July 2020 is over and that means it’s time for another life update!
Transformation isn’t sweet and bright. It’s dark and murky, painful pushing. An unraveling of the untruths you’ve carried in your body. A practice in facing your own created demons. A complete uprooting, before becoming. – Victoria Erickson
Summer is in full force, and I, for one, couldn’t be more thrilled.
I love the weather during this season, and it makes me feel alive.
The temptation to busy myself with summer activity (exploring, going for hikes, making trips to beaches, etc.) has been somewhat tempered by the present realities of a media frenzy that’s mostly adding to the fear instead of reporting on concrete facts. These are strange, strange times.
The desire for fun and recreation has also been balanced out by launches, coursework, and other work in general.
But I have been getting out almost every day, even if it’s just for a quick walk, and I cherish that time.
Past Life Updates
So far, I’ve only done one other update. Here’s where to find it:
July 2020 at a Glance
It’s been a little over a month since returning to Abbotsford, BC, though it doesn’t quite feel like I’ve been back for that long yet.
As I shared in the introduction, I’ve been finding somewhat of a meaningful “balance”. It helps that I’ve chosen not to oversaturate my life with an abundance of projects.
Life in Abbotsford is different, especially since I’m not immediately surrounded by friends and family. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have anyone to connect with, and I have been, even if it has meant mending fences.
And I’m having to think a little more in terms of where I can be as opposed to where I want to be because of present realities.
I was reluctant to set my roots down anywhere just yet, mainly because I was planning to travel the world.
Now that there are certain impracticalities getting in the way of travel, I must consider the possibility that I’ll be sitting pretty for a while, and it might make more sense to create a stronger sense of connection to my environment.
I have heard rumors of Barbados though, and if this proves feasible, I would love to go live there for a while.
Simultaneous Pursuits?
I’m discovering the importance of simultaneous pursuits.
It’s possible I just coined that term, but as other men will attest, it’s easy to get stuck into the caveman mindset.
“Man has business. Man get money now.”
Then: “Man has money. Man get house.”
Finally: “Man has house. Man get woman.”
That type of sequential thinking is what’s enabled me to be as effective as I am in certain areas of life (business, community, freelancing, music, etc.) and be almost entirely ineffective in other areas.
If I come at it from the perspective that I’ve got a lot of time left, then I suppose there’s nothing to rush into.
But if I take the perspective that I don’t know how much time I have left, then I can’t let fears get in the way of going after what I want.
I must be clear on what those things are, or I’ll be wasting my time, but I know I can’t wait for my business to expand to go after music or a romantic relationship, as an example.
Transformation in Progress
This is very much connected to some of the coursework I’ve been doing. I generally don’t advise taking multiple courses simultaneously, but because I was looking to grow, I was ready to take it all on.
One course is mostly about sustaining daily habits while the other is more learning oriented, so there’s a bit of a meaningful balance there.
Transformation is in progress, thus the Erickson quote seen in the intro.
I shared in my last life update that I had identified some significant pain points in my business and that I was investing heavily into my growth and development.
I doubt I’m on the other side of the tunnel yet, but I have stepped inside and keep working my way through every day.
And, while it’s never easy, I don’t see myself adding things to my life as much as I see myself pruning things that aren’t serving me or my business anymore.
I don’t feel like I’m starting from scratch, but I do feel like I’m rebuilding my foundation as it were.
We don’t all go into this knowing all the steps. I went into my business much like I went into my music career, not knowing everything I needed to make a real go of it.
New Music in July 2020
The Spirit Searcher, Vol.1 compilation went live on all platforms July 2, 2020.
The compilation features the music of friends Frederick Tamagi, Carla Olive, and a couple of my tracks.
We backed it with a publicity campaign, which helped us get a few tracks playlisted, get coverage on CCM Magazine, and an invitation to be on The Antidote.
All told, I would consider these stellar results.
