NHT Blog

I almost stopped myself from writing this because I thought, “Didn’t I write something fairly recently where I said that even though it’s not Mental Health Awareness Month (May) anymore, we still need to take action to keep ourselves on the right path that way?”

I remember many years ago when I worked for, well, let me politely say a senior.  He would often be heard saying, “We don’t want to confuse people.”  As much as a co-worker and I would kind of giggle about it, thinking it was misplaced, his message would have some relevance today.

In this creator economy, it’s easy to get distracted by something shiny.  Or, as some people would want you to believe, pivot.

Nowadays people like to say that “Everybody has a podcast” or “Everybody has written a book.”  You might not have done one or both – yet – but could very well be thinking about heading in that direction.  In 2024, a lot of people are using one or both of those to enhance their brand and expand their reach, regardless of what field they’re in.

A few years ago, a client of mine told me about a shift that had occurred in their family with regards to holidays such as Christmas and birthdays.  In other words, if it were an occasion where gifts would be given, it was time to reevaluate going through the motions and asking the recipient for their wish list.

The thinking here was that in just a few years, that person would already have forgotten who they got that blue sweater from.  But, if a focus were instead put on experiences, memories would be created that would last, dare we say, a lifetime!

The pressure to constantly produce content and perform can lead to burnout and mental health issues.  Time management strategies and prioritization techniques are critical tools to succeed as an indie music artist without compromising your mental and physical health.  Let’s face it, you love making music, or videos, or writing, or whatever creative pursuit you find yourself in the midst of.  Or maybe it’s that you used to love it.

In two months, it will be ten years that I have been publishing a blog every Monday here on the website.  As I say quite often on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, I have a “bizarre mental rolodex” of past guests that I’ve interviewed on that show.  And similarly, I have a rather good inventory somewhere up in my brain too of past posts that I’ve put up.

We’ve reached a sad point in society when the old expression “too good to be true” is a prevailing thought when a potential opportunity comes your way.  As fast as technology is changing and the good guys are trying to help us combat the bad guys, there are still countless folks out there with bad intentions who are trying to stay ahead of the game and con you (and me) out of your (our) hard earned money.

In case you aren’t aware, I live in Tampa.  Let me clarify that earlier this month I went to Miami for four days and three nights, so, despite what I think we might have in my part of Florida, I saw really bad traffic there.  Furthermore, I travel to Los Angeles for business (I was there in March and will be going back in September), and that is where traffic is really, really bad.  And yes, I’ve also been to New York City (as recently as this past November), and it’s the east coast version of that bad L.A. traffic up there.

Over my ten-plus years of hosting the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, I’ve had the opportunity to have some guests on who have been on “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “America’s Got Talent,” and “The X Factor” (including one guest who won “The Voice”).  These folks have talked about their experience on the show, what they learned from it, and what they’re doing presently.

My brother will see a movie trailer and grimace and say, “I don’t need to see that movie.  I already did – when it was called” and he’ll say the title of a film that he felt was exactly like the one he’s seeing a preview for.  It’s kind of funny and I get his point, however, they ARE two different films and WILL have their differences.