Following your passion: Mags McCarthy
Taking risks, believing in yourself and finding the support you need to follow your dreams. Susan is joined this week by Irish country singer Mags McCarthy.
Download Podcast"I had two suitcases and fiddle and off I went"
Mags McCarthy's passion for performing started at a young age in the humble countryside of Cork. Having followed her love of country music and her natural apt for entertaining a crowd, Mags has travelled the world with Rhythm of the Dance and independently as a singer-songwriter. In what can be an incredibly competitive industry, Mags has found a way to do what she loves and make it viable! Her passion for all things musical has led her to become a teacher and thus share her love of music with those who need it most. Proving that there are many ways in which your passion can become your profession.
Mags has both opened herself up to opportunities and created her own. By taking what she loves giving her performance the unique edge it needed to stand out in the music industry, Mags continues to have an incredibly successful music career with the support of a global fanbase.
"I would never have gotten that opportunity if I wasn't there or didn't take that chance"
If there is anything that Mags McCarthy can teach us about standing out of the crowd of musicians and singers, it is to start now! Start creating the opporunties you are waiting for. Mags shows us how in taking a year out of college and heading west to the U.S. she took control of her own success and built up her experience in the music industry. With a positive mindset and a willingness to connect with new people Mags has built her career on the stage, and shows us that no matter where you are in the world, being open to change at any time can open doors you didn't know were previously closed.
"You need to have money so you can live and survive before you start out"
Following your dreams of being an artists does not mean you have to struggle to support yourself. By incorporating her love for music into her life and becoming a music teacher, Mags proves that following your dreams of being a musician can be as financially stable as any other career. If you really want to love what you do, get creative, start thinking about the ways in which you can do what you love and support yourself in the process.
"There are youngsters out there that have the ability to do well, but probably didn't get the best start"
Whether it be the support of family and friends, the educational support of teachers or the financial support of the state, Mags suggests that young people need more support than what they are being offered currently. The lack of opportunity for many young people to explore their interests hinders many people from having the best start at life. Like Mags, many teachers across the country offer students the opportunity to foster their talents in classes, both in and outside of school, but this is not always available for smaller communities. By offering young people the opportunity to engage in the arts, we can uncover unexplored passions and creativity that will open up their future prospects to build a career they can love and one they can share with the world.
Whether you are looking for the right time to make a change or seize an opportunity, searching for a way to follow your dreams and have a stable career, or searching for a way to support the arts, Mags proves that you can do it, as long as you "concentrate on the positives" and "do what you love".
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See Mags singing, dancing and playing the fiddle here: Mags McCarthy's talents transcend the norms of performance as she steps to the beat of the sound while playing the fiddle simultaneously.
How to believe in yourself and make things happen: Just like Mags and Susan, you can learn how to be confident and create your own opportunities for success. In this podcast, Susan shares her experience of learning how to see opportunities at every moment, showing you how to believe in yourself and believe that you can make things happen!
Start building your network of international connections today with LinkedIn Often times when we take a risk like Mags did when moving to the U.S. we do not know where to start looking to make connections and building a network. LinkedIn offers a plethora of ways in which you can network with future employers, business partners and supporters from everywhere in the world.
Follow Mags on FaceBook: @MagsMcCarthyMusic
& Twitter: @mags_mccarthy
Podcast with Mags McCarthy (27.89 MB)