In Beethoven: The Universal Composer, Edmund Morris describes how, after he’d completed one of his immortal compositions, Beethoven would hit the streets posting flyers to promote the premier concert.
It does the world no good if you write the Great American Novel and then don’t tell anyone about it. Lesson #5: You have to promote your work (not necessarily yourself – your work). On YouTube you can see Evelyn Glennie playing a solo snare drum in Grand Central Station, but you can also watch her playing with orchestras around the world.
When you think of Miles Davis, John Mayall or Eric Clapton the first thing that comes to mind is their individual musicianship, but what elevated them to the status of legendary was the way they discovered and nurtured new talent and brought people together in new combinations. Lesson #4: It’s not just about the work – it’s about the relationships that the work allows you to build. And attitude is a choice – the most important choice you make every day (in fact, a choice that you make all day every day). When it comes to turning pro, attitude really is everything. When he walked into the room, Brahms was playing the piano with tears streaming down his face. A friend once visited Johannes Brahms at his home. Lesson #3: Find joy in, and bring joy to, your work. Think like an owner and not just a hired hand renting a spot on the organization chart and you will find your work a lot more rewarding. Glennie feels music everywhere she goes – on a peaceful seashore or on a bustling city street. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony began with the singing birds while walking in the woods. Lesson #2: Make work a part of your life, not just something you do while you are on the clock. For most of us, the biggest excuses are the ones we manufacture ourselves (and then end up blaming others for them). Florence Nightingale attributed her success to the fact that she never gave or took an excuse. Beethoven didn’t let being deaf be his excuse for not writing his ninth symphony and Evelyn Glennie doesn’t let being deaf stop her from making her music.
Lesson #1: Never let adversity or obstacles be your excuse for not trying. When I watched her video What Do Artists Do All Day? it struck me that she is the epitome of someone who has turned pro, and that she offers several important lessons for the rest of us. She has also been stone deaf since the age of 12. She has performed solo and with rock bands and symphony orchestras across the globe. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you get paid for your work – it means that you show up every day with your hard hat and your lunch pail and you give it your A-game.Įvelyn Glennie is one of the world’s leading percussionists. In his indispensable book The War of Art Steven Pressfield says that the secret to overcoming the inner Resistance that stops you from doing your creative work is to turn pro. First off, a special thanks to everyone who read, liked and/or shared my article What United Airlines Must Do Now on LinkedIn – and for those who didn’t I hope you will! As you might imagine, I have not yet heard a response from United 🙂
0 kommentar(er)
