Paying Your Dues...

April 15th: Tax Day.
Seems like a good time to stop and think about the whole idea of 'paying one's dues.' 
But what does 'paying your dues' actually mean? What does it look like? How will you know when you've paid them? Can you ever finish paying them?
Does it mean you have to play private parties and small gigs before you finally get noticed and get the cred you think you deserve? Not really. Remember, small clubs are where the magic happens -- they're fun, they're intimate, and they're memorable.
Does it imply that you have to be neglected and rejected by club owners until they finally give your band a chance to play? Not always. There are plenty of club owners looking for new talent, but they'll never notice you if you're invisible to them.
Does it mean you have to spend three nights a week at open mike events trying to connect with 'the right people?' No, not at all. You've got to realize that the 'right' people are all around you, all the time. And if you look, you'll find them.
Paying your dues is all about growth, improvement, and maturity. It's not about suffering, although it probably involves some self-sacrifice. It doesn't make any promises, even though it will always produce lasting results. And it doesn't mean 'compromise' as much as it means 'change isn't necessarily a bad thing.'
It's more like crawl - walk - run: you start out slow and awkward; then you develop some basic skills and life experience; then you make yourself better and more unique. And you keep running. You keep making yourself unique. You keep making people notice you; not for what you say, but because of what you actually do (actions speak louder than words, but that's a topic for another day).
And to think that some day you'll finally be on top because you've somehow paid your dues -- that's pure fantasy. It doesn't work that way. You never stop paying your dues, because the day you stop is the day you start to self-destruct.