Musician's Widow

Yesterday, Brittany over at Living in the Moment (Which happens to be one of my absolute favorite blogs! If you’ve not started reading it yet, now would be an excellent time to do. Trust me on this one, kay?) tagged me to receive the blog award Versatile Blogger.

I honored to be in her list! THANK YOU!!

Now, for the steps of this award:

Share 7 things about yourself.

1) I am planning to write a book about the history of Printer’s Alley in downtown Nashville. I have a serious love for that Alley and the history of it just makes me light up to hear. I’ve looked and looked, and I’ve never found a book written specifically about the Alley. I already have several contacts to interview about it. All I need to do is write my book pitch and, the hard part, find someone interested in publishing it.

2) I have two things I battle almost constantly: tooth aches and sinus problems. The tooth aches are from my deep dislike for the dentist, not to mention the sheer expense of dental work. The sinus problems just are what they are. Fall is always the worst, so brace yourself for an extreme amount of whining in the next few months about my not being able to breathe.

3) I play FarmVille on Facebook. My secret is out. Please forgive me! But, I like how it makes me think and balance time spans in the game, and as silly as it sounds… its just plain fun. Time consuming, yes, but hence the balancing time spans. The goal is to always make it such that I play in my downtime, not when it would take me away from my work.

4) I’ve become a total penny pincher. If I do buy myself something frivolous, like today I bought a couple flowers for my front steps, it has to be on sale. Or I have to have a coupon. Coupons are my friends. I’m not as good at the coupon clipping as some people are, but there is a level of satisfaction seeing a significant number under “money saved” at the bottom of a receipt.

5) Labor Day means MDA Telethon. My nephew has muscular dystrophy, and as such MDA is an organization that is very near and dear to my heart. They do wonderful, wonderful things and Labor Day is their biggest fundraiser for the whole year. While many people are out on the lake, etc. I’m watching that total raise, often with tears in my eyes. My nephew is an amazing kid teen, and I am prouder of him than I could ever put into words. Labor Day is a big day for anyone and everyone touched by muscular dystrophy, and I am looking forward to it!

6) My toenails are always painted, but my fingernails are never painted. Well, except for clear. I don’t know why, but its just something with me. I might go a day or two without polish on my toenails, but its only if I am staying home and will probably be wearing socks at all times. It just BUGS me to not have them painted! As for my fingernails, I just don’t like chipped polish, and I can’t go a day without chipping my nail polish. So I just opt to not wear polish at all.

7) I haaaaate making phone calls. There must be a name for that fear, because I literally will get a knot in my stomach and sweaty palms before making a phone call. Well, when I call anyone besides my husband or my parents. As such, I’m a total text message addict. It avoids my phone fear. Anytime I DO make a phone call, I get a sense of accomplishment. I did it! I beat my fear! Yay! But it comes back every time I pick up the phone. Its crazy. I know. But it is what it is.

Pass this award on to 15 bloggers who you love, think are fantastic or have recently discovered.

1) If Mom Says OK — Gotta love Tara… found her via Weekly Winners; I love all her posts and she’s awesome to follow on Twitter as well.

2) Boy Blessings — Follow the story of a Mom whose son has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The same type my nephew has.

3) Just One Miss — I always enjoy her posts and point of view.

4) Lesley’s Blog — I’ve literally know Lesley since she was born. She doesn’t post much, but when she does, she always amazes me the type of strong woman she’s grown up to be.

5) Way More Homemade — Recipes and she’s an Aggie. How could I not love this!?

6) Life Ain’t Always Beautiful — A mom. A country music fan. An all around very cool lady. Go say Hi to Missy!

7) Just Malia — A fellow Nashvillian! I love reading about the perspective of others in my city!

8) Milk Breath and Margaritas — While I am on a Nashville run, Amy is also editor of the Relationships Channel of Blissfully Domestic, which I write for. Besides, how can you not love a blog with such a cool title?

9) Newlyweds Next Door — I only just recently found this blog, and what I’ve read so far, I love!

10) Not Quite What I Had Planned — One of my favorite Weekly Winners ladies, her blog has pulled me in time and time again.

11) Nashville Musician’s Survival Guide — Eric is a friend of my husbands. I only just learned of his blog this week, but I am so enjoying it. Anyone reading my blog mostly for my behind the scenes posts to the music industry would be smart to check Eric’s blog out, too.

