THE STORY...There are a thousand different reactions one can have to becoming suddenly unemployed. Almost any of them are valid. But when it happened to me, I knew there had to be a way to turn this into not only a blessing, but the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure, I felt sorry for myself for a couple days. Life sometimes deals a really crappy hand. But after I fielded dozens of phone calls from good folks who shared their sympathies with me, something told me if I played this crappy hand right, I could turn everyone's sympathies into jealousy. I think I've done it. I had been a successful sportscaster in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio for five years right out of college. It's still all I know how to do as an adult. It's my professional identity. It's also a dream come true. I had wanted to be a sportscaster since I was a little kid. I don't think I'm done with it, either. I think I still have a lot of upside in the field, and you can decide for yourself by clicking here. But if I am, I can walk away honestly saying it was a blessing from God to live out that dream. I got five more years out of it than many people can/will ever be able to say, and if the curtain falls on that chapter of my life, I can confidently scratch "Be a Sportscaster" off my bucket list with satisfaction. But there's something else on the bucket list that I haven't attempted yet. There are plenty of reasons I've rationalized not doing it. But at the root of it all, it was lack of confidence. Fear of failure. A feeling like I've got too much to lose with my other career I've worked my entire life to build. Now, I've got nothing to lose. Now, I've got no excuses. I'm single, I'm jobless, and I'm completely unattached from the world. I have outright autonomy to take action with my bucket list, and the reason I'm going for it now is because there's a voice in my head, probably God's, telling me if I don't do it NOW, I'm never going to have the opportunity again, and I'll regret it the rest of my life. I'm going to, for however long or short as I possibly can, be a touring musician. Not indefinitely. I'm sure once my run of fun is up, it's back to looking for a 9-to-5er until my next broadcasting gig. But I'm not taking it lightly, either. I've been playing guitar for 11 years, and I've written dozens of songs. I'm laying a few of them down in a studio, I'm printing them onto as many CDs as I can possibly fit in the trunk of a Mazda 3, and I am touring the country going from Open Mic Night to Open Mic Night just giving away my music for free. Six weeks, 9,500 miles, sparing no expense to hit everywhere I possibly can on an unemployed budget. Sound like a crappy business model? I guess it depends on your definition of success. If the goal is to be rich and famous, then yes, my business model is a dumpster fire. The truth is I don't even have enough money to complete this thing. But ask any TRUE musician, any respectable singer/songwriter out there. Stop tau-tau-talking that Ke$ha. I'm talking the Newton Faulkners and the Gabe Dixons and the Mat Kearneys of the world. Of course they'd LIKE to be rich and famous. But I firmly believe what an artist REALLY desires from the depths of his or her heart is for others to consume, enjoy and appreciate their work, their sound, their lyrics, their performance, their creation. That's all I want. My music IS me. It's my heart, my soul, my beliefs, my desires, my creativity, all exposed for the whole world to either accept or reject, take it or leave it. But it's a complete, unabridged description of me, and I want to share me with anyone who will have me. That's why I'm giving away my CDs for free. That's why I'm traveling the nation. I'm sharing with folks who just might identify with me or feel something from or relate with the handful of songs I've written. And if there exists a single individual who gets ANYTHING out of any one of my songs, whether that person's in Wichita or Walla Walla, then the trip will be a complete success. I have rigged together a list of open mics I think should lead to a pretty good experience. Check out the tour page here. But the truth is, I've never been to half these places. I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going. So if you know of a quality open mic experience available in a certain city on the night I will be there, please e-mail me and let me know. I'd be thrilled to hear from you and see what you think of my summer idea anyway. Also, check out my blog at http://40daytour.blogspot.com where I will constantly be chronicling my adventures. Thanks for reading my story and God bless, -Tony |
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