Sailing On
Hello everyone, as an independent musician, writer, or any other profession labeled as such the one key thing is being self motivated. And it also goes without saying that consistency is also important. Since last week I was trying to think of what to write next. Even though I consider last week's post : Bravofest NJ, a multi genre music festival in support of Homes For Our Troops comes to Ridgefield Park on June 28th sorta of a "freebie" since it was a pre-written press release and not consistent with my theme of posts of true stories in the life of a musician named after song titles. I simply took a deep breathe knowing that the source of inspiration would come as it always does. I didn't have the exact words for it yet, I had to keep "Sailing On". I just had to attend a seminar at the Warner Music Group building first.
At first my thoughts were about some of the little changes I have been making that will benefit me. Being consistent with vocal training, the gym, all things that are simple enough to do yet easy enough to dismiss when you have life weighing you down while pulling you in as many directions as possible. Especially as an independent artist that handles the business side as well. But I still didn't have a way to tie all these thoughts together and find the song to be the perfect title for this particular entry. That is until I received an email from none other than Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR with her invitation to watch her speak at New York Music MonthTalks which was presented by Artist for Artist and Cyber PR. I always find inspiration from these events, so I signed up asap. Ariel spoke about her latest book (which I highly recommend) From Buzz to Bond : Building true fan relationships in a crazy world. Along with her All-Female panel : Cassandra Kubinski, Charu Suri, & Marissa Devito. They all spoke in depth about their careers and how they built them from the ground up. So you should definitely explore each of their pages, as well as Ariel's. It maybe a game changer for you! As well as some of the other events going on this month.
I just told you about a few things I knew I was was going to see when I went to the building where Warner Music Grouphas their headquarters that evening. I knew the event as a whole was a learning experience and another opportunity to meet more people in the industry. Not just another excuse to get out of the house, pack some band stickers in my pockets and wear a shirt to represent my genre of music (which I did, Jyrki and the boys from the 69 Eyescan thank me later) it was about seeing what everyone else was doing, being a part of NY Music Month and, being surrounded by other like minded people who all came together for the love of creating music. And in the center of that, we got treated to a musical performance byRyan Star. Although this performance was scaled down instrument wise, it was in no way weak or watered down. He delivered strong vocals as well as his instrumentation simultaneously. Ryan also told us about his musical journey. Handing out demo tapes (yes tapes,something I would have done if I had my act together back then) in backstage areas at shows and even winning an opening slot on a show with Bon Jovi. One key takeaway I got (I believe it was him who said it, the room was big and obstructed) was hearing him say something along the lines of that "When there are gatekeepers and gates, find a way to climb over them." Meaning, forget the obstacles in your way, be tenacious and stay focused on your goals. I know it's difficult with everything in our way these days. I found myself attending these events, and online seminars recalling my PTSD of negativity from various attempted saboteurs that i've repeated it and delivered it in such a way that it became a form of secondary entertainment for myself and those I surround myself with who do get it. But that is just another part of the message I got from "Sailing On".
I was moved by Ryan's entire performance, but I really enjoyed the last song the most. After the event I went searching for the title through social media posts,stories and other resources I gathered that night. Then I stumbled upon Sailing On. I realized that it was perfect for what I was feeling lately. No matter what happens, you have to stay the course and continue or keep "Sailing On". I later learned that this is exactly what the song was written about, and specifically within the music industry. With all the negativity going on in the world we need songs like these. It almost reminds me of an uplifting song used by the WWE to pay tribute to one of it's stars that had recently passed. Not just negativity, but an overall low energy or lethargic vibe that has society has been plagued with in the past few years. People don't seem to get excited about things the way they used to. You will notice a difference if you watch the audience of each World Cup game. Fans from some countries get much more enthusiastic than others. That's why we needed the New YorkKnicks to finally an NBA championship. Even I watched that last game and I NEVER watch Basketball.
I hope reading this helped you in some way. Whether you're struggling to find inspiration or not. And whether you perform music or not, I hope it gave you the guidance you need to overcome any issues you maybe having. If you're still not convinced of that, read one of my posts from years ago called the Power of Music . Thanks for reading this. Until next time, keep Sailing On.
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