Support Found Within 8123

An 8123 Community blog by Justin Nuckols.

Everyone within 8123 has their passion. And if you haven’t found it yet, check out my last post on finding your passion, or stick around the 8123 spirit a little longer and you’re sure to. As all of us dream chasers have discovered, there are hardships and obstacles that come from taking a “risky”, as the world calls it, leap. And even more so, many of us have figured out how difficult these dreams can be to achieve on our own. 

The origin of my idea for this blog comes from the 8123 Podcast of Pat and Garrett talking with Sean Silverman. Conversation around the rise of The Maine and This Century was discussed, particularly concerning The Maine bringing This Century along when signed to Warner Bros. This teamwork was a total departure from the “what can you do for me?” culture that both bands had experienced up until this time. Originating from the same local music scene and reaching for the same master dream, the beginning of 8123 was rooted in propelling your friends to their goal.

There’s no doubt in my mind that many of us in this 8123 crowd have so-called “competing” dreams. Whether you and friends both want to be the next headlining band, or both want to be the go-to photographer in your area, an urge for competition may creep in. Now I won’t denounce “competition” because I was personally raised in a competitive home. But, I would suggest from experience, and I confidently feel any of these bands would say the same, is it typically proves to be most constructive to turn this competition inward – be better than you were yesterday.  

This mindset raises your potential ceiling to new heights. If every band, photographer, athlete, even business, was only trying to better than the competition, the playing field would be almost level. What happens when you aren’t surrounded by pressuring competition? Do you settle? Focusing this competitiveness inward lets us artists, or thinkers, or creators to continually improve upon what we did yesterday in hopes of making each day our best we’ve had. 

Perfecting your talent and passion each day doesn’t have to be achieved at the expense of those friends around you reaching for the same goals. Share their work, offer your critique, offer your knowledge, hype them up and celebrate when times are good, and be there to nudge them forward if there’s a temporary setback. 

The picture with multiple bands’ gear onstage is representative of this idea. Several local bands I follow had a gig one night and were noticeably supportive and enthusiastic for each other. Exactly the 8123 spirit.

Work at your passion continuously, practicing to be better than yesterday, and support your friends in similar passions and pursuits. Driving and propelling those surrounding you might offer unexpected ideas, inspirations, insights, or influence to weave into your own work. You might even create something bigger than one person or group could do. I mean, just look at 8123 and what started as The Maine and This Century.