gilli @ TAXI Road Rally

Last weekend i spoke about the following to about 150 people in a standing room only hall at the Taxi Road Rally's Renaissance Hotel. I spent the proceeding hour afterwards signing books and Cds. The Taxi Road Rally is probably the largest attended music conference, specifically about songwriting and attended by songwriters. I've never seen so much traffic in one place.

. Indie Artist Marketing, Touring and Promotion with Gilli Moon - In the Hancock Park Room. Define success on your own terms... professional artist development, staying motivated, how to develop the right relationships, marketing and promotional tools, and overcoming obstacles. Gilli Moon will motivate you beyond creativity, into the business world of the Professional Artist - providing tools, tips and solutions on indie promotion, marketing and touring.

Last year I was on the official Opening Panel of the conference called "DIY" amongst 5 panelists including Derek Sivers from Cd Baby. This year, everyone came up to me remembering me on the panel. Michael Laskow, the owner of Taxi, recently said to me that I'm the "hardest working indie artist" he's met. That's a nice comment from him. He has one of my quotes on his website too, on the home page of the Rally website: http://taxi.com/rally/rally2005.html

Our Songsalive! booth was FULL ON all weekend in the book room, with people constantly coming up to us. It was an amazing weekend.

gilli

www.gillimoon.com

Inner Entrepreneurship

gilli moon's blog "Inner Entrepreneurship"

Last month I spoke for my second time, at Berklee School of Music in Boston. It's such an honor to be able to do this and I thank the insightful and prolific Berklee author Peter Spellman for the opportunity, as Berklee is one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. It was very timely to speak to students there, not for the sakes of the writing progress of my new book which I always feel inspired to write a chapter or two after a public outing, but also because the was so fitting with everything that i have been focused on lately. I don't know who learned more, the musician filled audience, or me. What I do know is that through my speaking engagements, i'm getting more and more in touch with my higher mission as an artist and a human being, and much of it has to do with the art of leaping forward by "going within."

I was asked to give my thoughts on the topic of "the inner game of music entrepreneurship." This statement conjured up some fascinating thought and ensuing dialogue. The most obvious cool topic is 'entrepreneurship'. To be considered an entrepreneur in this business of music by Berklee is indeed flattering, let alone the opportunity to speak about it. With everything I do as an artist, musician, author, speaker, label owner, artist community builder, I guess I am indeed entrepreneurial. What is more important here though is that I feel everyone needs to be entrepreneurial, in order to be truly powerful as an artist in this new music/arts business. It's automatic. If we want to lead our lives, or art, our business, we need to be self-driven, business minded, and a visionary. But this cannot be just shown externally. We need to feel it and be it internally too.

The next part about this topic that i was excited about was the idea of talking about the word "game". Dabbling in the music business can indeed be like a game, and it conjured up really cool concepts for me to speak about the game of music, the game of business and finally... the psychological game. This final part was the clincher in totally jumping to the cause to discuss this topic: The "inner" game is what is so cool. Everything,... everything that we do, that we want, who we are,... is based all around our inner work on ourselves, and less on the external. I have written much about this already. Thought is very powerful and a mere idea will turn into reality. Thought breeds action. How we perceive ourselves, what we ask for, how we operate our belief systems, everything about our inner dialogue, emotions, desires,... everything internal,... creates the external. So by combining this whole statement together, "the inner game of music entrepreneurship" just made me bursting with excitement to philosophize over and share. Here are some of my contributions to the subject:

I ask you, "Who are you?"

That's right... how would you describe who you are and what you do to someone in the street, at a party, at a meeting or if I asked you at one of my workshops? The WORDS you use are very important. Here are some examples of what I usually get from artists on first meeting:-

"Hi, I'm Bill. I'm trying to be a better songwriter and working hard at practising my music. One day I'd like to be a professional musician with my own band, but already I feel I'm too old and I just don't know if i'll get there what with all the learning I have to do."

