Making friendships with colleagues can be quite the challenge. There are a lot of potentially awkward dynamics to navigate, and managing your social avatars has only made things more difficult. But despite the challenges, having friendships at your gigs makes “going to work” a much more enjoyable, inspiring, and pleasant place to be.

In addition to the personal reasons, friendships are essential for getting more work. Musicians are more likely to send a gig to, or recommend someone they like and trust, than to somebody who may be a great player, but a jerk.

The problem is: Musicians are not that good at making friends. Let’s be real here. We’re good at spending prolonged periods of time in very small rooms, often looking into a mirror and listening to recordings of ourselves. On top of that, most gigs are not good social gathering places. You only a few minutes beforehand to warm up, 15 minutes at the break to go to the restroom, get some water, turn in some paperwork, and as soon as it’s over, everybody races to their car. So how do we do it?

Well, that’s what we discuss in our 10th episode of the podcast.

Today we’re digging into Rejection. It’s not a lighthearted topic, and one that’s not very comfortable to talk about. But that is why we’re here. Because all of us have been there.

We invite you to sit in on our conversation as we discuss why it’s such a big deal, and then some of the things we can do to pick ourselves back up after facing rejection in both college auditions or professional auditions.

But your mindset going into an audition has a lot to do with how you feel after it’s over.

Finding the motivation and drive to practice and improve is hard enough when you’re feeling inspired. But what do you do when your family moves away from your great teacher, or you literally don’t have the strength to hold your instrument up?

These are just two of the challenges that Anna has faced while battling a chronic illness since undergrad. But she hasn’t let that define her playing.

“I’ve had to continue in persistence, and conjure up a form motivation, even if the circumstances are bogging me down. Every year or two, something big happens that gets in the way of my plans as a musician. And I could choose to walk away from it, but I can’t let go of it. Even when I’m not feeling motivated, I have to keep going. Persisting even if the motivation is not there… cause sometimes the music on its own is not enough.” -Anna

How do you know if being a musician is the only thing you were meant to do? Today we dig deeper into Michael’s story about why he stuck with music despite trying different careers and jobs. We talk about the “Turd Sandwich” of being a musician, our desire for autonomy vs. being a cog in the machine, and getting started as a freelance musician. Show notes: www.perservice.co/4