In 2021, I quit music.
I don’t really talk about it.
If you ask me, “how’s music?”
I’d tell you, “amazing, I retired!”
But the truth is…
I didn’t retire.
I just got tired.
So I quit.
I’ve officially been in the music industry since I was 18 years old.
Unofficially, it’s been my entire life.
This year I turned 30.
If I was an athlete, you would expect me to retire by now.
But I didn’t retire.
I quit.
Retirement is celebrated.
Quitting is condemned.
Retirement is something you display.
There’s formal announcements & parties for retirement.
Quitting is something you hide.
No one celebrates quitting.
👏 Unless it’s something like substance abuse or a toxic relationship.
In that case, celebrate quitting.
When you retire, you get recognition.
When you quit, you get jack shit.
So even if I tell you that I retired, what I really mean is that I quit.
I didn’t want to quit music.
When I started I had no intention to quit, ever.
But the worst part is that it’s not the first time I’ve quit.
I’ve quit on schools.
I’ve quit on bands.
I’ve quit on jobs.
I even quit karate on the very first day because they wanted me to try doing a split…
I was 5 years old.
I just wanted to break cinderblocks…
Not my coglioni…
So I’m no stranger to quitting.
But I wouldn’t call myself a quitter.
What do you call someone who’s comfortable with change & knows the right time to move on?
I don’t know, but that’s all it is.
I wouldn’t call myself a quitter because there’s plenty of things that I’ll never quit.
I’ll never quit on my family.
I’ll never quit trying my best.
And I’ll never quit believing anything is possible.
But I definitely quit music.
And I moved on.
I could give you a list of reasons why too.
I could tell you it was just increasingly difficult to travel & play shows with my spinal cord injury.
I could tell you that I just wanted to spend more time at home with my family.
I could even tell you that I just wanted to try something different.
And all that’s true, but none of it’s the real reason I quit music.
The real reason I quit music is because I got tired of everything always being about me.
I quit to save my self from everything always being about my self.
A little poetic paradox… take that Shakespeare…
I don’t really think it’s a big deal though.
Because sometimes you need to quit.
If it’s not fulfilling - or worse, if it’s draining - you need to quit it.
It felt awkward.
But change is awkward.
And I’m no stranger to change, either.
So I quit music.
And I decided to go all in on my second business.
I love taking leaps of faith.
But I don’t love taking risks.
So it couldn’t happen overnight.
And it didn’t.
It was a long & winding road.
A journey that took years…
But that’s a story for part 2.
For this story, all that matters is…
I quit music.
But the thing about quitting is you can always go back.
👏 Unless it’s something like substance abuse or a toxic relationship.
In that case, do not go back.
Imagine how awkward it would be to make a big announcement…
And throw a big party…
All for your big retirement.
And then you, what, un-retire?
Awkward…
But when you quit, you can just go back to doing it again.
And since no one gets you a gift for quitting, there’s no gifts to return.
You’ll still feel awkward, just a different kind of awkward.
When you quit something negative, you really shouldn’t go back.
But what about when you quit something positive?
If you quit eating healthy & exercising, you should go back.
If you quit learning & experiencing new things, you should go back.
If you quit trying your best & believing anything is possible, you should go back.
But I was convinced that music wasn’t positive anymore.
So I needed a change.
Change is awkward.
Music has always been my thing.
You know, voted Most Musical in my high school yearbook kind of thing.
But once music became my career something happened.
What started out as passion quickly turned into pressure.
There was only so much that I could fulfill - or that even felt fulfilling.
Eventually it went from make music & play shows to make face & play games.
I didn’t become an Artist to schmooze.
I didn’t become an Artist to do photoshoots & press interviews.
And I definitely didn’t become an Artist to sit in stuffy board rooms with some old dudes telling me that I need to either cut my hair or shave my beard because “that’s just too much hair”.
True story.
The best part is that guy was bald.
You can’t make this shit up.
And I know this may sound ignorant, arrogant, or even ungrateful.
But I only wanted to make music to help people.
The same way it’s helped me.
And that may even sound melodramatic.
But I didn’t really feel like photoshoots & press interviews were helping anyone but myself.
