I'm at the Taxi Road Rally in Los Angeles, one of my favorite songwriter-centric music conferences that hosts hundreds of songwriters, composers, music industry representatives and retailers over a power-packed weekend at a hotel near LAX. I'm here to speak to songwriters in my own workshop and run my own book booth. I launched my new book, JUST GET OUT THERE, this weekend.
JUST
GET OUT THERE
is the Artist's bible to achieving abundance,
self-empowerment
and professional success as an Artist entrepreneur.
300+ pages
filled with in-depth tips, tools, steps and resources
on
getting out there as an Artist, all the while
achieving
personal, financial and professional success and joy.
Three years in the writing, I'm extremely proud and excited in delivering this book into as many Artist's hands. In my opinion, it's all you need to set the sails on a course that will create an empowering and abundant life as an Artist Entrepreneur, the captain of your ship, the master of your destiny.
I gave my talk yesterday at the conference in my workshop of the same title. It speaks for itself really: Just get out there... just take the steps, and the road will start revealing itself to you.
So let me give you the introduction to my book, and hope your creative juices flow by reading this, to inspire you to PURCHASE the book.
I have come to realize that we, as human beings, want two things: love, and a purpose. We want to know that we are loved and that our love will be received, and that we have some kind of path for us in this world; some kind of purpose or plan. We want to know where we are going and even better, how to get there.
Artists are divinely creative and unique human beings. We have the innate ability to be the eye to our souls, and shine a light on the deepest secrets we often keep to ourselves, illuminating them so we can grow, and be better human beings, hopefully, for ourselves and to those around us. Artists are like voyeurs, with a gift to see into the souls of our common human experiences and deliver to us, through their Art, a reflection on a silver platter. We hear our own heart ache through songwriters’ songs; we see our pain on the canvas, and we feel our joy through the dancer’s flight.
But although Artists have this gift, and so much more, many don’t see this ability to value themselves as professionals, who provide a service to humanity. Instead, they can feel worthless, disempowered, financially stricken, and powerless and in a ‘struggle’. In conjunction, they often think that someone else is supposed to come along and give them the “ticket to ride”, so to speak; that someone else has the power to decide if their Art/music is worthy of the world, and they wait for someone else to put value on their talent. Since no one has told them how to “get there”, they just sit in struggle, waiting.
Or, if they aren’t waiting for someone else to validate them, then they may just not know the “way” to get there. Artists like direction. They want some kind of plan that shows them the steps. If they don’t have it, they often don’t move forward. So this causes many Artists to stay in limbo,… waiting. Let’s consider the early pioneers of America, or even the settlers of Australia (two countries I know a lot about, being a dual citizen of both nations). These people came to a harsh land, and knew nothing about where to settle, what to do, or how to do it. In fact many had never built a house or farmed before, having grown up in the industrial city of London, or various European cities. They just HAD to survive in the new land, and so they just made a go of it. They went through many hardships, sickness, disease, weather, and sometimes wars and disharmony. But they just stuck it through and put one foot after the other, to finally make a home for themselves in a strange land.
They took a leap of faith because they wanted so badly to have the freedom and new opportunities that the country could provide them.
What would happen if you just took a leap of faith in your Artistry, and just got out there anyway (even if you don’t know every step to take)? Are you ready to take risks in order to achieve your dreams? Are you ready to build a plan for yourself that at least allows you to START?
In the world as we know it, success comes from the ability to take risks. In the Arts business (music, entertainment, films, Art, etc.), to risk is as common as breathing. It’s a business that encourages innovation, thinking outside the box, and just being brave. Successful risk-taking comes from just taking the step, whether you feel ready or not. By just getting out there, you are taking one step towards realizing your dreams. Eventually, confidence will catch up to your actions, but to act is the important step.
I see life as a choice. I can either choose to wait, or choose to do. In so doing, we could be faced with what can seem a torrent of obstacles, hurdles, criticism and lack of opportunities.
So will this stop you?
