Ending of the tour through the eyes of the artist's wife:
It's officially the end of the Dreams to Reality Tour! It is bitter sweet like Jarrell has said. Everything has not been easy. Putting on your own tour no matter how big or small is a lot of work, especially when it's not your full time work. Some thing's have been so exciting because you know only God could have made that work out. Here are a few examples of God's great grace on this tour:
1. Jarrell set out last summer to do a national winter music tour with all new music...and no money to start either. By God's great grace we are here in February and the tour is done and the mastered EP will be packaged this month!
2. After a very full and crazy summer, Jarrell had only 2 months to write, produce, record, and at least master the new "Between Dreams and Reality" EP while he was working his full time job. Glory to God, he did not only complete the task, he created the best sounding and relate-able songs he has ever created. He went up like 5 levels artistically this CD! No lie.
3. I tasked myself to take care of all booking details, travel, and budget needs for the tour. With a 300 page touring book in one hand and some old Reach Records touring seminar notes in the other, I had to learn how to balance a small tour budget with 3 men traveling, eating, and sleeping away from home. I read it's easy for artists on the road to get bored or extravagant or unpredictable problems could happen and completely bust a budget; then your tour go in the red. Not here, praise God! Those who booked the tour, the artists, and I pulled it off. People were inspired to dream again around the country and God provided financially for that to happen.
4. Jarrell and I both do not find it easy to talk with people about our skills to help provide great music for their organization or event. This is a struggle for both of us to "ask" anyone if they would like to book Jarrell, even when they have already said they love his music. The struggle is real!!! So when Jarrell had a dream of booking concerts in multiple states during a very non rap-ish time of year (the Christmas holiday season), I cringed!!!! Worry that it won't work and he will be sooooo disappointed took over for sure...but 20 tour stops and 4,000 people later the dream of inspiring himself and others to keep going and pursuing God's purpose for their lives has begun. Yay!
5. We feel pretty alone in the tasks of accomplishing this music dream as "solo-preneurs" sometimes. That's how I felt when Jarrell dreams of this promotional tour idea while he is working full time, oh and again, with no money. God used the month before the tour to show us so many people loves and supports the dream through their God given finances. Such sacrificial giving by people towards our dream through Go Fund Me. Then the first month of the tour God had people come out of the wood works calling Jarrell to share their support and willingness to use whatever skills they have to help him in his music somehow. It was a very sweet way to start the tour. And throughout, I have some San Antonio friends that were such a support to hang out with or buy lunch for me and the girls when Jarrell was out of town for multiple days.
We may all feel alone sometimes when we look at our task to-do list or budget, especially as an entrepreneur, but in life we are never alone! That's God's grace covering us when the rubber meets the road.
- Jeneil Flowers
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