Additionally, I’m still plugging away at my comedic tribute to the 80s project, but this is looking like a long-term prospect to be sure.
All in all, some great developments on the musical front.
New Blog Posts in July 2020
Most of my publishing is being done on my personal blog or Medium (more on this later), so we haven’t added a ton of content on Music Entrepreneur HQ.
As the rebrand cements, this will likely change, but it’s fair to say I’ve got my work cut out for me as I continue to optimize the site.
Anyway, here’s what we published in July:
How to Grow a Fan Base with Instagram & Facebook Advertising
Guest poster Isaiah Ram wrote a timely post about Instagram and Facebook advertising for musicians. Read this post to get a crash course in what you need to know.
New Podcast Episodes in July 2020
So, I will be the first to admit I did a bit of venting in July’s episodes.
I hope you’ll listen anyway because I think they are as value-adding as ever.
But that frustration made it clear for me that I had some pain points to address, which led me to investing more heavily into my personal growth.
Things started to change relatively rapidly for me in August (it’s already towards the end of August as I sit here putting the finishing touches on this post).
So, with that, let’s jump into the episodes.
196 – Not a Manager? Why Not?
I’ve been asked to be a manager before. For a variety of reasons, it didn’t make sense. In this episode, I explore what happened, and my thoughts around being a talent manager.
197 – How to Use Data to Grow Your Music Career – with Ben Mendoza of Beatchain
I loved this interview with Ben Mendoza, and I love what they’re doing at Beatchain too. As you’ll discover in this episode of the podcast, Music Entrepreneur HQ and Beatchain are closely aligned in our philosophy.
198 – How to Become a Better Singer – with Matt Ramsey of Ramsey Voice Studio
Had a great conversation with my friend in Austin, TX, Matt Ramsey, who’s a busy vocal coach. This episode features great insights into singing as well as business.
199 – A Level Above Productivity & Time Management
I had a conversation with my best friend about how much to work or not to work. And we both agreed that keeping to a shorter schedule generally allowed us to be more effective overall.
But your schedule has got to serve you, not the other way around. So, I started thinking about what matters more and I arrived at energy management.
Because it’s not about how much time you spend working. It’s about how you feel having put in the effort.
So, in this episode I explore what’s beyond just getting things done and hustle culture.
200 – Bling – with Author, Entrepreneur, Musician Andy Seth
Wow, a five-episode month. Considering I was thinking about going on hiatus for the summer, I’ve sure been productive.
Anyway, this episode with Andy Seth is sheer awesomeness. Just go listen. Seriously.
Featured Product
Still going strong with The Music Entrepreneur Code, and I will continue to promote it until the next launch, which will be in October.
If you don’t have your copy, be sure to pick it up here or on Amazon.
Featured Affiliate
10XPro is amazing. But sitting here gushing about it is probably going to sound plastic, so I will resist the temptation to do so.
What I will say is this – it’s probably the best membership site/course platform out there. If you’re thinking about building your own, I would urge you to consider 10XPro.
Medium
Since I started publishing daily, my activity on has Medium increased.
Ultimately, I decided to publish to my personal blog first and then syndicate to Medium, but I’ll share more on that in August.
Anyway, here are a few pieces I put up on Medium you might enjoy:
- The true story of how I got into music
- How I got to where I am
- Why I wrote The Music Entrepreneur Code
- The tragic myth of giving up
Conclusion, July 2020
I had started engaging in some serious coursework in July, but if I knew what was to come in August, I probably would have went at it even harder. Nothing could have prepared me for that.
But that’s another update for another month.
So far as July is concerned, I’m calling it complete! I’m behind on some of my duties as is, although that’s a good sign I’ve been prioritizing.
Thanks for joining me. See you again soon!
- 302 – How to Overcome Analysis Paralysis - August 11, 2023
- 301 – Investing in Music – with Justin Longo - July 28, 2023
- Epic Milestone Achieved! | 100,000 Podcast Downloads | Thank You! - July 27, 2023
