Dream Blue Sky (The Exceptions Book 1)
Contents:
The mountaintop or the valley. The mountaintop is beautiful. The valley, on the other hand, is the chasm we travel through from one mountain to the next. It is shadowy and sometimes bleak. The day-in-day-out of hard work. Many times we can lose sight of the big picture. I made a decision to climb a mountain a few years back. I looked at it from a distance and it was beautiful. I just had to get up there and see it for myself, so I decided to build a world-class studio and be a world-class producer, all while not living in a big music city.
These beasts can be external. Sometimes it can be well-meaning family and friends who want you to make good, safe decisions. But mostly, you become the toughest beast you wrestle with. But, you ask the big questions in the valley.
Like, am I really doing the best thing I can with my short time on this earth? If I only have time to climb 3 or 4 mountains in my life, is this really the one I need to climb? Is this really gonna be worth it in 10 years? In a sense, these are great questions to ask, because they make you go back to your why.
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Today, for me, that answer is still yes. Maybe for you, it means calling five more venues who are probably not going to respond. Or playing one more tour that may cost more than it makes. What else are you going to do? When you go through it enough times, it becomes part of the joy. That dark place becomes something you look forward to.
You wake up, pack your bag for the day, eat your breakfast and get ready for the fight. So much more of a reward. Pack your damn bag. You know that terrible feeling when your friend tells you your zipper on your pants is down? That feeling of being completely caught off guard and unprepared. When someone asks a question like this it could come in several forms.
Tell me about your music? One of the biggest mistakes I see musicians make is telling a what story instead of a why story.
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It can be confusing. But even more so, what stories are usually information-oriented, and information by itself is rarely compelling. A why story, on the other hand, speaks to something bigger. It has characters and a backdrop. It has a buildup and a conclusion. Let me give you an example. If you asked me about the studio, which of the following would be more interesting:. I really like recording Country, Pop, Rock, and Folk. I remember one project where I sat in front of the soundboard with all of the faders and knobs, dreaming of touring the world with Coldplay.
But after spending a bunch of money, I put the disc in my car and wanted to cry. It sounded so bad. More importantly, I walk them through the process of moving the ball forward to make their dream a reality. I know that these small things will make Mississippi a better place. And the studio is all about people.
Description Number Two is compelling for a number of reasons.
I'll admit it's a little strange that she's not a big brainwashed, seeing as how she grew up under the control of the Dream Protocol and the Ministry basically the ruling group of Skellig city Think of it this way, you see a band live and they are great, then you listen to their music on Amazon Music and it sounds awful. Is the band prepared? It doesn't have to be. A silver, winged serpent, ready to defend me. When her best friend, Flynn Brennan, who looks more like an adult than a prepubescent boy, is taken in for his unusually aging disorder that could infect the young and vital in Skellig City, Deirdre, along with an adorable fireball, named Antrim, will set into motion a gripping, nonstop chain of events that had me enthralled until the very end.
It has characters, conflict, and in this abbreviated version, it has an arc to the story. It has something everyone can relate to—disappointment. Most importantly, it has my why: I want to partner with artists, and I truly want Mississippi to be a better place. The truth is people want to hear a good story. While they might ask you about the what , they really do want to hear the why. So, the next time someone gives you the opportunity to tell them a story, make it compelling. And by in it for the long haul , I mean you are willing to endure hardship or loss because the end result is worth it.
Everything sent me into a tail spin. But that all changed when I started thinking of this as a lifelong career, as something that I had the privilege of doing over the long haul. When you grow slow, it gives you time to adjust and implement systems and strategies to be able to handle that growth. A few years ago, if I worked on as many projects as I do now, it all would have fallen apart. Success would have crippled me. Being in it for the long haul also allows you to dream bigger. At year one, or even year two, my agenda was all about me and what I wanted for myself.
The goal is to see that Mississippians have the opportunity to make world-class recordings here in our state. Oddly enough, looking at this over the long haul allows me to be much more content. What if no one gives a crap about what you commit to seeing done? I think I could easily spend the rest of my life working on this long-haul vision.
