Q&A: Where to begin?

 'Viable outlets'.....interesting way to describe how you do your thing? [whatever your thing is?]

I'm smiling at the "have trouble finishing anything" and the"How do I stay on track?"

It's the issue a significent number of your fellow creatives suffer from. Usually because there is so much creativity going on in your head, getting it out and actully producing something with it, just isn't quite so much fun!

I may be wrong....but I'd hazzard a guess you have been told before, maybe in one of your old school reports from way back when, that the Prussian Leadfarmer had issues with focusing!

Reality check

I'm going to ask you to get a diary printout of a whole week, with time slots and record every moment of everyday for one week.

The task is all about finding evidence to understand and know YOU, and how you function best.The following are some things to think about.

Early bird or night owl?

Needs to eat every 4 hours or you can't think?

Prefers quiet solitude when working or the energy created by people and noise, music.

Certain daily life responsibilities happen when, where and for how long?

Need to be around people sometime's, always, never?

I spend hours working.....but get nothing done....yeah right!

I'm at my very creative best......when?

Getting the picture? Before we deal to the finishing and staying on track....you need to take a good look at how you're living now, every moment of everyday.....when you have an honest review of how you are currently spending your time, you will then be in a position to make whatever changes you chose.

Once you have that all done we can work out how to focus in a productive way for YOU.

Creative work process101

When you are creatively inspired to start a project try following these simple steps.

Write down your idea as succinctly as you can in no more than 10 sentences.

Now estimate just how long it will take you to achive this creative goal.

Now break down the task into bitesize pieces, what can you achieve in let's say 30 mins?

Allocate 30 mins of everyday you need to finish this project. It needs to be the optimum time you are creative and productive, (you learnt this from the diary of yourself)

If after 7 days you're no longer excited and motivated......I'd suggest the creative idea isn't right for you now at this very moment. Or it may be time to seriously evaluate where your passion lies. One thing I know to be true, if your passionate about something it's so much easier to focus on achiveing a goal.

Hope this helps you Prussian Leadfarmer.

You walk a hundred miles....one step at a time.

30 mins a day for one month equates to 15 hours.

Sian x

ps/ let me know how you get on.

First things first......Loved your music!

Your message seems to represent the reality for most musicians I have met and or worked with over the years

How do we break down the stereotype.... music industry mentality that is geared towards dropping big names, and who you know in the scene? There seems to be a glass ceiling for anyone trying to break this mould, even to the point of NZ On Air and Creative NZ (these organisations hold the purse strings and give grants to "emerging talent" always youth oriented, always looking for the next big thing) 

Rob.....what I’m going to say is probably not what you want/need to hear. I’m no expert in the music industry, but from where I’m sitting, commercial success is fundamentally based on popularity, current trends and mass appeal. After saying that, is it commercial success you’re seeking? Or is it affirmation from people in the profession you respect? Is it possible that what you all really want is for people to listen to the music you have all passionately created?

What’s the dream?

 If we had magic dust and on the first of March 2011 you had everything your hopes and dreams are filled with, what would it look like?

Is your dream the same as everyone else involved?

What would you all be prepared to sacrifice to make the dream a reality?

I suspect those core questions would be answered very differently by each person working with you. Might be an idea to pose the questions to everyone and give them a week to write out their own truth in relation to success as a band. If you’re all really brave you may consider widening the net and asking the same questions of all the other significant people in your lives. What exactly do they want for you, themselves and the band? [Musicians, stable relationships, security and success....ok you get my point!]

A few years ago I worked with someone who for years had been trying to get funding to make a documentary. They wanted me help them make it happen.

First I asked “what’s stopping you?” For the next 30 minutes I was given a blow by blow account of the history and emotional journey of their rejection. All focused on the same theme, knocked back over and over by every funding stream possible. It was their entire fault...they were stopping the project happening....It wasn’t fair, they don’t get the idea, they don’t like the idea.....It seems like i’m the wrong race, age, gender to qualify for funding.

After listening to an emotional tirade of the history of this project, I asked why she needed to make this documentary. All the answers were to do with, sharing a story, creating her vision of how people should/could see things from a different perspective. I was listening to what would best be described as huge, big picture stuff, worthy, passionate, heartfelt truth....her truth.....again I asked “So what exactly is stopping you?” Success for her was getting it made and into one film festival....it’s now done. The only thing that was stopping her was her own fear and belief that she needed thousands of dollars and permission to own hew space and give her skill and talent to the world and see what happens.

Rob.....what as a band do you truly want/need? If it’s commercial success or recognition from the music industry, you will all need to write the music and perform as THEY dictate.

 Harsh, maybe, but it’s a real truth. [Some days I want to be 20 years younger and 20 pounds lighter, it’s not going to happen, harsh but real truth!]

If as a band what you want/need is for people to listen....give it away! Perform for nothing and only ask for expenses. In return all you ask is that your audience will in turn gift forward your music and share it with the world.

 Alternatively sell everything you own and back yourselves!

Before I finish I want to share a quote with you that I have printed and stuck up on my office wall.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’

Rob, I wish you all the very best.

Sian x