The Destination Starts with Me!
OK, if you’ve been with us since the first of the year, you’ve read three posts on gaining “A solid and consistently dependable vocal technique.” And three posts on “Knowing who you are, from the inside out.”
This month, we’ll get to the first of three on “Having a destination and a solid plan to get there,” the next-to-last of *The Four AriaReady Foundational Cornerstones.
I’ve been struggling with where to begin this blog, and then this morning, while having breakfast on my patio and squeezing in a quick game of darts, it dawned on me. The dart board. A target. A target with a “Bull’s Eye” that’s where you want to BE. A target within a target.
So, how do you find your very own “Bull’s Eye”? What is your unique destination? What are your long-term and short-term target destinations?
Think of it as a series of concentric circles, often crazier and less focused at the outer edges, and slowly becoming more defined as you work your way down to the center. The Bull’s Eye!
Some of you who had a chance to work with Carol may remember that she had students begin their search for “their personal target” and the “BE” within it by taking what she called (in her book, AriaReady) "The Singer’s Profile." Twenty-nine questions that you’d ask yourself, about yourself. If, after honestly answering these questions, you are still passionate about becoming a professional singer, the AriaReady book will give you the essential, down-to-earth, step-by-step materials, tools, and understanding you’ll need to build your career.
The Destination Starts at the center of your target, the hub.
Why Your Career Goal Begins with “Me”
Let’s start with the most essential truth: If you don’t know who you are at your deep core, it is almost impossible to succeed at anything. Most singers spend their energy, days, and lives spinning around the outermost rim of their dart board, their target, exhausted by the many roles—daughter, student, employee, friend—that pull them in every direction. But to build a career destination that actually fits, you must move inward toward the Hub, the motionless center where your authentic self resides.
Before you can map out where you are going, you have to answer four important questions:
This is not a test but a process that requires brutal honesty. Defining your destination means more than just saying, “I want to be a singer.” You must define what success means to you personally—is it being financially secure, being happy, or simply the satisfaction of the artistic process? Does it need to be your career? Or perhaps an avocation is more of what you want to work towards. Both can be valid and satisfying outcomes.
Your destination, once discovered, is crystallized. Then you’ll need to take the next step: Building your Personal Brand.
Your Personal Brand is a clear, positive idea that comes to mind when others think of you. A place where you are congruent on the inside—meaning your core values match your actions—you become a magnet for success without even trying. Once you know your “Me” portion, you are no longer just reacting to your teacher, fellow singers, or even the industry; you are ready to be the active force in your own career. In your own life.
If you can’t find your copy of “AriaReady: The Business of Singing,” reach out to me ([email protected]), and I will send you the “Singer’s Profile” questions. So you can start the work to have your own destination and a solid plan to get there. That’s it for now!
Let me know if I’ve missed anything, or if you’d like to go deeper in any aspect of building your Personal Roadmap for success.
Be the example of how you’d like the world to be. Continue to enjoy your Summer. The question is still, Aria Ready?
Until next time,
David
*The Four Cornerstones of the Aria Ready Process are:
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