“I think we should move to Nashville”
The words that started our journey. He outgrew the city we were in and it was time to be the little fish in the big pond. I knew he needed to grow, to expand. He needed to flex his fingers and his mind in ways he’s only dreamt of. I knew it was time to stop dreaming.
“I think that’s where you belong.”
I wonder if other musicians feel this pull. For those that do, you’ll understand me when I say it’s not just a decision to move here. It’s the underwater current you can’t swim out of; the gravitational force you can’t peel yourself away from. You don’t decide to move to Nashville. You wake up and realize one day that you’re not home. That you’ve never really been home.
(To those that don’t have close ties with your family, know that this realization is both sad and inviting all in the same.)
“Now what?”
That first, scary moment where you’ve made the jump but now that you’re here, what do you do first? Is there a start to a finish? A race you’ve just entered and you’re hoping to catch up? Or is this just a pool where you jump in and hope you can keep your head above water?
“I must be doing something wrong. I must not be good enough.”
It’s been a year, maybe two now. You’ve not picked up any work, or at least very little. You constantly, silently compare yourself to those around you. You see their success and toss logic to the wind. Sure. They’ve been here seven years to your one, but hey that doesn’t matter, right? You should’ve already “made it” by now. This is the temptation. This is what you have to guard yourself from thinking, feeling, believing, if you’re going to continue to strive to be that successful Nashville musician. If you’re going to “make it”.
“Speaking of making it…”
I’m not sure this is a real thing, to be honest. I hear people talk about “making it”.
→ I should’ve made it by now
→ He/she never made it as a musician
As a musician, especially in Nashville, you’re always striving to “make it” and the closer you get to it, the more you realize it never really existed to begin with. You’re a musician. If you’ve already made the move to Nashville, you’ve “made it.” I mean sure, I get what people mean. “Making it” means they are successful in whatever goal they hoped to attain. But I guess that is exactly what I am getting at. Theres no such thing as “making it” because the phrase itself is so fluid and each person has their own definition. Don’t focus on “making it”. I don’t believe that is ever the end goal, not really.
… … … … …
Three and a half years later, we are still grasping at our goals. Striving for success but not at the cost of our sanity. We continue to blend our worlds to the point where we confuse the “I” and the “You” in any story. There’s more story to write, more plots to unfold.
If you would like to see where this story began, please click HERE.
The Nashville Wife 
Sarah, just read your blog on my break. Another winner! You go, girl!
Much love,
~Mom
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Thank you! It’s very therapeutic for me 🙂
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Awesome! If you “Make it,” is the dream over And if you stop dreaming……what then?
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That’s actually a great question… I think if you “make it”, the true dream has only just begun. If you stop dreaming? Then you’ve all but given up on yourself and to me, that’s just not a way to live this life. Never ever stop dreaming. Never stop striving for more. Stay hungry. ❤️
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Beautifully written share of your heart. “Making it” definitely has different meanings. I believe that it’s best to be in competition with yourself, where you’ve been and where you want to go, rather than comparing yourself to someone else’s “making it.” God bless you and your family!
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I could not agree more. “Making it” is absolutely defined , should only be defined, by the person themself, for themself. Thank you so much for reading and for commenting your thoughts.
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I can relate so much to this! I do have close ties with my family, and leaving them was so hard. But more importantly feeling like nothing was for me back home as far as my career goes was a hard reality to face. I’d love to feature some of these words on my blog’s weekly Braveheart feature. I feature other woman who made the brave decision to move here. Love this!
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Oh you are too kind! Yes I’d be honored to have you feature my blog! It’s hard to make the move for sure. Even harder, I think, leaving the only world you know behind. Did you make this move alone? My husband co-leads a group called Balanced Breakfast on Friday mornings; it’s held at Zollikoffee on 8th street, downtown 9-11 am if you ever want to go. It’s men and women that get together for coffee/breakfast and talk about all aspects of building a career/life in Nashville. 🙂 Feel free to email me for more info if you’d like! (On my contacts page). Thanks so much for reading and reaching out. Means everything to me 🙂
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