Art Vs. Commerce? The business of art.

Most of us got into music because on a deep love for making music. We loved doing it so the next logical step would be to figure out how to make a living doing it. As a result, we attempt to move from the ranks of the amateur to the professional.

The inherent rub in this transformation comes when art meets commerce. We are conditioned to believe that the creation of art is a mysterious endeavor...a noble pastime that does not need to be concerned with mundane obligations like paying your rent on time or having enough money to buy groceries. Accepting this idea as fact traditionally breeds internal conflict. But does it have to?

Art and commerce are not mutually exclusive though maintaining a balance as a creative professional is difficult to do.

How do we find that magical middle ground?

Our pain comes from trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. By that, I suggest that we can imbue anything with artistic intent regardless of the circumstance. It all depends on how we perceive the work we do.

If the phrase: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is true then we can find beauty in everything we do, see, and experience. Sometimes it shouts out at us, and other times it requires we look a little deeper from a more detached and objective position.

If we step back from our beliefs and conditioned responses, there will be room for us to see an obstacle as a potential opportunity.

Most times we fight our beliefs rather than the reality of what we face.

What does this have to do with the business of music?

Learning to be objective is the first step in assessing the value of the product or service you offer. Without we continually stumble from one obstacle to another...without having the skills to determine what works or doesn’t work.

1e5bb2ce712fddb0c31caaf2a5d853ae2318631e4159c1aceb

What is your career worth to you?

Nothing in life is free. Nothing in life is free.

(count silently to 10 and let that sink in)

Now repeat: nothing in life is free. Regardless of what we might think everything has an associated cost.

We don’t give much thought to how our tax money is spent, how much it costs to run a light bulb etc. If a movie or record loses money somewhere, someone is going to be responsible.
Nothing in life is free.

Is there a cost to bad behavior? Of course if you do drugs or act recklessly there could be an enormous price to pay. But what about our seemingly common everyday interactions with others and how we go about our days?

If we drill down a little deeper, it becomes clear that human behavior has a cost.

Here are a few questions to think about:

• Are you willing to take risks to build your career?
• Are you willing to invest your time and money to create assets that will attract paying clients?
• Are you willing to evaluate your efforts honestly?
• Are you willing to acknowledge your behavior may be affecting your success?
• Are you willing to change if what you are doing isn’t working?

Amateurs often assume that a career is there for the taking. Professionals understand that an investment must be made to see a return. 

Making good choices.

You can only get out of life what you are willing to put into it. The good news is that you have the ability to choose what you want out of your life and career.

We continually make choices. When contemplating making an investment in your career what makes us able to determine which choice would be the best choice to make? 

For some of us, choices are a result of considered deliberation. Other choices are a conditioned response.

For example: if you continually sabotage yourself there is a good chance that deep down you don’t believe you are worthy of success.  These choices reinforce what we believe about ourselves.

Another example is being on time. Tardiness is a control issue. If someone consistently keeps you waiting, it is a form of control over the relationship by saying “my time is worth more than yours”. 

Nevertheless, even if this was an unconscious choice, a choice was made.

And what would be the cost of this choice?  Are you willing to waste your time? Would your client be willing to waste their time waiting for you?

Nothing in life is free.

In every choice we make there are costs-even if they aren't apparent at first glance.

If you are committed to being a professional and choosing to invest your time, money and reputation, be sure you are aware of the both the obvious and subliminal costs associated with your actions.

Dent in the Universe?

 What makes for a successful life strategy? Is it unleashing the power of your passion to make a “dent” in the universe? Or is it to be an opportunist who goes with the flow of what exists around you? Is it a combination of the two?

I used to think that I had to prove myself to the world. It drove me. It gave me comfort. My competitive nature had a blanket to keep me warm and cozy when things didn’t go as I had expected. I was a force of nature.

But much to my surprise and frustration I discovered that not every situation was the same and my singular focus could be a liability. My relentless pursuit of whatever goal was on the table worked against me as many times as it helped me.

Now that I am older I have discovered that being more aware that each relationship has its own dynamic is more important than brute force or the quest for control and dominance. I have learned that it is impossible to force people to do what you want…all of the time. After many successes and failures it is apparent that identifying if an opportunity will best fit your particular skills and personality is the best attribute one can have. It is then possible to maximize the encounter without letting your ego sabotage the outcome.

My satisfaction and reward now comes from doing my best without expectation of a specific outcome.  This has proved to much more effective than overwhelming the situation to fill my need to make that dent in the universe.

Focusing on helping others expanding their awareness is every bit as powerful as “I did this” Look at me!”

This power seems to come from the strength of the connection. Creating a state of “flow” when interacting allows the energy to grow organically rather than imposing your opinion and will to control.

Often times using this approach will create an environment in which each participant feels comfortable enough to contribute what is unique to them.. It is obvious to me now that an inclusive environment leads to a better outcome. In large part this is because the sum is greater than the individual parts. As my friend Carlos Vega once said: “you may be cool but you’re still only one guy”.

