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.
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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.
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