Trust Your Instincts!
Your “gut” instinct will serve you right more often than you think.
When you meet someone and you get that feeling like something isn’t right, chances are, something isn’t right.
Too often, we ignore our initial “gut” instinct and rationalize our decisions for the sake of working with someone who is very talented.
As artists, we can be very creative in our rationalizations…here are three classic examples:
• “Yes, she appears like she is an egomaniac, but she is such a talented singer that it is worth dealing with her ego.” (It never is.)
• “It seems like he is conniving and manipulative, but maybe that is the kind of guy I want as a manager.” (You don’t want someone manipulative representing you.)
• “This producer seems like he would be very over-bearing and controlling, but I heard that he was the second engineer on the last Weezer album, so maybe I should work with him.” (You will always be unhappy with an over-bearing producer.)
The biggest indicator that you are trying to rationalize something that goes against your first instinct is when you start to say to yourself: “I’m sure she/he will change.”
When that phrase runs through your mind, take notice…
While no one is perfect, you should only work with people who you get a good vibe/feeling from. It doesn’t matter how talented they are.
As artists striving for empowerment in the new music industry, learning to tune in to and trust our instincts is critical.