Controlling the Controllable amidst COVID-19

Dear Artists,

We are in the most extraordinary of times that few of us could have imagined. I know that the vast majority of you are dealing with an instant and unexpected loss of work, social contact, the challenges of caring for loved ones, immense financial pressures and so much more. This situation is having a huge impact on us all.

We have indefinitely reduced the yearly fee by up to 50% to £49 /year regardless of student or pro status. We will endeavour to leave it there as long as we are able to. Our team are looking for other related opportunities that could be of interest to you in the current situation as well as continuing to search for future performing opportunities for when we emerge out the other side. 

For those that don’t know me, I was a professional singer for 13 years when whooping cough rendered me completely unable to work for three months. At the time I was £20,000 pounds in debt and that debt was mounting quickly. With this enforced time off, I had the opportunity to focus on a project I had meant to start for years - Audition Oracle. I've been grateful for its continued growth from solo operation to a platform supported by a wonderful team of remote tech and freelance admin – the majority of whom are singers.

Why am I telling you this? Many of you are now looking at ways you can work from home and some of you will be experiencing the difficulties associated with going from a very sociable and physical career to working largely in isolation. I’ve developed many tools over the last seven years to cope with the challenges faced. Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing what has worked for me via newsletters and social media. I’m raising my hand now to say I was either that person still in their pyjamas at 3pm furiously working at an ancient brick of a laptop having not moved, eaten or rested my eyes for hours at a time. OR. I was in a state of inaction completely frozen and overwhelmed.

I’ve had to work hard at finding a balance so if my experiences and strategies can be useful to any of you, please sign up for the FREE newsletter http://eepurl.com/gWxhyL. I’ll be focusing on sharing FREE resources and including content around Controlling the Controllable!

• avoiding procrastination
• beating burnout 
• building routine
• creating an online studio
• maintaining motivation
• strengthening mental resilience
• surviving social isolation
• taking control of your finances

Caveat! I live alone so my challenges will differ to those of you with families. If you have any tips or suggestions to offer to the wider community, please do email us on [email protected].

Wishing you and your loved ones good health over the coming months.

Kind regards,

Melanie

Director & Founder of Audition Oracle