Jory’s Steps for Success June 25, 2007
Posted by onemouthband in : Music, Notes to Self, Productivity, Recommendations , 2 commentsAt a recent open mic at Bookbeat in Fairfax, I bumped into Jory Prum who has a nearby recording studio. We cross paths every so often and I’ve had a couple great conversations with him before. We are both fans of each other’s work. Now that I’m focusing on music again, I asked him for the top 5 things he would recommend I do as an independent musician. Here’s what he said:
- Spend 20-30 minutes a day on MySpace I have expanded this to 20-30 minutes a day on any social networking site, but Jory was insistent on MySpace “even though it sucks, those people will buy your music and see your shows”.
- Get something up on YouTube now! Quality be damned! My only example is of getting beat at a beatbox battle. I’ve got footage from my TV appearances, but it’s not online yet because I don’t have a way to get it from VHS to any computer format. “No excuse,” says Jory, “people don’t expect quality, but they do expect to see something. And if they don’t, then you must not be any good.” He recommended a Canopus ADVC55 or the Dazzle DVC-100 off eBay for cheap importing of various analog formats.
- Buy, read, and follow Guerrilla Publicity I actually used to know the author before she released her book but never bought it and since lost touch. Jory says that making the malleable script sheet detailed in the book has been the single most useful tool in his business.
- Buy, read, and follow any book on sales “You can walk into Borders, pick ANY sales book, follow it, and be better off that you are right now. I just happed to have picked up this little red book one day and liked it.”
- Do as much yourself as possible The reason? “No one will work as hard as you work for your own stuff. No one will care as much. No one has your voice but you, use it!”
Thanks, Jory!
Work Bold June 8, 2007
Posted by onemouthband in : Inspiries, Notes to Self , add a comment
Part of what gave me the confidence to call it quits and the comfy-cozy job I just left was posting my resume on Monster.com. All I did was update my resume and within 48-hours I had about 35 job offers. Most of them weren’t for things I want to do, but almost all of them were for things I could do, and for more money. Meaning if push came to shove financially, I would likely be just fine, and probably still better off. So there was very little to lose, and plenty to gain.
Upon reflection, I realized that I had been offered a job everywhere I’d ever walked in the door and wanted one (except the very first time when I was 16). I don’t know why that is, but I have a few ideas. By birth I am a white, English-speaking, male, and we just have it statistically easier than everyone else. I’m not particularly good-looking or strong, but can be courteous and intelligent (more than that, curious!). I tend show up like Forrest Gump and just do what needs to be done for a while. Then once I get the hang of things, offer some suggestions or shortcuts in a way that often makes people think they thought of it themselves. I can do all that, I can do it well, and in a pinch I will. But at this point, I don’t want to…
I don’t want to just be doing what needs to be done anymore. It is an honorable approach and served me well through my 20’s. Now my question is what can I best give? I want to put myself in situations where the very best things happen to me and through me. I am ready to work bold.
For me this means focusing more on my musical work (more on that later), and making more effective use of my computer work. So yesterday I had a job interview for a contract that stands to:
- use my skills (elearning, strategy, technical problem-solving)
- take less time (25-hours/week, give or take)
- pay more money (not the greatest compensation, but more than I’ve ever earned before)
- make my work independent of location (I only have to show up for meetings every so often)
I don’t want to jinx it, but I am very excited that my first steps out of my former worklife look so promising!
Now I went and done it June 7, 2007
Posted by onemouthband in : Inspiries, Travels , add a comment
Friday was my last day at GreenPoint Mortgage. It was a good job, a fine job, a job where I learned and grew a lot. But after nearly six-years, I just couldn’t get the flexibility to be the musician and traveler I want to be. Also, I figured out how to leave in a way that was empowering to those I worked with, rather than damaging. And none too soon, today the ax came down for a few of my friends there in the way of layoffs, but in part because I had already gone they didn’t make any further cuts to my immediate team (whew!). I was the last guy to get any kind of celebration or send off. Lucky me.
Now I am unemployed and trying to find ways to be only partially employed, that is, employed on my own terms. Perhaps I’m diving into my new favorite book, The Four Hour Workweek, a little too hard, but I really think it can be done, and I’m just the guy to do it. I’m giving it until October, that’s a good 4-months. The first step? Road trip! I need to get out and about and clear my head. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with family and friends, and connecting with some new folks along the way. Look for more frequent updates to this blog soon!