No one wants to do that today. Anything worth spending our short life on, requires our short life. Grand visions and big goals take time. I encourage you to make a commitment to be in it for the long haul. Not half way in it for a long period of time, and not all the way in for a short period of time.
Yet, truly committing to making your dreams a reality. The only person you should compare yourself to is you yesterday.
That said, here we go. Yet, when I am in the presence of others who are better than me, I get better. As I started trying to do this, trying to push myself, I realized something interesting. Growing up, I wanted to be the most athletic person in my class. I went head to head with thirty other third graders to show them that my athleticism dominated theirs in our daily tackle football game. For those glorious 30 minutes on that dusty playground, we thought we were the toughest, roughest, dudes in the world.
It was by those guys that I measured my talent level. I was passively measuring myself by my peers. Or how I could learn the mechanics of throwing from looking at Joe Montana. I just considered my skills in light of those other kids, and was pretty satisfied. As adults, the stakes are higher, but the same principles apply. Very rarely are we intentional about who we compare ourselves too. Instead, we measure our progress by proximity.
The number of CDs sold by the artist we opened for, or how much tighter our band is than the other bands playing the same venues. The problem is, if you measure yourself against your peers, then expect small results from yourself. Not that your peers suck or anything. If they would have pushed a little bit more, who knows what would have happened. I want you guys to be really freaking successful by the standard you choose. Not by one that you passively adapt. I have a lot of weaknesses. Over the last year, one has stood out more than others—my lack of focus.
It comes it many forms, but the most common is having good ideas. We have a surprisingly low amount of emotional energy each day. This causes you to either procrastinate on a decision that you should make, or make a hasty decision i. The best way to protect it is to have fewer decisions. Plug in whatever two or three things are dividing your attention. The same is true for your brand, for your music. People will brag on you and tell your story when you make it easy for them by being focused. Yeah, you can get records at Walmart. To get to the music section, you walk in, pass the deli meats on your right, and the make-up counter on your left.
Keep going a little further passed the fishing section, and finally the automotive section, with the tires and such. Why the hell would I want to tell a friend this story? Focused ideas are easy to spread. Most of your good ideas will come in your down time. I just finished a day goal journal that encourages you to just move one ball forward for days. I learned so much through this process.
What stood out to me the most was what happened in the white spaces in my life. My down time was crazy powerful because I had a clear focus. Instead of thinking about the three or four things I was trying to move forward, I found powerful and deep thoughts about the one thing. On the flip side, we must pursue new ideas. At that point, ninety-eight percent of the time, I kill the idea. It was starting to affect my creativity. So at a pretty significant financial cost, I cut that off. You know what happened? I made that money back pretty quickly doing stuff I love to do.
What I should have been focused on in the first place! Lastly, being focused is beneficial in the long term, but costly in the short term. To truly focus on something, you have to say no to a ton of other things. But in the long run, over years, focus pays off. I want to see myself focusing more over the next few years. I really only have time to shoot at two targets each year. To move two things forward. I can do that with quality and create real impact. Two really good shots. If I start reloading, or taking a machine gun approach, the quality drops dramatically.
Focus allows us to have significance. What do you need to be focusing on more today?
One of the most frustrating aspects faced by independent artists is landing a reputable show. A countless amount of time, energy and money is dedicated to preparing a proficient product, however convincing a talent buyer of your products sufficiency is often disheartening. First, you must identify what you want. Do you want to play covers songs, lounge instrumentals, compete for original slots at large venues, etc.? I could elaborate on all of the listed items but for time purposes, I want to focus on the original act that wants to consistently land reputable shows.
First, face the reality that booking agencies control a lot of the talent flowing through large venues. Evaluate your product the way a major booking agency would when reviewing what you bring to the table. Is the press kit professional? Is the band prepared? Do you have operating capital to get to a show for free if the opportunity arises? Go to someone you professionally admire and get their feedback. Generally, a follow up is necessary a week or two following your initial inquiry.
However, when you do get them on the phone, be professional. Let them know who you are, that you are following up on the press kit you sent over for a specific date or show. If they have not reviewed your material at the time you call, allow them time to review it and follow up accordingly.
