For the Creative Soul > Better is Better

“Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer.” - Rick Pitino

“The test of the artist does not lie in the will with which he goes to work, but in the excellence of the work he produces.” - St. Thomas Aquinas

“Bigger isn’t better. Better is Better.” - Keith Mohr, Indieheaven

Everyone who fist emails any of us in the industry basically wants to know the secret of how they can improve?

They think they know.

They think the answer is to become bigger. Spend more. Get more radio play. Get into stores. Get more publicity.

But that’s really not it at all.

The way to get better is to work hard at your craft and literally become better at it.

Sound like I’m talking in circles?

Well, playing or singing scales isn’t much different. Music is literally a “circle of fifths”.

But it’s the same with any creative talent: singing, dancing, drawing, technical, playing...it all boils down to how long you practice your craft.

Now, there are certainly prodigies out there,. You know those kids with natural talent that make you never want to play again? But even they have probably put in years of scales, training, and lessons behind the scenes to achieve what you see as an amazing “natural” talent.

Now if you’re tuning me out here because you say, oh here we go, another ‘you’ll never be any good if you don’t work at it’ speech.

Well, yeah! That’s EXACTLY what I’m saying. Quit whining and listen up slackers!

Every single day I see an email from someone saying “I just want to use the talents God gave me and get it out to the world.”

A fine and noble statement.

But if that isn’t backed up with hard work, rugged determination, a solid sense of exactly who you are, that fine and noble statement will echo harmlessly down the halls of your empty ambition.

(And the award for Best Dramatic Line in a Blog or Online Post goes to...Eric Copeland!!!)

But seriously, there has to be a plan.

Have you ever thought, “I would like to get out there and use this talent, but I am absolutely alone in this. Who do I even see or talk to?”

That’s when you seek out folks who can help. Consult with you, look at your creative work, and help you get a real sense of what you have and how best to hone it.

This should NOT be someone looking to “make you a star”, “sign you to something”, or “hook you up with someone who can take you somewhere”. The answer is to do some research and find someone you feel you can trust to give you answers and direction on how to get Better.

“When in doubt, just take the next small step.” - Regina Brett

If you have been doing this, and know the direction you need to go, but keep running into roadblocks, maybe it’s time to look at the quality of your materials. Are they top notch? Can they be Better?

And yes, I know all this costs money. I’m an artist too and write songs and books I’d like to get out there. So, I work on writing, arranging, save up $, and get it out there.

Maybe (gasp) you don’t do a 10-song CD. Maybe you approach it a song or two at a time. Just keep in mind, it has to be Better than what you had before.

Yes, Aunt Margaret loved the last CD you recorded in an hour using your ukulele and two cans tied between string. But that won’t help you move to where you want to be.

Computers and software have made it possible for complete beginners to make much cleaner demos and recordings that ever before. The days of getting laughable demos are becoming a dim memory.

But even if you could buy a complete top of the line music computer system, you still have to know not only how to operate it, but have amazing material and be able to play the instruments, plus it wouldn’t hurt if you could actually sing.

I know of exactly ZERO people who can do ALL that (except for a few freak producer/artists like Prince, who has been honing his craft for only 30 years or so...)

Maybe it’s time for you to make a bigger step than you have before.

"Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small steps." - David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of England

So, are you ready to get Batter?

In Rory Nolan’s great book “Heart of the Artist”, he writes: “Pursuing excellence means we do our best with what we have, to the glory of God. He is worthy of our very best. We serve an ultimately creative God. When He created the world, He imbued it with breathtaking beauty and awe-inspiring majesty. God didn’t just throw things together when He created the universe. He modeled creative excellence for us. Seven times during the Genesis account of creation, God stands back, looks at what He created, and says, “It is good.” It’s obvious that we serve a God who delights in creativity and values doing things with excellence.”

Nolans goes on to quote Proverbs 22:29. “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.” When we do things with excellence, the world will sit up and take notice, and we can point them to the God who created us, gifted us, and loves us.”

Wow. That kind of says it all.

So this week, this month, this year, consider taking a further step of excellence.

Get Better.

Have a great week!

EC

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Eric Copeland is a producer, arranger, songwriter, and pursuer of excellence who works with songwriters, and artists of all kinds to help them get better. If you’re interested in taking a step now, check out his creative company in Nashville, TN at http://www.CreativeSoulOnline.com