Apr 14, 2020
Community Reactions: How to do less in an industry that operates on excess
Singer/Songwriter Ayelle shares her philosophy of being kinder to ourselves and giving ourselves a break, during lockdown and beyond. [Words by Ayelle]
Right now is a challenging time for everyone, individuals and industries alike, and the music industry is feeling the rumble.
When the lockdown kicked in a lot of people were quickly encouraged to grasp this moment as a new opportunity to learn skills, get on with that to do list that you never get around to and do anything and everything to continue to keep our minds occupied and our days productive.
But why is it that one of our greatest fears seems to be the fear of having no distractions?
Maybe because the music industry, like many others, operates on a notion that excess and effort are necessary in order to get noticed and to stay relevant.
Now, if you happen to be full of energy during this time and your biggest outlet is dancing on TikTok then go for it, but I have a feeling a lot of us are feeling the pressure right now to produce content at abnormal rates — something that was already a source of stress for many prior to this.
If you’re like me and a bit of an introvert who needs genuine human connections to be comfortable and at ease, then the sudden complete shift of human connection onto social media platforms might have left you feeling drained. Heck, even if you’re an extrovert it’s enough to leave you feeling drained at this moment, as we are being bombarded with content and online productivity on a minute to minute basis.
Now I’d like to say I have a solution to all of this, but I’m afraid I don’t, I just have a thought process that I’m trying to cultivate towards it to make it a bit easier. Each and everyone of us needs to do the same right now, and focus on finding what works for YOU.
However, in the hopes that my thought process might somewhat resonate with your own, I’m going to share a few of the things I’ve noticed and have been trying to remind myself of.
1. Just because they’re doing it — it does not mean that you have to as well
We’ve all got different strengths, different energy levels and different resources. It’s one thing to allow yourself to be inspired by the content everyone is coming up with right now — but you do not need to be doing all of that as well, or feel as if you’re failing if you’re not.
Focus on doing things that motivate you and let yourself be inspired by what you actually enjoy and know that that is enough. You are doing the best you can with the energy and resources at your disposal, and that is all any of us can ever hope to do.
Be proud of everything you make, as well as everything you don’t.
2. See this as an opportunity to do less
In every day lives we are required to deal with so much at the same time — why are we filling our days with activities trying to mirror every day life when we have a once in a life opportunity to slow down?
Don’t feel guilty about doing less right now. Allow yourself to enjoy it. Do your tasks mindfully and take all the time you need. Instead of stuffing more into your to do list to feel like you’re being productive by over compensating, see if you can scale it back even more and what that feels like. Can you design your day in a way that prioritises your physical and spiritual needs over the needs of the mind?
3. Reflect on your life path and what’s important to you
It’s so easy to get caught up in achieving, achieving, achieving in this industry — we rarely get to take a moment to even celebrate our victories before we’re on to the next thing.
This could be a great moment to reflect on where you’ve been and find gratitude for things that have gotten overlooked, as well as questioning the path you’re on (or were on).
Sometimes we’re so caught up in our careers that we don’t notice something’s out of synch.
Hopefully this could be a chance to notice some of those aspects.
What’s working for you and what is working against you?
What do you need to let go of?
What do you actually want and why?
Do you like the path you’re on and where it’s heading?
Are you still enjoying it?
If not, what needs to change?
4. Practise kindness in the face of uncertainty
Kindness has been on my mind a lot lately. This whole situation is exposing our society in so many ways and the earth is calling for us to treat her with more kindness, maybe this time we’ll listen. And maybe we’ll start by listening to ourselves and taking the pressure off a bit.
Another way to cultivate this is to find small ways of extending kindness to others.
The book 29 Gifts by Cami Walker would make a great quarantine buddy at this time if that’s something you’re looking to cultivate more of as well.
For me, I find that kindness allows me a softer approach to everything I do, whether that’s scrolling through social media, cooking myself a meal or recording a song.
It’s a choice I have to keep making over and over but every time I do I feel some internal resistance dissolve and I can breathe a little bit easier — I hope it does the same for you.
@ayellemusic on Instagram
Swedish-Iranian Ayelle has been songwriting ever since she learned how to write. Known for her bittersweet, emotive vocals and compelling, vulnerable lyrics, she draws inspiration from her own life experiences, exploring a range of topics such as self-worth, power dynamics within relationships and challenging the status quo. Growing up in Sweden and Spain, she continued on to pursue music in London, where she garnered support from the likes of Billboard, Pitchfork, Complex, BBC 1Xtra, Majestic Casual, and Highsnobiety. Ayelle has since continued on to receive the PRS Momentum Fund in early 2019 whilst releasing a single every month, performed at SXSW, signed publishing with UMPG US and relocated to New York City.
