Meet the little Monsters (Pt 2 Fear Series)

LITTLE MONSTERS INSIDE OUR HEAD

 March weekly series topic deals with “Fear” and how it relates to independent artists careers.

As human beings we all want to be acknowledged for our efforts as well as our triumphs.

 Parental support of our artistic pursuits is not common. Rather than live with the fear of not being taken seriously, or not taking ourselves seriously, many retreat into the shadows, behind barricades built by criticism, when these barricades are  left unattended they harden like little cement walls. These little cement blockades limit our creative growth, when the creative muse is trying to stretch.

Imagine that you live on a great big farm, in a comfortable home surrounded all around by land filled with many trees, thick brush, and heavy foliage. 

You have one long bike path that leads to the main highway, all along the path are these “cement barriers” along the route, making the path difficult to navigate. The path to the highway is much too long to walk, and riding a bike will insure that you get to the main path where the other "riders" are peddling along  down the street.

Learning to let yourself create is like learning to ride a bike, you start with baby steps to gain your confidence,  you learn balance, and technique, you pray that you avoid any obstacles along the way. You are learning, be patient and understand your initial efforts are not going to be masterpieces. Critics will unfairly judge your work against master artists, since that is what “they believe” to be the standard other artists are measured against.

Regardless, what level of success you achieve, the struggle continues.

Master artists struggle with pleasing their fan base, and satisfying their creative muse- Think about when  Bob Dylan went electric, or In this video clip where  Joni Mitchell shares some amazing insights on  Jimi Hendrix

NEGATIVE BELIEFS:

Our Immediate family, fearful friends, spiritual & social communities all weigh in on what notions they “believe” are acceptable.  Each of us has beliefs,  Acceptance of the notions in our mind that something is true or real. 

Beliefs reflect an individuals “notions” about what it means to be a artist, It does not reflect FACT.

Each of us has  a internal dialog that tells us

• I’m not good enough
• I will hurt or embarrass my family and friends
• I will be awful and look foolish
• I don’t deserve to be successful
• Artists are not successful = I won’t be successful
• What if I run out of Ideas

Negative beliefs (notions/ NOT FACTS) keep you scared and stuck, they make you retreat and hide in a safe place, and not develop your skills to prepare you to succeed.

MEET THE LITTLE MONSTERS

To create is part of who you are as a artist, your ability to adapt, and grow will be so much easier if you take the time to clear away the obstacles on your path.

 Each of us can work diligently to clear away the external blockades, and criticisms created by others, that can still leave quite a clutter behind,

Have you thought about the blockades and criticisms that you create?   The scary stuff that separates us from success is being brave enough to clean house INSIDE.

Want to test this out?   Get a blank sheet of paper, and a pen, on  the paper  write 5 times

My name is _______(write your name), I am a successful artist.

As you start writing, and re-writing the sentence, you’ll start to hear a internal dialog “no your not”  “Poser”   “Artist-Shmartist”, all kinds of nasty stuff comes up.

Remember you want to write 5 times “My name is _____(write your name), I am a successful artist”.  Also write down  all the negative stuff, the nasty little monsters that your head dreams up.  Don’t be shocked if there is really nasty things, your subconscious will attack everything, your sexuality, your spirituality, and anything in between

On a new sheet of paper list the negative beliefs that you noted in one column , in the next column, to the right of the “belief” note who said this in your life was it a parent, teacher, partner, friend? Then draw one more line to the write of the person, creating a 3^rd column and next to the negative belief write a positive alternative.

Weed out the little monsters, from your victory garden.  Like a garden, from time to time the little monsters will still need  a little weeding out as part of ongoing garden time.

How does your garden grow? Do you have Little Monster you hear from a lot?

 Artist Master Class: Special Invitation:   
More info HERE:  http://www.squidoo.com/guitartam-master-classes

In today's indie market there is TONS of competition. In today's economic market everyone is working harder for even less money. How do you capture the attention of hard working fans that may not even know you exist?

There are lots of ways to invest in your career that help you make meaningful progress toward growing your creative business.