12) Matty Thoughts – I keep forgetting to visit Matty on a regular basis, but whenever I have made it over there, I’ve enjoyed his blog thoroughly. He’s given me wonderful feedback on my blog and for that I am grateful.

13) The Mama of Mojo — I follow her on Twitter and absolutely love her tweets. Is it not expected that I’d also love her blog?

14) The Young and The Relentless — Another blogger I found via Twitter, if I recall. Great life blog.

15) i am lotus — aka Sarcastic Mom. Blogger I quite frankly have a blogger-crush on… which might be weird since her husband and my husband have been friends for years. Even weirder to say I’ve never met Lotus in person. But I think I’m in blogger-love. Now, I just hope I haven’t scared her off for life with this. ;)

Before I met my husband, I would randomly wonder how, exactly, you get a job as a touring musician. It’s not like the jobs open are listed on Careerbuilder.com or Monster.com. Do you have a resume? Do you fill out an application? How does this work!?

I’ve discovered being a touring musician straddles two phenomenons: having a job and being self-employed. I find that fact alone to be the hardest thing to convey to anyone outside of the industry. (However, I’ve also found it to be a common phenomenon in the blogging world.)

You are self-employed, in that you have to own your own gear, and you can be “playing for” as many as three or four artists at a time. Sometimes you do session work (recording albums). Other times you just pick up gigs where you can find them around town.

You “have a job” when you work for an artist full-time, and your pay is based on how many shows are booked for your boss. Occasionally, “the boss” will put the band on a salary, and you make a flat rate no matter how many shows you play.

Ultimately, the income of a touring musician can come from many different avenues and ways. But, still, the question remains: how do you GET these jobs? And beyond that, what can other industries learn from those musicians who get the work?

I’ve broken it down into five factors that decide who does and doesn’t get the job.

1. Talent. No matter what job you go for, you’re not going to get it if you can’t do it. For musicians, its musical talent, of course. For writers/bloggers, its an ability to write. For accountants, its knowing accounting rules. For doctors, its knowing how to diagnose illnesses, etc. At the end of the day, you can’t get a job that you can’t do. Period.

2. Resume. Even for a musician, having a solid resume can mean the difference between getting the gig or not getting it. Do you have any experience in performance? No? Then there’s going to be hesitation in hiring. This can be applied in all fields, of course. The more experience you have, the more valuable of a hire you could be to the company.

In blogging, your resume is your “about me” page. Tell me what makes you someone I should read. Tell me what makes you “an expert” in your field. Tell me why I should potentially contact you to write for me and my business (if you are looking for jobs such as this.)

3. Network. This is bigger for a musician than the resume, actually.  Remember when I mentioned that its not like jobs are listed on a job site? Jobs are instead listed among the “good ol’ boys” of the industry. The last several jobs my husband has had he has gotten via networking. The last two he got by being recommended by fellow musicians. The more people you know (and impress!), the more job opportunities that come your way. Also, the more you are seen, the more likely it is that your name will be the first one thrown in the hat for a job.

This phenomenon can be found in multiple other industries. The more visible you are, the more likely you are to be thought of for a job. It’s why I don’t understand people not using Facebook, Twitter, etc. These are FREE ways to network to hundreds thousands of people at one time. You want to keep your name and face out there for others to see, know, and trust.  Sometimes, you have to spend money and go out and be seen in person. It’s often necessary to spend money to ultimately make money, and sometimes that means having a few drinks or buying a dinner or two. It’s about making a connection. Its networking.

4. Audition. The audition can be seen as an interview. It’s your chance to show someone in person what your abilities are. Its in this moment that your talents come to light and your resume is really poured over. Sometimes, your resume is so strong, you can skip the audition/interview. “So-n-so hired you? They give you a glowing recommendation? Good enough for me! Hired!” However, if you’re new to the industry — any industry — your audition/interview will determine if you get the gig/job. Go in and give it your best. Dress the part and go in with confidence. Be the best you can be in that moment.

In blogging, your audition is every post you make. Your appearance is the look of your blog. Know that every person who visits your blog is interviewing you. Deciding if you are someone they want to keep reading. In some cases, they are also deciding if you’re the type of writer they may want to have do guest posts for them, or perhaps to write for their publication.

