Opportunities and Transitions

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to chose one’s own way.”

- Viktor Frankl (from Man’s Search for Meaning)

For many of us, we’re in a period of transition. And if we were only thinking about taking a leap of faith prior to 2020, the pandemic shoved us off the cliff, never to return to the top of the bluff again.

I was speaking with a friend the other day, who’s a true creative at heart, but has recently transitioned into an entertainment day job. He seemed disappointed that his creative dreams never came to fruition the way he envisioned.

And as we get older and accumulate more responsibilities, money becomes a huge determining factor in what we decide to do with our lives, especially if you factor in having kids. It no longer becomes about fulfilling our dreams, but about providing for our loved ones.

However, as someone who has never been motivated by money, I think there’s a reasonable balance. I truly believe you don’t have to give up on your dreams, because if you’re passionate enough to chase them for years, you’re not going to be able to just stop without feeling a huge sense of loss.

So I’m going to give you all the same advice I gave my friend. Just because you feel too burnt out or overwhelmed or unmotivated to create now, doesn’t mean those feelings will last forever. And if you’re a true creative, the motivation and opportunity to create will return in ways you may not be able to imagine right now.

I’ve mentioned some of this before, but my personal trajectory went from full on creative (artist, DJ, producer) to learning the business out of necessity, to transitioning into a role as a booking agent.

But when the pandemic struck, all events were cancelled. So even though I thought we were in the one safe sector of the music industry, the world didn’t care. It just shut down.

I also spoke with a couple of writers this past week. And for those of you who aren’t aware, the WGA is on strike, a necessary action that has threatened to derail the entire film and TV industries for the foreseeable future, which means they don’t know where income will come from for at least the next few months. And this comes after having to deal with the pandemic as well.

But where there are obstacles, there is also opportunity.

So when I could no longer work as a booking agent, because we were all being quarantined, I decided to study writing, and subsequently write a screenplay. And that documentary we were working on that was on the back burner? That quickly became a priority.

So who knows how or when inspiration will strike (no pun intended). But when you get the itch, lean into it. Because as a creative, we know nothing quite fulfills us the way creating something from scratch does.

I know this week’s newsletter was short, but sweet, because I was planning to tie this edition into an article that was scheduled to come out today. But since it didn’t come out yet, I had to pivot.

This is another good lesson- We can’t get fixated on our plans. Sometimes they work out, and other times we have to adjust. No need to cry over it. Our industry is filled with variables, unknowns, and the need to make decisions on the fly. All we can do is be understanding, flexible, and decisive.

Thanks again for your support!

Til next week.