September 16, 2008 The story of limbo after Graduation
The story of limbo after graduation
*This story may or may not relate to me or anybody else, but it will relate to the growing trend of fatigueness from the recent graduating students working their way into the music industry.
Joey graduated from a school specializing in music and production. He got a full entertainment business degree from the school, and came out with aspirations of running his own business and making a lot of money while helping out artists get what they need. He waited a month after graduation and got a great internship from an indie label, but it was non paid. Joey loved the job but he needed to pay rent. He believes that to become rich you have to have that mindset that you will get it eventually so Joey is a few thousand in debt, not counting the loan bills piling up and rent that is being paid right before late fee’s pile up. He refuses to go back home on the far west coast, because of the fact that he knows that if he does, than his music dreams will die and he will go back to the same things he did before he moved to the place he is at now.
The school he went to lead him on with high dreams of making it with a few teachers showing that it is not that easy. Now Joey also has a non music job with the music internship and that job is fatiguing him worse to the point where paying the rent and bills is all that matters. Music is slipping from Joey’s mindset when that was all that was on his mind. Its the limbo of a graduate, and what to do now? The internship is great, but the job pays the bills. If he doesn’t pay the bills, and he moves back home, than music and jobs will not be the only thing he has to worry about.
So this story I do not know if it relates to most graduates, or if it relates to anybody. Limbo happens to most after graduation, but its about the motivation and passion of the person to keep going or fall. Some fall worse than others, and some have backup plans. Joey’s one passion is music, but with bills to pay Joey is becoming passionless. Priorities are becoming less and less a priority in the fact the priority list is now skewed. Has the music industry become so fucked right now that with so many opportunities there is almost none that are open? What will Joey do when the day job takes over his passion as does to most?
But no worries. This industry is in a flux and if one takes too seriously, they got serious issues. Music is suppose to be fun, and it will be fun again. Bring it back to the days Mo Town, The hit factory where it wasn’t just a science, it was artists showcasing true talents. I want to bring that back, but true artists are some of the most difficult people to work with. Even Joey had a problem keeping his artists on check with groups breaking up, great talent singers never calling back, and when he got hard on them they just didn’t have the passion themselves. How can a person working on the business side have passion in a artist that does not have the passion themselves? Inspiration is needed in music, for if you lose that, than whats the point of doing it?
Joey on the side of working with the internship and job, is putting what he does best on a list to try and figure what he can truly offer these artist other than connections and a dream. He is good at speaking individually to an artist but lacks at putting the ax down when its needed. Planning has always been a plus because of how he was raised, but finishing up and making sure others follow is another thing. Joey is now looking for motivated artists outside of genre’s he has grown comfortable with to grow comfortable with them. Joey knows not to quit, and knows that being limbo is never a reason to quit your passion. Its a matter of setting new priorities and not sticking with plans that will not work anymore, sometimes it’s also getting your head out your azz and going beyond any comfort zone you have set yourself.
This limbo is a bubble that will either burst or float depending on the winds surrounding it. Joey will either crash under pressure or continue strong, because a quote from Tupac’s a rose that grew from concrete, “you not gon’ say, “Damn, look at all the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from concrete”, You gon’ be like, “Damn! A rose grew from the concrete?!”” The other quote, “it is not the destination but the journey” is another one that can describe limbo. No matter how you put it, life is not easy for anybody. The rich have mental issues, the middle class have a little bit of every issue, and the poor have to overcome so many obstacles that it’s amazing what people can achieve. Some people have limbo for life, so overcoming this bubble of a limbo shouldn’t be so difficult but it takes the best out of people. Just never give up on your passions, because even if you do… your heart never will.
From the mind of
Keveeno Reeverts
*If you read this and you have a similar story, make sure to put it in the comment section.
Limbo affects 76% of the population, and if you have a limbo lasting longer than 4 years please see a doctor for it may cause a unsafe drop of well being over the years.*
Kevin Reeverts AKA Keveeno is a graduate of The Institute of Production and Recording and has received his Music and Entertainment Business degree. He has been taught by the likes of Scott LeGere, Eric Trelsted, Champtown, Dessa Darling with Doomtree and many more great teachers who are within the indisutry as well. He is working to break into the industry any way possible and has already had good feedback on his blogs on Keveeno.wordpress.com called Keveeno’s Mind. His future looks bright since he is also interning at a record label called 50 Entertainments in Minneapolis, MN. The future ahead looks bright, but it is at the end of a tunnel full of pathways. Some have no cars and are easy to get to, but the brighter ones have the largest traffic jam with some at a standstill. All that matters is which to go to, to see how bright ones futures is.
Reader Comments (2)
If you would like to learn more about the company I intern for, 50 Entertainment, please go to 50records.com. We manage artists of the likes of White Light Riot of Minnesota, and Elevation of Atlanta.
Wow, Kev. You've hit a chord, man. You're talking for a lot of recent graduates caught by this economic downturn. Maybe people turning to music to lighten their load will start the upturn.