Tag Archives: 60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey

SXSW Book Signing: ’60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey’

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I’ve learned countless lessons during my decade-plus creative journey. Some were common sense, “live-and-learn” type experiences, while others came as a direct result of thinking I had a good idea… and falling flat on my face.

One night, I opened a blank document, and I began to compile a list of the most important ones, based on the experiences that forged me into a better creative professional. Before I knew it, I had few dozen… and I added about a dozen more, for good measure!

These 60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey come loaded with anecdotes — whether painful, inspiring, and/or hilarious — from 11+ years building a multimedia and educational platform for independent musicians. The lessons contained within are independent of industry; they apply to anybody with the courage to step out and “build the thing” — no matter what your “thing” is!

NASHVILLE: RSVP for Our ’60+ Lessons’ Launch Party & Free Branding Workshop

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Before you can get to where you want to go, you must answer a very important question…

WHY?

What drives you to create? How will connecting to the world through music enrich your life, and the lives of those around you?

It’s a deep question, and we want to help you uncover the answer. That’s why we’re hosting our Building Your Authentic Artist Brand workshop on Thursday, February 27 from 5-8:30 p.m. at Helping Our Music Evolve (615 Main St., Suite G1, Nashville).

RSVP HERE

In this FREE interactive workshop, we’ll walk through the steps of developing your authentic artist brand. We’ll uncover what connects you to your audience, and how to build a community that will attract media, performance, and partnership opportunities.

The workshop portion of the evening runs from 6-8 p.m. Before (and after), join us for an exclusive book release party in celebration of 60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey: A Handy Guide for the Budding Entrepreneur — the debut release from UMC Founder/CEO Gerard Longo.

Space is limited! Come gain insight featured by reputable music industry conferences across North America, including SXSW, NOLA MusiCon, and more!

Show Up for Yourself Every Day

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Here’s another excerpt from my forthcoming debut book, ‘60+ Lessons from the Creative Journey: A Handy Guide for the Budding Entrepreneur’ (available Feb. 25 on Amazon). This comprehensive volume of the journey (so far) covers everything from branding philosophy, to mindset, to the dynamics of our working and personal relationships.

Pre-order the digital version now! (Paperback pre-order coming soon.)

The greatest antidote to your unfavorable narratives is to provide yourself with consistent evidence to the contrary. That means routinely doing what you say you’re going to do, and it starts with keeping promises to yourself. By keeping promises to yourself, you build trust in the person in the mirror. Greater self-worth and self-respect are byproducts of that.

If you say you’re going to record an album this year, do it. If you keep telling yourself you’re going to post consistently to social media, you’d better get to work. This practice also applies to your everyday life. If you say you’re going to work out four times a week, show up at least that much. If you have specific dietary improvements in mind, start today. Don’t wait until January 1.

If you keep telling yourself you’re going to ask that person out, what are you waiting for? They’re not going to wait forever.

How you do one thing is how you do everything. Developing the ability to consistently honor your commitments starts by honoring those you make internally. From there, that ability carries over to your creative platform, your relationships, and every other aspect of your life.

Indeed, your success begins with you. However, it doesn’t end there…