We all F up. Totally OK! It’s a part of life. It’s how you bounce back from the fu¢# up that really matters. Even Elon Musk suffered consequences the day he smoked pot on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Even Elon Musk effs up. There are so many ways that songwriters and creators inadvertently F up. We all do it. But if we can recognize the pitfalls, we can navigate ourselves around them and set ourselves up for the most success possible. Here are five ways to help you un-eff yourself, leap over those hurdles and create the effing success that you have always dreamed of.
By: Justin Gray Founder/Chairman MDIIO 1. You are writing too much - When you overwrite, a few things happen. By creating too many songs you could tend to abandon songs that are half-finished or incomplete. New song, new energy. It is crucial to finish every song that you write even if the demo isn’t fully completed. Close that chapter. This way you can move on and clear energy for new music. When you overwrite you can lose interest in finishing. Revisiting good ideas and turning them into great ideas is fundamental in making amazing music. 2. F*¢# Money - A guaranteed way to not make money and not find success is to chase money and chase success. Yes…your expectations should be as high as possible. Not on the outcome, but rather the creation. High expectations on the process…no expectations on the outcome. Enjoy the process. Keep your expectations high concerning your creativity, the outcome will take care of itself. 3. Slow the Eff down - There is no race to finish the song. There’s no finish line. The world is not waiting for your music. So take advantage of the freedom that time gifts you. Yes, sometimes the song is written in 30 minutes. But it’s not uncommon for songs to take years to write. Case in point Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah". Cohen wrote 80 different verses for the song, over the course of more than a year. By giving yourself the space to navigate and let your creativity flow freely, you are really opening up the channels to the best possible outcome for what you’re working on. 4. Comparing yourself to others - A guaranteed way to F yourself up, is to compare yourself to others. When you’re listening to other people's music, maybe it’s your friends, maybe it’s contemporaries, maybe it’s mainstream artists, maybe it’s classic artists, use those as tent poles. Inspiration can guide you towards making something special and creating your unique brand of art. Somebody else is not running your race, and you are not chasing somebody else’s journey. Stay focused and do great work, you’ll get to where you’re meant to be. 5. Dreaming Awake - If you really, truly, and honestly believe in yourself, don’t let anybody stop you from chasing that dream. Imagine if those that inspire you had quit. Imagine no John Lennon, no Beethoven, no Beyonce, no Kendrick, no Elvis. What if they just…quit. Chase that dream, but understand the other side of the chase…You need to accept the fact that it might not happen in a week, or a month, or a year. It may take years! But if you are focused, committed and steadfast in your pursuit, and you do everything within your power to make that success a reality, it will happen for you! As Aerosmith famously wrote “Dream On.” The Coda: It is totally OK to Eff up. There’s not one person on the face of the earth who’s gone through life and not f’ed up. That’s what’s f’d up about f’ing up. People get too freaked out by mistakes. They’re only mistakes. If you fail to learn from them, you effed up! See you next week, and until then keep writing those hits! Justin@mdiio.com
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