Quitting

The entertainment business is brutal. If you are able to quit… you probably should. But, most of us simply can’t.

Back in my bygone days as a co-founder of a little Indie rock label in Nashville, TN, I used to tell every kid who walked in looking for a record deal that the best advice I could give them is to quit. Because, I would say, if they could quit, they’d spare themselves from years of potential pain.

Now, I freely admit, that was kind of obnoxious. But I was trying to make a point.

See, I began my career as a songwriter in Nashville, TN when I was still at university. That led to forming a band and getting signed, starting a little indie label and even co-publishing an indie rock magazine. All in my 20’s.

Sounds exciting doesn't it? No. It was in almost every way… awful. Absolutely brutal. As sexy it may have looked from the outside, I quickly realized that, no matter how good I thought I was (and I know this sounds like false modesty… but I honestly wasn’t all that good), the likelihood of achieving meaningful success was nearly ZERO. In fact, once I learned that the top 1% of every record company’s talent roster funds the bottom 99%, I knew that my music career was going to be one of constant struggle. Did we make records? Yup. Did we get songs on the charts? Sure, somewhere down on the bottom, but… yeah… occasionally. Did we tour and play shows in multiple countries? Canada’s another country, right? Yeah? Then yes… yes we did.

But you want to know the truth? My main job was actually remodeling houses and building decks with my best bud, who also happened to be the band’s lead guitar player. The only way I ever made any money from my music career was by never spending my tour per diem ($20/day for food) and from the $5 profit we would earn (and split four ways) any time the lovely people who came to our shows were generous enough to buy a t-shirt. That was pretty much it.

Now to my fellow dreamers out there, what people saw on the surface of my career might have seemed like a dream. Making records, touring, starting a record company, publishing a magazine… all of it, looked like, well, success. But when you’re doing all of that, and still looking for money in the couch to buy milk at the Piggly Wiggly every week, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

While time and distance has allowed me to look back on those days with some modest affection, it was absolutely exhausting, frustrating, and in some admittedly vain ways… embarrassing.

This all leads us back to my little office where a seemingly endless stream of aspiring artists would come in trying to get us to make their record for them. And it’s really true…. the first advice I would always give was for them to quit. Because at that point, knowing what I knew about just how hard that career choice was, I felt like they needed to know that quitting was by far the easier path.

But, as you might have guessed… none, not one of them, ever quit. And, of course, I knew they wouldn’t. Why? Because in spite of all that I had been through (and was still going through), I never quit either. Still haven’t.

The truth is, to be an artist (or creator of any kind), there needs to be a fire burning in your soul. It needs to be nearly all-consuming. While we all hope to turn our creative work into a sustainable career, in the end we do it… and keep doing it… because we have to.

So am I advising anyone to quit? No. Not really. I mean, if you can quit… then you’ll spare yourself a life of pain and struggle. But if you’re reading this, my guess is, like me, you won’t. You won’t because you can’t. That fire in your belly simply won’t go out.

See, I believe that artists/creators and the work they make, can change the world. Whether it’s stories that spark a revolution, a movie that changes minds, a joke that turns a frown into a smile or maybe a song that changes the temperature in the room a little bit, art has the ability to transform.

And for those of us who have that fire burning in our belly, no matter what we make - it’s not just a calling. It’s an obligation. The ability to create, and the unrelenting willingness to suffer for it, is a contract. A contract with the world to bring light, to bring hope, healing, or even just a momentary distraction… a little enjoyment for those who are struggling.

As an artist or creator, you have probably heard someone tell you that you’ have “a gift.” But I would argue that the real gift is not your talent or your passion, it is what you put into the world. That’s the gift.

Many years ago, as I transitioned out of music and into filmed entertainment, I realized that my mission needed to change from being an artist myself to finding ways to empower and help other creators. My overwhelming frustrations with the entertainment industry, led me to focus on building tools and methods to help indie filmmakers break their reliance on a century (plus) old model that is specifically designed to profit off of indie movies that technically lose money. Leaving creators and their financiers holding the bag.

For the last decade or so, I’ve had a mission statement written on my office white board: Change the world for artists, and artist will change the world.

So that’s what I work on every day. My “art” is finding a new path. A new model that helps indie creators break free from the old machine and chart their own course. And yes, actually make a living doing it.

I’d be shocked if those reading this haven’t felt the urge or pressure to quit, at least at some point in your journey. Believe me, I know the feeling. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been tempted to give up. The bi-annual, “come to Jesus” conversation with my amazing life partner (who has stuck around through all of this crazy career of mine), where we ask if I am just deluding myself, is never fun.

Still… I keep going. Not just because I believe it’s too important to stop, but because it is a fire that simply doesn’t burn out.

To all my fellow artists, creators and builders out there, I say this: Don’t quit. What you do matters. Yes, it will be hard. But that’s because it’s important. And doing important things “is supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great.” - Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own.

So, carry on. Dream it. Do it. Fight for it. The world will be a better place if you do.