We're All In This Together

There is a lot of competition in the business of the arts. Whether you are an artist, writer, musician, even the corporate world, whatever realm of creativity you walk in, the competitiveness is insurmountable. Millions of people all trying to do the same thing, find success. For every winner there is a loser and we have all had our fair share of losing.

I have said it before and I'll say it until the day I die, the industry exists because someone made it, there is no reason why that someone cannot be you or I. I have built my career on studying those who have come before me. I was meticulous and calculating in the steps I took to move my career forward, most times I'd lose, but those experiences built knowledge of what works and what doesn't. Trial and error so to speak, I learned what not to do as well as paid close attention to the things that turned into successful ventures so I could repeat those steps. If it worked once, there is always a good chance it will work again.  

A word of advice, kind of off subject but in any case, take notes and refer to them often; you would be surprise what you forget. Write everything down, especially names and contacts. Keep this information stored in numerous places as a back up so you will always have another resource to turn to if something is misplaced or lost. It takes years to build relationships with industry people who can help further your career, it would be a shame to lose them all in a split second of carelessness. 

Back to the subject at hand, this is where I want you to change your way of thinking, to not only benefit yourself, but everyone on the same path as you. Stop looking at fellow artists as competition. We can learn from each other, prosper from each other and help each other grow. Everyone has a certain strength to bring to the table, work with those that are strong in things that you are weak. Share your knowledge with others who fall short where you are strong. Never stop learning and never think for a second that you know it all, the moment you close your mind to a piece of knowledge, you may be potentially closing yourself off to the one element that was holding you back. We are all in this together.

Hey, I get it, we're human and we're greedy by nature. But there is enough to go around and we all excel in different things. I'm a firm believer of karma, never step on a toe in order to improve your own position, this will come back to haunt you, do not think for a second it wont. Never forget the journey and struggles and when you reach the top, be sure to always make sure the fortune keeps trickling down. You achieve this by information sharing, introductions and a simple, "Hey, how can I help", whenever and where ever you can. 

I'm still climbing but I would be a fool if I said I have made it this far on my own, there are countless people that have paid it forward for me, I hope I may be able to repay the favor one day.