Some Solutions

I have been rereading my latest post these past couple of days, and each time I read it seems a bit more gloom-and-doomy than the time before! While I do have a lot of anxiety and harbor a bit more negative attitude towards my career and where I am at this point in it than I'd like, I thought a way to ameliorate the last post would be to write about some ways I and others in my career have learned to cope with the uncertainties. I would also like to agree with my friend Abby's comment: the instabilities I spoke about could technically apply to ANY career or any point in one's life. The aspects of instability I mentioned are ones that I've felt hardest over the past couple of years, but they are certainly not exclusive to musicians. Regardless, here are solutions I/others have found to lessen the uncertainties in my/their lives:

-Routine: many people with "normal" jobs find that their life settles into a sort of routine: wake up, work out, go to work, come home. Or whatever. Often, these people get bored and want to shake things up, but in general many of us thrive on routine. My job(s) have not lent any sort of consistent rhythm to my life. Some weeks I nanny 50 hours. Some weeks I only have 10 hours of office work. Many weeks I'm out of town altogether on tour. In order to compensate, I've developed my own routines. I try to get a certain amount of practice into each day, I have certain news sites I like to check, I have tea before bed, I talk to Jon and my parents. I feel best when I get those things done each day. It makes me feel more in control of things. Whether or not I actually AM is another story, but harboring a little illusion goes a long way.

-Personal Network: sometimes I hear an inner monologue when I talk to people "could this person know someone who could help my career? how do I bring that up? Do I have a card on me? What's my website name again?" That kind of mindless mindful chatter can get pretty draining. When ALL you do is think about getting to the next step and networking, you miss out on stopping to enjoy what you do have in life. Similarly, all of the rejection you face can keep you from appreciating what you do have. A great way to keep a hold on reality is to have a "personal" network - people you can talk to about NOT your career. I try to talk to my parents and my college roommate/maid of honor every day. We don't talk about career stuff. We talk about life stuff. Which leads me to my next item,

-Having a life outside of Singing - it helps a LOT to have some kind of hobby that has little or nothing to do with your singing career. I like to go to ballet class. For awhile after school I stopped going, because I didn't see how it was helping me advance anything career-wise, and anyways it cost money. But then I realized that it helped me a great deal by not being a means to any end. I also like knitting, painting...anything creative. These things are pure enjoyment, and often provide a cathartic release from the mind chatter I wrote about earlier.

-Mediation/Body Wellness - this is one I still struggle with, as I'm a very anxious person who finds it difficult to quiet my body or my mind. But some of the singers I most admire are those who seem to have a handle on their health, wellbeing, and have some form of meditative practice. Whether it is stream-of-conciousness writing or yoga or holistic medicine or organic nutrition, I admire people who have figured out a healthy way of living that works for them and stick to it. I keep putting this one off, and I think if I figure it out I will be much happier.

If I think about it, I am pretty happy with where my life is going. I try to be grateful for things and not take too much for granted...not just in the way of singing, but in the way of life. I have family, friends, and am basically healthy. All of these things certainly take precedence over a career. I'm blessed to be well enough to worry and think and reflect every day on how my career and life are going. This blog is certainly an outlet for those worries and the blessings as well.