The Widetrack Chronicles 14: Mission Statement 1.0


Chapter 14: Mission Statement 1.0

I was inspired to share this today... 

One of the things I love most about playing music is connecting with kindred spirits...  

To find a shared love for certain bands and making new friends through music is one of the things that restores my hope that things will ultimately be OK in the world...  

More than ever, I've been feeling the desire to engage with people who seek something deeper out of life... The experience of knowing that they are doing what they are on this earth to do... The experience of feeling alive...  

I can always recognize these kindred spirits when I meet them... It doesn't really matter what their walk of life may be... there is invariably something they have a deep passion for... I can see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices, read it in their words...  


This same kind of passion led me to form Widetrack ten years ago, and put out my first two CDs... The excitement of having my own music out there in the world, and knowing that there are people who care about it, inspires me to no end... 

 

But not very long ago, I thought I had reached the end of my rope and almost gave up on original music altogether... 

As many independent musicians will tell you, this is not a path for everyone... The work-put-in/financial-reward ratio doesn't always line up as favorably as in other careers, and it is all too common for a good band to languish in obscurity until finally losing steam and breaking up out of disillusionment and frustration... 

But the simple truth is, I know deep in my bones that what I'm on this earth to do is to write, record and perform original music... Quitting is just not an option at this point, however hard it may sometimes get to survive as an independent musician... 

Sometimes that means playing cover songs... which can actually be a lot of fun, depending on the circumstances...  

But I learned a long time ago that making a living playing covers is far easier than making a living playing original music... 

And as fun as playing covers can be, people like myself have a difficult time accepting the notion that the vast majority of folks out there would rather hear hit songs they already know, than songs they've never heard before, from bands they've never heard of before... 

This is just not the musical world I want to spend the majority of my all-too-brief time on this earth living in...  


Hence, Widetrack... 

 

 So once I realized that this was indeed the path I wanted to be on, I began asking myself a question...  

"What, specifically, is my mission?"  

Here are a few answers I found (I'm sure more will be added as this journey progresses)... 

-To write, record and perform music that makes me feel passionately alive in my creativity, and is of as high in quality as I can possibly make it... 

-To present this music in ever creatively evolving ways that move and inspire those who connect with it... 

-To have writing, recording and performing original music be how I earn my living, so I can remain focused on progressing as an artist and therefore stay true to what I believe I am on this earth to do...  

-To inspire, influence and encourage others to develop their own unique talents, and help their creative spirits to flourish in whatever ways I can...  

-To build a network of true friendships, cooperating towards spreading the influence of excellent things - whether it be music, art, movies, writing, coaching, learning, etc. - and therefore do our part in helping make the world a better place...  

It's taken a lot to get to this point, and if there's one thing I've learned so far, it's that no one does it by themselves... those who help along the way are absolutely vital to the overall equation... 

And so, I want to thank you for being here... You are among the first to show support for this music, and it truly means the difference between it flourishing, or just being something I do as a hobby in my spare time... 

I invite you to use this music as one of hopefully many influences that propel you onward towards your own mission... 

I must ask: Have you been dancing around the idea of doing something you would absolutely love doing? Please, give it a try... The world needs your gifts... What you do matters - don't ever doubt that!    

I am always here... Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. 

Wishing you the best, 


Ron 

 

Always love hearing from you! Feel free to respond: Ron@widetrackmusic.com 

And if you’d like to join our Facebook group, we’d love to have you: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Widetrackband/ 

Other links: 

YouTube channel  
https://www.youtube.com/Widetrack 

Twitter 
@Widetrackband 

Instagram  
https://www.Instagram.com/Widetrackband

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