Terrible vs Amateur

An amateur is someone who is still learning, a hobbyist, someone who loves the process regardless of outcome and isn’t doing it professionally.

An amateur (or tinkering hobbyist) is never doing a terrible job. They’re simply doing it, and that’s the whole purpose. There’s no criticism.

It’s the amateur masquerading as a professional who is in danger of being labeled terrible.

When you tip into calling yourself a professional, it’s a posture of standing behind your work. Professionals put themselves up for criticism, and will get compared to others in the field. In every field there’s an unspoken undefined level that people believe you’re at if you advertise yourself as a pro. If you aren’t to that level, you might not actually be terrible…but the gap between consumer expectations and reality might get you that label.

»» If your intent is to go from amateur to professional, be upfront about what you can offer and what they can expect.

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Pushing A Car Out Of The Snow...

is hard work.

Put your shoulder into it. Push with everything you have. Rock the tires back and forth. And repeat.

And then finally POOF the car gets traction…and what happens next…you fall down.

A few somewhat connected points…

You fall down when it gets easy because you’re so used to leaning in so hard. That ease can feel like an uneasy surprise, and cause some scraped knees.

When it gets easy and you put your shoulder into something and nothing pushes back, is there a purpose in pushing?

What do you like better…pushing or cruising?

If it got easy what stories would you have to give up?

If the things stay stuck how long are you willing to push before you walk away?

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Too Many Grand Openings

And too many going out of business sales.

There’s a few furniture stores not far from where I live that seem to always be advertising one or the other. Back and forth.

A few things…

Starts and ends are exciting

If your only draw is deals and coupons, what does that say about your stuff?

The boy who cried Sale Prices!

Sustainability might not always be as exciting, but it’s more likely to always be there.

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Artists and Musicians

Artists trade on point of view and magnetism

Musicians trade on skill and hang

Artists sign the checks

Musicians want the checks to be on time and to clear

Artists are building a gig

Musicians are playing a gig

Artists are the leader of the vibe

Musicians are keyed into the vibe

Artists have to do the meet and greet

Musicians can go hang on the bus

Artists are locked into the gig

Musicians have an eye out for a better one

Artists go through a season of over identifying with the gig

Musicians do too

Artists are laying it on the line

Musicians are helping them lay it on the line

Artists have a goal of emotional connection with the audience

Musicians have a goal of keeping the gig

Artists, at a certain level, are making money while they sleep

Musicians make money when they’re playing

An artists’s fear is that they are not enough without the admiration of the audience

A musician’s fear is that they are only as valuable as the size and status of the gig

Artists and musicians are so much the same and yet carry equal but different weight.

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Permission To Tell Others

That’s what a great song gives your audience.

Not every song is gonna be a smash. But that one, that one that has the extra magic in it…that unlocks their freedom to not feel silly about waving your flag.

That song is the new first impression, the handshake, the lens which all subsequent songs will pass through.

We’re on your side. We want to tell everyone about you. We need that one song.

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Explaining Difficulty

I’m not sure it does much good explaining to the audience how hard something was to make.

The difficulty was real but you made it look easy…we get to think you’re a superhero…or at least an expert.

Ultimately the work has to do the talking…there are plenty of things that are hard that don’t result in great work. It’s all hard. It’s not all great. The uniqueness of your project comes from what it is, not what it took to make it.

This doesn’t mean the difficult journey isn’t important. It’s vital. And if the work is rich and meaningful and hard and transforming…it’ll show up in the end result and will have made it better and more connective.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple