Staying Sane In The Music Game

“If i knew there were other vehicles to altered states available that could help me get to the ‘zone’ – that flow state that we reach on stage, when we are practicing, recording or whenever we are playing music, then I wouldn’t have had to rely on the sharp ups and downs created by excess in drink and drugs. Not that I don’t use any of those options, but without a reliance on them, there is a choice.” Brett Leboff

“We need to make this conversation so powerful and continue it for years to come, so that it finally effects change within the industry and makes the institutions within our industry employ systems involving pastoral care, mental health awareness sessions and how to spot the signs of someone in the industry who is suffering and needs help. This book should help that conversation grow. “ Brett Leboff

“I buried my childhood trauma for nearly 30 years. it came back to bite me, being led by my dark shadow, unhappy and lost I took on the brave journey of finding out who I really am” Brett Leboff

One of the main problems in the music industry is that we who live and work within it, don’t readily admit to our ‘madness’, but looking at the path we’ve chosen – to invest ourselves in this world of slim chances and cut-throat deals – there has to be a little madness, right? “We’re not mad,” I hear you all cry, “we’re musicians!” But however you cut it, staying sane in such a competitive and ruthless industry is not straightforward. Trust me, I am speaking from experience – I am not ‘sane’ –  and almost every artist I have worked with would say the same about themselves.

This particular and beautiful form of ‘insanity’ characterises many music professionals today and, once we admit this to ourselves, we can openly explore the issues and reasons surrounding why and how we are mad! Once we’ve done that we can begin the journey of learning to manage ourselves within a specific framework that acknowledges and accounts for our eccentricities; building on them and affording us happier and more organised lives amid the inevitable chaos.

Or, we could just pretend we’re OK, bury our feelings deep and await the inevitable explosion as the pressure of self-loathing and neuroses builds over time in a half-hidden part of our personality that, actually, others can see only too easily. But self-destruction is not a good look!

That is the reason for this book. It’s a way for us to begin having the open and honest conversations we need to reveal a path of radical change and personal growth. My work in the music industry has led me into many dark and tumultuous places and from each one I’ve learnt valuable and enduring insights which I have picked apart carefully and put back together into a guiding framework and structure that you can use, your way, to live your unconventional life without too much trial and error.

Musicians and business professionals alike are exposed systematically to extreme behaviours, attitudes and situations all of which will require a tenacious mind and acute awareness to identify, harness and thrive from. This book will give you the mindset and tools to do just that. 

Here’s to Staying Sane!

– – – – – – – – –