“Why aren’t more people listening to my music?” “Why can’t we get on that tour?” “Why isn’t that magazine / radio station / webzine featuring us?” “Why is that band getting those opportunities and we aren’t?” “I’m a failure.”

Sound familiar? These are some of my thoughts I’ve had over the years.

Whilst on the surface, the highs are high… there’s no denying it. But the lows are seemingly the lowest of the low.

As an artist/anyone with a passion working within the music community trying to take it to the next level; the pros of creation are absolutely one of the best feelings ever felt… but more and more it seems as we journey down the rabbit hole of fast evolving technology, what is supposedly meant to make our lives easier, is probably making them harder and can affect mental health in a negative way.

Technology is incredible and we should use it to enhance our lives, not let it hijack them. It can create the worst of demons within our minds and enslave us in the blink of an eye.

If it helps anyone, I’ve had the darkest of days, but thankfully, as I age (un) gracefully I’ve been able to rationalise situations better thanks to experiences and knowledge gained.

Things happen for a reason. Whilst social media makes us all seem closer together, the reality is there’s always varying sets of circumstances occurring because we’ve all got different objectives. If we we’re all sat in an office together, with the goal of maintaining the same business place, then it would obviously be more harmonious.

If you’re in a band, and feeling the squeeze against that glass ceiling… take a deep breath and regroup, refresh and take a look around at what’s going on. I’d recommend anyone that really believes they are serious about their music career to do some research, speak to people who really know what’s happening in the music business and get some honest advice. Positivity is key; if you can find a path to that, you’ll be fine.

Getting my head around the reality of situations has really helped my mindset, and making small, but effective adjustments to the way I work, and who I work with, continues to boost morale daily.

Music should be about fun, passion, and the emotion it puts to the stories of our lives… we should never lose sight of that and never be afraid to talk.