Resilience is the key to thriving

The ability to quickly recover after a setback. If you are interested in this blog chance are you've had your share of setbacks. 

A quick survey of musician setbacks:.

1. injury
2. divorce
3. changing music styles
4. poor wages
5. getting fired
6.  exhaustion
7.  boredom
8. shrinking audiences
9. technological change
10. aging

Quite a list, your can add your own. What separates those who can recover quickly from those who don't. That is the question. 

1. Injury is almost a given at some point. Some injuries are recoverable, others are career ending. Those who recover take charge early in the problem, seek liceneed medical help, figure out why it happened and how to avoid a reoccurrence. Warning, don't self diagnose off the internet. 
2. Divorce is a big one, been there myself. This will take some time depending on the circumstances. My advice find a good friend, go play some pool, and drink some beer. That really helped me move on. 
   
3. Changing music styles is inevitable. Where did your audience go? I was a jazz musician, my audience just got old and died. If yours is still alive find out where they hang out. Cruises? Casinos? Community centres? Private parties?
4. Poor wages means the supply and demand equation is not working in your favour. A whole book needs to be written on this subject. All I'll say is this: if you are a commodity, you're fucked. Without a USP wages will be low.
5. Getting fired. What happened? Did you mesh up? Did your audience fail to materialize? Remember we make money for someone else, fail to do that and poof we are gone. 
6.  Exhaustion is the result of a poor return on energy. Time to reorder your priorities. 
7.  Boredom, I left the music business a decade ago from boredom. I just didn't give a you know what. It was time to try other avenues open to musicians. 
8. Shrinking audiences has many reasons. A few: competition with electronic screens, Netflix, hotter younger acts, audience got married and had kids. Music changed. 
9. Technological change hits everyone. I say jump in and embrace this monster. It's not going away. 
10. Aging, be happy you're old. Lots of musicians never had the chance. I've my list: Steve, DT, Billy, Bobby.

Cheers, 

David