I felt for a while there like I was saying “The right ‘co’ word – collaboration – instead of the other ‘co’ word – competition” far too frequently on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast. And wow, just like that it's actually noticeable by its absence!
Of course, we do that, don’t we? We get hooked on a word or a phrase and then proceed to overuse it, almost to the point of where we get sick of hearing ourselves say it, never mind what other people might be thinking as they hear it all the time whether we say it out loud or write it in an email or a text message.
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But I need to put on the brakes as it relates to that last part.
Are people telling you that you say that word or phrase a lot or are you just convincing yourself that people have gotten tired of it? We do a good job of beating ourselves up mentally, when, in fact, what we think is an issue could actually be nonexistent and only in our heads. And if something is working, you should probably just stick with it rather than convince yourself of what you think other people probably feel.
I remember when my all-time favorite band, Rush, went on hiatus as a result of drummer Neil Peart losing his daughter and his wife. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson let him be and resigned themselves to the fact that the three of them wouldn’t be doing music again anytime soon. When Alex tells the story he puts all kinds of conditions on Neil, ‘maybe thinking about possibly considering to perhaps’ get back to doing music as Rush.
Collaborations are a wonderful thing. When ‘maybe’ enters your head or ‘thinking about’ or ‘possibly’ or ‘considering’ or ‘perhaps,’ focus on reality instead.
If you somehow talk yourself into going to someone else for a collaboration being seen as a sign of weakness and that, “Oooh, he/she must need help” or “must not know what they’re doing,” stop and realize all the great results that have come from collaborations.
When Billy Joel and Elton John went on tour together, no one looked at it as, “Oh, poor (pick one of them). He can’t fill stadiums, so he has to ask (the other one) to join him on tour.” Instead, it was a great matchup that created twice as much demand.
And besides that, two weeks ago my blog “Don’t Be the Smartest Person in the Room” is a strong case for seizing the opportunity to learn from others. Now, if you ask someone to show you a certain chord progression of theirs that you really admire and they shoot you down, maybe you should view that instead as someone that you don’t want to collaborate with after all.
As in the Billy Joel/Elton John example above, there is strength in numbers. It has become extremely popular for podcasters to want to be on other podcasters’ shows because of the ability to reach another audience – new people who hopefully will come over and listen to that guest’s show too. That last word is where the focus should be. They will listen in addition to and not instead of.
Yes, I’ll admit it. I have often said, be careful about letting someone come up on stage and perform during your show. But here’s the difference. If it’s an audience member, you have no idea what you might be walking into, meaning, if they’re a clown or have been drinking or are just not talented at all. Or there’s the potential of letting an established performer come up during your show and steal the spotlight. But I’m not talking about those scenarios. Collaborate with someone you admire and presumably know to some extent.
Asking someone who will probably say Yes to do a show together or collaborate in the studio together should be a win-win. With all that we hear nowadays about mental health, it is of the utmost importance that you do not let your ego take over and say, “Don’t ask him/her. It could be viewed as a sign of weakness, like you need help.” Dismiss those thoughts, deliver the ask, and then make something great together.
For twenty years I have been helping indie music artists, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more. What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to? Let’s get on a short call together so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.