Patience vs Ambition For a Newbie
Finding balance as an indie artist: patience vs. ambition tips.

For every newbie in every industry, there's a delicate balance between patience and ambition. The line between greed and lack of ambition can be as thin as a whisker sometimes. You never want to sell yourself short, but you're also wary of being seen as an opportunist looking to make a quick buck. I understand it's a struggle everyone goes through at the start of a career. It's no different for indie artists.

In Nigeria, for example, it's normal for a newbie to get paid little to nothing for a gig. There's even a phrase to describe it! It's called "getting paid with exposure" because the recruiters seduce the prospects by telling them the experience and exposure they'll gain are worth more than whatever they get paid. If you're ever in a similar situation, what would you do? Are the experience and exposure truly worth it? How can you find the balance between patience and ambition? Walk with me...

Disclaimer

Before we begin fully, I must sneak in this disclaimer. There's no one formula to tackle issues like this. Life isn't a script, it can be random sometimes. What works for your brother might not work for you. In this article, I'll try to help you find a balance but do not take my word as law. With human relations, there are no rules set in stone.

That said, some principles have stood the test of time. Too much patience might cost you a spot at the top but over-ambition is just as dangerous. So where can we find a balance?

Walking the tightrope

Finding a balance between two concepts that are so closely related can be as tricky as walking a tightrope. As an indie artist, you've learned over and over how it's important to start small. Don't go for the big venues, try out the smaller ones first and build up your skill and portfolio. This "start small" phase can feel like forever, and it usually takes an ambitious move to scale up your career. All too often, the upcoming artist just gets comfortable in the smaller venues and never leaves. I don't want that for you.

Starting small is important in your journey, but without ambition, you might never succeed. So seeing them as two opposing concepts that you must learn how to balance won't help you, I have a better way. Don't balance them, marry them. I'll explain what I mean.

Many people wrongly interpret patience to mean simply sitting down and waiting for something to happen. That kind of attitude will burn your ambition out faster than a kid would put out a birthday candle. Patience married with ambition is perhaps the most powerful combination in the world. Your patience helps you wait, but your ambition won't let you just sit around. So you're waiting, but you're constantly working to attain what you're waiting for. And I have a simple rule to help you l with this.

Always make progress.

Don't stay stagnant for too long, always make progress. Did you perform in front of fifty people today? That's awesome, now go for seventy. Or a hundred. Just make progress. Always look to improve on what you have. Don't go from fifty people to fifty thousand people, that's impatience. Go from fifty to a hundred, now that's ambition. When you finally get the big break, you'll know you've had to be both patient and ambitious to get there.

Don't try to balance, integrate them. The effect is much more powerful that way.

Tips on negotiating

You now understand why patience and ambition aren't enemies but the most effective allies. When your big break comes, however, you have to be ready to take it. One place many newbies struggle is negotiation. It's as important a skill as your singing. I can't teach you everything about negotiation here, but I can give you some tips.

Check the duration

If you're going to be under contract with any organization, you want to know how long you'll be tied to them. I know you're excited about the money but look at the timeline first. Does it fit with what you have in mind? Are you bound to end up slaving away for eternity? You have to check.

For most record deals, there's an initial period of one year, after which you can decide to renew. And I recommend you stick with that because one year is enough time for you to find your feet and grow. If all goes well, you'll be much more valuable after one year and can negotiate a better deal for yourself.

Autonomy

You're an independent artist. This means you thrive on creative autonomy, you want to be able to do what you want. That said, you might have to compromise some of your wishes at the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should ditch your indie values. I'm saying learn how to be tactful until you're big enough to get what you want. Whether it's a record deal, a singing gig, or anything else, learn tact in negotiating. You will have to compromise on some points.

That said, you should have a list of things you're not willing to compromise on. Once you have your core of demands set, you can play around with the others. If you get them, hooray! If not, that's okay too.

Money

Now we get to the money. As an indie artist, you must be careful with money negotiations. Oftentimes, money can be a trap used to snag you into a deal you'll grow to hate. You must learn to think beyond money. That said, money is still important. If you can't make money from your music, you'll eventually have to quit and find a job.

When negotiating money, whether royalties or upfront payment, the work is done outside the negotiating room. You need to research the average rate for someone at your level. This will help guide you on what to ask for, and where to put your foot down. When your demands are backed with proper research, you can relax in the negotiating room because you know what you're there for. One more thing...

Make sure they know you're ready to walk away. As sharks can smell blood in the water, a recruiter can smell desperation. And I haven't made that comparison lightly.

Final Thoughts

Balancing patience and ambition can be tricky, but integrating them arms you with a powerful combo. So stop working so hard to keep both of them on opposite sides while you walk the thin line between them. Marry them, and watch your journey evolve into one with purpose.