Covid-19 Special: How to cope with the uncertainty of your future in music
And just like that, faster than the moves of a 90s Gabber raver, the music industry as we know it has collapsed. The entire planet is indoors, you can’t travel or organise events, and no one knows when this will all end. In Covid-19 times, uncertainty and change are the name of the game.
Having the mindset and tools necessary to cope with unpredictability is more crucial than ever. And not just now while the pandemic is still at large.
These qualities will also be key in helping you prepare yourself for its aftermath and long-term consequences on the music business. It’s impossible to guess what the future looks like, but one thing is for sure: things will never be the same again. Which isn’t necessarily bad news, and you’ll find out why.
Whatever your role in the music industry - it’s very likely your life and work have been heavily affected. You’re frustrated about cancellations, anxious about yours and your loved ones’ health, or worried about the future of your career. Who wouldn’t be?
This is extremely destabilizing and the atmosphere of fear perpetuated by aspects of the media or even people around you is not helping. Plus, everyone was unprepared for this. Not being allowed to cross borders, being quarantined, and going clubbing virtually - say whaaaat?
You may have found a way to adapt to life in lockdown, or even make the most of it, now that your inbox is not exploding. You oscillate between keeping your spirits up and having freakouts.
The hardest bit is not feeling in control and instead being in the dark, in the unknown.
Not knowing when clubs will open again. Not knowing when concerts and large events will be possible again, and in what form and under which limitations. Not knowing if artists and public will be willing and able to travel everywhere or what restrictions will be enforced. I’m Miss Planning, so I know how uncomfortable uncertainty is. There’s only so much rescheduling you can do, and making good decisions for your artist, business or career seems impossible when there are zero guarantees.
You cannot pull these answers out of a magic hat, but one thing you can do is learn to cope with the uncertainty, so 1. it doesn’t drive you up the wall, and 2. you turn it around to your advantage instead.
The psychology behind uncertainty is, put simply, that your brain will do almost anything to regain certainty. To the mind, uncertainty equals danger. 'If it doesn't know what’s around the corner, it assumes the worst, over-personalizes threats and jumps to conclusions’.
In other words, your mind would rather make you believe that your career in music is doomed, or that everything will go back to ‘normal’ as soon as a vaccine is found, rather than having to deal with the uncertainty! Your mind doesn’t like uncertainty one bit, but thankfully, you are not your mind, and you can take your power back. Here’s how.
take care of yourself
This is something I’ve been banging on about for years now. You know the drill: exercise, meditate, eat healthily, sleep properly and be very careful about where you invest your energy. Fear and panic are extremely contagious and you may be bombarded with it via the news, Whatsapp groups etc - so protect yourself!
This will keep your immune system strong, and your thoughts and emotions in check, so that you feel more stable mentally and emotionally. As a bonus, by acquiring these good habits now, it will be much easier to retain them once you get back to your busy lifestyle of working and/or partying hard.
2. feel your feelings
It’s perfectly normal to be experiencing a range of negative emotions right now, especially if you’re dealing with loss of revenue due to cancelled events, redundancy, or grief. It’s vital that you process - and release - your emotions. Repressing them (through food/booze/Netflix binges) and storing them deep within will compromise your health and your peace of mind. Instead, dance it off, channel it into music, share with a trusted person… there are many healthy ways you can let the frustration/fear/sadness come out.
3. MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE UNKNOWN
One thing I’m telling my clients right now is that the unknown can be a great place to be. When things are uncertain, when old, rigid structures are at risk of crumbling, when nothing is set in stone… then everything becomes possible again. The unknown contains unlimited creative potential. This is not a theoretical statement, it’s quantum physics. Uncertainty gives space to possibility and opportunity - you can see innovative ideas, such as monetized virtual gigs, popping up all over the industry already.
Uncertainty gives you the chance to get back to that beginner’s mindset and be proactive in shaping the music industry post-Covid-19.
To get started, ask yourself: If I didn’t know how it was done, how would I do it? If everything is possible, what do I want the music industry, and my role in it, to look like?
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”
4. FOCUS ON THE HERE & NOW
Uncertainty only becomes a thing when you try to control the future. And think about it, controlling the future? Erm, even Snap don’t have that much power (apologies for the ridiculous music reference). The antidote to this is to come back to the here & now, again and again and again. One of the easiest and quickest ways to come back to the Now is to take a couple of long, deep conscious breaths.
Being present will help you to experience your own life much more fully, rather than being stuck in continuous mind chatter and overthinking about the past or the future. It will help you feel less anxious about how the music industry will emerge from this crisis - because right here, right now in this precise second, you’re alive and breathing and all is well. And from that place, it’s easier to access your innate resources and creativity. Ask yourself: If all I have is the present moment, and the future is out of my control, what’s the next right action I can take?
Prioritizing self-care, processing your difficult emotions, seeing possibilities in uncertainty and staying right here, right now are some of the ways you can ride out this wave of WTFisgoingon?
To keep your peace of mind and stay resourceful, it's essential to have the mindset and tools that will support you in times of uncertainty. Not just while the pandemic is happening, but afterwards too: change and the unexpected are to be expected in the post-Covid world.