It’s very tempting to want to do things as fast as possible. Our society has allowed us to create, manipulate, change, edit, and hack just about everything in life.
While there are plenty of benefits to doing these things, when it comes to creating a lasting business and stability in your life it can often leave us always wanting more, needing the next hit, almost like a drug addict.
In the music industry I used to be addicted to consuming and growing. I would watch every video, be on every forum, do every contest, go to every party in hopes of landing my “big break”. I looked very busy, but I wasn’t getting much done. I wanted everything fast and lacked patience. I was burning from both ends and eventually burnt out.
Most of us want everything right now. We want the most followers now, we judge actual humans based on a number on Instagram. We value ourselves based on digital hearts and likes on a photo. We deem one person more valuable over another based on subscribers. While I have been guilty of this it creates an industry that begins to focus on superficial appearances more then the art and depth that life offers.
The person with the loudest voice in the room currently is making the most waves when it comes to the music industry. Anyone can claim they are a producer, engineer , songwriter, studio owner and the list goes on. Claiming these things without having any of the experience or depth leaves you feeling unfulfilled. It may create a big quick fire but it has no longevity.
I know this because when I first started I would claim I was “XYZ” when in reality I was nothing. I knew next to nothing, but my ego needed to show people that I was something.
I did not embrace the slow burn. I did not embrace patience. I did not dig deep to try and build a foundation. I did not stock pile wood for the winter. I found myself with a lot of knowledge but not a lot of clients. With a lot of followers but not a lot of friends. A lot of songs but no one was listening. A lot of plugins but no projects to work on. A lot of Facebook forums debating room acoustics, vocal compressors, and taking advice from the loudest voices in the room instead of listening and creating my own voice.
The slow burn is the best way to approach anything in life. It requires patience, and forces you to build deep relationships with clients, people, and the industry. It is not quick. It is not simple. It is not something you can buy or gain over night. You can’t hire a company to go through the process for you.
You have to sit down and do the work. You have to figure out how you're actually going to make this work and figure out who in your life can you actually add value to. It forces you to be honest and see that another video, tutorial, or plugin will not solve your current issues which is... money, clients, and a deep respect for yourself.
The slow burn, can literally be viewed as fire burning away slowly everything in you that is not working.
Fire is hot, it consumes things, it shows you very quickly what is invincible and what is perishable. The slow burn will teach you about the process, the journey, and equip you to have a lasting career and fulfilling life.
The majority of the people I talk with in the industry have an ongoing problem, they need more clients and more money. They think they can solve this by jumping on the next big thing, buying the next big piece of gear, switching careers to songwriting because we all have a friend who had a cut one time and made $80,000.
There’s no shame in working and there is no shame in people getting paid to be a songwriter, but I see people jump ship every day because they don’t want to put in the work. They don’t want to embrace the slow burn. Anyone who is anyone in the industry did not get their by luck.
I am talking about the people who are in it for the long haul, like people who have been able to do music for 20, 30, 40 years. Not someone who did it for 5 good years and now sells luxury cars. I am talking about the people who embraced themselves and decided to put in the work and embrace the fire. Letting it burn off everything that is unnecessary and seeing what they’re made of on the other side of the flame.
This idea isn’t sexy. It’s not always fun, but it creates the depth in your life and career that fulfills all areas. It keeps you from burning out. It keeps you from getting too hot too fast. It keeps you stable and clear. It keeps the fire going.
That is the slow burn. This is what is required to make it last.
Peace
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