At the end of 2008, I sent out an email to BuskerWorld members containing 2 exclusive gifts.
The first one was an invite to audition for America’s Got Talent after the casting director called me from the USA offering private auditions for our BuskerWorld members.
The second gift was a fun, money-spinning busking tip to help street performers steer clear of sidewalk competition, bring more enjoyment into their performance during the holiday season and help fill up that hole that suddenly appears in wallets during that time of year.
I must admit I was surprised with the response, to say the least!
I’m happy to say that everyone was thankful for the gifts, but I was shocked by the emails that followed telling me about why that tip wouldn’t work for them or that they weren’t good enough to audition for America’s Got Talent.
I had to ask… did anyone actually get out there and give it a go before finding hundreds of reasons why it wouldn’t work??? Thankfully there were a few who tried which restored my faith and commitment to BuskerWorld, but mostly there were excuses galore and then I even received a newspaper article from a member about how buskers were destined to crash due to the economic situation.
Doom and gloom prevailed!!
Whoa!… I found myself shaking my head in disbelief many times and questioning my outlook. Why were the majority of buskers presuming the worst? Are buskers getting pissed off with my success stories because they experience a different reality? Should I be counselling buskers to believe in themselves instead of offering positive tips and advice? Should I be empathizing with buskers instead of setting a positive example? Should I be buying into the doom and gloom instead of encouraging others to create their own reality as I, and many others buskers have done?
These questions held BuskerWorld back. To be honest I couldn’t relate to the negativity and I didn’t know how to address these issues because my attitude differed to what many buskers were thinking. I believe that you make your own success no matter how difficult the situation appears to be. If something is not working then try something new, move locations, copy other success stories, join forces with friends or fellow musicians to get the creative ideas flowing. After all, sharing the profits is better than no profits at all. I get focussed and put my thinking cap on and try ANYTHING that will change a situation I don’t like, no matter how scary it may feel. But it seemed that many people weren’t thinking this way and I didn’t know what to say that most could relate to. I wasn’t sure if my busking success, tips and advice were creating despair rather than inspiration.
For the early part of 2009, BuskerWorld was experiencing website technical difficulties and I had an upsurge in my own music career which kept me busy and gave me time to gather my thoughts about what information I should share with BuskerWorld members. I then received the following busking story and realised that it related to the common negativity I was witnessing and that it would make a perfect subject for this blog.
This is a story that all buskers could relate to as it demonstrates rejection at its best – a common dilemma which can quickly eat away at a performers self confidence and lead to a gloomy outlook. In my own experience, a determination to keep trying time and time again resulted in a great deal of success on the street, but rejection was – and STILL IS – a dominant factor. Persistence is the key and hearing stories such as the one below helps strengthen my confidence in what I do, as well as solidify my understanding of how unpredictable street performance can be. Perseverance resulted in years of busking experience that gave me all the clues I needed to conquer times of recession and I reveal these invaluable tips in my ebook. I hope this story inspires you to keep trying… to persist.
A busker sat at the Metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin. It was a cold January morning and it appeared to most that this performer had braved the harsh weather to earn his keep. His street performance lasted 45 minutes and included six Bach pieces. As it was rush hour thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
3 minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then, as if suddenly realizing he had been momentarily distracted from his usual morning routine he hurried off to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip from a woman who threw the money in the violin case without stopping. A few minutes later another by passer leaned against the wall to listen to him before looking at his watch and rushing off again, clearly he was due somewhere.
In this 45 minute busking session, only 6 people stopped and watched for a short time. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The busker collected $32. His music was mostly unnoticed and when he finished playing, no one applauded, only 1 person acknowledged his talent.
No one knew this, but the violinist at this particularly ‘lonely’ performance happened to be Joshua Bell, one of the most renowned musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth over 3 million dollars. Two days before this solo busk in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston where the seats average $100.
Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The summary was – in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
And the conclusions from this experiment could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
This is a true story that relates strongly to many buskers who feel ignored or rejected by the crowds who pass them by. So the next time you are out busking and no one appears to be taking any notice of you or appreciating your talents, then remember this story as it demonstrates that it doesn’t really matter how talented you are. It seems the majority of people are way too caught up in their own life to truly appreciate the street performer.
Of course, keep in mind that there is often a very different outcome in other scenarios, for example the busker who performs in a designated busking hot spot at a time when people are strolling at a leisurely pace and looking for something to happen or hoping for some form of street entertainment.
So take heart buskerworld friends, remember it ISN’T what you assume… your boring performance, ghastly singing, awful instrument playing or even the dull songs you’ve selected! People are just too busy with their own agenda to notice.
And if it’s really getting you down and you must know if someone – anyone – is listening, then my final tip for this blog is something I do regularly… when feeling ignored, I test the crowd reaction by doing something radical. For example I sing a high powered punk song to get a reaction (good or bad) or a song with familiar but silly lyrics and watch to see if people sing along as they walk past. This way, I know that they’re listening and interestingly, more often than not, it is when I do something I consider to be outrageous that I get the best response. People often stop and talk to me to tell me that I caught their attention because they weren’t expecting a song like that on the street.
Chins up folks, there’s always a solution!
Until next time,
Johnnie Mac
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Johnnie Mac is a world class, professional, leading street performer, turned celebrated musician. He is the only Aussie Professional Busker who provides a fast, reliable and sure-fire Busking System that can transform any busker into a well paid and highly acclaimed entertainer enjoying a remarkably exciting lifestyle. To discover 101 Essential Tips to Have More Fun and Earn More Money Busking visit http://www.BuskerWorld.com/theBuskersBible