"Hi, I'm Elaine. I want to be a professional songwriter one day and tour if I can. I just don't know how to get there yet. I just need to find the right people, maybe a manager or an agent. I don't know."

"Hi, my name is Tom and I am a guitarist, songwriter and producer. I run my own production house and am creating new projects on a weekly basis, building my credits and writing songs with a strong global mission of unity and human consciousness. I'm very excited by my journey and am discovering new opportunities on a daily basis."

What is different about the first two introductions compared to the third?

How we perceive ourselves, including self-worth and self-discovery, and how we express it to others, indicates why we create success in our lives or not. Clearly Bill and Elaine are not quite in touch with the law of attraction yet, compared to Tom. Bill is "trying" to be a songwriting and looks into the future as to when he will truly come into his own. He also has issues about his age and feels he doesn't know enough to consciously acknowledge his talent nor his status as an artist. Same for Elaine... desiring to be professional, but feels she doesn't know the way to get there, and feels she needs other people to make it happen for her.

These are introductions from artists I get ALL THE TIME. Ninety percent of the artists I come across introduce themselves with language like this, not realizing that it sabotages their goals and dreams in coming true. Here's the crux of it: if you put it out there, even just visualizing it, you will get it. If you are not clear with what you want, then what you want may take a long time. So let's take a look at some of these self-thoughts, and how to overcome some negative patterns, in order to create positive results:

Age doesn't matter.

Let me reiterate something I've expressed before. It doesn't matter how old you are in the world of artistry. Ignore what you hear from hearsay: you can be any age you want to be as an artist in the arts business. It all depends on the market you are targeting. If you want to go for the Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson market, then, sure, being nineteen surely means something, and the major record companies spend most of their budget on the 8-14 year olds. If you want to compete with that, give it a shot, but know what you're up against. The whole pop radio, video and retail machine is geared towards that age bracket. But you have the opportunity to find so many other markets, age brackets and genres for your music. You can be 65 years old and find your audience. Remember, artistry is for life. This is a life long journey. So take the time you need to learn, be and share.

"I am" versus "I want".

My first book was called "I AM A Professional Artist" and I titled it for a reason: to empower artists to make a positive, current affirmation about who they are, based on who they want to be. If you only proclaim that you "want" something, then all you will ever get is "wanting" without any actualization. I'm not the first to say this. It's written in many motivational self-help books. Use your words carefully. Introduce yourself to the world as someone who already is. That way you are empowering yourself to be the person you've always dreamed of being. When Tom introduced himself (above) he clearly said he was a "guitarist, songwriter and producer". There's nothing mentioned about desiring something in the future as if it's a far off dream. Talk about your future as if it's your present, and be convinced as to who you are. Then we will be convinced of you.

Learn but also be all knowing.

Be the student of life, but know you have what you need to be who you want to be. I have also always said that we are students of life. Our learning is life long and beyond college we will always be learning something, on a daily basis. Everything we do will provide us insight into ourselves and we will always be "in development". But I believe that we all have the assets and the know-how to achieve whatever we want to achieve and be whoever we want to be now. I use the term "commence-aphobia" with artists at times, when they procastinate and wait a long time to do something, like perform or record an album. It's like they are waiting for a sign, or someone to say "ok, you are ready now." But what if we are always ready? What if all we needed to do is to take one step. I see that by taking that first step, the other foot will follow, and the seemingly foggy path will clear up and illuminate the way. We don't necessarily need to wait for someone to tell us how to do it, or have our art approved before we put it out there. We don't need to read every single book on the business or go to every class in order to start a project. What we need is confidence and a desire to do the art, for the sake of doing. If we just initiate the step to start, it's amazing how much information, resources, advisors, support and opportunity comes our way, because we have internally opened up to the art of doing.

Seek no one else's approval but your own.

