SEE VAL HUSTLE: [Go Get It!]

Portola Coffee Lab                                     Photo by Amanda Petrocelly

SATURDAY

9.2.13

YOU WANT IT? -GO GET IT!

I was speaking with a great singer-songwriter friend of mine named Josef Gordon about his approach to achieving his goals for his career and what he said has stuck with me ever since:

"What do you do when you wake up in the morning and want a cup of coffee? -You go out and get a cup of coffee, right? Well, that's what I'm doing now- I want a career in music, so I'm gonna go get it!"

Duh-- right?! At first read, that sounds like the most trite piece of advice-- but when I thought about how often I've sat around wishing and hoping for my career to blossom without even getting up off the couch, I realized I had some work to do. 

"Work begets work."

-John Taylor

Bassist, Duran Duran

When you get up and go look for gigs, returns are bound to come. They may not come right away and they may not come often, but they're guaranteed to at least have better chances of coming than if you had put nothing out there at all. 

If you want it, go get it--  in whatever form that looks like:

ARTISTS/WRITERS- post work on forums, etsy, blogs, at local boutiques

MUSICIANS- search for gigs on Craigslist, post flyers at music shops and rehearsal studios, play out as often as possible!

Create work for yourself by being around people who ARE working and attending events where your work can be showcased. 

Also, don't be too proud to let people know you're available. Save your "I'm too busy" remarks for when you actually are working too much to take any more gigs-- you aren't creating more demand for your talent by not taking a job. If your product is indeed excellent, it will get recognized and you will get more of the work you want. 

How much do you want it?

If you woke up and wanted that cup of coffee, how far would you go to get it? 

Would you still get it if:

-You had to make the coffee yourself?

-You didn't have transportation (to the nearest coffee place)? 

-You didn't have money?

-You didn't own a coffee machine?

-The nearest coffee place was 50 miles away?

-It wasn't the kind of coffee you wanted?

-There was no cream or sugar?

-You could only get an ounce of in?

-It interfered with your social plans?

If you wanted that coffee bad enough, none of these problems would matter-- right?

I would challenge you to ask yourself these types of questions in terms of goals you have set for yourself- knowing full well that most, if not all of these scenarios will come up eventually and that there will be sacrifice in getting the type of outcome you desire. 

The question is- what are you actually willing to do to achieve your goals? 

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SEE VAL HUSTLE [Open During Construction]

WEDNESDAY

9.1.13

HAPPY 2013 EVERYONE!

In the wake of the new year, there is a question that inevitably arises- 

"What's your resolution?"

It has been my experience that once we've decided the answer to this question, one of two things happen:

1) We shut down to the rest of the world while we pursue this goal 

2) We give up our goal all together

I have talked to so many musicians that refuse to go to auditions- so many artists that don't seek out venues to display their art- so many creatives that squander all their passion and talent on things they don't love- because they're "not good enough yet." 

If I put off looking for work because I didn't think I was good enough yet, I'd still be in my parent's garage practicing drums until my neighbors called the cops. It's not about being ready, because we can always be better. The very beauty of art is seeing what we finite creatures can create in a field that is infinite. 

My encouragement to all of you in this new season is this: stay open during construction. 

Imagine that your favorite restaurant is in the midst of a remodel- it looks like a mess from the outside (and sometimes even the inside)- but we still patronize it if it has tasty food, right?  

If these places were to shut down for a week/month/year while repairs were being made, imagine the thousands, if not millions of dollars in loss that business would see- not to mention the hundreds of people that wouldn't experience the joy of the food it serves. 

That restaurant is you and that wonderful food is what you give the world when you follow your passion. So, for your sake and for the sake of the people you are destined to come across, don't completely shut down- work on yourself, but be open to what you have to offer RIGHT NOW. 

And don't let the destination take away from your journey! The Odyssey would not have been a very intriguing story at all if Odysseus hadn't encountered as many dangerous monsters and impossible trials on his way to Ithaca. Who would want to read The Story Of A King On A Boat Who Had A Safe And Pleasant Ride Home. Boring!

Your story is still being written, so seize any opportunity you can to showcase what you do! As long as your product is good, people WILL buy it. And even if they don't buy it, imagine the new characters you will come across that will help you find your way to Ithaca. All you have to do is get out and do what you do- you'll make it to your resolution. 

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