting me square in the face that the discipline practice that I’ve been applying to my personal life and fitness regimen is going to have to be applied to my professional life much more than it already has (and it has).
I love change. I embrace change. I am capable of change.
Training this week as been… well half of it has been in a different locale. Downtown Calgary, AB is a real scene. I like this city a lot, likely because I don’t live here but I do get to perform here with some regularity. I’ve been able to acquaint myself with the Bow River a bit, and have taken in this city’s skyline on my morning run, and the weight room in the hotel that’s hosting this conference is a nice perk – hotels I typically stay in are not outfitted with such amenities.
The conference has a run club at 9am each day, so it’s been interesting finding pace with people I don’t know, but it’s interesting sharing non-musical ground with music people. Perhaps it’ll firm up some new working relationships… perhaps I’m just running with some weirdos.
Being physically taken out of your comfort zone causes you to realize and rely on your emotional comfort zone. You can really learn a lot about yourself by changing one thing, even temporarily.
The Conscious Pilgrim 