In this day and age, Artists need to be business savvy, and self-driven. I write about this in my books and speak about it to Artists in my workshops and seminars. What’s crucial to know is that you can do many things on your own as an Artist, without thinking someone else has to be the one to come along and make it happen for you (make you famous). Fame is an illusion in this new world. It’s created, bought and lasts for moments.
Fame is an illusion in this new world. It’s created, bought and lasts for moments.
What you want to focus on is being a consummate Artist your whole life and that takes diligence, integrity, talent, perseverance and a go get ‘em mentality.
But we can’t do it all alone. It’s important to have people you trust around you that you can share your ideas, get some advice and who can help you plan your attack. Surround yourself with encouraging, positive people who support your desires, and let go of those who want to deflate you.
Some Artists look for managers to be that special person. Some managers work with celebrity Artists and don’t have much time to also develop an unknown. Other managers are too green around the ears to really offer you real advice and opportunities, even if they are enthusiastic.
I believe in being the warrior in life, and for me that means being my own Artist entrepreneur and being in charge of my own destiny; pursuing creative freedom, and at the same time being very disciplined and diligent in my pursuit of excellence in everything I do. I will detail more about my warrior-ship later in this book.
I’ve combined all my teachings and coachings into this book so you can basically coach yourself to greatness. You have an invisible coach working with you, through this book, guiding you, asking you questions, giving you exercises, and making you think and act the way a strong, business savvy Artist should, leading you to the Artist you ultimately want to become.
But let it be said that there is no replacement for the real thing: someone who acts as your advisor, mirror or confidante, and who keeps you accountable for the actions you set out to accomplish; someone who lets you dream as big as you want, and make you feel safe in the journey of the big wide world of the business of the Arts. You may call that person a manager, or an agent, or your best friend. For several years, entwined through my own Artistic journey and self-discovery, I have been coaching Artists on their journeys. They come to me for advice, consultancy and development. I don’t know what prompted other Artists to seek counsel in me, for I set myself up to be an Artist and not a teacher. But after too many cups of coffee, and lunches dishing out free advice to Artists who always wanted to know my secret ingredient to how I got to where I am (wherever that is!), I turned it into a coaching business where we both win. Besides, there is something really exciting about sharing your secrets. I believe that if you give to others, you receive so much. Call it Karma, or just plain cross-sharing fun, I certainly enjoy helping other Artists as well as helping myself. There is no greater satisfaction than sharing achievement, especially when the path can be so lonely otherwise.
I find that coaches are a really great support for Artists, while allowing the Artist to be in control of their own destiny.
Of course, at any time you want the real thing, contact me to set up a real live, in person or by phone session. Go to www.Artistdevelopmentcoach.com to check out more about these sessions.
When I set out to write this book three years previously, my main intention was to offer practical tips and resources about getting out there, including marketing, promotion, touring, the Internet, and many other aspects. While I have definitely delved into all these arenas, I realized, after building the coaching arm of my company, that what Artists really needed was inspiration, a sense of hope and assurance that they were on the right path. It didn’t matter so much that they had reached all their goals, but that they were also, and importantly, enjoying the journey to get there, with enough information about the stepping stones to hop along. And so, my book took an inward turn, which indeed my own head was going anyway, and I began to write many chapters and online blogs (which I have printed within this book) that inspire Artists along their Artistic journey, that allow Artists to become masters of their own destiny and provide ways to pursue their dreams with full integrity.
It’s the road itself that is the most exciting, revealing and empowering
Part of my journey is writing about my life, and what I know, and sharing it with others. Whilst I cannot give anyone the short cut to what’s at the end of the yellow brick road (because each of our pots of gold are all different), I can talk about the yellow in the road. It’s the road itself that is the most exciting, revealing and empowering.
I also want to say that all of my writings are based on my own experiences as an Artist. I am a singer-songwriter, recording Artist and music producer, and I have done pretty much everything there can be done as an indie (independent Artist) in the music business. I set up my own record label, Warrior Girl Music, over 9 years ago and have toured the world performing my songs, and recording 6 albums. So I know what it means to take risks, and to have to think outside the box to get a look-in at radio play or any type of opportunity. This book combines my experiences, understandings and lessons I’ve learned about getting out there as an Artist. It includes excerpts from my online blogs capturing many road tours and Artistic memories, as well as motivational messages and tips for Artists. At the end of most chapters are exercises on how you can coach yourself to Artistic greatness, which is particularly useful as it will help you summarize everything you’ve learned along the way, and inspire you to enact your dreams.
