The Social Network…..

(This is NOT a movie review)

I saw The Social Network last night. Wow.



I hated the ending, just seemed to drop off cause they couldn't find a logical ending point, though I realize it was cause there was nothing else to really say. I guess I'm used to stories that end as opposed to just hanging there, so I get why they did it that way, but I digress.

I'm not writing a review of the movie. I'm writing because that will now be one of "those" movies for me. It ranks now with films like "The Pursuit Of Happiness"



In other words, it'll be one of those films that makes me wanna go out and do great things because it makes me feel like I'm wasting my time and not doing anything outstanding with my life.

I know that everyone's life is different, but under a different set of circumstances that could've been me. I didn't have those circumstances, I had the ones I've had. But the circumstances didn't make those people. What made those people was the drive to do it, and their own obsession. Zuckerbrug changed the way I'll do my business forever with Facebook. Sean Parker changed the music business with Napster, though some in my position would argue that as an audio engineer it was to our detriment (my own thoughts are not being reflected here).

So what the fuck am I doing? Sitting at home watching south park and playing on Facebook. I know what I want to be in life, and I'm trying to be that, but why haven't I implemented this on the scale that these other people have?

There are a few key differences between these people and me. 1, they had money. Sure, according to the film, Facebook was started with a $1000 investment. $1000 wouldn't do shit for a recording studio, so I'd need an investment of quite a bit more than that. Also, these people were able to tap into their existing social networks for their own benefit. I'm trying to go out and meet people, and to some extent it's paying off for my company, but not quite as quickly as it seemed to in the film for the founders of Facebook (I know, it's a 2 hour movie, and all that development likely took a lot longer).

But the film really ignited a fire in me. It made me wanna go out there and do everything in my pioneer to turn my situation around. I'm 30, I barely have an income, and I'm not doing so well in College. I'm building a recording studio from the ground up with almost no budget, and am trying to get where I need to be in life through my own means. Some would call it me trying to pull myself up by my own bootstraps…….but you have to have boots first to do that! LOL!

Not that I'm complaining about my progress. Sure I'd love to have more studio clients and better gear……who wouldn't? On a gear front, I know I can't compete with some of the other studios in town, but I do the best I can with what I have and I know what I'm doing. Slau said something on twitter a few days ago that sticks with me…“@SlauBeSharp: BE an audio engineer and DO what audio engineers do and you'll HAVE what audio engineers have—not the other way around." - I hear ya bro. I'm working on that. I've followed similar advice from Bob Baker for years, and know the value of that way of thinking. An audio engineer isn't a collection of gear, it's a person with a specific skill set. Sure, some of the other studios could beat me on the gear front, but I still know what I'm doing and have what I need to get the job done. That's the best I can do at this point, and I'm going to take it as far as I can.

But now I'm wondering what the best way for me to make my mark will be. I mean, how can I REALLY make an impact that will last? What can I do that will get me noticed quickly by the people who I hope to have as my clients?

Some would say that in todays realm of social media, and with my lack of any kind of budget for advertising, that I'm doing what I can to get myself noticed. I'm going to shows, handing out cards, and talking to people. It's so easy to be ignored on Facebook or twitter when you're asking for someone's business. It's harder to ignore them when you've listened to them for 20 minutes over a couple of beers at a show and made friends with them.

So maybe that's where the stepping stones to my advancement lie. Maybe right now I'm in the "paying my dues" phase and the rewards will come in time?! Who knows. But after watching films like "The Social Network" and "The Pursuit Of Happiness", I really get the desire to take myself as far as I can as quickly as I can. Let's see how motivated I get now…..