TEM Coaching Tip: It's Never Too Late

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The stories of the people who find success in the music business at an early age are always celebrated and amplified. This was true before social media and is exponentially more true today. There’s nothing the Facebook algorithm likes more than a 23-year-old landing a prestigious gig or someone young hitting it big.

The prevalence of posts like this can make it feel like a high percentage of people have found success early in life. In turn, this can feel quite discouraging for anyone who has not experienced that same level of success on a similar timeline.

But there are so many examples in music and across the arts of people who have not “made it” or found their true calling as artists until later in life. (“Made it” is of course in quotes because everyone gets to define what success looks like for themselves.)

The incredible Sharon Jones didn’t record her first album until after she turned 40 and didn’t find widespread success until her late forties. She left us far too early but the music she left behind has made an indelible mark on the world. If she had decided that 40 was too old to start a career in music the world would be a worse place because of it.

Similarly, the amazing Jessica Meyer (who I interviewed for TEM73) didn’t become a composer until she turned 40. In a short period of time she went from never having composed a thing to having her pieces performed all over the country to critical praise. When you hear her talk about composing, you can tell that she can’t imagine her life or career without it. And she didn’t start until she was almost 20 years into her professional career!

Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison didn’t get published until she was 39. I could fill page after page with examples just from the arts. The world is littered with examples like these women. 

Just know that we all have a voice inside of us that will tell us we are too old. Or that we are too young. Or that we are too something.

That’s just the fear talking because it’s simply not true. In my experience there’s nothing you can do to prevent that voice that’s inside us all from speaking up in the first place. And the only way to make that voice go away is by simply doing the thing it’s telling you you can’t do.

It’s never too late.

TEM191: Keep asking

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TEM191: Keep asking

Sometimes all you have to do is keep asking. Or do you?

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

  • The no's will come and you just have to keep asking

  • Getting the three yes's takes a lot of rejection

  • The limitless number of reasons why someone may say no to you at any given moment

  • Keep showing up

  • Sometimes you just have to find your people rather than trying to turn others into your people (and this also goes for institutions)

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Did you know there are two episodes of TEM every single week? TEM Extra is a weekly episode available exclusively to patrons of the show.

On Last Week's TEM Extra:

  • The list of traits Gary Vauynerchuk values more than skills

  • The most important things to look for in a business partner

  • A reminder from Eunbi Kim on the importance of contracts and planning for worst case scenarios

  • Putting my money where my mouth is (in regards to if no one ever thinks you charge too much money then you aren't charging enough)

Head to Patreon to gain access today!

Want to help the show? Here's a couple of ways you can do that!

1. Help me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

2. My next Apple Podcasts goal is 150 ratings and 75 reviews. Take just a minute to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help me get there. Thank you!

And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

TEM74: Write it for them, not for you (TEM Short)

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TEM74: Write it for them, not for you (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is in response to my interview with composer and violist Jessica Meyer in TEM73.

This episode explores how whenever writing anything, from a bio to a grant proposal, we always have to keep the recipient in mind when choosing the channel, wording and messaging and have to avoid writing as if we ourselves are the intended audience.

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including links to all books and websites referenced in this episode can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

It would mean the world to me if you felt like making a small donation to support what I'm doing with TEM. You can find out more at:

https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

Produced by Joey Santillo

TEM73: Jessica Meyer on not waiting for the phone to ring, becoming a professional composer at age 40 and writing a great grant proposal

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TEM73: Jessica Meyer on not waiting for the phone to ring, becoming a professional composer at age 40 and writing a great grant proposal

Jessica Meyer is a violist, composer, entrepreneur and music business consultant based in New York City. I absolutely love her approach to the music business and to life. Quite inspiring!

Topics Covered:

  • Jessica had two degrees from Juilliard, was living in New York and yet her phone wasn't ringing because she was primarily only hanging out with her husband and not intentionally networking

  • How when missing two notes in the 6th round of the Buffalo Philharmonic audition prevented her from winning an $18,000/year job she realized there was a problem with the traditional orchestral model which inspired her and her husband to start their own ensemble

  • The incredible number of things like grant writing, budgeting, making a website, branding and many other things which they had to suddenly learn how to do (and which their top-notch Juilliard educations didn't prepare them for)

  • How running your own ensemble is like owning a house rather than renting (you get to customize anything you want but any repairs or upkeep are your problem)

  • The very large ensemble they hired (at a large expense) which lead to their first New York Times review which in turn has lead to a review every single year

  • How Jessica became a professional composer at the age of 40 (Spoiler: She relied on her pre-existing network that she had intentionally developed)

  • The importance of her being able to stand in front of people and succinctly tell them about her music

  • The key to writing a great grant proposal (It's easier than you think!)

  • Why she starts her networking seminars off by having people figuring out exactly what makes them them

  • Why it's important to practice stating within a conversation what you do in at most two sentences (and why you should have one of these soundbites for each different thing you do)

  • Why you have to be your own advocate for what you do (and why Jessica prefers the term "advocate for yourself" rather than "selling yourself")

  • How even if you have management you need to be out there "shaking the trees"

  • Why it's important that when you find yourself in a serendipitous moment (career-wise) you need to speak up and get the ball rolling

  • Why solving problems for other people or making random introductions for no reason will serve you well in the long run

  • Gary Vaynerchuck's 51/49 Rule

  • How all relationships are feeding your career (which means more than just liking Facebook posts)

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"You have to spend money to make money. That's how it works."

"(Grant writing) is like networking. It's not about you. It's not about how great your art is. It's not about how great you play. It's not about how great this composer is. How are you making the lives better of the people you are serving."

"How can I advocate for myself and my colleagues?"

"You just keep asking. And there'll be a lot of no's. And you just keep asking anyway."

"The people who are successful...are the ones willing to do the mundane things that other people are not."

It would mean the world to me if you felt like making a small donation to support what I'm doing with TEM. You can find out more at:

https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

Produced by Joey Santillo