I’m moving to Nashville in August to take the next big step in my music career. I’ve also been writing how-to blogs for the past two years on how to be successful as a musician. While I’ve tried my best to follow the advice I give, Nashville is going to be the first chance I’ll have to really put what I preach into action.

For the next 4 months, I’ll be transforming myself into what I think an ideal musician should be, using the things I’ve written about in this blog. You’ll get to see all the mistakes and successes each week, and in the end, we’ll see if what I blog about actually works. Here’s the steps I’m taking:

Spiritual

I don’t talk a lot about my faith in this blog, but it’s easily the most important thing in my life. Here’s how I’m going to keep growing it:

1. Pray daily. Nothing keeps you more connected to God than daily prayer.

2. Actively reading my Bible. I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, and I can’t think of a better source of wisdom for my life.

3. Keep a prayer journal. I’m listing the things I’m praying for, and so I can be reminded when He answers those prayers.

Musically

My keyboard and producing chops are a big part of a what is going to give me a good reputation. Here’s what I’m going to do:

1. Practice every day on my weakest areas. Sight-reading comes to mind.

2. Strengthen my strongest areas. I want to be phenomenally good at my strongest points, since that’s why people will hire me.

3. Play all I can with others. Before I leave, I want to constantly be playing music with other musicians around town who can challenge me, regardless of whether it’s paying or not.

Appearance

Since music is a performance art, one of the most important things I can do is to look like the musician I want to be. It’s also the first impression anyone will have of you, and can often be the main reason you’re hired. Here’s how I plan on improving my look:

1. Lose weight. I’ll admit, I’m a little heavier than I’d like to be right now, and dropping about 20 pounds is going to make me look more like the lanky rocker image I’m shooting for.

2. Get in great shape. Having the energy to move onstage is vital to performance, and helps you put in more hours of concentrated work.

3. Get cool clothes. Once I’ve dropped a few pounds, I’m going to spend enough to get some awesome clothes that look like the people I want to work with in Nashville.

Gear

Equipment is another “first impression” item that will often get you an immediate gig. Here is how I’m upgrading:

1. Sell older, less expensive equipment. I still have a lot of entry-level stuff laying around from when I was first starting music, and I’m getting rid of all of it.

2. Buy fewer, higher quality pieces of equipment. Quality impresses professionals more than the quantity of equipment you own. Plus, it sounds and works better.

3. Get rid of anything I don’t need. It’s simple- if I can’t use it, or haven’t used it in years, it’s not worth the space it takes cluttering up my studio.

Each week, I’ll post a blog chronicling how I’m doing in each of these areas, and we’ll get to see if the stuff I blog about actually works, or more importantly, if I can actually make it work in my personal career. I can’t wait for the ride!