The title of this post comes from a quote I remember from the old Franklin Planner that I used to use. It is so appropriate right now. My EP is scheduled to be released within a week. Sometimes, there is a slight delay, being an independent artist on one of the larger distribution platforms. Still, it will be out soon. EVERY pre-release activity checklist states to start building excitement with social media posts, reach out to critics to review it, get in touch with local radio stations and more. There is no shortage of things I could be doing now pre-release.
I do have two lines of defence. First, I didn’t want to do too much until the EP was released and available. I didn’t want someone finding me and my music and then being unable to save on Spotify or purchase from Apple Music or one of the other digital music platforms.
The second line of defence is that I have been very focused on my Tamworth Country Music Festival performance (TCMF). While it is a busking booking, it is still a spot at one of the biggest festivals in Australia. I have an hour and 45 minutes to fill, and I need to do that for three days in a row. I have never done that before, so understandably, I am so consumed with it.
However, I see myself pulling on the reigns in other ways. I am planning to coach basketball for a local team. I enrolled in a subject at a local university. I have not posted ANYTHING on social media for over two weeks. My practice regimen before this week could have been better.
I now understand that this is natural. As many online gurus will tell you, we, as humans, have a fear of failure. So, to keep us safe, our brain will have us thinking about doing other things instead of the things we are so passionate about. The reason is that the brain wants to protect us if we put everything we have into something, and then people still don’t like it or say hurtful things. That is a pain from which our brain wants to protect us.
I must push through this natural tendency to go down the safe, happy, painless route. It is lovely to contribute to society and your family in various ways, but at some point, you must be true to yourself and REALLY go after what you want.
Or don’t! You can instead live a very comfortable life, never pursuing ‘What you might have been.’ (This is the first track on the EP, check it out ; )
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