Some artists aspire to a creative career with ambitions towards achieving a level of affluence that will afford them a luxury lifestyle of ease and creature comforts, as they embark on their creative journeys. Unfortunately, the road chosen can sometimes lead to the development of a self-serving creativity based in ego that centers on the fulfillment of superficial appetites and the dead-heading of talents and creative calling. Renaissance artist, rock musician, producer and

An artist’s awareness of their strengths and shortcomings is critical to the creative process. It is an indicator of the maturity and emotional IQ that are intrinsic to the art of storytelling and their ability to effectively communicate the unique and shared aspects of the human experience through the window of craft—as paralleled in the popular quote by essayist, poet and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau: “Maturity is when all your mirrors turn into windows.” Rap icon, arti

There are various motives that inform an artist’s hopes and ambitions—one of the most common and primary being financial comfort and success. For most artists, the fragility of those ambitions becomes increasingly evident against the reality of the odds encountered in their efforts to realize career success, which can sometimes result in disillusionment—a reality that is vividly portrayed throughout the narrative of the hip-hop classic, Money Trees by artist and Pulitzer Priz

The creative journey is a road that places cyclical demands on the endurance of those who travel it. For most, the ability to meet those demands requires a cognitive faith in the marriage of thought, belief and action to successfully clear personal and professional obstacles and hurdles—in addition to an uninhibited vulnerability in order to attract and reel in the unseen promises of both career and craft. When artists and creatives lose their heart in the process through har

An artist’s mantle can be a difficult undertaking—as the very pursuit of their craft requires vulnerability in the sharing of thoughts, beliefs, perspective and personal experiences that form the narrative of their work. With every creative work, an artist knowingly opens the door to criticism, whether justified or unwarranted, that can potentially derail focus and compound the weight of self-criticism and doubt. In a medium that is commercially dependent on public valuation,

The memory of this particular leap year will be framed by great and unexpected loss--heightened by the economic effects of COVID-19 in the dismantling of livelihoods and streams of income due to social distancing mandates. In the shock and panic from news coverage and the growing restlessness from self-isolation efforts, there has been an urgency to return to business as usual. Despite the disruption and unease, however, for many artists and creatives, self-isolation has serv

Isolation is intrinsic to the creative process and journey, as experienced through the haphazardness of business and tour travel, market downturns or the voluntary solitude that allows for the requisite focus and study needed to strengthen performance and technique. Regardless of circumstance, isolation also provides an opportunity towards the strengthening of morale and quarantine of the mind against destructive environments, influences and distractions that hamper creative

The creative journey requires courage—the courage to believe and remain consistent and committed in the face of personal, professional and marketplace losses and disruptions that sometimes leave a lasting influence against an artist’s faith. In a bid for self-preservation, sometimes artists and creatives can find themselves living out a lower-case courage that runs counterintuitive to their calling and creative purpose—a courage that ultimately limits their potential. In the

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

It eventually happens, and when it does, it can be difficult to reconcile the loss. For artists and creatives, there may be no worse feeling than being cheated, maligned, or misrepresented—and losing control of a business interest or having their personal brand injured in the process. When the occasion occurs, it can easily result in a need for reactive, retaliatory actions to demonstrate strength and power--particularly in an industry, creative or entertainment, that does no

Although professional and marketplace criticism are unavoidable realities of the creative career, it is easy to become distracted by them, given the basic human desire for acceptance and approval by others. For artists and creatives, criticism, whether constructive or unwarranted, is never really anticipated at the release of their work—as the sharing of it in the marketplace is an indicator of its perceived value and worthiness. In today’s viral digital climate, the offense

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

There is a popular saying currently trending within mainstream with roots in church culture: Rejection is a form of redirection. It is a difficult concept to bear in mind during the creative process, in the sharing and unfolding of artistic expression with audiences, peers or industry gatekeepers. Once an artist releases their work from a place of identity and shelter, only for it to be rejected on receipt, the experience can easily be conflated with personal rejection versus

The creative path can present a dichotomy of experiences—the thrill of artistic exploration and synchronicity, and the mind-breaking moments of defeat and bad breaks. In the case of the latter, bad breaks, or ‘the breaks’ (as termed by hip-hop pioneer, Kurtis Blow) can prove advantageous for those who encounter them, as they provide an opportunity for insight in the way they are handled, or in other cases mishandled, in hindsight. In walking out the creative path and process,

The gift of creativity, in its various forms, is an attribute of the Creator that serves as a sanctuary and salvation for many artists—a conduit of calm, control and clarity that protects and preserves against the toxicity of culture and environment, while also providing a connectivity to the artistic intelligence that informs their talent and ability. This dynamic was highlighted in the recently released documentary, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool—an all-encompassing view in

Sometimes an artist’s creative vision and productivity can become eclipsed by their own hustle and desire to exhibit markers of merit and relevance in the marketplace through outer metrics such as brand awareness and the size and engagement level of their various social media platforms—so much so that the simple task of doing (of working and growing their craft) can end up stalled or neglected. In an age where marketplace validation is often measured and awarded through the

There are numerous qualities and resources that are imperative to successful creativity. In addition to the more commonly recognized attributes such as faith, hope, joy, love, patience and discipline—talent, space, time, finance, passion, purpose and intellect are equally important to the creative process. However, aside from these, there is one element that proves crucial for creatives in manifesting the shape and form of the imagination: the word of creativity from within.

The life of an artist is naturally shaped and defined by periods of transition, given the metamorphic nature of creativity. During those transitionary periods of change or upheaval, artists can find themselves frozen in the in-between, deferring to past successes or failures--while deliberating the necessity to walk forward into new creative and professional doors that lie ahead, in order to avoid the risk of the unknown. In the face of transition, how can an artist empower t

At the outset of an artist’s initial baptism into their calling, there is a honeymoon phase, in which passion comes easily. In order to extend that passion over time beyond self into a ripple effect towards the betterment of the culture, the practice of immersion is necessary through the daily exercise of individual gifts, continual study of craft, active self-awareness and deliberate self-care. Although par for the course towards facilitating artistic growth and development,

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