Tag Archives: job

Making it happen Monday

Making it Happen Monday: Success, like life, is what you make of it

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Yesterday evening, my Facebook timeline lit up with several friends posting a link to a blog, “I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands and Kids and I’m Not Sorry.” (I feel a little weird linking to the post because it need not any more attention than its already gotten.)  The debates that were raised by everyone commenting on the post were interesting, but the general consensus was that everyone has to do what works best for them.

Ironically, this lit up my Facebook the same night as the Grammy Awards… an award ceremony that focuses more on critical acclaim than on fan-based voting.

Case in point:

Now, if you follow me on Twitter you know I have absolutely zero love for Florida-George Line. Critically they are the epitome of what I believe is wrong in country music today. Yeah, I said it. BUT, I gotta give it to them on one front: they’re selling records and somehow have been able to keep a song in the top 10 pretty much non-stop for the last year. (I’m not going to go look up the exact stat on that. I don’t care enough to know.) That’s a big deal. And I am not going to take that away from them. Even if I question their fans’ tastes.

THEY measure success in record sales and how many fans come to a show. And there is NOTHING wrong with that. In fact, in many ways that is the exact definition of success in the music industry.

Similarly, though, other artists measure success by critical acclaim. They put their heart and soul on every song on every album and they don’t give (much) care as to if its radio-friendly or if it sells a million records. It would be nice if it did, sure. But that’s not their goal. Their goal is much more, well, deep and personal.

Success is what YOU make it.

So I turn back to Ms. Glass, the writer of that blog I grudgingly linked to earlier. SHE measures success based on a corporate ladder of sorts. And that’s okay! I’ll be honest, when I was in college, I thought that was how I would measure my success as well. I felt success equaled a high powered job with six digit salary.

Then, well, life happened.

Mattox_0401

I somewhere along the way re-evaluated that measurement of success. I looked at friends around me who had taken the more “typical” path of job, marriage and family and went, “I seriously admire that.” That is THEIR path of success, and I think that is amazing and beautiful. I absolutely love following their escapades with their children and admire their tenacity as Moms and Dads. Personally, I think being a parent — a good parent — is the hardest and absolutely MOST important job in this world. (And by the way, Ms. Glass, stating that, “We have baby showers and wedding parties as if it’s a huge accomplishment and cause for celebration to be able to get knocked up or find someone to walk down the aisle with. These aren’t accomplishments, they are actually super easy tasks, literally anyone can do them.” clearly shows you do not know or care about anyone who has had the heartache of not being able to have children. Perhaps its time you step out of your perfect little world bubble.)

I, myself, have found myself walking the line between the two. Working to build my own photography business while also managing a home. (Because lets face it, keep up a house is a full-time job… and Ms. Glass implying otherwise is asinine.) Hopefully starting a family at some point. I am doing what is right for ME.

We should never — never — look down our noses at other’s successes, and by extension their life, because they are doing what is right for them. Frankly, to make this world run smoothly we need all of us doing our “jobs.” We do need corporate-focused people to make sure companies run smoothly and stay in operation, allowing everyone from the CEO to the janitor to keep their jobs. We need Moms and Dad to raise our youth to some day take over those jobs. We should be raising each other up in all ways, not turning our noses up and smacking each other down.

♥♥♥

mihm

music industry, road-stories

Show Stories — It IS a job

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Doing the job... bring music to all.

When you go to a concert, it seems there’s an element of magic to the event. The music, the lighting, the vibe being built ahead of time. It all combines to bring the fans the best show possible. It lets those in attendance leave their “real lives” behind for awhile and take in this electricity. It seems almost surreal when all is done just right.

But what many don’t realize is that for those who bring the show to the fans, this is the JOB. They may not go to a corner cubical every day. They may not get up and go to work at 8 am then come home at 5 pm. However, all other elements of a job exist… along with a few other stressors no one with a “day job” ever has to deal with.

“The office building” is the arena or theater or night club or field in which the show is taking place. “The office” is where you stand when you play your instrument, or where you run sound or lights. When you are keeping over the front of house guy’s shoulder, its about like when someone pokes their head in your office to see what you are doing.

You have a boss or two keeping an eye on things at all times. There are company policies to follow, and occasionally you do have “a board meeting” in which the state of the “company” is discussed.  You can get fired for not doing your job or breaking the rules, and there is often a dress code you follow on-stage.

On show days there are certain jobs that must be done to make the show happen. Unload the trailer or semis. Set up the stage and instruments. Set up the lighting and video boards, if the artist carries those. Run a sound check (something that I personally have found to be infinitely boring). Then you may or may not have hours off before the show. Every day is different regarding “down time.” You have to find time to eat somewhere in there. Catch a shower and maybe a nap, because chances are you’ve not had much sleep.

If you have multiple shows in a row, its almost guaranteed that at some point you’ll go to bed around 4 am, and you’ll have to be unloading the trailer by 8 AM ready for another full, 20-hour day.  (FYI: sometimes when you go to a large festival, what you don’t see is that under the stage there are hammocks where people try to grab a fast nap between sets.)

When you do get to sleep, you sleep with all your co-workers only feet away. Who needs a water cooler when you can just stick your head out of your bunk and probably reach out and grab the person you want to talk to? There is very little privacy on a tour bus!

Soundcheck in the VERY hot summer sun.

Your bed, bathroom and living room moves as you travel from point A to point B. Every curve and pot hole jostles you awake, or lulls you to sleep. Every time someone pulls out in front of the bus, anyone sleeping is disrupted. Heaven help you if you’re trying to pour a cup of morning coffee. (Its like my husband says in good humor when he is driving bus: Truckers can go fast and take curves on two wheels all they want. THEIR cargo doesn’t fuss them for spilling their drinks!)

Its always good to see familiar faces on the road. Especially when its a long run that takes you away from home, a friendly (and different!) face can really rejuvenate the road-weary soul. However, guests need to always remember… its a day of fun for the guest, but its a work-day for the musician or crew member. They can’t go run around and party when there is work that has to be done for the show to happen.

The show can last anywhere from half an hour to several hours depending on the set-up, crowd and artist’s mood. (Yes, I have been to shows that have lasted upwards of three hours because it just felt right to keep going.) And while people may go, “Oh you get paid for that half hour you played.” In reality, you get paid for putting in a 20-hour work day. You get paid for representing the artist at all times during that day. You get paid to be available any time there is a show to be done.

The perks of the job are, of course, doing what you love, seeing the country and meeting thousands of fascinating people, and sometimes having four or five days off during the week to be at home. The downside is indeed sometimes running on no sleep, being away from your family for days (weeks or even months!) at a time, and the industry being “feast or famine” — you work like crazy in the summer making money, then come winter the shows are scarce and so is the money.

I recently saw where a friend said, “The music thing is the worst thing you can do and the best thing you can do.” I thought that summed it up really well! I think anyone who truly loves their job, anyone blessed to do what they enjoy and love for a living, could probably agree with that sentiment. You wouldn’t trade the job and experiences for anything, but when you break it all down… it really is a job. One that you are good at (or you wouldn’t be out there!), enjoy, and that needs to be done.