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Murphy’s Law

I love meeting people in the industry to talk about the events and situations they have encountered. My favorite topic is to talk about the odd or strange things that have happened and hearing about how they overcame those situations. Our industry is so dynamic, no two shows are ever the same and our partners in this industry have all had some interesting experiences.

I get the most out of learning about how people have problem-solved different situations in the past or how they have overcome something unexpected. It’s truly fascinating to hear how they defeated barriers they have encountered over time.  I was recently talking to someone about these same topics, and they commented on it all just being like Murphy’s Law. If you don’t know what Murphy’s Law is, it’s often summed up with the common adage of what can go wrong, will go wrong. I found this outlook very interesting and thought to myself – we’ve all been there.

The equipment stops working; the team wasn’t notified of a drastic time change, the truck is three hours late, and more.  Some things we can quickly recover from, others will cause us hours of extra work to correct, but in the end, the show will go on. We continuously work to overcome everything that goes wrong for the good of the show. These are the things we like to complain about, but they never stop us from doing it again.  Every situation, once experienced and conquered, turns into a great story, often shared during happy hour. I’ve written about some of the situations I’ve had to work through such as an artist not showing up and not having a proper budget for a building; each situation being overcome in diverse ways with skills I have learned over time.  We’ll never know the answers to everything, but we can often use our previous experiences to overcome new obstacles.

In the beginning, some of these will seem like show stoppers, your blood pressure might go up and anxiety may kick in, but you will get through it. With time those issues get easier and new ones pop up, but as you gain experience, problem-solving gets faster and it’s easier to tackle the new ones because you have a better foothold than you did before. Problems that arise often kick-start our adrenaline. Some of us thrive on the challenges that Murphy’s Law seems to provide. It’s an adventure to overcome the obstacles, to adapt to the changing situation in seconds, and to create a solution so the event can move forward. Eventually, we have gained enough skills where these issues don’t seem as big as they once were.

Murphy’s Law gets the best of us from time to time, but if we keep learning through these issues, we’ll only get better for the next show. I also think we might be trained a bit like Pavlov’s dogs; coming back for more food whenever the bell rings.  There is something within the event world that keeps bringing us back time and time again. Maybe we’ve been conditioned like Pavlov’s dogs, but instead of a bell and food, we hear gig and think something along the lines of, oh this will be fun!

So, here’s hoping Murphy’s Law doesn’t kick in for your next show, but your Pavlov’s senses keep you coming back for more.  What can go wrong, will go wrong – but hey let’s do that again and learn from the last time!

 

Ch Ch Ch Changes

It’s the new year’s resolution time where many people look at setting goals such as eating healthier, exercising more, or to stop procrastinating as much.  While some stick with it others give up within the first month or so.  Some people don’t believe in setting resolutions while others like myself set new goals any time of year, especially when I feel like I have achieved a previous target. For me, as part of setting new goals, it is helpful to look back on the past year.

2017 brought a lot of change in my career and life.  What I decided early on in the year it was time for a career change.  I wasn’t unhappy where I was, but I had felt like I had achieved my goals and needed a significant change to continue to grow as a person and in my career.  So, I started the job hunt which resulted in a move later in the year. I was pretty lucky to have a job line up quickly, found great housing fast, and had a family to help me with all the transition.

As with any change though, there were things I would end up having to give up and things that would inevitably change even though I didn’t want it too. I wouldn’t see my friends every day and eventually lose touch with some. My surroundings would be unfamiliar for a long time, and I wouldn’t be the expert in my new position until I learned it and so much more.  Many of these changes I expected, while others I did not.

For instance, some friends change a lot faster when you move unexpectedly. I need to keep reminding myself that lifelong friends will always stick around – near or far a great friendship will last any distance. Meanwhile, getting out and joining clubs or groups will create new friendships closer to home which could also open new possibilities and new experiences. It is incredible how people are connected and meeting one new person could lead to networking connections for even more positive changes down the line.

As for learning my new job, that will take time, and I am just going to have to get used to that. Each organization runs differently and has different goals.  Even though the jobs are similar the people, venues, and events are different. It will take time to work through all the differences and changes as well as to improve it with my experiences and skills.

I never expected that doing sound would become mostly absent from my life. I hoped by changing my job would have become fun again by having a new environment to work in and new things to learn.  Diving back into sound is essential to me. I will work towards it one step at a time, so I can change the phrase “I use to do sound all the time” to “I do sound all the time.”  It will be an uphill challenge as I rebuild relationships, learn new technology, and balance it all; but it is one I am sure looking forward to!

