Ok Friends, Casual Readers and Everyone Else

So I started a journey in November 2006. The journey of 'making it' so to speak in the music industry. My goal is simple: I want to make a living doing what i love. I've never really wanted fame (though I guess I wouldn't mind) or tons of money (though I'm sure I wouldn't mind). I just love music and writing a song is one of the most fulfilling things i've ever done. I love to sing and to play the guitar. When I was teaching I used to wake up full of dread. Maybe I'm a wimp but I couldn't live like that any more. I decided something had to change so I changed it.

So here I am 5 months later... How is it all going?

It's an incredible journey. Sometimes it's a roller coaster emotionally. Gigs are hard to get which means money is tight and some days I feel like giving up and getting a 'real job'. But then I hang in for another day or two and I meet an influential person or I get a gig or something and it all seems ok.

I'm learning that the goal isn't some big 'break' that suddenly transforms me from small-time artist to big-time star. The goal is to make small steps every day. Every day get a little better at songwriting. Everyday get a little better at performing. Everyday get a little better as a guitarists. Every day get a little better as a PR officer. Everyday meet one new person. Everyday make one new phone call. Everyday  manage my time a little better. Everyday transform myself just a little bit. Those little everyday things make sure that i make a little progress each day and get a little closer to my goal. The 'big break' is made up of tens or maybe  hundreds or maybe thousands of little breaks and every little break counts. Every little break should be celebrated because each one takes me closer to where i want to be.

The hardest thing is to sustain belief in yourself. If I were trying to do this without support it would be near impossible. Luckily I have a family that believes in me. I have a girlfriend that believes in me. I have friends that believe in me. Never underestimate the power of a great family. The things that made me roll my eyes and cringe as a teenager are the things I'm really gratefull for now. The embarassing family that would always seem to get in the way are the most important part of my formula now. I really don't know if I could continue without them. I'm sure success would be all the more elusive without them. Besides what would be the point of success if i had no family to share that with?

I'm learning the importance of community... When I read accounts of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend and  and and... it seems to me that these guys respected each other and played a lot of the same gigs and may not have been best of friends but were part of a community of musicians that by it's very existence assisted each member of the community. The community created a force to be reckoned with, increased visibility and gave each member an aura that fans stood in awe of. Sadly this community is hard to find these days. Everyone is out to get theirs and they don't really care what's happening with everyone else. There's no great jam-sessions, there's no bashes where hundreds of musicians just show up and do their thing, there's sadly very little association between musos at all. So one thing I do is try to cultivate that spirit and attitude. You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours makes sense to me but it seems to have been forgotten somewhere along the continuum from grade school to the present.

I'm taking to musicians, producers, artist managers, booking agents, restauranteurs, and PR people. I'm hanging out with drug addicts and drug pushers (occassionally), rock stars and other colourful people. I'm playing my music in places I never knew existed. I'm playing my music more often and getting paid to do it! I'm waking up in the mornings without dread. I'm learning more about who I am. I guess the great thing about all this is that I have grabbed the tree of my life and I'm shaking the shit out of it. I'm doing new things and I'm learning new things. I want to keep shaking and keep learning. Life is exciting and unpredictable. So I haven't made it yet but I'm living a life that is fabulous and I guess it's going great.

So here's to the journey...

Tim Pepper