Canadian Musician - January / February 2020

VOCALS Micah Barnes is a singer, songwriter, and vocal and performance coach. He travels between Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles on a regular basis to work with clients and also offers private sessions online. His Singers Playground performance workshops, which he developed at The Highways Performing Arts University in Santa Monica, CA, have helped thousands of artists deepen their skill sets as performers on both sides of the border. www.singersplayground.com. By Micah Barnes Are You Asking the Right Questions? “Why won’t they call me back?” “How come no one is coming out to the shows?” “Why am I not further than this in my career by now?” 2. T 3. hese are the burning questions artists ask themselves, obsess over, and stay up nights worrying about; however, what we really need to be asking ourselves is: “What can I improve in the product I’m creating?” So often, we are asking ourselves the wrong questions! The truth is that the deeper we dig in to upgrade our skill sets, the more “power and reach” we are creating in our career. Sounds chal- lenging? Well it is! The Challenge Having spent the better part of 20 years seeking to empower artists in all kinds of ways, I can safely say the most important first step is for US to take responsibility for where our career is at. The simple fact is that no matter who we have working with us as a manager or agent, producer, or any other type of industry professional, ul- timately, the actual “manager” of our career (and of our destiny) is ourselves. As artists, we are the owner of the business, the producer of the product, and the person responsible for all of the major decisions in our career. The people we work with on our team are only there to advise and support our momentum. So, that means if we don’t have our business skills or social media skills or our songwriting skills or our performance skills or our vocal chops together, then it’s up to US to figure out how to gain or improve on the existing skill set. That is how we build our careers; it’s all about being willing to be uncomfortable and grow – and yes, growth is challenging in a number of ways: 1. Outcomes are never guaranteed in this business. It’s not a “for sure” thing when we embark on the journey, so we can get frozen in fear. This is where most of us fall down. 32 CANADIAN MUSICIAN 4. Patience is not a trait that most artists possess, so we tend to burn bridges as quickly as we build them. An exhausting process for all concerned. Being bad at something is uncomfortable for us, so we tend avoid that uncomfortable experience with all kinds of road blocks and excuses. We have to get used to feeling uncom- fortable some of the time. Taking responsibility for growth means we have to accept blame when things don’t work out. Yuck. But that all leads to more knowledge, and knowledge is power in this business! The good news is that no one is growing unless they are failing sometimes, learning from their mistakes (but making mistakes so they can learn)! The bad news is that most artists don’t focus on a step-by-step approach and tend to get overwhelmed with the big picture, standing immobilized while their dreams pass them by. The Right Questions So, are you asking the right questions? When I am working with clients on career strategy issues, I ask them three simple questions: 1. 2. 3. Are you willing to take responsibility for where your career is at? Are you willing to be honest with yourself about your chal- lenges and be open to receiving new ideas and support in dealing with them? Are you willing to experience the discomfort that growth and gaining new skill sets is all about? I’m always happy to work with new clients to help them become effective in their own careers, and hope this offers a good example of what that might look like.

Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 32