I find it helpful to send over an email tied to the original thread following a call. So continue to search for ways to excel and find what works best for you. Many of my friends are entering five to ten years of full-time music, and one thing that keeps coming up in our conversations is that it feels different than it used to. Not bad different, just different. I played that song a million times, each time being just as fun as the last.
But what happens when you run out of gas? Today, I feel like my passion for helping people achieve their dream is more like embers in the bottom of the fire. Now, I feel like I focus on what really matters, instead of my own agenda. To make sure it will burn for the long run, and not just quick and bright. Last year I got pretty close to burn out pun intended. I was logging too many hours, over too many months, and became really zapped. While there are still spurts of insaneness, I know better my limits.
It does my passion and life no good to work crazy long hours for several months. It may just mean your passion grew up. Your passion just may be more like the embers at the bottom of the fire. When is a project good enough? This may be one of the more difficult questions you have to wrestle with when creating. Sometimes we can be paralyzed by trying to make something perfect, so it never gets done.
Does waiting to release mean missing an opportunity? Is it worth the time and energy to take to the next level? It usually takes about ten hours to whip a song into shape—preproduction, tracking, and mixing. Does my true motive for an action benefit from perfection? My main goal is to get to know more business people in our state, and to learn from their experiences, failures, and stories.
Other goals would be to become a better interviewer and for the podcast to do well. It would take the podcast to another level, but it would also take about twice as much time. But what if instead I spent that time interviewing more entrepreneurs and getting to know more people? That would be more beneficial, because that coincides with my original goal, which was not to compete with Serial.
Are the flaws part of the perfection? Sometimes, the quest for perfection steals some of the humanity and relate-ability. There are always rewards for doing your best. My main takeaway for you would be to count the cost. Patton said, "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. No one is coming to the rescue. This is probably the biggest lesson you learn your first years working on your music, but I think it comes in three phases.
First, people tell you no one is coming to the rescue. As in, probably not a benefit to you. In the second phase, you start to believe no one is coming to the rescue and you get discouraged. Or you try out for some voice competition thing that promises instant stardom. This is where most people give up, because the fog clears and you can see how tall the mountain truly stands. You realize that you are going to have to work hard. But you know what?
That way if someone does come and offer you a deal, you can negotiate from a position of power, not weakness.
Of Dreams and Dragons… read Part 1 + more FREE here – Karpov Kinrade
I really hope you guys read this and get a stronger desire to do the work. Strength Is Action November 27, A Byproduct of Procrastination November 8, Some of you guys are procrastinating on the wrong things. Future Music September 11, Half Way There August 1, Brand February 13, What would this look like if it were easy? How could I use money instead of time? Mark Zuckerberg and Bob Ross December 6, If Only November 6, If only I had that certain contact, my life would be complete.
Find The Story June 7, Growing Up May 2, It wouldn't be the first time.
The Dream Protocol
Her parents have become exhausted and frustrated with the social ineptitude and constant trouble-making that have bounced Ellie from one miserable school to another every year. Still, she can't help but hope that meeting a new friend with an extraordinary secret of her own might lead them to discover who and what they really are. Throughout her first year at Doryard Academy, a stuffy private school in the city, Ellie becomes fascinated with a mysterious boy, befriends an intellectual oddball, and discovers the artistic passion buried deep beneath her insecurities.
In the end, she will have to learn to trust her unusual new friends and take the biggest risk of their lives to escape the dangerous truth they uncover. Read more Read less. Product description Product Description It hadn't happened in a long time. Kindle Edition File Size: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a product review. Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. This is everything you want in a true YA novel. Both original and familiar, this story revolves around a diverse cast of young kids trying to figure out how to grow up with some unique powers.
In a time when YA novels are often written more for adults, this one really is written for grade schoolers--Athough as an adult I admit I still enjoyed it. Dream Blue Sky is genuine, hopeful, and the right amount of exciting to keep a kid turning the pages. I wouldn't have any hesitation giving this to any kid to read. This book is awesome, it's an easy read that holds your attention and draws you into the story and without realizing it your attached to the characters.