Even with the things that have gone according to plan and the others that have not I would still make the changes I did because through these experiences I will only grow as a person and be ready for future opportunities to come. So, my goals for 2018 are to continue running with the change I started in 2017, see where all of it is going to take me this year, and get back into sound. All different kinds of goals can create a fun and challenging year. What are your sound goals for 2018?

Making the Change

Last month SoundGirl and blogger Kirsty Gillmore wrote a blog that hit very close to home for me. She posted about taking a risk, creating change, and making decisions for her career that makes her happy. Read her blog here, if you haven’t already. Change can be hard and scary. It’s one thing to think or talk about doing something, and another to actually do it. Kirsty, I applauded you for stepping out of your comfort zone to refocus your career and take on new challenges! It is really inspiring to know someone else is in the same position I am in.

The points from Kirsty’s blog that rang most true for me were the feeling of accomplishing my goals in my last position and no longer feeling challenged by a majority of the job. Although a job may never be fully complete, there is a time where it is good to move forward, create change, grow your skills, and try something new. This is exactly the position I found myself in this year.

So, about a month ago I made a big life change; something I had been thinking about for close to a year while waiting for the right job opportunity to open up. That opportunity recently came along and, as a result, I submitted my resignation at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and relocated to a new city and university.

I’m now located in St. Paul, Minnesota, and I’m working for St. Catherine University, an all-women undergraduate school. I’m in more of an overall events logistics role, but there is still some small-scale technology as part of the job. This move has brought me closer to family after being away for about ten years, as well as into a larger market where I hope to develop relationships to continue to freelance in the area. Overall, I’m looking forward to working through the challenges of a new environment and space while developing new skills in my full-time position.

One thing I think is great about my new position is that, as I mentioned earlier, it’s an all-women school. With that, I will work closely with and get to develop the next generation of women entering the workforce, with the opportunity to expose them to the wonderful world of events too. I find my new role challenging, but it is a great place to use my skills in logistics planning for campus events.

I’m excited to be in this larger market where I’ll be able to make new connections within the events and audio world. I hope to experience many new venues, and hopefully, run into many more SoundGirls! I’m motivated to expand my network and maybe do a freelance gig here or there. I look forward to being able to continue to talk about my experiences and this change through SoundGirls. If you’re in the area, let me know – I’d love to connect!

Some Great Gear

Over the last year, with a brand-new facility, I’ve been able to purchase a lot. Here are some of what I would consider being the best small to medium-sized purchases of the year.

First, the most lifesaving (ok, more time and ease saving) items would be road cases! Going from a building where everything was within 30ft to a building where everything is two floors away is a change. I purchased road cases and created packs to go to each area. This made everything much simpler, and likely shaves off more setup time then when everything was stored closer. There are hundreds of case companies out there. My recommendation is to check out the case companies closest to you. This can save you time and money in shipping, plus you are also supporting a local or regional business. Just make sure the cases will hold up to abuse and fit your need for size and height.

Second, functional clothing, which is needed all the time but worth highlighting here. For me, there are two key items for functional clothing: pants with pockets and well-supporting shoes. Another SoundGirl posted some leggings with pockets a while back. Now, I’m not a legging person myself but it shows that someone is finally getting it: Pockets are needed! I usually get jeans that are a little cheaper and have well-built pockets. This way I can carry essential tools and then, if something happens to the jeans, they aren’t expensive to replace. For shoes, I prefer closed-toed with good support. Generally, I pick a hiking shoe for long days and keep some steel-toed shoes around for load-ins/outs. I find that hiking shoes provide support for longer than a general tennis shoe.

Third, a fun piece of equipment to get to know: a Shure ULXD wireless mic setup. (Just in time for the bandwidth chaos too!) We went the digital route and I couldn’t be happier with them for our meeting rooms. They work great with a lot of the other wireless mic setups throughout the campus and building. Batteries seem to last long enough and the pickup is awesome, even for those who don’t hold the mic properly. I’m hoping to add more of these to the inventory soon.

Finally, fourth, a hand-held little tool that is easy to take everywhere: The Gerber Shard keychain. This tool has been great to keep attached to my keys as I have encountered different power panels and boxes that needed opening. It’s lightweight and sturdy making it much nicer to carry all the time than a full multi-tool. It will never replace a good multi-tool, but it’s great to always have around.

What are some of the best purchases you’ve made this year?