My purpose is to tangibly embrace many thoughts and inspirations I have written in my travels, as well as new ones, and combine them in this book, to educate, nourish and inspire any musician, singer-songwriter or indeed ANY ARTIST who has chosen creativity as their professional passion. Though since I know the music business the most, this is the business I illustrate the most in this book. However, all Artists across all genres and disciplines can benefit from the readings and inspirations.
For the music Artists, there are practical chapters for you on how to get out there, just like you would imagine: promotional ideas, where to tour, how to deal with venues, how to work on your image; loads of tips and tools that compliment my first book I AM A Professional Artist – the Key to Survival and Success in The World of the Arts. I encourage you to grab a copy of that book as a companion guide to this one as I will refer to it a lot and don’t wish to repeat a lot of the good juice in that one. For the context of this new book, I will refer to my first book, I AM A Professional Artist as “my first book” throughout these upcoming pages.
I also include, in the writing of this book, many personal stories and anecdotes, including some childhood memories, so you can see how I arrived at where I am today.
There will also be some quotes and lyrics, and tour blog excerpts (stories of my touring and travels) that build the tapestry of the chapters. Some of these blogs come with readers’ feedback which they would e-mail me when I posted a new blog online.
Ultimately, this is easy to read for your bedside table or coffee table filled with hearty (from the heart) advice.
This book is not only spiritual nourishment, but a practical guide on the dos and don’ts of the entertainment business. This is no ordinary handbook and it’s not a text book. I can only write from a personal place – autobiographical and real experiences.
I believe that my book, the outward and inward journey, is a reflection of where we are at in the entertainment business and where Artists MUST go in order to achieve their success. We live in a new era of independence when it comes to doing business as Artists, and we cannot afford to place our dreams in someone else’s hands anymore. So, knowing everything about yourself, is EVERYTHING to being successful.
This book is about my journey, which hopefully will inspire your journey. It is a handbook, a guide, a blog, a reality check, a heartfelt song spilled onto 300 pages which I hope motivates you to live your dream, find the inspiration within, and just get out there.
I hope you enjoy the ride as you take control of your dreams and turn them into reality.
gilli moon
I have come to realize that we, as human beings, want two things: love, and a purpose. We want to know that we are loved and that our love will be received, and that we have some kind of path for us in this world; some kind of purpose or plan. We want to know where we are going and even better, how to get there.
Artists are divinely creative and unique human beings. We have the innate ability to be the eye to our souls, and shine a light on the deepest secrets we often keep to ourselves, illuminating them so we can grow, and be better human beings, hopefully, for ourselves and to those around us. Artists are like voyeurs, with a gift to see into the souls of our common human experiences and deliver to us, through their Art, a reflection on a silver platter. We hear our own heart ache through songwriters’ songs; we see our pain on the canvas, and we feel our joy through the dancer’s flight.
But although Artists have this gift, and so much more, many don’t see this ability to value themselves as professionals, who provide a service to humanity. Instead, they can feel worthless, disempowered, financially stricken, and powerless and in a ‘struggle’. In conjunction, they often think that someone else is supposed to come along and give them the “ticket to ride”, so to speak; that someone else has the power to decide if their Art/music is worthy of the world, and they wait for someone else to put value on their talent. Since no one has told them how to “get there”, they just sit in struggle, waiting.
Or, if they aren’t waiting for someone else to validate them, then they may just not know the “way” to get there. Artists like direction. They want some kind of plan that shows them the steps. If they don’t have it, they often don’t move forward. So this causes many Artists to stay in limbo,… waiting. Let’s consider the early pioneers of America, or even the settlers of Australia (two countries I know a lot about, being a dual citizen of both nations). These people came to a harsh land, and knew nothing about where to settle, what to do, or how to do it. In fact many had never built a house or farmed before, having grown up in the industrial city of London, or various European cities. They just HAD to survive in the new land, and so they just made a go of it. They went through many hardships, sickness, disease, weather, and sometimes wars and disharmony. But they just stuck it through and put one foot after the other, to finally make a home for themselves in a strange land.
