Perspective...

I'd like to talk about perspective tonight.  I've been thinking a lot lately about how easy it is to be down on myself for not having accomplished enough, not having arrived at certain milestones I hoped to or expected to have arrived at, or just not being busy enough at any given moment. I try not to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of ambitions I currently have, and struggle constantly with how not to neglect any or all of them. 

I'm just finishing the end of my first work week post vacation and I still don't feel fully acclimated and back on my routine. I even kept up with music work while I was gone, both on the film score and the dance music and did some editing for the videos from the Galapagos Art Space show back in May.  I even almost got another voice over gig and planned ahead enough to bring my equipment and software to Raleigh in case I had to voice something while I was there. (Two thumbs up there because I totally would have pulled it off had they actually offered me the spot). 

I had a good 9 day vacation, the first part of which was spent here in the city, visiting with my folks who drove up here to hang out and meet my girlfriend one day, driving upstate the next day with them to my family reunion in East Greenbush, NY.  After this it was back to Brooklyn for a night then down to Virginia the next morning to see my sister and her family, then the very next day on to NC to laze around my parents' pool and see my other sister.  As if this wasn't enough driving, my folks needed to turn over their rental units in Boone, NC near Appalachian State University so I hitched a ride to see my brother.  After an afternoon enjoying Boone culminating in a fantastic jam session, we drove back to Raleigh the next morning and I spent two more afternoons by the pool right up until I had to fly back on Thursday to NYC.

After such a fun filled and, somehow, simultaneously lazy week, it would be easy to feel overwhelmed getting back to the city.  Funny enough, when I examined what I was most concerned about, it was the one thing that I had neglected (in fact, was forced to neglect in a way): Voice over auditions.  Now, forget for a minute that, on any given day, I'm at the mercy of the automated casting system with the sites that I'm a part of and whether the spots they send me are even a fit for my voice.  Besides there not being that many gigs I would have applied for, I had a lot of other things to do.  Chief among them taking it easy for a few days.  And I most certainly did.

I finally came to it today, though, what would make me feel better about the past week: looking not at what slipped through the cracks but what go picked up, essentially.  Then, taking a step further back, looking at those things I have accomplished so far this year (it's only slightly more than halfway over, after all).  Versus what is yet to be done.  I mean, if you think about it, changing my perspective as such is probably more likely to give me the boost I need to knock out those remaining tasks, than sitting around kicking myself, am I right?

So, let's wrap: in the last week, while I was supposedly vacationing, I finished editing Tania's videos from the Galapagos show, made some more revisions on the Samurai score, before my vacation even started I hammered out a mock-up for the dancer I'm writing for now, and discovered that, should I happen to get a voice gig when I'm in NC visiting my parents, packing my suitcase with a mere 8 extra pounds of stuff (i.e. audio equipment), is all I need to do to ensure that I don't miss any opportunities.

Looking at this entire year so far, what have I done?  I've gotten my first 6 paid voice over gigs, scored four short films and a promo, and had a world premiere of one of my pieces at a world class venue in New York City.

Since, I got back to the city, I also got organized and looked at my expenses and cash flow and realized that after all of the above, I am not operating my business at a loss like last year.  Granted, I'm not making all that much money in the grand scheme of things but, in keeping with the theme of this blog, I choose to focus on the positive. 

Either way, missing out on auditioning for a week is not going to kill me.  And just the simple act of counting up all those accomplishments has lifted my spirits quite a bit. I think I can relax now and enjoy the start of my weekend.  And you all should enjoy the links I'm about to post to the Galapagos show.

http://www.timdaoust.com/2012/08/improvisation-with-tania-stavreva/
http://soundcloud.com/composertim/quivering-filament-of