Music is healing.
I’ve already experienced it.
But I thought I had a unique relationship with music.
Turns out, I’m not the only one.
Music has introduced me to people from around the world.
People from all walks of life & all kinds of struggle.
Regardless if they can make it themselves or not, most people love music.
Most people love music because it makes them feel something.
And healing begins with feeling.
So there needs to be more music.
But I’m afraid too many other Artists are going through what I went through.
So they get discouraged & quit too.
And when Artists quit, we all lose out on the art that could have been.
I thought music was negative.
Like substance abuse or a toxic relationship.
But it wasn’t music’s fault.
It was my fault.
I let myself fall into a trap.
I let myself lose sight of my goals.
And I let my ego take the wheel.
Sorry, Jesus.
So again, I didn’t retire.
I quit.
But now I’m un-quitting.
And it definitely feels awkward.
Because this time I’m not going to be sharing my music.
Instead, I’m going to be sharing how I learned to make music, make fans, & make a living.
But most importantly, how you can too.
Now look, I know I just spent the past 5 minutes talking about myself.
But it’s officially no longer about me.
It’s about music.
The only time me comes into the equation is how I can help you.
So if you made it this far, thank you.
I’m working on a lot to help Artists like you.
But I have a confession…
It’s not just about music.
It’s about business too.
Not specifically the music business.
But I will tackle some of that.
I am obsessed with both music & business.
And I am obsessed with how they work together.
But I’m equally obsessed with how they work individually.
And how some Artists make it happen & some Artists don’t.
How can some Artists make exceptional music but can’t make money?
How can some Artists make money but the music is garbage?
How can some Artists make both money AND exceptional music?
Replace music with art or whatever it is you do.
Let’s call it your Craft.
It’s not just about money though.
Money’s not the motive.
It’s the by-product.
Because a lot of Artists cringe seeing the word money & art in the same sentence…
If that’s you…
Replace “money” with “living”.
Everyone needs to make a living.
There’s nothing wrong with making a living
And I made a good living with music.
A not having a day job kind of living.
A not sleeping in my parent’s basement kind of living.
A not worried about a tenth of a penny from Spotify kind of living.
If you’re not happy with where you are…
And you don’t feel fulfilled with making your art while making a living doing something else…
You need to believe that you can make a living with your art.
So if making money from making art bothers you…
Get over it.
If there’s nothing wrong with making a living.
There’s nothing wrong with making a living from making art.
Especially when making art is making an impact.
Because what you do for a living matters.
It’s how you spend most of your time.
Why not spend most of your time making a living by making an impact by making art?
That’s my definition of success.
It’s not a big deal.
You’re not a sellout.
You don’t need to be egregious.
But you do need to be in control of your life.
Because if you’re not in control of your life, who is?
And it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in.
At least not from what I’ve discovered.
The same principles that apply to being an Artist also apply to running a Business.
It’s a 5 phase process of discovering & understanding your S.C.O.P.E.
Self
Craft
Outlet
Platform
Effect
I’ve seen it apply to Artists of music, painting, & literature.
I’ve also seen it apply to Artists of cosmetology, hospitality, & fitness.
And I’ve even seen it apply to Artists of technology, agriculture, & medicine.
This discovery alone helped me see every business owner as an Artist of their Craft.
And how any Artist can apply the art of Business to their Craft.
Yes, Business is an art.
And the sooner you believe that, the sooner you can run a Business like an Artist.
Artists pay me to guide them through this discovery process in my coaching programs.
Business owners pay me to facilitate the entire process for them with my marketing company.
But I want to help you for free.
If you want to learn how to run a business like an Artist, click here to sign up for my newsletter.
This newsletter is only for helping Artists think more like businesses…
And helping businesses think more like Artists.
Thank you for reading.
If you enjoyed it, consider sharing.
Success is a mindset, mindset is a choice, & the choice is yours to make.
Much love - LM
P.S. these questions kept me up at night…
Is there something you should quit that’s holding you back?
Is there something you should un-quit that could move you forward?
Did you think it was all the same thing like I did?
Share your experience with me in the comments.
And get back after it.
I believe in you.
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