It's a hard statement to digest at first, but when you really consider it for some time, it makes total sense. I'm not suggesting that we don't seek advice, or that we have to do things alone. Definitely have a core few around you, which you trust, to gain feedback about your work. But at the end of the day when all is said and done, you alone are the one to decide if it's right for you or not, if you are on the right path or not. This ties greatly into the whole concept about enacting on who you want to be as an artist and the things you'd like to do. We can wait for ages to have some high and mighty record executive, or media critique, to approve of our process, but really, we don't need anyone to tell us we are doing the right thing for us. Once you agree with yourself that you have everything you need to be who you are and who you want to be, then you can enact without waiting for someone else to tell you it's okay. Every one is unique, and so what you bring to the world cannot really be judged by anyone.

The journey of art is a personal journey, no matter what competitive, commercial or public purpose you may choose to endeavour in.

Enjoy it. It is a game.

How can one possibly proceed into the world of the arts without seeing it as a bit of fun? My gosh, we are so lucky as artists to pursue a life with paint brushes, musical instruments and anything creative. Just think that about ten percent of the world's population has the audacity to make their world revolve around creativity and imagination whereas every child on this planet lived and breathed it before they were 7. What happened to most of us as we grew into adults? The world has gotten so serious! Always business, business, business... mortgages, living on credit, an ever present need for financial security and keeping up with the Jones's. I must admit though, being in the music business, I have had to be more business minded than I ever would have thought. I have had to wear two hats, and artists need to be aware that being in the arts business is about business, not so much about art. But let's use our artistic insights to survive the biz in a cool, creative way. Think of it like a 'game' and know that this game is made up of people playing the game. As my guitarist friend James Hurley says, "it's a game because people are participating in it". This business is all about relationships, strategies and dreams. Play it like monopoly or a long thought out chess game, with patience and a sense of humor. Navigate with passion, and joy, and know that at any time you want out, you can. You can always go back to a 'desk' job in the suburbs, right? You have a choice, to play the game or not. Besides, the music business in particular is all an illusion. Everything you read about fame and fortune, the celebrity lives versus ordinary happiness, ... is all wrapped up in an illusion dished out in glossy magazines. The real business is business, and hard work. The 'game' of the music business can be played with tenacity, joy and passion, if you put your mind to it.

Everyone is unique. Know your uniqueness.

We can find it all quite daunting when you consider all t he things we have to do to be creative, promote our creativity and survive it all. There's a lot of competition too. Many artists all wanting those top 10 slots on the Billboard charts right? Wrong. There is room for everyone at the 'top'. It all depends on what you want, and what you bring to the table. You may not be Britney Spears or Eminem, but you probably have something very unique about you that can tap into a market all to itself. Consider that there are close to 300 million people in the U.S, heck nearly 5 billion on the planet. You can find your niche for your art, if you know what makes you unique. I've always called this, "finding your competitive advantage." Your talent + your uniqueness = your competitive advantage, or edge. It might be that you play bare feet, or you have an interesting hair-do. Maybe your name is different. Perhaps you cross styles with your music, or have a different stage presence or image/persona. Whatever it is, harness it, focus on it, and exploit it. This will certainly help you find your own audience. In this day and age, for the new artist entrepreneur, you don't have to conform to a structure as to what you should look like, sound like, be like or the way you share your music or promote. We are in a new era where not only are audiences in control (they search for their own music based on their own tastes online, etc), but they are busting to get something NEW. Be creative and use your imagination to find new ways to present your music and yourself. This is the time to be very imaginative and to think outside the box.

Discovering you are already the creative, magical, prolific, talented and successful artist that you are, opens up the largest of doors. This is very much an inward empowerment. "Know" it, "feel" it, "be" it, and it will be realized on your outside.

This is your time to be, do, create, think, visualize, and build your empire. Be the entrepreneur, and be yourself.

And so, I ask you,… "Who are you?"