They took a leap of faith because they wanted so badly to have the freedom and new opportunities that the country could provide them.
What would happen if you just took a leap of faith in your Artistry, and just got out there anyway (even if you don’t know every step to take)? Are you ready to take risks in order to achieve your dreams? Are you ready to build a plan for yourself that at least allows you to START?
In the world as we know it, success comes from the ability to take risks. In the Arts business (music, entertainment, films, Art, etc.), to risk is as common as breathing. It’s a business that encourages innovation, thinking outside the box, and just being brave. Successful risk-taking comes from just taking the step, whether you feel ready or not. By just getting out there, you are taking one step towards realizing your dreams. Eventually, confidence will catch up to your actions, but to act is the important step.
I see life as a choice. I can either choose to wait, or choose to do. In so doing, we could be faced with what can seem a torrent of obstacles, hurdles, criticism and lack of opportunities.
So will this stop you?
In this day and age, Artists need to be business savvy, and self-driven. I write about this in my books and speak about it to Artists in my workshops and seminars. What’s crucial to know is that you can do many things on your own as an Artist, without thinking someone else has to be the one to come along and make it happen for you (make you famous). Fame is an illusion in this new world. It’s created, bought and lasts for moments.
Fame is an illusion in this new world. It’s created, bought and lasts for moments.
What you want to focus on is being a consummate Artist your whole life and that takes diligence, integrity, talent, perseverance and a go get ‘em mentality.
But we can’t do it all alone. It’s important to have people you trust around you that you can share your ideas, get some advice and who can help you plan your attack. Surround yourself with encouraging, positive people who support your desires, and let go of those who want to deflate you.
Some Artists look for managers to be that special person. Some managers work with celebrity Artists and don’t have much time to also develop an unknown. Other managers are too green around the ears to really offer you real advice and opportunities, even if they are enthusiastic.
I believe in being the warrior in life, and for me that means being my own Artist entrepreneur and being in charge of my own destiny; pursuing creative freedom, and at the same time being very disciplined and diligent in my pursuit of excellence in everything I do. I will detail more about my warrior-ship later in this book.
I’ve combined all my teachings and coachings into this book so you can basically coach yourself to greatness. You have an invisible coach working with you, through this book, guiding you, asking you questions, giving you exercises, and making you think and act the way a strong, business savvy Artist should, leading you to the Artist you ultimately want to become.
But let it be said that there is no replacement for the real thing: someone who acts as your advisor, mirror or confidante, and who keeps you accountable for the actions you set out to accomplish; someone who lets you dream as big as you want, and make you feel safe in the journey of the big wide world of the business of the Arts. You may call that person a manager, or an agent, or your best friend. For several years, entwined through my own Artistic journey and self-discovery, I have been coaching Artists on their journeys. They come to me for advice, consultancy and development. I don’t know what prompted other Artists to seek counsel in me, for I set myself up to be an Artist and not a teacher. But after too many cups of coffee, and lunches dishing out free advice to Artists who always wanted to know my secret ingredient to how I got to where I am (wherever that is!), I turned it into a coaching business where we both win. Besides, there is something really exciting about sharing your secrets. I believe that if you give to others, you receive so much. Call it Karma, or just plain cross-sharing fun, I certainly enjoy helping other Artists as well as helping myself. There is no greater satisfaction than sharing achievement, especially when the path can be so lonely otherwise.
I find that coaches are a really great support for Artists, while allowing the Artist to be in control of their own destiny.
Of course, at any time you want the real thing, contact me to set up a real live, in person or by phone session. Go to www.Artistdevelopmentcoach.com to check out more about these sessions.
