Don't give up..The best is yet to come

Unless your born into a musicians family, becoming an artist is almost always a conscious choice..a choice a person makes on their own...not dictated by others opinions but fuelled by sheer passion.

If you're an artist, it's great that you made that choice for yourself. But as you live your life you'll realise, it's often hard up to stand up for your own choices.When money is running dry and success seems miles away and people ask you questions like "So what do you actually do?" " Whats your real job?" "What do you do all day?" "What do you really want to do with your life?"

Yes..difficult questions to answer..but don't let them fluster you. There are many people that are simply unaware of what it takes to be an artist and ask out of ignorance, not necessarily to put you down. Many people that ask you , probably secretly envy you for the courageous step you have taken; something that they might not take the risk of doing for fear of stepping out of their comfort zone.

You are brave to have made this choice.

Yes, there will be times when you question whether all the effort and hard work is worth it..whether you should've listened to your parents after all and just taken up that cushy job where at least you're assured a decent salary.There will be times when you'll doubt yourself..there will be times when you will cry .. there will be many times when you will fail.

What should you do in these times?

Beleive..Have faith..unshakeable faith in yourself and your abilities. It is your own faith that will drive you forward..no-one elses. 

Use criticism as fuel to drive you to do better, work harder.

Define your goals..Keep them in front of your eyes each day..and repeat them to yourself.

Close your eyes and imagine you're already where you want to be and feel those feelings of sheer happiness, elation and joy. Work out of happiness..not for happiness.Don't let failures make you a cynic.

I've been working as an artist for 7 years and started tasting success only 2 years ago. I still have a long long way to go to make a mark..lots of more to work to do to improve my skill, reach greater heights. Like any other career , it does take time..Be patient.

Grammy winning artist Ricky Kej said something really valid in my interview with him."Don't let creativity be an excuse for laziness". Many artists think that being an musician means you just play a few gigs and a bit of practice and the rest will come to you. Wrong. You need to practice everyday, meet people, create opportunities, keep your ears open for whats happening on the circuit, record , release, market..Whew!Yes it's a full time job.

If you're not where you are in your career just yet..hold on. Maybe someone denied you a gig, but there are 10 others that won't , you just need to find these people.They may be in other cities..think big, expand your boundaries. This is a country of more than a billion people with varied musical tastes.Someone ,somewhere WILL like your music and will give you a chance to play.

Don't give up just yet..because the best is yet to come!