Until next time,

gilli moon

Bermuda or Bust

I just returned from THE most beautiful place. Bermuda. If you haven't been there I highly recommend it. I was there teaching for the Bermuda Artist and Songwriting Retreat which is sponsored by Songsalive! It's a yearly event and this was the inaugural one.

Richard, our host, picked us up at the airport and we drove along a one lane road (the main road!) from one end of the island to the other. English cut hedges juxtaposed towild jungles and rainforests, and the ever present turquoise blue water guiding us on our path. Bermuda is still a British colony but has it's own government. They have made their Bermudian dollars of equal value to the U.S dollar, and in fact are completely identical save for the cool colors Bermudians have chosen for their cash.

I had no expectations of Bermuda except that I was going to be on a magical journey, and indeed it was. We arrived at 9 Beaches Resort, which is on the far tip of the long island (it's only 1.5 miles wide). The first thing I noticed were the array of huts (cabanas) all on stilts in the water. Was I in paradise? Apparently this Resort had once been an eco-living place. I couldn't believe the water, and the way this "village" was architecurally designed. Quite impressive. The cabana nestled perfectly on the side of the hill overlooking the water. I really felt like I was on a tropical island. Designed in white and blue cloth, with simple furniture, i ended up living in it for 6 days with peace, tranquility and joy. My view of the ocean gave me solice and inspiration.

For three days I taught and empowered artists at the Bermuda Artist and Songwriters Retreat which was held under a huge white tent on the grass near the water. It actually rained for the first 3 days, with the heavens opening up in terrential rain one moment, and then sun the next. Very fickle weather, but all the time it was magical. I felt like we were truly on an isolated piece of property which is so perfect for a retreat.

I can't remember when i felt so tranquil as this, yet so energized at the same time.

Magic.

gilli

balance

good morning everyone! gilli moon here with some motivational tips i like to send out from time to time.

i just got back from an empowering 2 weeks on the east coast where i swam with dolphins in virginia beach, felt the zing and elecricity of new york city and rallied with a community of artistic souls in philadelphia. nothing better than a does of invigoration to set sail throughout september.

here's a lovely little motivational message from the Daily Guru that talks about balance:

---- What's your best routine? "For all my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall into old habits. When things are not going well, when I'm grumpy or mad, I'll realize that I've not been paying attention to my soul and I've not been following my best routine." -- Robert Fulghum

How do you need to bring more balance to your life? Robert Fulghum has shared, "The older I get, the more I realize the importance of exercising the various dimensions of my body, soul, mind and heart. Taken together, these aspects give me a sense of wholeness. I want to be a whole human being rather than one who limps on one leg because I don't know how to use all of my parts. Intellectual, emotional, and physical activity are not separate entities. Rather, they are dimensions of the same human being."

"There is an Indian Belief that everyone is in a house of four rooms: A physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room everyday, even if only to keep it aired, we are not complete." -- Rumer Godden -----

and now... a chapter exerpt from gilli moon's "I AM A Professional Artist" - available for purchase at http://www.warriorgirlmusic.com/store with details at http://www.gillimoon.com/thebook

Topic: Passion, balance and time -

The ultimate ingredient of an Artist, and a professional Artist.. is Passion. This is your fire and you should never deny it because your passion is the way to self realization. You also need to balance your personal life, your art, your day to day and your passion. Life is a balance and in order for all of your desires and needs to be fulfilled, balance is the key. This means that many aspects of you need to be focused on. There's no need to be a total work-aholic without also nurturing private, relaxation time. Your various creative urges should be balanced so that you don't put all your eggs in one basket. You can even juggle your day so that all your passions get taken care of. Balance tasks with others, balance business and pleasure, balance working and time-out. I have a friend who compartmentalizes his day based on which creative projects he wants and needs to work on. Morning is for writing, and some phone calls and email. Midday he's ready to paint. By mid-afternoon he's playing the piano and also taking care of some business. Night time he's often performing with a local jazz band.

