Prologue: This past week I have experienced so many new people and cultures in the big city of New York. It’s crazy how many people live in such a small part of the world. I didn’t realize I could experience such culture shock while staying in my country. Growing up and learning how to be an adult can be scary but when you are able to experience places like this on your own it is so much more magical.
The week started with the boys of Red Herring and I adventuring through a 10 hour car ride which, surprisingly, wasn’t too awful or smelly. We played three shows at Silvana of harlem, Shrine of harlem, and the Branded Saloon of brooklyn. Each show progressively got better as well as out time here in the city. We all grew to be closer friends… I realized that josh is up to do anything at anytime, Aaron loves to sleep, and max and I had to sleep in a twin pull out bed two nights in a row so I would officially declare us brother and sister now. By the time the trip was over it felt heartbreaking having to leave them. I thank them all so much, especially Rick, Dave, and Karen, for putting up with me because I know I can be quite a handful. The boys left and I stayed in the city to stay with my great friend from The Voice, Maude. She has shown me the best New York experience that I don’t think I could have got from anyone else. The first night with her I experienced NYU life by hanging out with her friends who attended and dancing at the club (which I was so nervous about but turned out to be the time of my life). The next day we went to the MET and then to greenwich village which was so beautiful. Then the day after that we spent in chinatown having lunch with some random foreign exchange students we found, shopping in SoHo, then going to the highline. And lastly today, we went to the MoMA (which is where the point of this post actually comes in), biked through times square (NOT A GOOD IDEA) and now we are about to leave for a concert. Actual story: SO... we were walking through beautiful Museum of Modern Art and had just finished walking through the Adrian Piper exhibit which includes a lot of black history and human worth pieces. At the end of the exhibit was three desks and each one had a quote above it which stated, “I will always be too expensive to buy”, “I Will Always mean what I say”, and “I Will Always Do What I Say I am Going To Do”. This intrigued Maude and I so we stopped and read the information explaining it at the desk and started taking to the receptionists. Pretty much this was a game set up by Piper to challenge yourself to stay true to one of those statements. The one that stood out to me the most was “I will always be too expensive to buy”. The first thing I thought was “Ah yes I can definitely stick to my word with this one. The times of people being bought is way over and I am so worth it” but THEN my thoughts went deeper. What if I were to be offered an amazing record deal where they “pay” me and put me into a multiple year contract. That would technically mean someone has bought me. At this point I started second guessing myself and felt very guilty for signing this agreement but then I remembered being on The Voice. Though the Voice was such a good experience, I put myself on the line for these contracts and money which turned out to be so restricting. When I initially agreed to doing the show I didn’t understand what I was getting myself into and no, I don’t regret it, but maybe I would’ve thought harder about going through with it. After thinking it through I felt much more confident with my decision to sign the contract. I now know that any contracts or money offered to me will never be better than being an independent artist. I never want anyone telling me how to look or how to play or just simply take away my artistry. I know some people would die for a contract like this but being an independent artist is so rewarding. When you are able to reach your goals by yourself it is the most magical feeling in the world. So I guess the moral of this story is: Know Your Worth. This statement can go for music but also life in general. It's so hard to know how much you are worth, especially as an artist who is just starting off. But If you think a big record deal is the right thing for you then go for it! Be so confident in yourself that you don’t have to second guess! But that being said you have to think about things like that, realize your worth in that situation. You are the only person that you need to live for so you mine as well make your time on earth unforgettable. I am now on waiting to board my flight home and am feeling so grateful for the opportunities that I have experienced throughout this trip. Traveling (partially) alone is a very accomplishing feeling. That being said I haven’t home for a week and I really need to catch up on some homework and give my dogs and cute boyfriend a hug. Here are some pictures from the trip. ( the first picture is the contract rule that I signed and agreed to) I’m feeling very sentimental. I can’t wait to travel again soon. The world is so cool.
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Sydney BurnhamRock and blues singer from Detroit, Mi Archives
September 2018
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