Left Of Nashville: A Music Documentary |DIY| Songwriting| Indie Music

Season 2, Ep.16: Dealing With Rejection Without Burning Bridges: The Pivot Hack

03.13.2016 - By Brandon BarnettPlay

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This topic will tie a nice little bow on some of the things I have covered in previous episodes such as networking, finding our tribe, having multiple things going, doing things/telling people and picking yourself.

 

In order to be able to live our dream and make music for a living, we will have to get out of our warm and cozy confines and go out into the big bad world with our art. And this is scary. Whether it’s talking to decision makers at publishing companies, self-releasing our music or even just admitting to others that "yeah, I’m a songwriter." We have to stick our necks out.

 

And we often forget that the world isn’t waiting with baited breath for us to release our latest masterpiece. Most people don’t care. I don’t think that we realize how much convincing that we are going to have to do for others to take us seriously.

People can be flaky. And people in the music industry…even flakier. A lot of people don’t have follow-through. People say one thing and do another. Or don’t do anything at all.

 

We know that we have to put in the work and build things. Then, we have to tell people about it. But no one is going to give you a gold star because you tried something, because you wrote some songs and put them into the world. A lot of people write songs and put them into the world. And a lot of them are terrible or mediocre. First, we have to get good. We have to hone our craft.

 

Okay, let’s assume that we’ve done that. Then, we start telling people about our work. Some people will get behind us, others will not. Not everyone likes Left Of Nashville. Not everyone likes “Your Everloving Arms.” And that’s okay. If enough people start to give us positive feedback and after a period of time, we still like what we’ve produced, then we can assume that it’s pretty much up to snuff. Or at least close.

 

So then we start looking for channels through which to promote. It might be calling on publishers or getting friends in the industry to introduce us to people. It might be blogging about it, starting a podcast, or using social media. We go to meet ups or writer’s nights to get the word out.

 

Okay, so now we’ve got our craft down and we are promoting it. This is when we start meeting people and building our network. We are looking for ways to add value to the people we come in contact with and things are starting to roll. With all these new connections, opportunities start to become available. Revisit the episodes of this season with Lauren Pritchard and Jordan Woods-Robinson in particular to watch these relationships evolve. I mention these two specifically because the podcast documents these relationships in their beginning stages.

 

So now, we have a small body of work that we can be proud of, people are starting to become aware of us and we are building relationships through which opportunities arise.

 

But here’s the thing. On Left Of Nashville, you are only aware of the people who said “yes.” I only showcase the people with whom I’ve built relationships. But there are just as many or more people that I have reached out to that either didn’t respond or told me that they would do certain things and then didn’t follow through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it’s the same thing with songwriting. I’ve been turned down or ignored numerous times when I would reach out to write with people. The key to handling rejection with grace (at least in my situation) is to be able to pivot when things don’t go your way. My publisher at one of the newspapers I worked for used to tell us reporters, “Have a backup for your backup."

 

Remember what Brent Baxter said about how to get a good publishing deal? “Insert Quote” 

Having options is a beautiful thing in this business. And you are going to have to get creative with it. Think about what you will do if one thing falls through. What are you doing to do next? Because believe me, things are going to fall through. But if you have other options, you will not waste valuable time getting upset when someone inevitably fails to follow through on a promise. And if you keep your cool, sometimes those people come back around and want to help.

 

Sometimes, they just didn’t manage their time properly and it fell through the cracks. But the main thing is for you to have a backup so that you don’t run the risk of burning a bridge. Just don’t take it personally. It’s easier said than done, but that’s why I suggest having many options. It is a terrific hack that I have discovered to keep my emotions in check. I’m so busy executing on my plan B that I’m not even studying those people anymore.

 

 

But as our body of work grows, our reputation will start to precede us. And that’s when the tide will start to turn. We will get more yes’s than no’s. People will want to work with us.

 

So I hope this episode illustrates how the many tactics we have talked about throughout Left Of Nashville culminates into a hack to keep our emotions in check when dealing with rejection.

So to recap:

 

1)Put in the work-hone your craft. Get good.

2)Get the word out about it-Tell people

3)Build relationships-Opportunites will come out of that

4)Have many things going on to give yourself options

If a thing falls through-don’t get upset and burn bridges…pivot and work your plan b or c.

 

Left Of Nashville

 

Brandon Barnett: Left Of Nashville EP

 

Jordan Woods-Robinson

 

LOLO (Lauren Pritchard)

 

Man Vs. Row (Brent Baxter)

 

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