Get comfortable playing in front of a crowd. You'll likely have to play a lot of non-paying gigs before you can land any playing ones. Perform at open mics. Volunteer to play at retirement homes. Busk (play on the street) if it's allowed in your city. Plan out your live show. You want to make sure you have a great stage presence as to go along with your music. Find out what you can do to make your show more engaging. Add personal stories to go along with your songs. Tell jokes. Learn dance moves that will help your audience get into the music. Have a light show to go with your music. Rehearsal is different than practicing your songs. You want to rehearse everything you'll be doing in your show. Make your performance tight. Practice engaging with the audience. Contact booking agents in your area to try to secure gigs. Give them your demo and a link to your website so can hear your music and decide whether it fits their venue. Booking agents are constantly being approached by musicians so it can sometimes take weeks or months for them to get back to you. Remind them politely by email periodically that you'd still like to play at their venue. Be honest about your draw. Don't say you can bring in more audience than you're sure you can. When you do book a gig, always be on time and be respectful of the crew. Try to talk to people who enjoy your show to make new fans. Show them where they can go to find your music. Have them join your mailing list. You may even meet people who have skills and can help you further your career. Getting your music heard is all about connecting with people who want to support you. Be organized. Have a list of the people in the music industry you meet and what they do. Stay in touch. Maintain relationships with the people you meet in the industry. They're more likely to help you spread your music if they feel like you like them.

Summary: Play as much as you can. Create a show. Rehearse your show. Book gigs. Meet people.

The boxes will be the molds that you'll use to create the planters. Find 1 large box and a slightly smaller box. The smaller box should be able to fit inside of the larger box. The space in between the 2 boxes will determine the thickness of your concrete planters. The boxes can be made of cardboard or wood. The smaller box should be at least 2 inches (5.1cm) smaller than the big box on each side. The smaller box should be at least 8 inches (20cm) deep for larger plants and 34 inches (7.610.2cm) deep for smaller plants. Get sturdy boxes so that the mold doesn't break when you fill it with concrete. If you want a concrete planter that's a different shape than a rectangle or square, you can purchase plastic containers of any shape to serve as your molds. Find 2 different sized plastic containers online or at a department store. The smaller container should be at least 2 inches (5.1 cm) smaller than the larger container around each side. The smaller container should be at least 8 inches (20 cm) deep for larger plants and 34 inches (7.610.2 cm) deep for smaller plants. For instance, you can get 2 pots or 2 plastic bowls. Stretch the trash bag over the smaller container so that it's taut against the sides. The trash bag should be tight against the inside of the container as well. Tape the trash bag to the box or container with duct tape. The plastic bag will prevent the concrete from sticking to the small container and will make it easier to remove the mold. Use a ruler to measure 2 inches (5.1cm) from the base on the inside of the large container. Make a horizontal line with a pen or marker. This will help you determine how much concrete you should initially pour into the mold. If you want the sides of your planter to be thicker, measure and mark the line to reflect the change in dimensions. For instance, if your planter's walls are 4in (10cm)-thick, you'd measure and mark 4 inches (10cm) from the base of the planter. Spread the non-stick spray around to get an even coating on the inside of the larger box. The cooking spray will make it so that the concrete doesn't stick to the sides of the larger container. You can purchase a can of cooking spray online or at a grocery store. You can coat the inside of the larger box with mineral spirits as an alternative to cooking spray. Pour the spirits into the bottom of the box and spread it around on the inside of the box with a rag.

Summary: Get 2 different sized boxes. Use plastic containers rather than boxes. Tape a plastic trash bag around the smaller container. Mark 2 inches (5.1cm) from the bottom of the large container. Coat the inside of the larger box with cooking spray.

Your comfort is your top priority. Avoid wearing anything that is tight around your stomach while you are having contractionsthis will only increase the pain. Tight clothing can also keep you from finding a comfortable laboring position, and it may make it even harder to change into a nightgown if you are having strong contractions. Make sure that it is not too longknee-length is good. A long gown can become a problem during labor and delivery: it could get in the way of your fetal monitoring or the birth of the baby. Also, make sure that any gown you choose is not too short. The A-line dress is very popular for labor; momos, maxis, and nighties also work well. While you are still in the early stages of laborbefore you actually start the delivery processyou may want to stay covered up so that you don't feel exposed. If you plan to breastfeed right after the birth, make sure that your nightgown buttons down the front at least enough to fully expose your breast. This may be loose and comfortable, and it can give you extra emotional support. Make sure that it's an old shirt, or something non-essentialthere's a chance that you will stain or rip any clothing that you wear. This will allow you to move around between contractions to maximize comfort and support effective breathing. As labor drags on, you may want to remove your bottoms to allow for examinations and fluid discharge. Wear something that you don't care too much about. Things could get messy. Remember that other people will be there. Consider how much skin you are comfortable showing. Many women prefer to go bare, especially for water births. You may find that you feel more comfortable and less restricted without clothing sticking to your sweaty body. You don't need to decide right away. You can always remove your gown or your bottoms as your labor progresses.

Summary: Wear loose clothing or nothing at all. If you decide to wear a nightgown, make sure it is breathable, loose, and comfortable. Consider wearing a large t-shirt that belongs to your partner. Consider wearing a big t-shirt, a comfortable sports bra, and some loose bottoms. Consider going nude.

If your bus is automatic, you don't need to worry about this method, but if it's a standard, you do. Start by establishing how many gear positions your bus has, usually four or five for driving forward, plus neutral and reverse. You should be able to find a diagram on your bus. If you can't, find someone more experienced to tell you about the gears on the bus. Once someone shows you, you may want to make your own chart just in case you forget. Start by pressing your left foot down on the clutch, which is the pedal to the left of the brake. Next, place your right foot on the brake, and shift into second gear, which will be your starting gear. Next, undo the parking brake. Slowly lift your foot off the clutch until it reaches the friction point then stop. You'll know you've hit the friction point because the bus will start to move forward. Move your foot to the accelerator. As you start to accelerate, release the clutch with your left foot, pushing further down on the accelerator with your right foot. As you drive and need to go faster, you'll need to shift up. The process is similar to how you shifted to put the bus in motion. Once again, if you are driving an automatic, you can skip this step. Push the clutch in with your left foot. As you do, take your right foot off the accelerator. Shift up into the next gear. Next, take your foot off the clutch, and press down on the accelerator. You'll need to do this step a bit faster than when you started the bus moving. Use the same method to shift down.
Summary: Identify the gears on your bus if it is a standard. Shift into motion. Shift to other gears.