The Power Of Thank You

Our lives are jam-packed with massive “to do” lists. Each and every moment of every day we get bombarded with text messages, social media and emails. We are forced to determine the relative importance of each interaction. It is all too easy to glance over each prompt and then, without meaning any disrespect forget to reply.

Our lives our full.

As an independent artist/composer, one of the biggest struggles is figuring out how to stand apart from the crowd, how to rise above the noise.

Creative Collaboration is a Relationship Business.

Relationships are built one at a time. And, like a seedling, each requires engagement to grow.

Neglect a relationship and what happens?

It will wither and die. It may not happen tomorrow. Without the necessary nurturing the results will always be the same. It is next to impossible to rekindle a relationship that has lost its connection.

A way forward:

When I was young, I was always taught to say thank-you. It is a simple gesture that carries enormous weight. The value obtained vs. the effort spent cannot be overstated.

When you say thank-you, you are acknowledging the other person and keeping the door open for future interaction.

If you want to be known, to stand out from the crowd: take a few minutes to send a thank you note (preferably handwritten) whenever possible. Make it a habit.

The result:

There is no way to calculate the goodwill (and potential opportunities) you will create.

Why Me?

Why is it that in the past creativity has been designated as a mysterious, ephemeral act able to be practiced by the few? Aren’t we all born with curiosity that pushes us to understand the world around us…and the ability to create our own reality?

The Industrial Age business model decided that individual creativity not to be profitable nor did it fit into their “one to many” distribution model. As a result, creative individuals became outliers of society.

The cultural result of Moore’s Law is that the individual now has control over what information they want to consume and where they get that information. (Of course, those who control the pipes control access but that is another story). 

With the advent of PC’s, smartphones, tablets, cloud computing and search, the institutionalized “one to many” model has been disrupted in favor of the individual now being in control of their media world thus promoting a “one to one” distribution model. 

This seismic shift in cultural activity has brought the act of creativity back into the mainstream. We have seen any number of seemingly insignificant types of content gain massive viral popularity on the web. Random videos grab a slice of the attention pie without any clear-cut methodology as to why that happened. The medium was too young to have any established rules or conventions.

Now, 10 years after the launch of Youtube we are beginning to see business models emerge that embrace this new medium utilizing new methods and ideas that were not possible in a broadcast world.

We are witnessing outliers becoming the majority.

You might wonder: what does this mean to me?

IHMO- it means EVERYTHING!

If you hold on to the notion that the creator is the outlier you will be left behind. If you think “I’m not creative” you will be lost in the sea of content without the ability to discern for yourself what is good or bad and who to trust.

We are all born with creative instincts. We have been conditioned to believe we don’t. Our challenge is reigniting and developing our individual creative instincts so we can thrive in our non-linear information environment. Our challenge as a  culture is to organize this new found creative freedom in our society lest we descend into anarchy.

Uncertainty is now a common thread in our life and times. We can no longer depend upon mass media or dogma to shape our culture. The changes we have seen, and will continue to see in the world dictates that we have to approach our lives and careers differently – with new ideas that reflect our changing environment. We have been empowered to dictate the norms not just follow the ideas of others.

We now live in the age of independent consumer….to an extent.

Survivability and prosperity require us to embrace uncertain and become better decision makers by improving our ability to better understand our needs, wants, and desires. It is then and only then we can make informed, qualified and inspired choices.

What I’ve described is the basis of life as a creative individual as I’ve experienced through the years: define your purpose, analyze the situation, make the commitment to an idea, execute on your idea, get to the end and complete your project and then measure your results.

These steps are intrinsic to the creative individual.

Unfortunately, we can get stuck thinking that this process only applies to the creative “arts” and not life. I’m bullish on the opportunities around us…and how the highly functioning creative person can flourish. All it takes is the courage to acknowledge and accept that what has worked in the last century will not work in the 21^st century. Then, apply your creative skills to find a niche that works for you.

For more about creative tips and tricks: http://bit.ly/1RmIwrn

Are you asking the right questions?

The beginning of any project creates a wave of excitement that is the fuel of creative endeavor. It is powerful. It is seductive. It can be blinding.

Of course, in that endorphin-laced state it is easy to think that you have all the answers…that you know all the answers- in advance. When these feelings subside it is easy, and common, to lapse into your own personal vortex of threatening storm clouds and wonder: “OMG! Now I have to do something! I have no idea what to do?”

