Music + rejection

Goes together like peanut butter and rejection.

You wake in a strange room.

You open your eyes to find a (tastefully decorated) music studio that smells faintly of marijuana and incense.

Obviously, you scream, but the room is also acoustically treated, resulting in a loud but sonically pleasing yelp.

A man (who looks exactly like me, but is 100% not me) emerges from the attached bathroom, wheezing into his arm while quickly shutting the door.

“Don’t go in there” the man says, “for your sake”.

“Who the f*** are you?” you shout.

“My name is Micha…… Mark, and I am your music genie you wished for at that birthday party last week at Outback Steakho-”

You scream again. Another beautifully balanced shout reverberates through the room. The neighbors notice, but they enjoy it.

“You need to stop yelling,” the man grunts. “I’ve had a headache all morning…. I think I slept with my neck, stuck like WAY out last night and it’s been killing me all da-”

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?” you yell. “Tell me why I am here!!!!”

The man walks past you.

You reach out to grab him but find your arm chained to his (again, tasteful) standing studio desk.

“You are chained to the studio, isn’t that IRONIC…” the man pauses for laughter. It never arrives.

The man sighs and reaches into his pocket. He unfurls a small scroll in the shape of a musical note (thank you VistaPrint…) and takes a deep inhale.

“Here ye, here ye…….. ” the man begins. “I am Mark the Music Genie. Maker of music careers and, I like to think…. a generally good guy.”

A pause.

“If a music career is what ye wish, all ye hath to do is…..”

*The man ingnites two handheld sparklers and half-heartedly gestures towards the big red door that says EXIT*

“OPEN THE BIG RED DOOR!!!”

Another pause.

The man continues.

“All ye must do is walk through the door, and everything you want from your music career shall await you on the other side….”

The sparklers fizzle out. The man coughs.

“And uh... yeah that’s really all there is to it.”

Silence.

……

You stare at the man, slowly processing the bizarre (but charming) spectacle.

“I’m confused” you finally say. “Youre…. Mark the Music Genie?”

“That’s right” the man responds.

“And if I want a music career…. all I have to do is walk through that big red door?” you continue.

“That’s right”

“I see…… um….hmmm…”

You lift your arms and are reminded of the chains restraining your wrists.

“Well how am I supposed to walk through the door if I’m shackled to this [really tasteful] desk?”

The man smiles, and with a single sonically balanced snap of the man’s fingers, the shackles release from your arms.

“Ok go ahead…..” the man says. “….you can leave Mark the Music Genie now.”

The man frowns slightly and continues:

“Unless, of course, you have enjoyed your time and want to STAY with Mark the Mus-”

“I just walk out?” - you interrupt

“Yes, you just walk out…” - he answers

……..

Finally, you stand up slowly, skeptically.

“Ok… I’m gonna walk out then……"

“Alrighty….” The man sits at his desk and begins to busy himself. “Don’t go in the bathroom.”

You walk towards the door as the man begins to play music.

You reach for the door handle, imagining what incredible wonder await on the other side.

But before you twist the handle, you turn back to the man.

“What if it’s locked?” you ask.

The man turns around, now seeming slightly annoyed that you haven’t left, and lowers the music.

“Huh?” he grunts

“What…. what if it’s locked?” you repeat.

The man leans forward.

“It’s not locked…….” he says, confused. “It locks from the inside…. you can literally see the..…” he catches himself. “You’re all good my friend. Just walk on out!” the man says chipperly. “Go make your dreams come true."

The man turns the music back up.

“Ok… if you SAY so…..” you respond under your breath.

You reach for the handle again, but quickly turn back.

“Hey Mark…”

The man, now gua-sha-ing his neck to the sweet sounds of Mk.gee, slowly turns back around, a painful smile on his face.

“What’s up, bud?” he whispers painfully.

“I’m just…. a little nervous it’s gonna be locked and I’m gonna look like a fool.” you say.

The man lowers the music.

You continue.

“You see……. I want a music career and all, and I’m like SUPER grateful for this whole thing…. I just don’t want to look foolish.”

The man looks at you.

“I mean what if it’s a push door….?” you say.

“Then push?” the man responds.

“What if I push and it’s actually a pull……?” you respond

“Then pull…….” the man retorts.

“No no”… you whisper…. “that doesn’t seem right…….”

You sit back down. The mans eyes widen.

(He had plans to watch Love is Blind tonight and expected you to be gone by now).

“Oh hey champ……… why you sittin down….. ole crazy pants…..” the man prods. “I went through all this trouble after you wished for music career so I feel like the least you can do is…”

“I can’t even think about opening that door until I know it isn’t locked.” you interrupt.

The man restrains himself, exhaling again.

“I assure you…” the man says softly “the door is not locked…. and even if it was, the only way to tell is by trying to open the door!”

“So it IS locked….?” you snap back.

The man sighs loudly this time.

"You know what…” you continue, “I’m not going anywhere. In fact, I’m going to sit right here until I figure this out.”

You walk back to the desk and reshackle your arms willingly.

“You and I are going to get to know each other REAL WELL, Mark the Music Genie” you say.

The man’s stomach growls loudly as he re-enters the bathroom.

---

OKKKKKKKKKK….

I think we all get THE POINT of this terribly visceral story…. so I’m gonna try and land this plane back in the real world for those of you still reading.

The truth is, Mark the Music Genie (though based on a real, cool, guy) does not exist.

And the big magic door (that is maybe a push, maybe a pull) does not exist either.

Instead…. YOU have the unique existential joy of having infinite doors in infinite places that are simultaneously locked and unlocked.

AND TO MAKE IT EVEN WORSE…

Trying to “open these doors” means putting yourself out there and being vulnerable in front of people who might reject you.

So if you have infinite options - and trying each one invites some degree of rejection and embarrassment - then how do you know which doors to try, and which ones to avoid???

And the answer is…. you don’t.

Unfortunately, the only way to tell which doors are locked is by….. well….. trying to open them.

You may find that many (if not most) are locked. And the sheer embarrassment of the repeated failure may make it difficult to keep trying.

And while it’s tempting to over analyze and over prepare… eventually, you’ll look up from your (figurative) shackles and realize that you haven’t moved in years.

So how do we ensure we keep moving in the right direction?

It’s actually quite simple.

Do not let the fear of rejection stop you from pursuing your dream.

In fact I will go one step further.

Seek rejection.

Failure is a great teacher, and the quicker you get comfortable with rejection, the freer you become creatively.

Don’t believe me? Look at this absurdly written SubStack article you just read as an example.

If I gave into the fear of one of you CHIMPANZEES rejecting me, I wouldn’t take as many creative risks with these articles.

It doesn’t mean I don’t fear rejection. You people are terrifying.

But my conviction in my vision for this article (however twisted it may be) outweighs my fear of being rejected for it.

Thus the articles get written, the SubStack grows, and every so often, someone angrily says “STOP SENDING THESE WEIRD ASS ARTICLES”.

And it hurts, but the trade is worth it.

—

So now I ask you.

What are you convicted in that you aren’t doing because you’re afraid of how it’ll be received?

What do you truly believe in, but you’re afraid no one else will believe it with you?

What shackles are you willingly putting on, day after day?

Don’t be afraid. Twist the door handle.

Just don’t go in the bathroom.

Michael from mad records 🫡⚔️