This Thursday (November 27) in the United States is Thanksgiving Day. People will sit down at tables across the country to eat turkey, likely while watching an NFL game, and hopefully talk about what they are thankful for.
It always strikes me as odd that we need one day singled out as such to dictate that we should have those feelings that day. Why can’t we be more aware of our gratitude throughout the year instead of just on that holiday? Perhaps we’re too caught up in where we’re trying to get to rather than what we’ve already achieved.
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The fact is, there are reasons to stop and use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to acknowledge just some of what you should appreciate.
Today someone is moving out of Nashville. They moved there with their hopes and dreams of making it as a songwriter and/or as an artist, but the reality is, now they are the latest statistic. Marc-Alan Barnette once talked on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast about how many people move to Nashville each week – and how many people move out of Music City each week. Be thankful that you’re not the one having to hang your head and pack your things today to go back home.
Today someone is putting an end to their podcast. It sounded like fun, and they had a good plan when they started. They figured they’d make a ton of money from it and that it could even get to the point where it was all they did for work. Instead, they weren’t able to devote the time to it that it calls for and it didn’t find its audience and/or any momentum, and now they’re dreading sitting at the dinner table Thursday having to say, “I actually am not doing that anymore.”
Today someone is abandoning the book they started writing. They swore they were going to see it through, but they’ve been at it too long and all they were successful with was admitting to themselves that it was never going to be completed, no less see the light of day. They had barely cobbled together one chapter after acting out of emotion one day rather than really planning it out, and now they’re left having to answer the people who will ask, “How’s the book coming along?”
Today someone is getting the last of their things out of the studio they thought was going to be their new full-time job, preparing instead to turn the key in the lock one last time. They had the creative part down but not the business aspect and never really could figure out how to get people coming in on a regular basis. They had no backup plan, so now it’s a case of, “I know what I’m not going to do, but I don’t know what I am going to do next.”
Today someone is calling it quits on the movie they thought they were going to make. Realistically, the script never really was fully finished to the point where they should’ve never started casting, not to mention location scouting or even talking to other members of the production team. It sounded fun and glamorous, but as time went on and money started going out with nothing coming back in, they realized that it wasn’t what they thought it was going to be and they need to file that away under broken dreams.
Today a bank is letting an applicant know that their loan is not being approved and so if the brick-and-mortar location for their business is going to be a reality, it will have to be through some other lender or alternate financing. Now they are sitting at their kitchen table with their head in their hands, wondering if they should just forget the whole idea and do something different – anything – just to have steady income to pay basic costs of living.
The fact is that if you can, in any way, shape, or form connect with any of the above, you can take some pressure off yourself. Hopefully, it’s because you know someone that went through one of those scenarios but not you, personally. It’s unfortunate that you had a front row seat to watch someone else suffer, but it was a learning experience for you (presumably).
We can and should always turn back to the basics. You have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food on your table. That might not solve the challenges you’re facing as a creator but think of the alternative – you’re sitting on a sidewalk, underneath an overpass, wondering where your next meal is coming from. Suddenly, “I’m actually kind of sick of turkey” isn’t even a thought.
If you’re traveling this week for the holiday, take my “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast with you. I’m optimistic that you will learn some lessons from that too, and, of course, get entertainment from it along the way as well. I wish you a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Now a Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years. What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to? Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.