Truth is we all end up somewhere in the middle of those two scenarios but the fact remains that you still have to deliver on your promise to complete the creative work (to yourself, your bandmates, your employers etc). 

You may know the answers but…are you asking the right questions?

To be successful, we must learn to be both subjective AND objective about our work. I call this dichotomy: being the participant and the observer.

What has helped me develop this schizophrenic ability is viewing my work as an entity unto itself. That way I’m talking about the work…and my personal self-worth is not at issue.

If you are blinded by your emotions at the beginning you run the risk of serving your ego… and not the project.

If you are cold and calculating the creative work can easily be dry and uninteresting.

The key to developing this participant/observer skill is to be aware of your emotions during and after you write something. Get to know yourself. Know how you feel emotionally and physically when you are in either state. Then you will be in control of yourself during the process…and not run by your ego. (There is definitely a time and place for ego…just not when you are evaluating your work).

Benefits you will receive from developing this skill?

• You will ask better questions
• You will listen better
• You will become your own judge of success or failure (in terms of your efforts. We can’t control others opinions….only our own). 

If you can’t ask the right question….you’re dead in the water before you begin.

For more about creative tips and tricks: http://bit.ly/1RmIwrn

Vital Collaborations Part 2: Managing your fear

(This is an excerpt from a speech I gave at the VizualNow Event July 27th).

Part 2.

For thousands of years humans have used stories and story-telling to help them accept what they don’t understand. 

We all make up and tell stories about ourselves...which ends up creating a large part of our identity.

And when we perceive our “identity” is under attack we will defend the illusion rather than the reality.

If we are afraid, or uncomfortable it is next to impossible to hide. It will show itself in the words you choose, your facial reactions and your body language. What’s worse is: in a collaborative situation your fear can become the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. Your fear accompanies you wherever you go. And even though you may think you can hide it, those around you will sense it-making accommodations be they subtle or overt. Best case scenario is that the people you are working with will accept your peccadilloes...because what you contribute is of great value. Worst case: you will be let go because you are perceived to be too much trouble.

What is it about my list of successful people that helps them deal with their fears. What is that “gold dust” I was looking for?

It’s not magic....it’s confidence.

Successful people work hard not only on their craft but also on themselves. They practice their interpersonal skills...they meticulously prepare for meetings and collaborations and they understand that without effective communication failure is almost certain.

Think of it this way: 

Filmmakers think and speak in terms of visuals and story...camera angles, lighting, lenses, blocking costumes etc. Composers think in musical terms: melody, rhythm, harmony, sound. If you speak from your expertise you will be speaking a foreign language and the quality of the communication will be poor.

Better to be prepared to establish a common language as a basis for your communications. 

Identifying, understanding and acknowledging what you are afraid of combined with superior preparation will give you the confidence to participate successfully. 

This won’t be lost on your collaborators....because 

confidence is a sign of strength...

and instinctively people will are drawn to strong, positive personalities. 

coming soon:

Part 3 Making connections

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Vital Collaborations Part 1

(This is an excerpt from a speech I gave at the VizualNow Event July 27th).

Part One

It is easy to see successful working relationships. They seem effortless, almost magical.  Have you ever really wondered what makes them work? 

Have you ever been in a situation that didn’t end well? If so, have you ever asked yourself the question: “What did I do to contribute to a less than positive outcome?

All too often we are afraid to address our failures because we won’t like what we see.

When I started doing films I had already established myself as something of a hotshot arranger/orchestrator so I walked in the door with an attitude...self-confident about my musical expertise. Everything seemed to be working fine until I failed miserably on a show and had no idea why or where to turn? And then, I failed again, and again.

This was quite a blow to my ego....expert that I considered myself to be. 

I quickly realized that I had a big problem. 

Failure was not an option so I had to address why I was failing and figure out what I had to do to turn the ship around.

Truth was: I had no idea what I was doing. 

I thought that everyone would just love my music and I would be done. I was the expert. Right?

Wrong. 

In desperation I decided I need to know as much as I could about making movies... that I had to become an expert in moviemaking to continue working....My approach was based on what had worked for me in the past....become the expert and everything would work out fine.  What I didn’t realize was that I was replacing one widget with another. 

What I missed completely was my glaring lack of interpersonal skills.

