Lesson 4: The Hard Way vs The Easy Way

👇 The first clue...

No matter how hard I tried, I could NEVER hit my personal deadlines.

I could when someone else was waiting...
But not if I was the only one waiting!

👇 The next clue...

The ONLY consistent difference between the two types of artists I coach:

Aspiring clients:

They struggle to consistently finish quality music.
No one (other than them) is waiting for their music.

A-list clients:

With my Music Machine system they consistently finish quality music despite a hectic schedule.
Other humans (who aren't their Mum) are waiting for them to finish their single, E.P. or album.

👇 And the final clue...

Without exception, all of the legendary artists I've listened to podcasts, read books and watched documentaries about work with other people.

Sometimes, band members and/or collaborators.
Sometimes, producers and engineers.
Often, all of the above!

Hmmm.
It seems other people are essential to consistently finish quality music!

This makes perfect sense when you think about the tasks in your life that involve other people, e.g.

Go to work
Pay your bills
Pick up the kids
Meet your friends
Cook dinner

What will happen if you don't do them?

An immediate nightmare?
An unpleasant conversation?
A soon-to-be crisis?

Now focus on what will happen immediately if you don't progress your music:

Not much.

If you don't complete this song - the short-term pain is minimal.

A shrug of the shoulders.
A jolt of frustration (again).
A little sleep lost here and there.

So [unless you enlist other people], it's too easy to put off your music.

But here's what I know from bitter experience...

Putting off your music long-term is UTTER AGONY.

It was for me at the end of 2022 because my music was going nowhere.
It was always ending up at the bottom of my list.
I'd go days without touching an instrument.

And I didn't realise I was stuck in my head.

Even though it was constantly in my mind, I wasn't thinking clearly about my music.

Because, as well as automatically keeping music a priority in your life, other people give you:

Alternative perspectives...
New ideas...
Fresh ways of solving your problems.

So, now we're a quarter of the way through 2024 - if you want to make more music in the next 3 months than you usually do in 1 year...

You can do it the hard way: alone.
Or you can do it the easier way: with other people.

So, get a sheet of paper and pencil to brainstorm 10 ways to enlist others to help you complete your music project. Here's what I did to get you started:

I have my "The Album" podcast, where I share my album goals and progress...
I run the Make an Album With Mike program, where we share our progress every week and hit the same milestones...
I even made my Music Machine public so anyone can listen to where I'm at...

Here are a few more suggestions:

Get a friend who makes music to finish an album, too - and share your progress regularly
Get a friend to make an album WITH you
Book a mixing and/or mastering engineer on a particular date so you must complete it

...and come up with a bunch of your own options, choose a couple and START!

Because even though I have less time available now than I did in 2022, if I compare my music situation now:

Two albums complete
One more will be done in 2 weeks
78 new songs splurged out of my 1000 in 1000 days

...to my music situation in September 2022:

Almost NOTHING.

It's clear that making albums with the help of other people has transformed me:

...from someone who says they are a musician...

...to someone who IS a musician.

And if you'd like my help to make an album (or collection of 10-12 tracks) in the next 3 months:

The new Make an Album With Mike (MAWM) group starts this Thursday, April 4th...

Onwards & upwards,

Mike

"NO ONE does it alone."

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P.S. This is lesson 4 of a mini-course called:

Album Alchemy:

How to finish more quality music in 3 months than you usually do in 1 year. Here's all the lessons:

Lesson 1...
Lesson 2...
Lesson 3...‍
Lesson 4...‍
Lesson 5...

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