The Struggle is Real.

“It’s darkest before dawn.”  It’s only a matter of time.”  “This is my year.”  This is some of the things that aspiring artists say to themselves to gain motivation and more or less to keep themselves sane.  I mean seriously, how many flavors of Ramen noodles are there?  How many payment notices can I ignore before termination?  As an artist your creativity and passion has led you down a dark road.  A road full of wrong turns, rats, and so many forks in the road that would make you feel like you’re in a maze.   This folks, is the road less traveled. 

On this road the naysayers will come in numbers and their voices seem louder at times.  On this same road the peanut gallery travels and misery finds company.  The artist is a true believer with no factual strategies to success and every man with one eye trying to lead the blind.

Many times as an artist you feel like you are running a race that’s finish line seems to get further as it gets closer.   The music industry is a complex beast.  It’s trendy and at times too hip to hop, but who doesn’t like music.  That is like not liking food.  Music is food for the soul.  Have you ever heard a good song and got the chills? 

There comes a time when your confidence has to take over and that’s when you apply the “Side Rear View Mirror Theory”.  What this theory means is that you have to realize that things are closer than they actually appear.  This same theory is what gives artists drive, it demands dedication, and it gives artists the feeling that if they quit now, they’d only be quitting on themselves.

The road less traveled can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster, but the important thing is to enjoy the ride, because at the end of the day, nothing is guaranteed.  Just take a moment and ask yourself, “What motivates me?”