I’m anxious (but who isn’t??)

First of all, anyone who has listened to even one complete episode of the TEM Podcast knows that I am obsessed with Seth Godin. And you probably know that my wife, who is hilarious, refers to Seth as my spirit animal.

So imagine my surprise this morning when I discovered that he wrote a book that I didn’t even know about! And in the above clip, he actually reads the entire thing aloud! It is an ABC book for adults and it is exactly what I needed to hear this morning.

It starts with A is for Anxiety and he tells us that anxiety is just experiencing fear in advance. That really resonated with me this morning.

I am filled with anxiety right now. (Again, who the hell isn’t?)

• I’m anxious for the health of my elderly parents during this pandemic

• I’m anxious for what my career will look like on the other side of this

• I’m anxious about how long it will be until we are on the other side of this

• I’m anxious about the current state of my country and the path we continue to be on

• I’m anxious for my college students and all that they’ve had ripped from them

• I’m anxious for this part of my six-year-old’s childhood that he’ll never get back

• I’m anxious about my finances (and I am very fortunate right now in the grand scheme of both the world and the music business)

• I’m anxious about not feeling very creative musically right now (although I had a wonderful practice session yesterday for the first time in what felt like forever!)

As I said before, I’m filled with anxiety. These are remarkable times we are living in. But Seth’s comment about anxiety being fear we experience in advance really helped me with my perspective this morning.

Some items on the list above are things where I am able to take an action to help solve the problem. Some are things that are completely and totally out of my control.

By identifying which things are completely out of my control I can limit and sometimes eliminate entirely a lot of the anxiety. The added benefit of that is then being able to apply myself to the part of the list that I can control (or at least affect in some way.)

This applies to my career. This applies to how I navigate this pandemic. This goes applies to how I parent. This applies to literally everything.

Between my recent conversation with Dana Fonteneau for TEM210 and hearing Seth Godin read this book, I have been able to recalibrate my thinking about so much of life. And I have been so busy just trying to get through the day of late (and again, who hasn’t??) that I didn’t realize how badly I needed that to happen.

---

TEM210 featuring Dana Fonteneau

The WholeHearted Musician’s Dana Fonteneau spoke to me about resilience, mindset, arts in the time of a pandemic and how to empower artists during crisis in TEM210.

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TEM209: If you had to charge 10 times as much

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TEM209: If you had to charge 10 times as much

This episode is all about what you would offer if you had to charge 10x as much for your art.

TEM has a brand new website! Drop by tem.fm and say hello!

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Seth Godin on the thought exercise of charging 10x as much for your product or services

• The two main lessons I take away from this exercise

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

1. Want to access exclusive bonus coverage while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

TEM208: Own your own timeline

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TEM208: Own your own timeline

This episode is about working at your own pace and being okay with that.

TEM has a brand new website! Drop by tem.fm and say hello!

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Owning your own timeline and specifically what that means in this pandemic

• Being okay with not producing too much art if that's not where your head is at right now

• Patreon bonus material is going to be recorded live for the time being as a chance for my patrons to hang with me and each other

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

1. Want to access exclusive bonus coverage while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

Yes, I'll do that

“You will have the chance to take two paths. One you can say ‘No, I don’t do that’ and keep going down the path you’ve always gone down. Or you can say ‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ And you don’t even have to be good at it but you have to try.”

—Phil Snedecor

Wise words from trumpet player, teacher, composer and entrepreneur Phil Snedecor.

Especially in today’s scary and uncertain times, a lot of people in the music business are going to have to say “Yes, I’ll do that” or whoever is doing the asking is going to move on to the next person.

Literally everyone has already had their lives turned upside down by this global pandemic. Some more than others, of course. But everyone is having to make adjustments to what they do, how they do it, when they do it and where they do it.

Even those lucky enough to still be doing what they did before this hit are having to change the how, when and/or where. The future is going to reward two types of people: leaders who will take us where we need to go in these unchartered waters and those who are adaptable enough to help those leaders make their vision a reality.

Things have changed so much in the last 20 years and this trend was already well underway. But this pandemic is like throwing a can of gasoline on the fire. This trend is now expanding exponentially.

So start figuring out how to say yes to things, even when you’re not sure. But keep in mind the last part of Phil’s quote:

You don’t even have to be good at it. But you have to try.

