Wellness in The Music Industry
Chapter 11
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I would be writing about arguably one of our most important events yet, and after taking some time for myself, I’m ready to do it.
As a community, many of us have committed to the schedule of at least logging on to Zoom on every Saturday to learn from industry experts and share music with each other. These events are never too stressful to attend (hosting is another story lol), but they are always fun and inspiring. Still, it’s a responsibility to ourselves and each other that we rarely ever miss. Every single Saturday, we set aside time in the morning to be with each other, and even though we’re happy to be there, we feel like we have to be “the artist”, “the manager” or, “the producer”, or anything else. At the “Wellness In Music” event, for the first time, we came as humans, and nothing more.
We started the event with a guided meditation lead by our CEO (and Certified Yogi) Alexi. I had never done anything like it before, but I’ve been lucky enough to experience it a few times since. Lexi leads us through deep breathing exercises and reminds us to stay present by focusing our energy in different parts of our body. I’m no yogi, but I think this has something to do with Chakras… Don’t quote me though, hit up Lexi if you’re interested lol.
The whole point of the event was to remind each other to take advantage of rest and down time. I’ve only been doing this for a year, but I already know how much of this industry is go, go, go, with something to do all the time – it was nice to see how meditation can still cut through all the bullshit when necessary.
After the meditation, we got to interact with each other in intimate groups. After weeks of wishing well for each other, we weren’t just making funny remarks in a group chat. That week, we spoke to each other about the things that really matter to us. When we broke off into groups, instead of telling each other what we do, we told each other why we do it. I know I always talk about how dope everybody at Finessed Media is, but I don’t think it can be said enough. I sat there, whole, and in disbelief that so many people are doing this for the same reason that I am. On behalf of myself, and the people I spoke to that day, I know that we’re doing this for the positive impact it can have on the world. We’re here to encourage our peers and the people around us to take care of themselves do what they love – for us, it’s music, for you, it could be whatever you want.
There are a number of ways to take care of yourself in this crazy world, but often we feel like we have to keep up, instead of stepping away. For an hour and a half on that Saturday afternoon, I was surrounded by the next generation of music professionals, who weren’t afraid to step away. I spent the rest of my weekend impressed; we’re not just saying we’re going to change the industry, we’re doing it.