Something that keeps a lot of people from doing anything is that they're looking for perfection. The perfect time, the perfect amount of money in the bank, the perfect whatever...
It's never perfect. And as far as timing goes, the perfect time to do something is now.
This isn't world peace; it's music. It's supposed to be fun. Plus, you learn a lot by doing things. You can't just expect to know how to drive a car just by reading a book on the subject...you've got to get behind the wheel, and sometimes crash it, to learn how things are done.
Same with your music career. And like a car, you can always rebuild if you crash. So don't worry about it.
Derek Sivers from CD Baby has more on the topic...
Thoughts? Please post a comment.
This is essential thinking. I find that both myself and the artists my company markets often fall into this line of thought.. that it has to be perfect every time. What we find in reality is that as long as you are being honest and give it just a little thought, most actions you take will have somewhere between a zero to positive effect. It's rare a decision has much of a negative effect, unless you really haven't thought it through..
Posted by: Jason Feinberg | July 11, 2008 at 04:15 PM
Damn. This describes my major malfunction well. While I want my studio recordings to be perfect and so I pore over them meticulously, everything else should be a wild adventure. I've gotten so stressed out over the years, and my actions ineffective because of it. Listeners want to participate in fun. Not anxiety...
Posted by: Brian | July 21, 2008 at 12:16 PM