By Mackenzie Fey
Well, I’m glad you asked, because let me tell you—I learned. So much, too! I have two semesters worth of more knowledge to share! Here’s a few that would actually fit onto one blog post without it turning into a short novel:
Music Bizz (Artist Management, to be specific)
There are so many different moving parts in this industry, and I have been lucky enough to get a magnified view into what that looks like. With artist management, I’ve learned how much it requires real love of music, believing in the artist, taking risks, thinking outside the box, creativity, and patience. That, and more of course. I have found I learn so much more about what the industry actually looks like in the real world through experiences here than I typically would in the classroom settings. And even after about a million and one times trying to explain it to me, I finally understand what overages are (thanks Madeline).
Excellence
I remember sitting in Erin’s office during one of my first days here at Olivia Management last August, and as we were going through what the semester was going to look like, the word “excellence” was brought up a few different times. This means working hard, being honest, checking your work over, and showing nothing but kindness. I can’t express its importance enough. Excellence has been shown to me through Erin, Maggie and Madeline without fail. They are shinning examples of the word. I’m like 99.9% sure if you search “excellence” on dictionary.com, their names appear in the definition. It’s something I’ve strived for this semester, and will be carrying with me even after I leave the doors of this sweet, teal building.
Just Listen
Huh? What did you say? Just kidding! Whether that’s listening to instructions, or listening intently during all-company meetings, you’d be surprised how much you can absorb and learn from by just from staying quiet to observe. I’m definitely guilty of sometimes not being the best of listeners in my personal life, so learning how to be an attentive listener has been more than valuable here. It’s still a learning curve, personally, but I’m on my way!
Ask questions
With only just finishing my sophomore year in college, I’m still in the early stages of my music business knowledge in the real world (I still feel twelve years old most days). It was made known to me from the start of the semester that my internship at Olivia Management was a space to ask the questions I had about anything and everything going on with the company and/or industry. This is an incredible asset in an internship, and I have my wonderful supervisors to thank for that. Asking questions is how you take your learning to a whole new level, but, if you can google your question…then go ahead and just google it.
“Just do it!” - Shia LaBeouf
Sometimes, it can be a scary thing to do things you’ve never done or had the opportunity to do before, but as a wise man once said, “Just do it”. This can mean stepping out of your comfort zone and applying for that internship, reaching out to a professional, showing up at an artists show or industry party without knowing anyone, sending that email for a pitch, asking honest questions about something you’re really unsure about…the list could go on and on. There have been times I’ve been very unsure if I’m doing the right thing, or doing it correctly but I’ve noticed my tendencies to overanalyze and think about something way more than necessary. I’ve now learned to do it, and to be confident in myself and my abilities through and through.