Apart from balance, you need time. You need to give yourself time to develop your professional career. Don't expect it to come overnight. There is truth in the term "paying your dues" and also truth in a friend of mine's term "becoming an overnight sensation takes ten years." Some people are too impatient. They want it all at once and now. We think that all these superstars are overnight sensations and that if our career takes five years, no ten, then we are complete failures. How fickle we are! A great career in the Arts business takes time. Firstly, don't think you have to win over who's already out there "making it." It's not a contest. It's about you finding value in what you alone can determine. This might take a life time. In fact, as I will talk about later, being a professional Artist is a life long journey. If you were to "make it" right now, what would you do then? Give up. Die? Sit back and enjoy the ride because the process is the best part. Take the time to discover who you want to be. Heed the sign "when the time's right, it will come." Life is about timing and sometimes we want to try and push that with our will. Patience is a virtue, and time is of the essence. You've heard it all before, and its all true. Take your time, develop, study, expand your business, nurture your talent, focus on your choice, and allow the universe to deliver in good time.

We often mismanage our time. Ernie Zelinski writes in his book, "The Lazy Person's Guide To Success", that time devoted to just hard work (being busy, thinking we are accomplishing something but instead spinning our wheels), is generally a poor use of time. Whereas, if we spend time on creativity and imagination (plus thought, which I will go into detail later), then this is more effective. "The wise use of the assets you have - time, energy, creativity, motivation, money, patience, and courage - is what will bring you success and happiness over the long term." Spend your time doing what you LOVE. Minimize the time you spend on things that you don't like and that are not important. There is no shortage of time. It's how we use it that's important. You CAN find the balance between work, and free time too... ultimately if you can combine creativity in all of it, you have found the key. Also, spend time with positive, organized people and it will rub off. When I was eighteen and busting to be an actor, my father gave me this one little piece of advice: "Don't hang around down and out, unemployed actors." While the statement is a little stereotypical I think you'll get the gist of it. Being around negative thinking people only drags you down. You start thinking like them, especially when most Artists are rather sensitive. Surround yourself with negativity and Opportunity goes right out the window. I find that if I choose my friends carefully, keep a strict, disciplined day of work, pleasure, creativity, mediation and exercise, coupled with an understanding that this is a life-long journey with plenty of time to achieve what i want - then I am balanced, achieving highly, creating great art, financially stable and loved by those around me. It's a long way... to the top... if you wanna rock-n roll!

by gilli moon (from her book "I AM A Professional Artist" http://www.gillimoon.com/thebook)

"It is not enough to be busy.... The question is: what are we busy about?" - Henry David Thoreau

when the going gets tough, there is always enough

when the going gets tough, there is always enough

 * * *  

Recently, I felt unmotivated. I know,... it's hard to imagine that isn't it? Most people see me as such a motivated whirlwind, but it's true. I've had a long period of this recently. I won't go into how long my moment lasted, but I can at least say that I experienced many feelings during this moment of non-motivation. This included a physical feeling of being tired, to the point that I got so run-down mentally I had two colds in two months plus other physical ailments. On a mental plane, I had no desire to complete any of my projects, or start new ones. I didn't want to sit at my desk and look at my computer, nor even my piano. I "maintained" my days with checking emails, replying quickly, and then not really getting my teeth into anything creative or productive. I had no incentive. What was wrong with me?

My direction as an artist, in this big world called the music business, lost its meaning and joy... momentarily. All I could think about was all the negative stuff: how corrupt the music business is, how venues are so tough and disrespectful of artists (not paying, or pay-to-play), how little opportunity there is to truly create a living, etc. I had doubts. Nothing went easily and money became a focal point of my day; how to make more, where to invest it, doing my taxes, running out. Everything became overwhelming with odds. Even having written a book, toured the world motivating other artists, created four studio albums and set up my own record label plus continued to expand Songsalive! with 16 chapters worldwide,... I had lost the spirit of my own advice.