I would get defensive if criticized

I had no idea how to articulate my position.

I had no conflict management skills. 

I was the expert right?....

Creating media is a collaborative exercise....You need not be the smartest person in the room to be a successful collaborator.

And those that have succeeded have much more than personal expertise to offer. 

I looked to my heroes for guidance.

When I studied the icons of film music, John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, it appeared that they were all truly gifted collaborators as well as being musical giants.

If I ever wanted to reach that level of success I had to find out how get some of that “gold dust”....that something special that my idols seemed to exude effortlessly.

What was it they had that I didn’t?

It was obvious these guys had mastered the art of collaboration....but there seemed to be something more that I was missing. 

It was pointed out to me that: 

“we unconsciously sabotage our relationships because we are not aware of how our subconscious behavior affects our actions. In addition, we can be confused about who are and why we do what we do."

Taking an objective personal inventory I discovered that:

I was an expert musician but...

I was terribly insecure

I had no idea how to resolve an argument

I needed constant validation for my work....(the curse of the artist-to have everyone love them).

In this moment of awareness three different topics emerged:

1- Embrace your fear....

2- Focus your attention 

3- Add value 

What does this mean?

Part Two coming soon:

Monday Musings: Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Entrepreneurship, composing and survival.

Ever wonder why some people succeed and others don’t? In the past pathways to success were well defined and thus can be navigated. As it was when Henry Ford created the assembly line, finding your pathway to success today it is not so simple. 

Navigating through life and music can be viewed as a continual decision making process—constantly choosing between different options. But how do we determine which choice to make?

There are no rules. Most of us rely on our intuition to help guide us based upon past successes and failures thinking that what has worked in the past will work again. But what if the rules change in the middle of the game?

If our goal is stay in the game (survival) both our attitude and our perception has to change to meet the challenges as we face them. We must change our expectations and goals to stay inline with life as it is—not as it was. Why is that so difficult?

Conditioned responses are very difficult to change. The good news is that it is not impossible. The challenge is to not only be a participant in your life but also an observer. If you make the commitment to being brutally honest with yourself you can apply the problem solving skills you have developed in your creative life and intuition . Here are some steps that helped me:

     1-   Accepting that my previous life no longer exists- and to pursue the future using previous models will not move my life forward.

     2-   Doing a personal SWOT Analysis

     3-   Keeping abreast of leading trends.

     4-   Creating a strategy based on what you have learned.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

As we move away from 20^th century business practices (mass marketing, media, broadcasting) we will no longer have one or two careers in our lives. We will be forced to adapt from one career to the next as the world around us changes. Uncertainty is the new norm but it need not be overwhelming.

The good news in all of this is that the creative individual has an enormous advantage. The creative individual constantly reassesses and evaluates situations and opportunities.  Who better to define the future than the creative individual?

What is the best news?

If a strategy doesn’t work, let it go and start over. The only person holding you back is yourself.

Monday Musings: What is the job of an artist?

It has been said that the job of an artist "is to lift the soul". 

What does that mean? Perhaps it is meant to vague...to let the reader fill in the blanks? 

A compelling piece of art is one that will draw you in and ask you to take a journey. And while most art attempts it...few are interesting enough to hold our attention. So....what makes the difference?

A great film (or story) presents us with a choice: do we take the journey, or not? If we engage we will most likely be led to a conclusion that we have already anticipated. It is how the journey unfolds that is important for the audience...not the destination.

Immersing ourselves in art (including stories) releases us from the day to day worries and cares of our lives. "To lift the soul" provides a momentary escape. This is important business...and takes a lot of hard, dedicated work.

Music, Film, Stories, Sculpture, Painting, Photography, Drawing...

It matters not which medium you chose. What matters is that your "art" be compelling to the point an audience will trust you with their imagination and let go. Making that connection requires you, as the artist, to be courageous. It requires you to be willing to risk, to be fearlessly honest and authentic with faith and commitment. Anything less is a waste of time (yours and your audience).

So why do we do it? For some of us it is a compulsion. For some it is an active choice. Some have no choice...art chooses them.

If making art is your journey then realize you are part of a unique group of individuals who make it their business to enhance and delight...create unimaginable beauty and emotional richness. Use your gift wisely and take great pride knowing there will always be someone who will be looking for you to lift their souls.