The Growth

n. Progressive development

-Merriam Webster

"Be happy with what you have, while working for what you want" - Helen Keller

This is part 2 of my series. This post goes hand in hand with The Journey as it shows more of the mindset that had to be shifted before going after my dream again. I am a firm believer in mind over matter and this proves it yet again. This post also has more advice than the last post, which just explained what I did. Enjoy and go conquer the world! 

Through all of these baby steps that flowed together in 2020, I learned a lot. The world coming to a major slow down/immediate stop was so beneficial towards regaining confidence and focusing on what I was doing in the present rather than past or future. The most beautiful thing about these Nashville steps towards being a music manager is that they were not planned and mostly just manifested themselves into my life. I took so much from it and I highly suggest for anyone interested in music business (or any industry, really) to continuously reach out to whoever you can to do whatever you can (intern, interview, ask questions, gain connections, etc.) in the career you want to enter.

Some simple ways to get involved with people of these industries would be to follow them on social media platforms (this was actually highly suggested in these conversations). Talk to people in different areas of that job (for example, I could reach out to music producers, agents, songwriters, etc).  Hold yourself accountable! I am definitely working on this one. I drastically need to improve my communication skills. Most importantly: do not be too hard on yourself. Everyone was a beginner at some point. Everyone who wanted to has made the first nerve-wrecking move towards their dream. There will be mistakes and there will be rejection. Naivety can go a long way in some cases so, even though it is hard, try to block out ideas you give yourself about rejection. What will give you more power: determination or fear?

These are all things I have learned these last few months alone. Being home for a few months to fully analyze and wrap my mind around what has happened in this field has been so so awesome! It has helped me realize how far I have come and how much further I can go. I have a list of goals written out for the next steps I want to take towards the industry and the next people I would love to talk to and this will definitely keep me motivated and on track.

Once I got out, or mostly out, of the rut I was in at the beginning of this year, I realized that what I was doing was definitely not working to get me out of it. I decided to pick up the phone and make these calls and emails to LA and Nashville songwriters and managers. Sometimes if the motivation is just not there, force yourself into it. It helps me to do that. If that is not your style, slowly mentally prepare yourself to make those emails. Set one day aside to gather contact information. The next day will be the day to write the email drafts or respond to Instagram Dms (I am so bad at this so this helps to set time aside for it). Then on the third day, send those emails. Rather than spending hours scrolling through TikTok (I'm guilty too!), use that time for something else. 

My word for 2020 was reinvention. Not in the sense that I wanted to start over completely, rather I wanted to use what I was given (the setbacks, the feeling of not being good enough, the overthinking and wearing myself thin) and turn those into something beneficial. No matter where I am in life, I want to benefit from both the good and the bad. I want to look at the glass as half full, make the glass overflow, and then share how I did that in order to benefit others. We were all placed on this planet at a certain time for a reason. I want to take advantage of opportunities given to me and run with it. 

I set that intention before all of COVID happened and it surely manifested itself in my life, then I used what was manifested and naturally happened as a foundation of what other goals I could accomplish. Once I reminded myself of all that I (and you!) are capable of, I have done more than I could have imagined. Four year old me who started this dream would be so proud of all that has happened and I want to continue to make that version of me proud. 

As you go through life, do not forget that what you let your mind dwell on will eventually show up in front of you. If you think of negativity, getting hurt, or even being mad- those things will become a part of you and stay there until you release that energy. If you think of opportunities, goals, dreams, good relationships, etc., that will show up in your life. The doors will open to those places and you will be given the right material to be able to walk through those doors.

444: intuition, confidence, success, and determination. it represents your angels guiding you through whatever journey you are on and walking with you. I made this the release time for this post because I am constantly seeing these numbers. It is always on a receipt, the clock, a random license plate, etc. when I make life decisions or am meeting/talking to someone. I do not let astrology guide me, I let God guide me, but it is so cool to see little earthly reassurance things throughout this journey. Just thought it would be fitting for this post. It is a comforting reminder that I am on my own path and that I am here with a purpose while working towards my dream.

I suggested a book in my last post and I want to suggest two more. Girl Code by Cara Alwill Leyba. This book expands on what it is like to be a female entrepreneur and being your own girl boss. It lifts other females up and is a great model of how to work your way to the top by staying true to who you are, which is the main goal of mine. If I start to stray from my goal and my moral compass of how to get there, I would rather set this all aside and find myself again. Success quality over quantity. 

I also read Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen. It is a historical fiction book on Helen Gurley Brown. The boss-babe who turned Cosmopolitan magazine into what it is today, replacing a male in the CEO position in the 1960s. It is helpful to read people who came before us (keepers of the flames) because it reminds us of what we are capable of. It reminds me that I am capable of being in a Nashville office and working with people high up if I just work hard enough.

I hope this little mini series benefited at least someone, and according to the DMs I am getting, it has (which makes me so thankful!). If you have taken the time to read anything I have written, seen anything I have created, or listened to anything I have said, THANK YOU!! I truly cannot say it or express it enough. It means the world to me and fills my heart. This is what I want to do and it is so cool to watch people support me and root me on the way. I am always here if anyone has any questions about what you can do for the music industry/other industries before you actually step foot into them.

Last things- here is a collaborative playlist for us all to listen to while we chase these dreams! And here is a link to the first blog ever talking about my Nashville dream. I haven't read it since I wrote it but I am sure it will be cool to compare and contrast the then and now. Thank you to whoever has continued reading these posts since the earlier ones and to the people who have gone back to read them! It means so much!