Don’t use your age as a an excuse for anything. If you are «young», don’t think you’ll be the same age all your life. The way you treat your old now, will be the way you’ll be treated by the younger as you grow older.
If you are «old» you should know that there are «old» people that become Legends.
If you are young and market yourself as «the new», and because of your age you think that you’re better than the rest of the Planet, when a few years go by, you won’t be «the new» anymore. There will always be someone younger than you. The only thing you should be doing is your job the best possible way and not talk so much about how your young age qualifies you to be working right now.
I’m 43 years old and remember when I was the youngest in every job that I did. There are videos of shows that I played when I was 15 (of course, there are people that have started much earlier than that). I started recording professionally at a very young age, when the line between a studio musician and a band member was very clear. I don’t remember treating any older guy with anything that was NOT respect. I always kept my mouth shut and did what I was told. Learned a lot that way. Today, I keep learning a lot, even though I’m now the oldest or one of the oldest in every job.
To those of you that have realized that the clock keeps moving for everyone, congratulations. To those of you that think that because you have certain age you’re now «old», don’t think that you don’t deserve to work or don’t deserve the good things in Life. In Latin countries, the old don’t get much respect. I’m not sure how the old are treated in the USA or Europe. In Asia, apparently, the old get a lot more respect than in other continents. If you think that you’re old (even if you are only 30), I challenge you to know that experience gives you things that youth alone can’t give you. Enjoy Life!
Those that make noise saying that they’re young, will come to realize, maybe too late, that age doesn’t have much to do in this business. When you put the horn in your chops, what’s important is what comes out of the bell.
Let’s always look for excellence and when we get it, let’s not think that it is because of our age, it is because of many ingredients combined.
Always forward! Good luck.
