"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."
When you hear these words, it may sound like somewhat of a contradiction. You wouldn’t waiver a highly anticipated opportunity if you had the chance, would you? Let’s say you have an opportunity to collaborate with an established production company, or perhaps you have an influential artist reach out to you that needs someone to mix and master their music. Opportunities will present themselves as long as you are immersed in the field you have dedicated your skill set to. Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. With those opportunities, it very well could be an instance of being in the right place at the right time. It comes down to a matter of dedication and confidence within yourself and your abilities.
Take, for example, one of Avant's very first graduates, Davon Jamison. Having already been gifted with a variety of musical talents, knowledge and skills, Avant called to his innate desire to create and learn even more about his passions. Although his interests focused more on the production end of the audio world, the curriculum provided at Avant taught Davon, and many others, that the key to success is challenging yourself. It is a combination of both desire and work ethic that reveal the true potential of a creator. He soon discovered that exposure directs the mind towards exploring more than one may have initially believed they were capable of. With these factors in mind, anything could be thrown your way, you just have to be willing to take the shot that may change your life and start your career.
For Davon, that shot arose when artist Aminé came knocking on his door. He contacted Davon when one of his band members would have to be absent during their tour. Davon did not hesitate, and went for it knowing his musical abilities would more than suffice to get the job done. Once the connection was made, it didn’t end there. From then on, he was able to demonstrate and utilize his knowledge of music, and audio engineering. This led to his preparation meeting the opportunity. When Aminé and his group were working on a new track, Davon had the opportunity to incorporate his musical ideas into the mix. This experience then led him to being asked to tour in major music festivals such as Coachella, Governor's Ball and so on. He has since toured throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. His incredible momentum has earned him a musical feature on the hit HBO series “Insecure” making it his 5th musical television accolade also including ESPN. His most recent accolade was gaining a production credit on Aminé's 2019 single "BLACKJACK" . His name appeared not once in the credits, but it appeared 4 times including composition, lyrics, production and co-production. As far as views, within 5 days of it's release, the BLACKJACK music video has nearly 3 million views already! On top of that, well known actor Jack Black , reacted to the song's lyrics and gave him a shout out.
His consistency, faith, dedication and pure talent have all contributed to his early on success, and will continue to aid in his progress and further growth within his career.
So, the question is, how will you pave your way to success?
"Consistency separates you from your competition, don't ever give up on your dreams" - Davon Jamison