I started to feel my age. I started to look my age. I have always felt young and free-spirited. But I became oddly aware of my real age, my timing in life, and that time was seemingly running out.

I stocked up on more spiritual books by Neale Donald Walshe, Don Miguel Ruiz, Wayne Dyer, Carolyne Myss and Louise Hay. I stopped playing piano for fun. Only at gigs. Even then my fans noticed I looked bored. I stopped painting. I didn't write much (only when a project forced me to). I became disconnected to my purpose. I began to question "Why am I here?"

As an artist, I have always consider myself a pretty focused and creative individual. Finding my purpose in life had never been an issue. I always knew who I was and what I wanted to do. My objective had been based on an illusive, intangible goal of stardom. Yes, I admit,... even with all my writings and workshops, and how I motivate other artists about "living the journey", I was a victim of wanting that "holy grail": stardom-fame-fortune. Of course I had always seen it in a realistic way, because I was so confident about my abilities, I felt it was a given: I was going to be hugely and utterly successful. Fact.

I didn't realize, until recently, that the definition of my success, including the glamour of the Hollywood music business, and yes even including the cool grass roots indie way of doing things in this music business, was really... a lie. I had lived for 20 years towards a goal that in the end is one big fat lie. There is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. This music business is rough, corrupt and illusive. It's all about who you know, how much money you have, and how sexy your dress style is. Whether you're a major artist or indie, business is still business. Fact. There is little room for true talent, raw ambition and a global mission for harmony in this music business, because it really is... a fashion business. Take a look at the music videos on VH1 and MTV now. That is, if you can find any, and those you find are full of glossy "pimp daddys" rapping to their sexy mascara-laden girls with big lips, bikinis and big everything else except their waste line. Is this art? You tell me.

I didn't sign up for this when I was eighteen. I just wanted to express myself, through my music and poetry, and let as many people in the world hear it. But I surely didn't expect to have to lie down in front of the corporate world, and 25 year old A&R "dudes" who have no idea what a good song is, to do it.

So I know damn well why I have been tired. I've been tired of the BS. I've been tired of people telling me that you have to do it a certain way to get heard. I've been tired of people telling me that there is no place for CDs anymore, after I just spent 2 years (and the rest) in the studio recording an album, with high definition sound, wonderful musicians, and  heart pouring out with emotion (let alone my pockets pouring out with money to do it.) To see my music, and my art squashed into a tiny mp3 and channeled into an iPod where people don't give a damn about the sound quality, the art work, the concept, the journey of the beginning to end of the CD, ... even the artist behind it... makes me puke. It makes me very tired, and very unmotivated to do it all again.

This business is still a "hit song" game. If it doesn't hit you in the face immediately, or if it's too long, or if it doesn't have a hook in the first 20 seconds, it's done. "Done like a dinner". If you're not writing with Sting or James Blunt, or you don't sound like James Blunt or Maroon 5 or Mariah Carey (I used to love her songs, now they are just clipped, pitch corrected beats and rap that truly has lost my affection for her), then you've got no chance. If you don't look like a preppy, nerdy, or on the other end, whore-ish" 19 year old, then you're too old. That is, if you want to play with the big fish. I spent hours researching L.A's KCRW's program director list for each radio segment, and sent my new CD to every one of them, with a personal note, and ideas on which songs would fit each program (as my album is as eclectic as their station). PASS. No comments, no "thank yous" just PASS. This is a radio station that used to take unsolicited, interesting music. Are they just like the rest of them now?

Yeah, there's an opportunity to play like little fish in smaller ponds, and that's what I've been doing.... I'm like a hugely known artist in America amongst artists and secular markets, but flying completely under the radar. Yeah, I can earn a living, and be independent, and enjoy my journey, etc. But, is this all there is? Does the buck stop here for me? Am I going to stay in perpetual festival and coffee house land, loved and admired by many, but me doing the same thing over and over again? When can I get some sleep? Doing it "indie" aint "easy".

