How Do You 'Unleash' Your
Talents?
by Bob
Baker
Let's talk about artist empowerment -- one of my favorite topics lately
...
Not long ago I presented one of my first
Unleash the Artist
Within workshops. While promoting the event, I discovered that
different people have different interpretations of what it means to
"unleash" themselves as an artist.
Many people assumed at first that the workshop was about developing
your creativity, along the lines of Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's
Way." Some of what I talk about does relate to giving yourself permission
to create and feeling worthy to do so, but my definition of "unleash" is
more far-reaching than that.
What do I mean by "Unleash the Artist Within"? Well, I believe that to
be a successful musician, you must be willing to ...
Unleash your creative leanings, artistic
inclinations and natural talents. Yes, exercising your creativity has
many benefits. For one, it's personally rewarding. Denying yourself the
opportunity to write, perform and record music can lead to stagnation and
frustration. By feeding and answering the call of your creative urges, you
improve the quality of your own life while enriching the world with your
talents.
Unleash your potential to create something of beauty or
significance. When you take action on your musical interests, you
bring your ideas to life. Too many people only dream about their creative
desires and never see their talents materialize. When you "unleash the
artist within," you transform your music into a tangible form that can be
enjoyed, experienced and shared. And that's a powerful thing.
Unleash your belief in yourself. While you're busy unleashing,
be sure to set free your confidence, desire, optimism and enthusiasm. Many
creative people are plagued by fear and doubt. It's no wonder, with all
the misguided "struggling artist" advice heaped on creative people. Don't
buy into it. Your fears are self-imposed. So brush the self-doubt aside
and choose to let your belief in yourself shine through.
Unleash your creative gifts and your artistic contribution to the
world. Playing music and being recognized for your talents feels good.
It's this personal reward that draws most people to music in the first
place. However, I believe the most successful musicians quickly evolve and
begin putting more emphasis on the benefits they deliver to fans. Making
an artistic contribution and sharing your unique brand of music should be
the ultimate thing that drives you. And, interestingly, putting a priority
on your fans leads to more personal satisfaction for you.
Unleash your worthiness to receive and be rewarded for your
creative contributions. I also believe that empowered musicians go
through three stages:
1) Playing music for themselves.
2) Playing music for the benefit of others. And ...
3) Playing music for profit.
But many people get hung up on #3. To truly "unleash the artist within"
you must know that making money with your talents is not only acceptable,
it's part of the abundant nature of the universe. You have something of
value to offer, and you deserve to be rewarded for your contribution to
the world.
To hammer home these thoughts on why it's important to "unleash," let
me share a great quote from Patanjali, who is credited with founding the
philosophy of yoga more than 2,000 years ago:
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary
project, all your thoughts break their bounds: Your mind transcends
limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find
yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties
and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater
person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."
Think about that as you contemplate your rightful place in music.
Bob Baker is the author
of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Unleash the Artist Within" and
"Branding Yourself Online." He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com , a web
site and e-zine that deliver marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and
other empowering messages to music people of all kinds. Get your FREE
subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com
today.
dead link Jan 18 07
|
|