 

Shout-Out to our Lighting Friends

I know we are all audio friends here, but I have to take a moment to talk about one of our counterparts, a counterpart who is always involved in live shows. The setup can be very simple or incredibly detailed, but they are often considered competitive or our frenemy in the field. Many times we are on the same timetable, with a lot to do and in a small space, working on top of each other to accomplish a show.

As part of opening a new building, I have had to face this counterpart head on. My least favorite activity to do in tech: lighting. I mean, seriously, I’m good with just hearing the show and not seeing it!

From recent firsthand experience, I can tell you lighting is a lot of work! For the first time, I had to work through spec-ing, ordering and, now, installing a full lighting system for two venues. To give you an idea of how much work this is, it took three loads just to get all that trash out!

In all seriousness though, I learned that our counterparts in lighting work just as hard to master their craft as we do. The diversity in lighting tasks resembles the variety in audio – except, instead of mic variations, different styles of speakers and tuning, it’s lamp differences, hundreds of fixture options and focusing.

As I have been working on this install, I have realized that I can’t imagine what it would be like to set it all up, wire, address, and program a rig like this every day on a large-scale tour. Let alone troubleshooting, with so many fail points and everything at least 20 ft. over my head, once it’s up. Just like audio, the details matter. There are endless options on how to do it, what it looks like, and how to please the audience. I’m happy to dead-hang some lights, make sure they work, and then let my students go to town.

Now that the products have begun arriving, it’s expected to take two weeks to complete the install, followed by spending time learning the new lighting board (which could take months to master). Major props to our counterparts, the lighting folk! I’m glad someone likes to do it.

P.S. I really did work with some lights – not just with a bunch of boxes.

What’s Wrong with Being Special?

Recently, I was conducting a back-of-house tour for someone when they asked, “What is your favorite part of the building, and what is your least favorite?” I have been asked that question over and over again, but suspect it is one of those questions people don’t actually care to hear the true answer to, so I moved forward with my cushy standard response. I had this glossed-over answer prepared because to answer properly would require a lot of reflection on where and what things went right, and how other things went wrong.

Mostly, I think this question gets asked to fill time while moving from space to space. But this time I got called out on my somewhat polished standard response and this person pushed to know the real answer. I took a minute to craft my response then I answered: The most difficult part of this building project has been watching things go wrong and not being able to use my skill set to address the issues before they became something we have to live with every day. To my surprise, the person responded with “Well, we all can’t be special. People think they have the right answer to everything.”

I understand what they were saying. They were commenting on an ideology that seems prevalent lately – that people think they are always right or believe that only they can do it right – which was not the intention of my answer. I understand that there is a stereotype that Millennials, a generation I belong to, feel they are somehow special, but I see a different meaning in my answer. Isn’t the point of hiring a diverse team to work together, solve problems, and rely on one another to complete a directive? Don’t we use this diverseness to help people learn from the experts among the group and to fill in for the weaknesses of others? Isn’t the point of interviewing to hire someone who seems to fit within the team? Of course, the candidate or employee needs to meet the job requirements and be able to do the tasks assigned, but a hiring manager can get that information from their CV. The interview process is about gaining insight into their personality and the skills that will contribute to (or hinder) the team the organization already has, and understanding how their attitude and drive will contribute to accomplishing the end goal.

In this job, our goals are to work with new equipment, create the best sound, get an impressive mix, set the best EQ, and more. We can’t achieve these goals by ourselves – we aren’t that special. But, as warehouse managers, we look for a team that supports the organization’s desire for equipment rentals or tour packs; as tour managers, we look for effective sound engineers, stage-hands, and RF technicians who can problem-solve their way through the touring minefield. Each trained in their specialty, with their own strengths and weaknesses. The audio field requires so many specialties; we have guitar techs, stage techs, tour managers, monitor engineers, safety coordinators, and more, just for one traveling show. Knowing this, why wouldn’t an organization make the most of the specialist team it hired by capitalizing on team members’ individual strengths? Doing so enables an organization to gain information, achieve tasks faster, grow as an operation, tackle new challenges, increase revenue and productivity, and further its mission and purpose.

So, my point is, shouldn’t everyone on staff be special to their organization? Shouldn’t there be the opportunity to share knowledge to help the organization achieve its goals? As an employee, don’t you want your strengths to be recognized and used for progress? As a manager, don’t you want a team that can support the project or department that you’re leading? In other words, I want to work somewhere where I am viewed as special – and so are those around me – because our specialties are how, together, we’re going to get the job done.

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