Do The Thing Only You Can Do

As usual, time waits for no one. I can barely believe that we’re nearing the end of the first quarter of 2025.  Consequently, I’ve been checking in on my progress with the goals I’ve set for myself. I set a goal to actively research and apply for opportunities to further my career this year. I’ve already applied for one new position. I didn’t get it, but that has prompted me to hire a career coach who has been helping me rework my resume and narrow down my professional desires to find the next role.  

I also vowed to make stronger commitments to my health and physical appearance, so I joined a boot camp at my local YMCA. I needed the monetary investment to hold me accountable, and after eight weeks, I had lost eight pounds as well as visible inches. I also made a commitment to start attending more professional events here in Nashville and actually participate in networking (one of my least favorite things to do). So far, I’ve attended one event, and I’m signed up for another in a week. Overall, I’m making pretty good progress, which I will hopefully keep up for the remainder of the year.  

There is one weak spot in my goal-setting, however, that I have been avoiding like the plague. I’ve mentioned this in a previous blog post, but if you’re new here, here’s some context. I spent about twenty years working as a professional musician, songwriter, and artist. After several disappointing career blows, one of which was the pandemic of 2020, I pretty much gave up on my artistic career. I was still doing writer’s rounds and open mics here and there, but those were just for fun. I was officially burnt out and held a lot of resentment for the profession in which I had invested so much of my time, resources, and life.  

Well, I slid one more goal onto my list this year, reluctantly and fearfully. That goal was to get back to writing and performing music, this time with no expectation of fame and fortune, just because the world and I need some good, meaningful music, especially now. Until last week, I still hadn’t even thought about sitting back at a piano or getting behind a mic. I was purposely avoiding it because that’s the one thing on my goals list that requires the most vulnerability for me. In other words, I was afraid.  

Then, just as the universe would have it, I attended a seminar last week hosted by Nashville Public Library, called Women Made Music. It was a panel made up of five women, ranging from songwriters to journalists to music critics. One of the panelists was, none other than, Alice Randall, who is a pioneer in country music. She came to Nashville in 1983 and worked on Music Row for forty years as a songwriter.  That may not seem like a big deal to you, but what she did was special because Alice is a black woman who was actually getting records cut! Her biggest hit is probably “XXXs and OOOs” recorded by Trisha Yearwood. She was often the only black woman working on Music Row for a long time and has a really amazing book I’m now reading called My Black Country.  

Hearing Ms. Randall’s insights on the contributions of women in music sent me down a rabbit hole, and I came across an interview she did for the Country Music Association on YouTube. In this video, Alice said something that single-handedly gave me just the spark I needed to get back out there when it comes to writing music. She said, “Do the thing only you can do…” She followed that up with an explanation about how regardless of what the market is requiring or how the audience is reacting, whatever it is that you do is unique to you. Nobody else can do it, so you have to get it done because somebody needs what you have. Mind you, this concept isn’t new to me. I’ve heard many people say something similar. Something about hearing it from Alice put a battery in me, which I guess proves her point.  

I see the legacy of her work and the fruit of her labor. Hell, the fact that I even work on Music Row as a black woman means I am the fruit of her labor. But I needed to hear it from HER. So my message to you is the same. Maybe you need to hear it as well. No more waiting. It’s time. Do the thing only you can do!