Author Archives: Carol Kirkpatrick
A Bad Mood
“You do not wake up one morning a bad person. It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest.” – Robert Brault Have you ever been here: You are in a bad mood and can’t seem to shake it? It’s affecting everything that you do; work, singing, performing and your important relationships. It’s making you tired, and there is very little that has gone right so far with the day. And the worst part is that you … Continue reading
Growing Your Very Own Self Esteem
“Even though you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers Self-esteem – what is it and how does one get more of it? This is a topic that has generated a fair amount of controversy and an adequate quantity of seekers over the years. There is one thing that seems very clear about self esteem, you don’t get it from constantly telling yourself how great you are, or even from other … Continue reading
Finding the Right “Day Job” While Pursuing a Career
“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created–created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination.” – John Scholar Ever feel like you might not have the … Continue reading
Your Bio: Emotional Hook vs. Resume Laundry List
If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? John Wooden How do you want to introduce yourself to your audience? Do you want to impress them by letting them know what and how many performances you have done, (i.e., the laundry list)? Or are you interested in letting them get hooked into the emotional value you, the product, have to offer. This second option, gives them a taste of … Continue reading
Allergies
Asthma doesn’t seem to bother me any more unless I’m around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar. – Steve Allen According to the Harvard Health Letter, seasonal allergies are starting earlier every year, and pollen counts are rising. At least 36 million people are affected by seasonal allergies each year in the USA. And as singers, it can become a problem. So what is an allergy? It’s … Continue reading
Your Voice, Your Product, Your Brand
“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be. I have always chosen to be in the first group.” – Mary Kay Ash In my mind, there are two very important trends I have noticed that seem to be taking over our industry by embedding themselves in … Continue reading
Entrepreneurship: Do you have what it takes?
“What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Are you prepared to become an entrepreneur? Do you naturally have the chops to deal with business or do you need to learn that process. Many singers dream of having a career, but forget to figure in the skills necessary to run a business. And not everyone is cut out for this line of work. However, it can be learned and mastered … Continue reading
Time Waits for No One!
Those who make the worse use of their time are the first to complain of its shortness. – Jean De La Bruyere There are three key resources that we have available to create the action within our lives: Time – Energy – Money. As hard as it might be to accomplish, money and energy can be replenished. Time, however, is a different animal. We fritter away our precious time by allowing ourselves to become distracted. This way we don’t … Continue reading
The First Impression at an Audition
Live your life by design, not default. Kevin Daum I’ve already addressed paying attention to just how important your speaking voice is to making that all important first impression when presenting and representing your Brand. Now I want to introduce you to another important, often neglected, characteristic that says a lot about who you are. No matter how well you sing, or how impressive your resume, or even what kind of recommendations you have, making that first impression in … Continue reading
Dealing with Rejection
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you can do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz The life of a performer can be exciting, rewarding and encouraging. It involves lots of preparation for becoming a contender as performer, and also requires you to know the person inside the singer well so you can confidently present and represent your Personal Brand when it comes time to sell your product. Whether you are hopefully … Continue reading
