Creating Your Own Performance Opportunities

When I got accepted into the University of California, Berkeley in 2009 for a music degree, I was shocked. I could not believe an institution wanted me as their music student. It meant they saw the potential in me and believed that I would be worth their time and efforts to shape me into a respected artist. Leaving home to start this new chapter was difficult. I was born and raised in Southern California and it was all I knew. My stubbornness initially interfered with me being able to adapt to the new environment. However, because I am a reliable and responsible student, I chose to put my best efforts forth and absorb all I could. UCB’s high-standard academic curriculum proved to be one of my greatest challenges.

Classes included music theory, voice lessons, choir, ear training, and music history taught by renowned music professor Dr. Richard Taruskin. I struggled. Though there were hardships, I appreciated the opportunities to learn and grow as a student. The music department embraced my flaws and provided the resources I needed to do my best. I am truly grateful. This, unfortunately was not my takeaway after completing my master’s program. Opportunities were majority given to a core group of individuals, therefore, diminishing the experience to flourish as an artist. My frustrations throughout my graduate experience elevated my motivation to create my own performing experiences. Here is a guide into how to enrich your artistic development through the initiation of action.

The first thing one should consider is the objective of the event. It is key to have a goal for each event if audience experience is of importance. How is the purpose of this event going to better myself as an artist and in return generate high demand and audience-retention-rate? High demand translates to high satisfaction, and high-satisfaction-rate proves you are positively impacting another individual’s life. This answer should breathe life into each performance experience you choose to initiate. Once you are satisfied with your answer, you can rest assure that you have began the process of setting yourself up for success.

You must understand the power of relationships. As human beings we will always need something from another even if you are a world-class performer. A celebrity opera singer relies on a venue or location to perform, which is often owned by someone. They rely on their manager to assist them with finding work and reading contracts, videographers to record their performances, clothing brands to dress them, and so on. A secondary relationship is with those who believe heavily in your craft and potential to the point of offering their resources/services to you. It is essential to recognize their acts of kindness and pay it forward with gratitude. Building and keeping relationships with all mentioned individuals is advantageous to you and the individual. I highly encourage you to reach out to experienced business professionals, present yourself expertly, and share mutual interests to ensure both parties benefit from the event. This will add depth to your character by unlocking the beauty in prevailing through vulnerabilities.

Creating your own experiences costs money and requires an incredible amount of organization. If you are fortunate enough to have financial success and can afford creating your own opportunities, then these issues will be of no burden. You can easily place that stress on an event planning professional to successfully carry out the project. I will err on the side the majority of readers are not so fortunate. Unfortunately, executing projects sometimes requires financial risk - especially if sponsors are not part of the equation. This is when organization comes into play. Establishing a budget, saving money, finding marketing opportunities, tracking progress and analytics, researching locations, finding people to help bring the project to life all requires planning. A few organization softwares I love is Google Spreadsheet, Asana, and Monday. Simply knowing organization is necessary is not enough. You must put it into practice if you want to create the best outcome for your project. I encourage you to create mock-up projects for practice purposes. Establish an objective, find a date, create a budget, actively save for that budget, research vendors/professionals, and organize your backlog with deadlines. Practice, practice, practice.

Finally, believing you are capable of carrying out these tasks goes a long way. From personal experience, I encourage you to not let any individual or organization stop you from strengthening your artistic development. Continue to hone your craft so you feel most confident in the process of initiating your own projects. If you consistently radiate a lack of self confidence, it will continuously be difficult for other individuals to believe in your potential. Learn to be kind to yourself while holding yourself accountable. Always remember Wayne Gretzky’s wise words: “You will miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”