Forcing your will onto others is about your ego…and your insecurity. Having the courage and strength to operate without your ego in the lead sets the stage for others to contribute. Then, you have the opportunity to lead with love and thus get the best out of those you are working with.

Surprisingly this is much easier path to making the impact you desire.

From certainty to ambiguity?

Using music to move from certainty to being comfortable with ambiguity- is it possible?

Reading between the lines.

Thinking on your feet, creative problem solving, connecting the dots. Whatever the label, it all comes down to the same thing: finding patterns and connectivity between seemingly disparate objects, situations and people.

Jeff Selingo writes convincingly in “The Hottest Job Skill Isn’t A Technical” that the seemingly mysterious quality of being able to “connect the dots” is of high value to employers…much more so than accepting that perfectionism is the surest path to success.

Life is an organism…the quintessential zoetrope. Nothing is perfect.

As composers, songwriters, producers (any creative individual) we are called upon to find unique solutions. Be it the turn of a musical phrase, a lyric, capturing a performance or deliberately choosing a oboe or English horn to play a passage, we constantly make decisions.

How do we make decisions anyway?

We can either be aware of our choices or, we can unconsciously stumble through relying on fear and/or habit. This too is a choice. So, which path is more valuable?

We are conditioned to follow rules. Conformity and common purpose provides the glue that holds us together as a society. But, at what point does compliance become a liability?  

Conformity isn’t necessarily bad. But, unconsciously following rules stifles individual thought, creativity and innovation. 

And, in our pursuit for perfection, adherence to the status quo can lead us away from contemplating and questioning whether or not the status quo is relevant for us… or not.

The older you get the more you see that life is messy, there are no easy answers and, regardless of what you’ve been taught to believe we spend the majority of our time making it up as we go along. We constantly live our lives making choices.

If this is true then why not spend our time improving our decision-making skills?

Why not focus your attention on how to make good choices rather than get swept up in competency being the determining factor of self-worth?

What does any of this have to do with studying music and music creation?

Those of us who have been trained in the arts hold a distinct and powerful advantage over those trained as specialists in a trade.

We are trained to make decisions and to judge the relative value of our choices. We are not exclusively constrained by rules of the status quo.

We continually make it up as we go along…self-determining how far to stretch the “box”.  

For me, the key to making good choices and consistently being able to connect the dots is to be aware and conscious of the choices I make.

And, if you are a creative individual never forget you have the power to choose, the ability to measure the consequences and the inherent courage to make good choices.

It is precisely your connection to creativity that gives you ability to connect the dots…in any situation.

It’s that something special about you that creates value… the unique way you approach problem solving and decision making. 

Step One: the road to better decision-making 

Spend your time listening to your inner voice. Don’t be afraid to dig deep to find out what is special about you…that something you do better than anyone else.

I suspect you will be surprised at what you find.

Like Chris Boardman Media Group on Facebook

Follow on Twitter: @chimimimusic

Creative Thought For The Day

Creative Thought For The Day #MYCP  http://bitly.com/1SH6le6

Perfectionism in the creative process

Shooting for the stars and having high standards will make you work hard. 

But, have you ever considered the positive and negative of being a perfectionist?

The good news is that having high standards can push you forward.

The bad news is that perfect is not possible.

If you set your standards beyond your reach you will get frustrated.

Don’t get me wrong. This kind of frustration is to be expected if you are trying to stretch yourself.

However, if you let your frustrations get the best of you your work will be affected.

Perfection vs. Results 

Standards are arbitrary and have very little to do with actual outcomes.

All to easily we will drift into action unconsciously relying on our mood and experience to guide our way.

But what if you are in a new situation and you have no personal experience to draw upon?

What has helped me is making sure I understand specifically why I am doing a project and what I hope to achieve. This becomes my “mission statement” to guide me from beginning to end.

You might think that the why and what are self-explanatory and why should you go to the trouble to identify the issue?

If you are confused about your motivation you run the risk of being vulnerable to any number of emotional roadblocks (conscious and unconscious) that will prevent you from doing your best work. 

Pragmatism and Art

There is a phrase in the art world: “you have to know when the painting is done and when to take your brush off the canvas”.

If you rely solely on how you feel about something you are working on to act as your judge of good/bad then you may end up failing and never know why.

Conversely, if you take a moment to come to a decision about motivations you will most likely have a better time. Your ideas will come more naturally. Chances are you will stay on target and finish on time.

The key here is to take the time to articulate where you want to go, what you are trying to achieve and why you want to do it.

This will give you the confidence and freedom to charge ahead towards your goal.

Remember: perfection is impossible. All we can hope for is incremental gains over time. And, if you strive for perfection and are pragmatic about what is possible you will unconsciously make progress.

Life is short.

Can we really afford to not get the most out of our efforts?

For more about “Mastering Your Creative Process” click here