I have written a book about success, defining it on one's own terms, and seeking only one's own approval. Well I did that. Here I am. I've approved my own art, I've proven myself and paid my dues. What now? Do I spend the next 20 years slogging it hard on the road, going from one hippy festival to the next, like Ani di Franco did and still does? I was just up at Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, Northern California. It reminded me of Woodford Festival in Australia, but way more commercialized. I liked the energy, but there was still beaurocratic red tape and mishaps just to get on the bill. Being on the road is hard work. Sure, you can sell CDs, but it's still a hard life. You either love it or you don't.

I enjoyed touring with Eric Idle (from Monty Python). We traveled U.S and Canada for 3 months playing to 2000+ seater theaters. I loved it. But it was still hard yakka (that's "work" in Awwstralian). We would load in to a new theater at noon, dress the stage (I was the stage manager and a performer), sound checked and performed the show, then loaded out at midnight. We'd hop back on the bus and travel all night to the next town. Load in at noon, and so forth. Fun for me. Consider that a celebrity such as Eric, having been doing this for perhaps 40 years, still has to schlep across the country in a van too. That's the life. It's not as glamorous as you think.

How about radio? It's no use anymore trying to promote to every radio station across the country, if you can't compete with the major artists and the record companies that still buy their way to the top 5 listening spots. It takes money and if you don't have money, there's no point in doing a national campaign. You'll just spend your money just to see a nice rotation report each week that is meaningless if you can't actually be in that small or big town to promote the airplay. Besides, there's more than radio now, what with the Internet, Satellite radio, and the ipods, including podcasting. There is a lot to choose from. Sure, spend every waking hour hopping on to every band wagon to give it a shot. I dare ya. I have. I don't sleep.

How about MySpace? A new internet phenomenon that is taking artists and the general public by storm. If you want to meet people, create your own site, blog and promote, this is a great site. I was told, in its infancy, that the more "friends" I had the better I was on MySpace. Well now I don't know. Alot of these "friends" are other artists, all wanting to be heard themselves. Not everyone likes to communicate online all the time. What happened to picking up the phone?

Gigs. Pay to play is still out there. How do we survive the market and make a dollar doing gigs? When will venue owners start paying a fee for original artists? Why do artists always have to be mini promoters too and constantly have to sell door tickets to get a small percentage of that? Surely their talents should be appreciated and paid for, like any other cover gig that often gets paid somewhere. And what happened to people actually going out and seeing live shows???? I don't think I can push my friends anymore to come see me live. They've supported me enough. I can't abuse that friendship all the time. So what to do? Not play anymore?? I get out of town. I tour. This is a 365 day job.

So what's the way? What is the path of least resistance with maximum success? What do we as artists need to do to survive the corporate melt-downs, the gruelling indie road, the business corruption, and make a living? How do we find a way to enjoy this journey? The "indie revolution" has certainly been a great leap forward for independent control over our music. The Internet has been a great champion for taking our business into our own hands. But we the artists, having to be everything all at once, cannot possibly take it seriously, or realistically, if we can't make a living doing it and can't enjoy the Process. Besides that, when will indie artists truly get a break, like the major artists, without having to sign with the devil. Is it possible?

I don't know. I just don't know. What I do know is that we, as artists, are here for a much higher purpose. Art and creativity never runs out, even though we may tire with the business end. There is always an abundance of creativity and musicality in us. I don't think I have ever heard an artist say, "oh, I ran out of things to write about," or "all my song ideas disappeared," or "I don't like my guitar anymore." Being artists is innate. It is what fuels us to keep going.

So what IS the purpose of life, after all? Is it to make sure we get to stand on our soap box and collect coins for doing so? Or is it to see who collected the most awards, hit songs, deals and airplay? Is this supposed to be a competition?

