Albert Einstein said,

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”

It is said that in order to be a master at something you must first put in 10,000/hrs of work into it. Not sure if I am anywhere near that  number yet, but I sure hope I am becoming a master at something, or somewhat good at my passion.

What I have done is pay some dues in the process though. I’ve traveled 100′s of miles across the country to put on a show and get a slice of pizza for my efforts. I’ve played in bars for a crowd of 5 people, 3 of which were my friends, and 2 were just random attendees and they were too drunk to pay attention. I’ve rehearsed a set list of 15+ songs, 4 days straight to get a muffin and a coke as payment for my work.  I’ve recorded multiple songs and projects  in bad ass studios and have also spent days in studios where the vocal booth was in the bathroom. One of the coolest things I have ever done was recording a full record and giving 100% of the proceeds for a humanitarian effort in Cambodia. That changed my life!

Paying dues is inevitable. It never stops. For every level of success there are dues to pay to keep climbing the ladder.  It’s part of the process of growing as an artist and a professional. Being in a new city comes with newer dues to pay too. It can be frustrating and discouraging  at first, because everyone thinks you started playing music yesterday, when in fact you’ve been on a journey for quite some time with a track record of dues already paid. It comes with the territory my friends. But if you focus and keep doing what you’re doing consistently with integrity and tons of patience, it will happen. Alot of the back story goes unnoticed, but it eventually rises to the top and takes you with. I remember the good ol days of a secure  big job w/benefits, money in the bank to play with, a nice big house, and tons of toys… Now we’re kinda broke, in a small Nashville apartment, with outdated toys…but we’re getting closer to our dreams and we’re excited in the process.  I wouldn’t change a thing!!!  If you’re in similar shoes, keep  your chin up  and keep on! Every Due you’re paying is accounted for upstairs and it will pay off in the long run.

Have you put in 10,000 hrs yet? Tell me about it!

-fuser+