Wednesday 2nd March, 2022
Time flies when you’re playing catch up with your deadlines…
Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope you’re keeping yourselves safe & sane. I have been using the word ‘overwhelmed’ a lot lately. Tis’ a sign of where I’m at mentally. It was a lesson I learned years ago, but if you pay attention to the words that you use, you can gain a deep insight into your own subconscious. I’ve told you the story before about how I used the words ‘sick’ & ‘tired’ to describe my feelings, & how the removal of those words actually removed the feelings themselves. So the word ‘overwhelmed’ has crept into my lexicon as of late… it’s time I tackled that.
The biggest pressure has been my latest release: Broken & Beautiful. On the 25th of March the song will be free to make its way around the world. Between now & then, there’s a lot of groundwork to do to promote the track. Today, I finally made it through my list of blogs & radio stations. There are a few emails left to send, but all in all that pressure has been released. In regards to the release, the next pressure is creating some videos & executing my first ever digital marketing plan… but there are bigger pressures to tackle first.
This is where I dive into the core of my thoughts over this week: Patreon.
If you’re not familiar with what we get up to over on Patreon, there are two main things. I create a secret demo song, usually of an old track that I haven’t played in years. I also create a ‘behind the scenes’ video to show everyone the strange goings on in the studios, on the stages, in my room… Every once in a while I offer some other little details, but for all intents & purposes, these two things are the crux of Patreon.
As I sit, 2 days into March, I have only begun both the song & the video. I’m definitely late… some months I’m later than others, but here’s the amazing thing. Everyone who follows me on Patreon is extremely understanding. They are patient. They are supportive of every piece of the journey. For this I need to be forever grateful. This small group of heroes have given me that most important push for every artist. They gave me the permission to take myself seriously. So, if you’re reading this, & you know an artist on Patreon, support them. I don’t just mean me of course… I’ll be fine I’m sure. (although I do need to work on promoting my own Patreon… check it out here)
I am now sitting up late, getting up early, & stealing time between classes to make last months song & the behind the scenes video. Is it responsible? No. Should I have chipped away at it over the whole month? Yes. This is a discipline that I need to fight for. Not only is it an issue on my Patreon, & my writing, but it’s also an issue for me in college. There are two small assignments creeping up & I should be getting started now… but first, the Patrons need to see that I really appreciate them. Even if they don’t listen to the songs, or watch the videos, they want me to keep trying, to keep working, & to keep fighting. If you’re a creator & you’ve been thinking about starting up a Patreon, I encourage you to do it asap. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to be big. Just let your loved ones support you in a small & significant way.
In the weeks going forward, I’m looking to give more to the Patrons. As of yesterday, I’ve gone back to circus training. Every week, I’ll be practising my old circus ways, & I’m trying to find a way to integrate that with Patreon. So expect some kind of circussy media in the future. If you have any ideas for how to connect the two, then let me know. :)
Finally I’ll leave you with an interesting development. From the work I’ve done at college events… with my ‘look at me’ attitude I’ve managed to win the hearts of many lecturers & staff throughout the college. This has made me a kind of magnet for praise & opportunity. This kind of attention from the college then promotes an attention from the students too. It’s a lot of fun… borderline intoxicating. Last week I met with my fantastic friend & mentor Trish. After almost 3 years we finally sat across the table from each other & she said: “watch your ego”. She’s known me in many ways over many years. She’s seen how my ego can make stupid decisions on my behalf. With the attention that I’m attracting at BIMM, I need to be very careful not to let it get to my head. I can already feel it creeping up into my attitudes with other students. At all times I need to remember that I’ve had a head start by comparison. I’m older than 80% of the students I chat to. If anything, the current state of my career puts me behind the other students that I talk to.
We all have our own sets of weaknesses. Mine is definitely ego. Knowing this really helps, but only if I stay vigilant.
If you ever see my ego, please remind me to tuck it away.
Thanks so much for hanging around.,
Chat to you next week.
Nathan
