In the weeks following the roll-out of shelter-in-place mandates toward flattening the curve against COVID-19, the practice of self-care has become an increasingly important tool for creatives in combating stress and strengthening immunity against the virus—as they continue to retool their platforms to virtually engage with audiences. The state-mandated social-distancing and self-isolation protective measures have also presented an unexpected opportunity for introspection and

Most artists and creatives carry a natural desire and ambition for the spotlight--and in turn to have their work appreciated at scale. However, as powerful and satisfactory as that spotlight may be in conquering the hustle and flow of the marketplace or moving the needle of industry trends, there is another point of light that allows an artist to transcend the temporal aesthetics of status and wealth towards impactful creativity—resulting in a transfiguration of an artist’s c

Career silence can be an intimidating prospect for artists and creatives weathering high levels of success or relative obscurity. As with the art and practice of jazz improvisation, there may be a temptation to fill bars of career silence with content for the sake of visibility or relevance among peers to maintain or gain marketplace territory in the in-between, resulting in atonal content that dilutes their artistic voice and creative vision. In an era where perpetual prese

The road of an independent artist is often romanticized for its bureaucratic freedoms and creative control, but it is a difficult and complex path of intersectional responsibility that requires a high level of discernment and personal accountability—carrying a greater level of liability and risk than creatives whose careers may benefit from the financial strength of corporate or privatized support. However, regardless of the absence or presence of corporate sponsorships or be

Jazz master and saxophonist, Wayne Shorter once stated: “Your humanity is your instrument.” In parallel, an artist’s body could be considered the instrument case. Creatives spend hours towards the development of their instrument case and the expression of their craft, undergoing strength training in the form of physical and mental exercises and rehearsals, perfecting their posture under pressure. Inevitably, within the arc of artist development, life lands unexpected weights

The collective use of light and darkness within an artist’s palette adds depth and clarity to an artist’s vision through the use of color or sound, but can also be demonstrated in the spectrum of ideas. Renowned art legend Jean-Michel Basquiat regularly used language within his palette—crossing out words to further define and enhance his work, as seen in such paintings such as Hollywood Africans—and Charles The First and Horn Players—the latter were both created in tribute t

Romantic love can become complex and weighted, when diluted with fear, dysfunction and self-serving motives--causing a considerable amount of pain for each party in the relationship. In consideration of the relationship with self and the practice of self-love, it becomes even more crucial to distill the relationship with self in transparency for the release of anger, depression or addictive behaviors that can hamper positive momentum towards the fulfillment of creative goals

Inevitably, as the first week of January passes, it becomes evident that vision boards and inspirational mantras will only go so far in maintaining momentum towards the realization of New Year resolutions made. In the walking out of short-term and long-term strategies towards the achievement of creative, career and life goals, hope, endurance and optimism are instrumental in maintaining progress throughout the upcoming year—but of all the virtues that prove essential towards

The week before the New Year ushers in a Judgment Day of its own with the passing of another year. Questions arise in the overview of our past experiences that inform our resolutions and next steps forward—to further investments made, or to reconfigure or revise existing creative and career goals. The final decision may be made to pull up anchor altogether and start a new path entirely. Ultimately, the recompense of whatever decision made will land solely on the decision-make

Saxophonist Wayne Shorter once stated: “Your humanity is your instrument.” For artists, that metaphor can be extended to the care of the body, with regard to the practice of self-care, as the body is in essence the instrument case to our humanity and talents. With the arrival of the holidays there is generally an encouragement and expectation to throw caution to the wind and indulge the senses, followed by a January run of detox and dieting to regain balance. There are those

Prayer and meditation are both an effective means of navigating worry and negativity in the face of personal challenges and trials on a spiritual level, however we may afterwards still find our minds immersed in problem-solving, in a constant fight against our fears, and an imagined, inevitable doom. As a result, as artists, we can become creatively lost and stagnant, and new ideas and inspiration are blocked. When combined with the act of creativity, prayer and meditation ca

I have always loved the concept of the Festivus holiday for its candid catharsis and bizarrely comedic properties. The holiday, as featured on the sitcom Seinfeld, is a fictionalized account of an annual holiday celebrated by the family of one of the show’s writers, which has now evolved into an alternate answer to the commercialism of the holiday season. During the holiday, as depicted on the episode “The Strike”, George Costanza is forced to relive the torture of previous F

The last months of the year are typically accompanied by a time of self-reflection, where the facts of our lives serve as headline copy towards a final assessment and punctuation of the year. Some years end with a simple, tidy period. Some end with a semicolon, colon or other connector in the continuation of a new chapter or circumstances. Others end with a loud exclamation point of change. With holiday celebrations and networking events on the horizon, our final judgments ar

Hip-hop artist and recent Pulitzer Prize honoree, Kendrick Lamar posted a series of vintage, on-the-road video vignettes on Instagram this week—one of which featured his point-of-view perspective from a mountaintop. He quipped: “…Made it all the way to the top. I backflipped all the way up here.” It was a loaded statement, on reflection, given what the ability to backflip represents. It is an enviable, and necessary skill in sports such as gymnastics, as well as hand-to-hand

Courage is a trait that is mostly associated with the confrontation of fear, injustice and immediate physical danger. But there is a different kind of courage required in closing the door and walking away from your expectations and the comfort of what you know to be true. There are consequences to that type of courage, in the act of moving forward, that force an acceptance of change—ushering your development into a person you’ve never seen or no longer recognize. While studyi

The importance of mindset has become a key talking point within startup and pop culture—the power of which is rarely ever fully explored towards the end goal of effecting change for society-at-large. Mindset—the collective beliefs that inform a person’s thoughts, words, decisions and actions—ultimately pave a path towards successful self-actualization or failed human potential. Generally, most messaging around the importance of mindset centers around the achievement of person

Environment is generally defined as the elements and surrounding space in which one lives. Your principle power as an artist lies in the ability to create and alter environments for the betterment of others through your talent and gifts. At the same time, regardless of the level of your career, you will likely be battling the toxicity of the very environment you’re serving. There are everyday challenges that can range from the misalignment of work-life balance and the inconve

About seven years ago, I found myself falling further into a depression that originated from a growing anger and frustration with a number of personal challenges and disappointments I had been grappling with throughout my twenties and thirties--all of which would unknowingly set my course towards a greater pain that I thought I would never experience in domestic violence. Previous to that experience, at the genesis of that downward slope, I got desperate one day and opened th

I was house-sitting in Burbank for a friend back in 2006 and was charged with watering the front and back lawns and the backyard floral and plants three times a week. Every time I would water the front lawn I would find myself diddling around with the valve key, while waiting for the water to saturate the soil, but couldn't place where my fascination with the key was coming from, or why I was enjoying playing with it so much. A few years ago, I came across this picture and ha

I was thinking this morning about what to blog about and the topic of depression came to mind. It is something I've struggled with and looking back it reminded me of some of the decisions I've made that in hindsight I can see were heavily influenced by my perspective on life at the time. When you first trip into that mudhole, it can easily turn to quicksand when compounded by the effects of a bad decision made under an altered state of mind. Dealing with depression is similar