Using the Pandemic Downtime to Your Advantage

Since early March of 2020, when COVID-19 hit our area, I’ve been attending 3 – 6 webinars per week, free of charge or for a minimal fee. Local governments have offered them, as have non-profit organizations like WALA and SCORE, and businesses like Zoom, WordPress, Google, and The Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy.

Being a small business entrepreneur, it’s been wonderful to educate myself in matters of branding, marketing, business, SEO’s, coping with COVID-19, taxes, copyright, getting the most out of reviews, utilizing my county resources, and learning online forums, among others.

I’ve also been taking master classes from Candace Long. She specializes in finding your voice and defining your purpose. These classes, intertwined with developing a business plan with my SCORE mentor, working with my web designer, and contacting musicians in my field, have helped me fine-tune my own vision and brand.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a work in progress and will be until the Lord takes me home. Being forced to stay home as a stay at home Mom, has been a journey of discovery as well. With my husband and daughter now working and studying from home, I don’t have the freedom and control to clean the kitchen, bake bread, practice the piano, or practice my music production skills whenever I choose. I have to adjust to their time schedules and use the time to do my work when I can.

I’m also calling up my music friends from my arts organizations who are also shooting for the same goals. We talk once a week or more and email one another to encourage and inspire one another by sharing our goals and ideas found through research and asking questions.

Don’t be afraid to ask someone in your field, whom you admire, your questions. I’ve found that they have been open to replying by email or even calling me personally to give their thoughts and problem solving through their years of experience.

Although this is a hard time for most people, I want to encourage you to use the online resources at your fingertips to learn from others.