TEM207: Finding balance in these confusing times

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TEM207: Finding balance in these confusing times

This episode of TEM is all about giving ourselves the space to find balance in this new and ever-shifting reality.

***TEM has a new online home! Head to tem.fm for TEM Coaching, show notes, TEM Blog and more!***

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Allowing myself the space to find my personal creative rhythm during this international crisis

• Being patient and kind to myself under stress

• Putting the needs of my family in front of my desire to get things done

• Having to make space for things like TEM since my usual life rhythms are gone

Links:

• TEM144: Dale Trumbore

• TEM145: Finding your creative personal rhythm (TEM Short)

• TBJ133: Christopher Bill

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

1. Want to access exclusive bonus coverage while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

Product announcements don't have to be boring

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said the word remarkable on the podcast or in TEM class at Shenandoah Conservatory I would be a rich man!

This is a promo video for a book by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton and a magician. This is certainly unlike any other book announcement I’ve ever seen.

So frequently, artists (musicians, painters, authors, lots of different disciplines) put a ton of creativity into their art and close to none into how they go about telling people about their art. This is a problem.

While I’m not going to go out and learn any card tricks any time soon, I can learn a lot from this video. And that goes for both the concept and the execution.

Wharton professor Adam Grant gives an overview of his new book, Give and Take (on sale 4/9/13), using an entire deck of playing cards. For more info: http://...

TEM206: Amanda Gookin on jumping first and making art that is unabashedly outspoken

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TEM206: Amanda Gookin on jumping first and making art that is unabashedly outspoken

Amanda Gookin is a New York City-based cellist, entrepreneur and activist.

***TEM has a new online home! Head to tem.fm for TEM Coaching, show notes, TEM Blog and more!***

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Amanda's motto: "Jump first and learn to swim later"

• The value of considering things carefully but when the time comes taking action quickly and decisively

• Why being blissfully naive as a young person was beneficial to her creativity

• How the idea for another project that didn't quite happen as originally planned led to the creation of PUBLIQuartet

• The balancing act of having a successful chamber ensemble

• How listening to a political interview with a strong and unapologetic woman during a commute inspired her to create the Forward Music Project

• The difficulties of getting a new project with no track record off the ground financially and how she navigated that with the Forward Music Project

•  How she responds to people telling her to "stay in her lane" and to leave politics out of her art

Links:

• amandagookin.com

• PUBLIQuartet

• Forward Music Project

• National Sawdust

• The Mockingbird Foundation

• Amanda's TEDx Talk

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

1. Want to access exclusive bonus coverage while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

Tweet of the Week: @WholeHeartedMus

I love how granular this tweet is. Every action, big and small, huge and miniscule, either brings us closer to who we want to become or further away.

The word vote is also quite descriptive here. The version of you with the most votes wins. And those votes can be really small things.

Vote wisely.

It's all about having conviction

This gymnastics routine from UCLA student Nia Dennis went viral for a reason.

She has obviously spent an untold number of hours acquiring the skills to become an elite gymnast. But there are lots of people who do that who don’t end up making my radar. So what’s different about her performance?

The conviction she displays in this routine is astounding.

You can tell that she wants to scream this routine from the rooftops. That she feels it in every bone in her body. That comes through with vivid clarity.

As I mentioned in the tweet above, musicians who can play with this much conviction, not just on how they are playing but on why they are doing it in the first place, almost always have a huge impact on their corner of the world.

And income follows impact.

(ICYMI The Savvy Musician’s David Cutler talked about the link between income and impact in TEM40)

So we should all take note of this amazing young woman, even though (to my knowledge) she has nothing to do with music. If we perform/teach/coach/produce/compose with the same conviction that she displayed in this routine, we will develop true fans.

The sky is the limit if you keep doing that day after day over a prolonged period of time. You just have to keep showing up.

