Light Up, Everybody!

I've been plunking around on the Internet for about 12 years now. My girlfriend recently pointed out that if you do a Google search on "bob baker" music marketing, you come up with more than 34,000 pages of results. Wow. Even I'm amazed at what can happen when you doggedly pursue a personal passion for years on end.

In the early days, I had no idea where my efforts would lead. It was often frustrating, but somewhere inside I was aware of an inner candle flame -- a vision of the life and circumstances I wanted to create. That inner vision, combined with real-world feedback from and interaction with the marketplace, led to where I am today: a music lover who makes a living as an author and publisher.

Three questions for you:

• What inner vision do you have of yourself?
  
  
• Can you sense your own internal candle flame?
  
  
• Are you aware of its presence, or is it hidden in darkness?

To reach more tangible levels of success, you must tap into that inner drive -- especially in the early going, when your passion and persistence will be tested the most.

There's a reason that only a miniscule percentage of people reach a point where they make a comfortable living with their art. Most people simply give up too early, unable to find the personal fuel to weather the initial hurdles and apathy they encounter.

Where do you stand? How brightly does your inner candle burn? And what can you do to turn up the heat?

-Bob

Artist Empowerment Radio: What's New?

In case you missed them, be sure to take a listen to the last two installments of my Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast.

With this episode, I give you "Marketing Lessons From an 8-Year-Old Girl" and one very important Do and Don't regarding self-promotion.

And go here to find out why you need to stop making excuses or waiting for your musical situation to be perfect. There's only one way and one right time to get busy pursuing your goals. Hint: It ain't tomorrow!

You can also listen using this nifty Flash player:



-Bob

The Essence of Ambition

What does it really take to succeed? Do you ever wonder whether you've got the drive and thick skin to endure? This piece of insight might help soothe your doubts ...

Last fall, Laura Cantrell (a buzz-making country-folk artist signed to Matador Records) was interviewed by an unlikely media source: Psychology Today magazine.

Here's how she answered the question "What drives you to succeed?" ...

A few years ago, I remember playing music at home by myself on the weekend and thinking, "Why not try getting on Grand Ole Opry? How hard could it really be?" Maybe that's a blend of naivete and hopefulness and some faith in yourself. I feel that I haven't had any drive beyond the "it's worth a shot" impulse, but that impulse has been very strong for me, even when success seemed pretty unlikely.

There's a lesson for us all here. Success doesn't only come to those who doggedly pursue a creative career and bulldoze through every obstacle with the pit bull enthusiasm of an infomercial announcer.

Sometimes, all it takes is three simple qualities:

1. Naivete -- not being aware of all the hardships that others so easily buy into.
   
   
2. Hopefulness -- an optimistic attitude toward what's possible.
   
   
3. Some faith in yourself -- knowing that success does come to certain new artists; why not you?

-Bob