I graduated from the University of Southern California with my degree in Popular Music about seven months ago. I’ve learned so much these past seven months, mostly through trial and error and many “aha” moments that filled in my own mental gaps. I wouldn’t say that USC didn’t prepare me adequately and left me with these mental gaps in the first place… I would say that I wasn’t emotionally mature enough to truly understand what it takes to be in this industry aside from talent and a refined skill set. Based on my personal experiences I’ve broken down 3 things my professors warned me about that I didn’t understand until I graduated-
Timing
After graduating from USC, I felt like the world was at the ready for me… almost like it owed me something because of the hard work I put into the college process as a whole. When you think of how our culture is set up, it seems pretty straightforward- get your degree, get a job. The music business is not nearly as linear. The Dean of Contemporary Music at USC, Chris Sampson, warns all of his students about this ahead of time in his “Careers in Music” class by acknowledging that for most people (and yes you could/will likely be one of those people) it takes years to build stability in a music career. It takes an extensive and diverse portfolio and… PATIENCE. I started getting frustrated after graduation, but once I acknowledged this, I realized time was really on my side. After, quite frankly, getting over myself, I felt more at ease with the creative process and less panicked about my idea of being inadequate to myself and others… This actually brought me to a place where I was more inspired to create and less wary of the pressures of time.
Expectations
One of my mentors at USC, Sean Holt, told me early on- “You have to lower your expectations”. As I mentioned before, believing the world owes you something after getting your degree in music is going to drive you absolutely insane. As I’m writing this, I am coming off the heels of a 13 hour work day running sound for an elementary school that I teach at part-time to help keep me financially stable. I also work at a church part time, take up babysitting jobs, and do a lot of other music related jobs on the side. Not necessarily what I was expecting on paper, but life has brought me so many twists and turns all in the name of “paying my dues” (I hate using that phrase but hey it makes sense…) The fear of inadequacy is real… I get it. Especially when every five seconds you’re already being questioned by a variety of people on the validity of your degree and the likelihood of your success. But keep on doing what you’re doing. Just know that, this is normal and it by no means constitutes failure. It is you allowing yourself to build your career without getting overly anxious about paying the water bill from the get go.
Community
The fear of inadequacy gets even more real when you start comparing yourself to other graduates. It’s hard seeing others around you succeeding when you’re feeling like you’re moving at a snail pace. But know this- just because someone is succeeding/accomplishing something, doesn’t mean you aren’t. The two are not mutually exclusive. Yes, it’s a competitive world, but when you start believing that you’re always competing, you will starve yourself of a network of connections and a community of creatives that are open and willing to collaborate. That would be doing yourself and your art a huge disservice. People make your world go round. And if they don’t, they should. Every single teacher at USC gave me similar advice all in the vein of – collaboration is vital to a lasting career. If you’re looking at the others around you as constant threats to your success, happiness, and wellbeing, you’re thinking of it all wrong. Upon graduating I’ve met, written with, and had coffee with more people than I can count. I’ve learned so much not by artificially “networking” at mixers, but by really genuinely connecting with the people around me and expanding my community with intentional and awesome creative people.
Preparation
If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re in that all too familiar slightly panicked mode of preparation. Preparing for the “real world”, preparing for another year of school that’ll eventually lead you to the “real world”, or just preparing to take on tomorrow with all of its uncertainties in terms of the music industry and your whole place in it. Just know this- your path will not be linear, and that’s okay. It might not always make sense, and that’s okay. Joy Williams came to USC and shared that “the trajectory of your ascent will match the trajectory of your descent”. So take the time to really shape your craft. In the words of Patrice Rushen: “If you plan your work and work your plan, you’ll be just fine.”And if you ever doubt yourself come back and look at this blog post- you’re really doing just fine.