Each month's Master-class topic is focused on helping you grow your creative business. You will be provided with a syllabus filled with exercises and strategies that are successfully used by top selling artists and businesses around the world, that you can apply directly to your creative business!

Visibility Master Class you will learn:

- Identify and Create multiple revenue streams

- How to increase your exposure

- Identify who your fans really are

- How to focus on WIIFTY (what is in it for them and you)

- Which Business partnerships pay off

- How you can use analytics to measure your growth.

-              Apply exercises directly to your business

At the completion of each module you are issued a Master Class Certificate of completion.

 At the end of 12 months you will have achieved Master Class status and receive a  MCC- Master Class Certification

-       Written monthly exercises keep you focused on the area of development, with the guidance of your business development executive and guest experts to educate, prepare, and mentor creative leaders in a safe encouraging creative environment.

Tamra Engle is a independent music business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available to help you manage your next project, for private consultations to help you develop your independent music business, or to  produce your next musical demo. You can read more about her,  and join her mailing list at www.tamraengle.com  you can email her at guitartam@gmail.com

 More info HERE:  http://www.squidoo.com/guitartam-master-classes

It starts with You!

We are a month into a new year, and many of the blog topics, *mine included

 Are yammering at you to set goals, whether or not you have any interest in doing so, or perhaps you are stuck with where to begin?

When we get stuck, its time to start at square one.  Start with you.

To thine own self be true:

To share a personal experience, these words didn’t really ring true for me until I gave myself the gift of living alone.  At that time I wasn’t happy about a relationship ending, and not feeling good about myself. As I was  packing up a box in my home, I knew I also had some personal housecleaning that needed to be done.

  I got a dry erase board and hung it in my kitchen and started writing out a plan to change how I was looking at things.  You can use a pad of paper, which works just fine, and is much easier to carry around.

Mind your Ps & R’s?

Growing up you may have heard the saying “mind your P’s & Q’s”- It’s an old term that originated in the pubs.  Mead and Ale were served in pint & quart containers, hence the P- for Pint & Q- for quart.

I have two P’s and two R’s that in today’s world are important for each of us to be mindful of.

When your making a commitment with yourself there is no middleman, no special equipment or tools needed, only the simplicity of being honest with yourself. (it’s ok, no one is watching). Allow yourself to check you P’s and R’s

On your pad of paper list these categories as column headers:

Potential   Pitfalls      Reflection      React

Under each column, you’re going to look back over your year and list as many things that resonates with you. I have included some idea’s and thoughts for you to consider when moving through each category:

Potential:  Each of us has limitless potential, what are your strengths /gifts and are you utilizing them to be your best ability?

-Good at organizing?

-Love to talk to people?

-Likes to drive, plan routes

-Incredible cook?

-Good at photography?

 Ultimately where do you want your skills to lead you?

Pitfalls: What are the problem areas for you?

 Are you bad with money?

Are you a terrible organizer?

To you have a short temper?

 Trouble communicating well with your colleges and loved ones

Are there area’s where you need some additional training, or development?

Reflection: Think back over the past year, list major events and  individuals that you met.  You will be surprised when you scroll through your iPhone or Android iCalendar, you’ll come up with names, and recall situations where you met someone significant or attended a event

React- How did you respond to individuals and react to situations this past year? Did you burn any bridges? Or did your network  grow?  You cannot be responsible for the outcome of all situations; however, you are always responsible for how you react going forward to help facilitate communication.  And where it’s appropriate, accept responsibility and make amends when you messed up!

I usually walk around with the written list with my 2R’s & 2P’s that I add things to as I think about them. At the end of the week, I have captured as much information as I can shake loose.

  It feels like trimming back the garden, the more honest with yourself you are, clearing away the unwanted trimmings and undergrowth the better growing season you have to look forward to.

Share a success you have had with your personal “gardening” in the comment section below

Tamra Engle is a independent  business strategist based in the S.F. bay area she is available for private consultations to help you develop your creative project or business. You can read more about her and join her mailing list at www.tamraengle.com  guitartam@gmail.com