Entries by OGibbles02

Find the Courage to Change Your Life [PSP27]

April 28, 2017 /7,769 Comments/in /by

www.perservice.co/27
It takes a tremendous amount of courage to take a big audition, ask a teacher for a trial lesson, or put anything out in the world with your name on it. And the thing is, great things are waiting for you on the other side of your fear, anxiety, and insecurities. So how do we get this courage to stand up and ask for what we want, or dare to change the world?

Sometimes we’re not even aware that the smallest actions, like just picking up your instrument every day takes a lot of courage too. And in fact, they’re not really that much different. So, I invite you to join us for our discussion, because you were made to do something great, to make something beautiful, and to have the courage to make a difference.

Support the podcast on Patreon: www.patreon.com/perservice

Stop Selling Yourself Short [PSP26]

April 14, 2017 /8,848 Comments/in /by

Hey there….you know, I don’t know how to say this nicely, But you’re just not good enough to charge that much.
And really, there are already enough really good musicians in this town…so you can just stop. Oh, and also, I know you have 2 degrees and an instrument worth more than my car, but can you play this one for free?

So, these are thoughts that you would probably NEVER say to a friend or colleague. And yet, why is it ok that we say these same thoughts to ourselves over and over? It’s not ok. It’s time to start believing what you’re worth, charging what you’re worth. And stop selling yourself short.

What Even is “Flow” and How Do I Get It? [PSP25]

March 31, 2017 /7,995 Comments/in /by

http://www.perservice.co/25

What’s the deal with people talking about “Flow?” Why is it such a big deal? Is it something I can really control, or am I at the mercy of the Muse?

Turns out there are four different types of people who access their Flow state completely differently.

Finding out which type of person you are is the first step in getting more moments of Flow. And luckily there is a super simple quiz to figuring out who you are. The Deep Thinker, The Hard Charger, The Flow Goer, or the Crowd Pleaser. Who even are you??

“The BEST moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times…the best moments usually occur when a persons body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”
-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Benefits and Risks of Using Credit Cards as a Musician [PSP24]

March 17, 2017 /9,141 Comments/in /by

Are credit cards something you can use strategically to gain rewards, and maybe even treat-yo-self. Or, are they enabling poor spending choices, and a increasing your debt. What I learned from our conversation is that there benefits from both approaches, meaning if you can use a credit card to pay for life expenses you HAVE to pay for regardless. You can build up some nice rewards and your credit score as well, if you are paying it completely off before being charged interest.

Even though I have been cautious about using credit cards because of the disconnect between buying things, and having to pay for them later. And that slippery slope of immediate gratification. I think Greg and I both agree that whatever route you go with, you still need to be very careful about how you spend money, and choose a system that works for you.

How Do Musicians Save Money? [PSP 22]

February 17, 2017 /8,013 Comments/in /by

As a freelance musician, we have a limited amount of income we can make from just performing. And most of us know this when we signed up for it. The freedom, independence, and creative lifestyle are usually worth the trade off. But, that doesn’t mean that we are immune to the feelings of wanting more of the nice things that everybody else has.

In our last episode, we talked about some ways you could make more money, and today we look at how we can save money without ending up in a crying ball on the floor because we’re only eating rice and beans. Robert Kiyosaki said it best, “it’s not about how much money you make, but how much money you keep.”

How Will I Make Enough Money? [PSP21]

February 3, 2017 /8,885 Comments/in /by

Musicians and Money have a dysfunctional relationship. If you’ve been a musician for a while, you’re probably familiar with the stereotype that true devotion to your craft means you must be a starving artist. And if you make a lot of money from your art, you musthave sold-out.

And to go even further, if you listen to any other podcasts or books about making money, you can find endless advice, tools, tricks, hacks, and scripts to help you “Add more value,” or “Live like no one else, so that that later you can live like no one else” or 5 weird ways to make more money, backed by science. And you know, those are all great things. But, they aren’t always universally applicable. And today, during our conversation Christian reflects on some advice he heard that seems totally contradictory to the “Rules” of reaching financial stability.

And that’s kind of the point of this podcast, we exist to talk about what it’s like to be a human, to be a musician, and share some encouraging and inspiring thoughts with you, so that you can continue to live a successful and creative life.

How do I recover my motivation? [PSP20]

January 20, 2017 /6,668 Comments/in /by

The creative lifestyle has many ups and downs-it’s anything but typical. After a big recital, an audition, or completion of any big project, we usually need some time to rest from the insanity that the performance created. But what happens next, is what we’re interested in for this episode. How do we recover from the down time, and get back to work.

Some thought provoking conversation coming up…the battle between motivation and discipline, the force of Resistance, and tuning out or maybe giving into the call of Netflix (that beautiful song of the siren)

Growing the Musician, Technician, and Person [PSP19]

January 6, 2017 /6,680 Comments/in /by

Well, Happy New Year to you. Today we’re talking a little bit about our favorite things from 2016, and also how to make the most of 2017. And we know there are a lot of podcasts out there, and other programs, all vying for your attention. So thank you for checking us out, and spending part of your day, hanging out with us.

And that’s largely why we started this podcast-because as classical music performers, we spend a lot of time by ourselves practicing, or in rehearsals. And when we’re hanging out, we usually want to keep things casual, and upbeat. And so when do we ever talk about things are really going, or the things that encourage and inspire us as creative professionals. We hope that this podcast can be that place for you.

“Ask us how we really feel about Jingle Bells” [PSP 18]

December 23, 2016 /5,401 Comments/in /by

We started this podcast because being a classical musician is a difficult profession. David Oistrakh said the stage is one of the loneliest places on earth. I think what he was expressing was how few people understand the demands, sacrifice, and service that being a musician takes.

And during this time of year..this most wonderfully busy time of year, where it’s pretty normal to have 3 or 4 services a day, you most likely only have time to say hi and goodbye to the other musicians at your gig before racing out the door to get to the next one.

So we believe that sitting down and talking with other musicians can be incredibly encouraging and inspiring….most of the time. This might not be one of those times.