TEM205: Recalibrating your defintion of success (TEM Short)

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TEM205: Recalibrating your defintion of success (TEM Short)

The importance of regularly making time to recalibrate your own personal definition of success for yourself.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• A reminder that we shouldn't outsource our own definition of success

• The importance of making the time to recalibrate that definition from time to time

• The value of getting an outside voice to help us get the "30,000 foot view" of ourselves and our career

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

1. Want access to exclusive bonus coverage while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

TEM204: Why you're not charging enough

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TEM204: Why you're not charging enough

The two reasons why you're probably not charging enough.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Valuing your own time enough when considering pricing

• The story that pricing tells our customers and potential customers

• If no one thinks you are too expensive, you aren't charging enough

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

1. Hear extra TEM episodes while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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.tem.fm/shownotes

TEM203: The old ceiling is the new floor

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TEM203: The old ceiling is the new floor

What used to be good enough to succeed in music in now simply the cost of admission.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Why incredible technique doesn't equate to success nearly as much as it used to

• Insights from a concert presenter

• Why we need to recalibrate our efforts to improve at our craft in order to maximize our traction in today's music business

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

1. Hear an extra TEM episode every single week while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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

TEM Extra: Episode 15

Episode 15 of TEM Extra is a bonus episode with Ari Herstand and is available exclusively to supporters of The Entrepreneurial Musician. Become one today!

On Today’s TEM Extra:

• Angela Beeching’s perfect pitch email

• Tweet from @XaviercMiller 

• Giving yourself permission to take time off

Seth Godin on problem-solving

Some good stuff from Seth Godin including a reminder that solutions can often be found in places that feel uncomfortable, risky or difficult.

TEM202: Bandsintown CEO Fabrice Sergent on connecting artists to fans and the value of learning from others

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TEM202: Bandsintown CEO Fabrice Sergent on connecting artists to fans and the value of learning from others

Fabrice Sergent is the CEO and cofounder of Bandsintown.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• The rebranding of Bandsintown for Artists and the features available to artists for free

• Bandsintown as a discovery engine and why that's so important for both artists and fans

• The importance of network effect in a platform when looking to scale something

•  The value of learning from others and being curious

• Utilizing tools that help artists automate things like updating tour dates across multiple platforms

Links:

• Bandsintown for Artists

• Bandsintown

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

1. Hear an extra TEM episode every single week while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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

TEM201: Simply get going (TEM Short)

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TEM201: Simply get going (TEM Short)

This TEM Short is a call to action for 2020 inspired by a quote from Angela Beeching.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• A quote from Angela Beeching that has me fired up

• A call to action for 2020

Links:

• TEM200: Angela Beeching

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

1. Hear an extra TEM episode every single week while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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

TEM Extra: Episode 14

Episode 15 of TEM Extra is a bonus episode with Ari Herstand and is available exclusively to supporters of The Entrepreneurial Musician. Become one today!

On Today’s TEM Extra:

• Angela Beeching’s perfect pitch email

• Tweet from @XaviercMiller 

• Giving yourself permission to take time off

TEM200: Angela Beeching on claiming your artistry and getting over the fear of asking for help

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TEM200: Angela Beeching on claiming your artistry and getting over the fear of asking for help

Angela Beeching is the author of Beyond Talent and a music business coach and consultant.

On Today's Episode of The Entrepreneurial Musician:

• Scarcity thinking and the constant urge to prove ourselves

• The value in spending money to get a music business coach

• A specific process that enables you to write a bio that truly resonates with people

• Why sharing your art is actually caring about the people meant to encounter that art

• You're never ready - just take the first step

• Productivity Planner journal that Angela is now addicted to

• The fear of asking for help

• Remembering that you are part of a much larger community

Links:

• Angela's book Beyond Talent (Brand new third edition)

• Simon Sinek: How great leaders start with why

• Angela's amazing blog

• Her blog post about not opening her Productivity Planner for 200 days

• Basecamp

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

1. Hear an extra TEM episode every single week while helping me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by becoming a patron today: 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

TEM Extra: Episode 13 (Bonus Episode with Ari Herstand)

Episode 13 of TEM Extra is a bonus episode with Ari Herstand and is available exclusively to supporters of The Entrepreneurial Musician. Become one today!

On Today’s TEM Extra:

• Ari on what gave him the courage to finally ditch his job at Starbucks to make a go as a full-time musician

• The advice Ari would give to himself if he could travel back to 2009 (his answer might surprise you!)

Love this fire quote from Ari from this bonus episode:

“People don’t have time for mediocrity any more. You have to set yourself above the fray and above the noise.”

—Ari Herstand

Don’t miss Ari in TEM197!

TEM197: The democratization of the new music business and polite persistence - A conversation with Ari Herstand

Listen Now