It's Not Easy Being Indie

This journey as an independent artist has been interesting to say the least, but I wouldn't trade any moment of it for the world! Just earlier this week, I was honored with the opportunity to perform as a feature act at one of more historic venues in DC - Bohemian Caverns. Thankfully, everything went incredibly well! However, this triumph did not come without a few lessons:

1. Timely communication goes a long way. People love to have options. Not communicating in a timely manner rids people of those and causes unnecessary stress. Understandably, things happen, but communicating early shows that you at least care, which can keep you on the good list and off the "do not call" list. In many cases, you know when you're on the prior, but you may not know if you're on the latter.


2. No one is indispensable. Last minute stunts will almost certainly rid you of your gig and guarantee that you won't be hired again (at least not by the same folks or people that ask them for referrals).


3. God will never set you up for failure. All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called to do that which is being attempted. For the first time, I actually played keys on my set with a band and realized this is something I can do more often. I also got the opportunity to include an amazing guitar player in the line-up! On top of all that, I've been blessed to be in the company of some incredibly capable musicians (singers and instrumentalists). So, though there were a few bumps in the road, a train wreck was nowhere in sight.


4. Being in good spirit is always a great idea! The morning before the day of the show began as a stressful one due to the complications of being an independent artist - being broke, dealing with my body's painful response to stress, entertaining insecurities... Imagine anything, and you'll probably hit the nail on the head. Though not much would be required of me that day, I would have plenty of time to dwell on what was NOT going the way I wanted. Once I realized what was going on with my energy, I immediately began to thank God for the opportunity to do what I do, for the people involved in the process, and for the people who actually enjoy it. As you can imagine, this completely changed my mood, and I decided that the rest of the day and the next would be fantastic! It all comes back around to gratitude, and gratitude breeds joy. Likewise, the energy flowed from the figurehead to the toe.