Rick Chyme @ The Musicians’ Soundboard: Patience and persistence the lifeblood of true art

Grand Rapids hip-hop artist Rick Chyme knows the importance of patience: He spent three years crafting his new studio album and he cautions fellow musicians that laziness isn’t an option.

EDITOR’S NOTE:This Spins on Music guest column is one of a series of essays giving a voice to West Michigan musicians on topics dear to their hearts — assessing the music scene and their craft, in their own words.

 

Patience is as important as water.

I truly believe this. Because on the 10,000-hour-long quest to master a skill, there are no available shortcuts, and if our opportunity’s not met with proper preparation, we will be left with a cool story to tell of how we almost lived our dream.

John Sinkevics has been extremely patient waiting for me to punch my laptop’s keys and send him the scorecard from this bout for many months. He is a good man. I’ve patiently waited months for the inspiration to re-enter this ring after having sparred several times, the words left behind seeming forced and plastic. How blindly ambitious, or stupid, do you have to be to force yourself to write about patience?

Patience is not lazy. We have a responsibility to seek out our passion and actively live. We owe it to our kids and our parents. It’s disrespectful to ignore that voice inside of us that encourages us to explore.

These kids need to be led by people committed to bettering themselves, committed to what they believe in and committed to spending their time on what they truly love.

TIME AS CURRENCY

Our time is our currency. When we neglect the urges to identify and then harness our passion, we give future generations the worst possible example. It’s a horrendous model for happiness.

We need to stop disrespecting our children and our parents with our complacency, excuses and impatience. Somewhere there is an accountant who hates his job. Somewhere there also is a qualified, passionate, unemployed accountant hunting for a place to make a living doing what she loves.

My first love was basketball, it just wasn’t my true love. I love it differently now, for the life skills it helped me develop. I apply things learned during my life as a basketball player every single day.

Patience. Persistence. Dedication. Determination. The Strength of Numbers. Planning. Preparation.

Team sports teach us how to push ourselves to places once thought impossible and to enjoy bleeding for our team. There are absolutely no shortcuts to reaching your potential and pursuing your passion. If you couldn’t tell, I’m a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell (British-Canadian author and speaker).

My upcoming album, “The 5iveit LP,” is an example of patience directly impacting art. We’ve been working on this album off and on for nearly three years. Many albums’ worth of songs were recorded with many more written along the path to completing our mission.

Compositions were developed over time, with additions and tweaks still being made in the final weeks before the project’s birth. Hours in the studio and on stage – preparing and patiently waiting for inspiration to guide these songs – has turned me into a confident, instinct-trusting artist. And without the patience of artists and producers such as Nixon, Ryan K. Wilson and many others, I’d still be an infant in my craft.

FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE AND STAY PATIENT

I recall the first time I met Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Karisa Wilson, in 2006 at Billy’s Lounge. She complimented me on my performance, but I was Chris Paul-quick to ignore the praise and point out all of the mistakes I’d made. I was so impatient to become a master. She replied that she hadn’t seen all of those miscues and reminded me that artists must focus on the positives, keep working on weaknesses and stop broadcasting them to anyone who will listen. She told me to remain patient.

We don’t talk about it nearly enough, so I’ll say it again: Our time is our currency and how we spend it is up to us. Time is not money. Our money is our time.

Greatness is expensive and sacrifice is the main ingredient on the path towards its purchase. There is a craft, an art, to developing any skill. We are all artists.

Be steadfast, patient and dedicated enough to push through the valleys, yet level-headed enough to yearn for progression while standing on the mountaintop.

Please stop waiting for passion to slap you in the face as you sit on that couch eating cold pizza, go out and find it. I love both cold pizza and couches. But I also know this: Push it past potential each day, manifest your dreams. Because the pain of sacrifice is less than the pain of regret.

ABOUT RICK CHYME: Rick Chyme in recent years has found himself at the forefront of Grand Rapids hip-hop music scene. He’s a wordsmith, connector and motivator who played basketball for Western Michigan University, worked on Jay-Z’s movie, ‘Fade To Black,’ and has traveled and performed across the globe. He recently released the compilation, “The Ladder,” featuring live music and previously unreleased songs as a prequel to his new album, “The 5iveit LP,” which officially gets released July 20, 2013 at rickchyme.com and in a live performance at Billy’s Lounge ($7). He’ll also host a listening party to preview the album at Hugo Claudin’s Mexicains Sans Frontieres, 120 S. Division #226, at 7 p.m. Wednesday (July 10). Admission to this all-ages event is free. The new album, produced by Nixon and Ryan K. Wilson, boasts creative contributions from One Be Lo, Blueprint, Red Pill, Edye Evans Hyde, Coe Lacy, Molly Bouwsma-Schultz, Azizi Jasper, Mike Phillips Jr., Coe Lacy, Michael Sullivan, AOK, DJ Eminent, Venson Dix, Sir Manley, Dave Sischo and Willie The Kid. Visit his official website at rickchyme.com for more information, to download “The Ladder” and to view the new video for “1000 Miles From Nowhere.”

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music