Or is it something to do with our inner selves tapping into a much higher mission in life, through our creativity?

I know that there is always enough creativity to allow us to be who we want to be for the rest of our lives. We don't have to rely on the arts business to confirm that, or acknowledge that. We can do that for ourselves.

I already feel motivated because I'm taking the time to write this to you. I have been writing my second book for 5 months now but I took a month off because I was stuck on this chapter (what you are reading). I was trying to work out how I should go about saying what I really felt, and was thinking of subliminal ways of saying it. But in reality, I had to just sit down and write what was truly on my mind. That's part of the process of writing this book. Being truly honest. I have the book title being "Just Get Out There" and yet I am constantly "going within" with my thought processes here. Most of my readers want to know the ins and outs of getting out there with their art and music and they look to me because, in their eyes, I have done so. Yes, I agree, to a certain point. But I will say, that it truly is all about the Process. It IS about going within and tapping into our truer destiny... in order to actualize it in reality.

The process unfolds as we create it, and the process unfolds by itself, without us even knowing it. We are merely playing a part. The cool thing about this, is that while we maintain our lives and careers, plotting and planning, being motivated or unmotivated, being creative or business like, the Process is happening subconsciously and if you truly believe in yourself (THIS IS THE KEY), then it will ALL WORK OUT according to the higher plan... your higher mission in life.

I have quite a few artists ask me often whether via email or in person "how to get out there". They want to know all the steps and often show their frustrations that they don't know the steps to take. But in fact, by making any step, in any direction, will bring you closer to your higher purpose. Just making the step is important. The facts, the direction, the tips, tools and resources come to us in our travelling. We pick up a book, or we go to a website (www.songsalive.org really is filled with resources and tools), or we go to a seminar or class, and we learn something new. We go cybertravelling on the Internet or we look at other artists' websites to get ideas. Ideas come. It's up to us as to how we grab onto them, or let them go if they don't serve us personally. If we are connected to our Process, conscious and unconscious, we certainly will be on the right path. But we are not always cognizant of the real purpose and can easily be sidetracked by the meaningless act of doing. There is so much out there it's easy to be put off, or sidetracked.

So, what if we were able to tap into this unconscious Process and be awake during it? Wouldn't that be even more magical and success bringing? What if we ask for our biggest dreams, truly ask for them, and really tap into who we really can be? (our highest potential).

There is always enough. That means that whatever you want, if you truly want it, you can have. Whatever you don't want, and you focus on that, that will manifest instead. Like spinning wheels. If you just follow all the opportunities and end up in a quagmire of doing and energy dispensing for no reason, then you get... TIRED.

If I'm tired and unmotivated about an area in my life... maybe, just maybe I need to really listen to that as a sign that that may not be who I want to be. I don't have to live a persona just because I started off that way, or others expect me to be that way. I, and you, can change ourselves, our plans, our dreams at ANY time.

Here's the magic part about this: nothing in this business is real. It's an illusion. But this illusion is based on our own perception, our own reality. So everyone can see it and use it for their own purposes. You don't have to do this the way anyone else has. Just because one artist goes the major record deal route, and another uses MySpace to do grass roots tour hopping and fan collecting... doesn't mean you have to follow any of that. How you work it for your benefit is up to you. Artists are imaginative. We have the great opportunity to use our gifts to come up with "out of the box" creative ways to get our messages and music heard and our art seen and felt.

If you want to change something, the minute you think it, the Process will change in accordance to that. Let your conscious and subconscious thoughts and mind work together to bring you success, peace and joy.

The minute you think there is not enough opportunity, creativity, people to share with, money to have, that's the moment the Process stops working for you. Believing in the "not enough" is based on fear and feeling like we have to just try and survive. Believing in "I can, and I will" is all powerful.

That being said, I can and I will go pour myself some of that nice red wine and listen to the crickets.

Until next time, love, truth and peace

~ gilli moon