When I set out to write this book three years previously, my main intention was to offer practical tips and resources about getting out there, including marketing, promotion, touring, the Internet, and many other aspects. While I have definitely delved into all these arenas, I realized, after building the coaching arm of my company, that what Artists really needed was inspiration, a sense of hope and assurance that they were on the right path. It didn’t matter so much that they had reached all their goals, but that they were also, and importantly, enjoying the journey to get there, with enough information about the stepping stones to hop along. And so, my book took an inward turn, which indeed my own head was going anyway, and I began to write many chapters and online blogs (which I have printed within this book) that inspire Artists along their Artistic journey, that allow Artists to become masters of their own destiny and provide ways to pursue their dreams with full integrity.
It’s the road itself that is the most exciting, revealing and empowering
Part of my journey is writing about my life, and what I know, and sharing it with others. Whilst I cannot give anyone the short cut to what’s at the end of the yellow brick road (because each of our pots of gold are all different), I can talk about the yellow in the road. It’s the road itself that is the most exciting, revealing and empowering.
I also want to say that all of my writings are based on my own experiences as an Artist. I am a singer-songwriter, recording Artist and music producer, and I have done pretty much everything there can be done as an indie (independent Artist) in the music business. I set up my own record label, Warrior Girl Music, over 9 years ago and have toured the world performing my songs, and recording 6 albums. So I know what it means to take risks, and to have to think outside the box to get a look-in at radio play or any type of opportunity. This book combines my experiences, understandings and lessons I’ve learned about getting out there as an Artist. It includes excerpts from my online blogs capturing many road tours and Artistic memories, as well as motivational messages and tips for Artists. At the end of most chapters are exercises on how you can coach yourself to Artistic greatness, which is particularly useful as it will help you summarize everything you’ve learned along the way, and inspire you to enact your dreams.
My purpose is to tangibly embrace many thoughts and inspirations I have written in my travels, as well as new ones, and combine them in this book, to educate, nourish and inspire any musician, singer-songwriter or indeed ANY ARTIST who has chosen creativity as their professional passion. Though since I know the music business the most, this is the business I illustrate the most in this book. However, all Artists across all genres and disciplines can benefit from the readings and inspirations.
For the music Artists, there are practical chapters for you on how to get out there, just like you would imagine: promotional ideas, where to tour, how to deal with venues, how to work on your image; loads of tips and tools that compliment my first book I AM A Professional Artist – the Key to Survival and Success in The World of the Arts. I encourage you to grab a copy of that book as a companion guide to this one as I will refer to it a lot and don’t wish to repeat a lot of the good juice in that one. For the context of this new book, I will refer to my first book, I AM A Professional Artist as “my first book” throughout these upcoming pages.
I also include, in the writing of this book, many personal stories and anecdotes, including some childhood memories, so you can see how I arrived at where I am today.
There will also be some quotes and lyrics, and tour blog excerpts (stories of my touring and travels) that build the tapestry of the chapters. Some of these blogs come with readers’ feedback which they would e-mail me when I posted a new blog online.
Ultimately, this is easy to read for your bedside table or coffee table filled with hearty (from the heart) advice.
This book is not only spiritual nourishment, but a practical guide on the dos and don’ts of the entertainment business. This is no ordinary handbook and it’s not a text book. I can only write from a personal place – autobiographical and real experiences.
I believe that my book, the outward and inward journey, is a reflection of where we are at in the entertainment business and where Artists MUST go in order to achieve their success. We live in a new era of independence when it comes to doing business as Artists, and we cannot afford to place our dreams in someone else’s hands anymore. So, knowing everything about yourself, is EVERYTHING to being successful.
This book is about my journey, which hopefully will inspire your journey. It is a handbook, a guide, a blog, a reality check, a heartfelt song spilled onto 300 pages which I hope motivates you to live your dream, find the inspiration within, and just get out there.
I hope you enjoy the ride as you take control of your dreams and turn them into reality.
gilli moon
JUST GET OUT THERE
Achieving Abundance, Self-Empowerment and Professional Success as an Artist Entrepreneur
Achieving Abundance, Self-Empowerment and Professional Success as an Artist Entrepreneur
NEW BOOK BY GILLI MOON
OUT
NOW
OUT
NOW
"Take
charge of your Artistic destiny"
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