Hoping to “make it”
Like all young artists and creatives, I arrived in Nashville nearly 20 years ago, hoping to “make it.”
I spent my first four years in Nashville at Belmont University, but my true focus wasn’t on learning. I wanted to be heard by “the right people.” I thought I was close a few times. I chuckle now, but there were times during school when my friends and I thought we were inches from our “big break.”
There was that one time that someone “big” and “important” was coming to hear a few of us at a writer’s night. There was another time when someone “big” expressed interest in helping me record some of my songs. There was that time one of my friends got “discovered” by an LA “bigwig” while singing karaoke on a cruise ship. Then, there was that time when a prominent CCM artist offered to connect a few of us with a well-known PR company.
I thought there would be one singular moment when my life would change, and I would finally “make it.” But it turns out that the seemingly small things helped me the most over time.
I heard this quote by Andy Pizza a few months ago and thought, “Dang, I wish I would have heard this 20 years ago.”
“Quit hoping to make it and figure out how to make it happen. Quit waiting for your big break and just go start breaking stuff.”
I feel lucky to have stumbled upon the truth of this quote over time.
Once out of school, I still wanted to “make it.” I still wanted someone to “discover me.” I’ve had a few more “this is my big break moments.” I’ve had meetings with labels, written songs with my heroes, and signed a publishing deal.
But what has helped me more than any of those “big moments” was that I needed to pay my student loan bills once out of school. I needed to pay rent. And over time, I needed to support my growing family.
I haven’t accomplished everything I would have liked, but 20 years later, I’m still in Nashville writing songs, recording, and sharing them with a growing audience. And the craziest part is that I’m making a decent living doing this music thing.
A few years ago, I finally realized I don’t need to “make it” anymore. By necessity, I had to go out and break some stuff. I had to try some things. I just had to go out and share my songs.
It’s true that there are opportunities that lead to bigger opportunities. But, for the most part, I think the whole “big break” is a myth. At best, it’s super rare. Most artists and creatives who thrive for the long haul do so because they’ve learned to go out and break stuff. Instead of looking to “make it,” they are out there making it happen.
