How to Tame Your Scarcity Monster and Improve Your Singing
I’ve been seeing a LOT of scarcity around NYC lately. People are angry, rushed, combative- not to mention James Corden getting kicked out of restaurants and Patti LuPone giving up her Equity Card.
To be honest, I’ve been feeling like a bit of a Scarcity monster myself
There isn’t enough time to get everything done, my career isn’t far enough along, I don’t have enough training, I’m not in shape enough, there’s never enough money, I’m not spending enough time cultivating friendships...Oof- Should’ve had a V8!
I bring this up to talk about scarcity and how it shows up in both our lives and our singing.
Scarcity mindset in singing can look like:
“I’m only a good singer if I can Belt high”
“I MUST get this perfect on my first try”
Magnifying criticism and tossing away praise
“If I don’t book this one job, I’m talentless”
“I must figure this out in the next hour or I’m a failure”
“If I push myself hard enough, I’ll be able to force my way into the life of my dreams”
To be frank, these feelings make sense after the past few years. This shit has only gotten harder.
My question for you, however, is:
Does your singing practice lead you into more of this scarcity, or is it a respite from it?
If you are someone who’d like your singing to feel more calming and grounding, I have some thoughts.
You are an artist and a human. You cannot force learning to a specific timeline. You need space and abundance to do your best work. If you want to be a creative, authentic, one of a kind singer, you need room to surprise yourself and discover new things.
How do we create this type of environment?
Slow the F*** down.
Build in enough time to sing without rushing
Engage in a practice of cultivating awareness- the better you can sense yourself, the better you can sense what feels good
Actually play your instrument(i.e. sing in a playful way)
Even if just for a few minutes sing without the obligation of a “good” result. “Just Be” in your body and your voice.
It’s less about practicing and more about “Developing a Practice”
In my experience, working more abundance into your singing leads to the vocal nuance and freedom most of us are in search of. You get the results without forcing the results. You leave practice sessions feeling refreshed, grounded, and much less likely to curse out a stranger on the streets.
If this way of thinking speaks to you, I’d love to chat. I truly believe that we can train our singing voices at a high level, and ALSO use our singing to make our lives better on a daily basis. I work in a way called “Experiential Learning” which builds this work into lessons and workshops.
The world is a dumpster fire right now. Your singing doesn’t have to be.
-Kevin