Is What You Do Turning Stale?

For the headline I would’ve also accepted something containing the expression ‘one trick pony.’  The fact is, if that describes you, there is reason for worry and it's time to mix things up a bit.

Actor Jason Bateman is in the Netflix series “Black Rabbit” and his character – not unlike what he portrayed in the movie “Carry-On” – is far from the witty guy we had gotten used to seeing him play.  Of course, “Ozark” is really where we saw him make the turn.  But the fact is, we still love him, almost no matter who he is portraying, right?

If you listen to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, you have heard me profess my love for Rush, saying over the years that I make no secret about them being my all-time favorite band.  When they brought an orchestra on stage with them for the “Clockwork Angels” tour it didn’t cause me to run out.  After all, variety is the spice of life, isn’t it?

Heck, whether you see sports as entertainment or not, think of how teams have adopted the idea of a third jersey over the last several years.  It just really spices things up and raises fan interest and quite simply helps keep things from being the proverbial same old same old.

So, what are you creating and how can you inject some new life into it?

Keep in mind that whatever turn you might make could be for you mentally, psychologically, as much as for your audience, your customers, your supporters.

If you are a songwriter and only write alone, it could simply be doing a co-write or two or five that changes things up a bit for you.  Who knows, maybe you always only write on guitar and simply penning your next song on piano is enough of a change for you.

You could also go so far as to write a song that is intended to be a duet or do something as big as writing in a different genre.  Whatever curve ball you throw doesn’t have to be permanent, although be forewarned you just might stumble upon something you like so much that it does become the new normal for you.

With the podcast, I keep things fresh and, in the process, maintain the same level of enjoyment as the show host as I had back when I first started up “Now Hear This Entertainment” more than eleven-and-a-half years ago.  Through all of these nuances, I still get to meet great guests and absorb lots and lots of lessons that they share.

If you’re a podcaster, consider going to record your show – whether solo or interview style – somewhere different once in a while.  The overwhelming majority of my interviews are done remotely from my studio.  But a couple of months ago I went to a new podcast recording space that has opened and did an interview there – that also gave me a video version for once, which in itself was a huge change.

The day after tomorrow I will drive up to the Florida panhandle for the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival and intend to record some interviews while at that event, just like how I recorded two interviews at a recording studio in Los Angeles two weeks ago Saturday.

Then there is the other change you can make, which is a subtle little something different in your guests.  Rather than solely interviewing singer-songwriter after singer-songwriter, you’ll see me occasionally mix in, say, a producer, or an engineer or a booking agent or insert other role here.  The fact is that they’re all “having success in entertainment, primarily music,” as I often find myself describing the show in conversation.

Even if you do a solo show, meaning, no co-host and no guests, you can still change things up a bit.  Challenge yourself to do so now.  Don’t wait until January 1st because (a) there’s no time like the present, and (b) you might use a New Year’s resolution as a catapult to too much of a change.

Heck, isn’t this very blog an example of everything I’ve written about up to this point?  Sometimes the Monday post is about PR/marketing content while other times it’s a song review and still other posts might be solely about podcasting or even other topics that fit under the company umbrella yet aren’t so super specific to one topic that it really gets limiting.

Take the blinders off.  Expand your wings.  Take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  Find where you can go and grow.  You’ll feel a bit refreshed, and your audience just might come forward and thank you.

Now a Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.