5. Hang factor. You got the job. Awesome. Now, you need to KEEP the job. It’s called “the hang factor.” This is a key factor for a road musician, where you spend DAYS at a time on a bus with your band mates.  If you can’t fit in with the group, you’ll find yourself outside of the group. Not even your talent can help you avoid being booted out when you don’t have “the hang factor” going for you.

This is true in other industries as well. A harmonious work environment is often key to getting work done. Learn how to adapt. Especially if you find yourself in a position of representing your company. You want to convey a positive appearance. You want to fit in no matter where you go.

I’ve found, personally, this also applies in blogging. I don’t like blogs that are so straightforward that you don’t have any idea of personality. I want a “hang factor” in my blog reading. I want to feel comfortable with the person whose words I am reading. I want people to feel comfortable with me… lest they stop reading me all together.

I know that every job and industry have other factors that can affect if you get a job or not. If anyone has any more suggestions, please add them in as a comment! However, these five factors are ones that I’ve found to not only  be key to the touring musician, but to also be key in other industries as well.

It’s the last day of July, and I, for one, can’t see it end fast enough. This has not been a good month for anyone, as I’ve talked about in previous posts, and its not totally over just yet. We have to get through today before we can breathe a sigh of relief as this month to passes. But, I am definitely going into August with optimism.

Times like July has been can either get you down or motivate you to make things better. I’m opting for the latter of the two.

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
– Henry David Thoreau

I see opportunities everywhere I look, and I see Aug. 1 as a chance to turn over a new leaf and pursue those opportunities with even MORE vigor. Take the positive changes I’ve had happen in July and build upon them. I refuse to focus on the negative aspects. I acknowledge them, and I work towards fixing them. But I won’t focus on them. I plan to turn those negatives into a positive force to push forward.

Tonight, I sat and did a brainstorming exercise. I plan to participate, for the first time, in NaBloPoMo in August to jump start a good habit of posting daily. I listed out 50 blog ideas. Then I kept going. I’m up to 54 with atleast two of them holding the potential to be a recurring weekly theme. I’m excited! But I want to open up the comments to anyone with blog ideas… any topics that others would be interested in seeing me explore? I welcome suggestions, and I welcome August. Here’s to making it a far better month than the one before.

Enough with the bad news for right now. I don’t want to keep being a downer, when I really am at heart a total optimist! You can’t keep me down for long.

One thing that’s really risen me up is feeling success is within my reach with my writing dreams. I can see it IS possible. I CAN do this.

For the last few months, I’ve been throwing myself into learning more in-depth about my trade(s). Checking out books from the library. Purchasing books. Reading blog after blog after blog. Reading online magazines. Talking to people who are already doing what I want to do.

If I were to ever allow myself regrets in life, one would definitely be putting my dreams and goals of writing for a living on the back burner for the last few years. I’ve coasted along too long, and today I look around me and realize how much further I could be in my career if I’d only gotten more serious a lot sooner.

I can’t, however, beat myself up for long.  Instead, I am throwing myself into my trade with a sheer determination that I’m not sure I’ve quite had since I wanted to make sure I got accepted into Texas A&M University.

I didn’t have a contingency plan then, and I really don’t have much of a contingency plan today.  I got in then. I’m going to succeed today.

Back then, I did my homework. Today, I am doing my homework.

It’s slowly starting to pay off! I’m SO honored to now be a part of the Blogher Publishing Network as well as writing for Blissfully Domestic. I’m an active contributor to Road Widows, and  I have a separate review blog as a work in progress that I hope to go live with in the next week. I have a secondary “business” in the planning stages, and I’ve signed up with a couple affiliate networks. I’m soon going to be going after clients, submitting guest blog posts, and looking for every possible way to further myself.

This is a no-holds-barred fight to see my goals and dreams come true.

I am open to advice. (Except the kind that goes something like, “Don’t do it!” Too late, I’m past the point of no return.) I’m going to continue “stalking” a lot of other bloggers and authors for every kernel of advice and information they are willing to drop along the way.

It’s a twisty road I find myself running along full speed. In places it been well trodden and smooth. In others, its going to be a jungle. I know this… I’m prepared for it. I can do it.