The highly competitive nature of the entertainment industry can frequently bring out jealousy and envy even to those who are typically unfamiliar with such feelings. Though these feelings are common and normal, especially in a field where there is a so much pressure to stand out during auditions and get more industry attention, they can also be a major problem in the artist's world because they can:

1. Interfere with healthy and creative collaboration - I once worked with a singer who would not go to other performers' shows in order to avoid feelings of jealousy towards them. This, of course, interfered with her ability to make helpful connections and establish relationships that would be beneficial for her creativity and professional networking. 
2. Lead to destructive comparisons - Jealousy and envy hinder creativity in that they cause the artist to compare their work and achievements to others'. Thinking in terms of what others are doing and how they are doing it significantly limits the person's sense of creative freedom during the creative process.
3. Cause significant distress and low self-worth - It is important not to see oneself as a point of comparison but as a unique entity whose worth does not waver despite flaws and weaknesses.  Jealousy and envy significantly threaten the person's sense of self-worth and create a cognitively distorted way of thinking i.e. "everything they do is great because they are perfect and loved by everyone"

So how can one cope with such feelings?

1. Ask yourself if these feelings are about you and not about the other person. Sometimes it seems as though we are envious of a particular trait or accomplishment in someone else, but many times this feeling is triggered by a preexisting sense of inadequacy and sensitivity. This relieves the pressure and preoccupation with the other person and shifts the attention onto the self. Though this can be a difficult process, it can also be empowering as it recognizes the personal responsibility in dealing with the feelings. 
2. Explore what purpose such feelings serve? A positive function served by jealousy and envy is that it's our chance to ask ourselves what is not working for us: in the we are living our lives, expressing our art, performing etc. Perhaps the jealousy tells us that we, too, have a passion for a particular mode of artistic expression or that we need to work harder at mastering a certain skill. Sometimes, the answer can be confidence-boosting in that the artist's gets to recognize that, in fact, they are pleased with their choices and it's just a matter of "grass is greener" type of thinking. 
3. Identify and challenge any black or white ways of thinking. Just because it seems like someone else effortlessly achieved something does not mean that this is the case. It may appear that following their path would bring you joy when, in fact, finding yourself in the other person's shoes might have triggered similar, if not more, feelings of overall life dissatisfaction.  
4. Finally, allow yourself some time to feel and, perhaps, mourn the loss of what has not been achieved or acquired. Losing a spot to someone else, not advancing in a competition, having fewer performance opportunities etc., can feel like a sort of loss. If the person's choices and opportunities, regarding ultimately achieving desired goals, are limited, then coming to terms with and accepting what one doesn't have (but perhaps others do) is a psychologically self-actualizing process. 

This question is often taken for granted and dismissed.  Its relevance becomes ignored: What motivates you? Every artist and creative person needs to take some time and think about their subjective answer. Motivation may feel like a fixed force (as if you either have it or you don't), but it is its distinct parts that ought to be identified and explored in order for the feeling of motivation to be strengthened. Connecting deeply and meaningfully to the responses to this question helps nurture and shield the artist's or creative person's relationship with their art and creative endeavor. Shield it from what? From self-doubts, a sense of emotional or cognitive detachment, from conflicting feelings about it and other motivation stoppers. 


It often helps to separate between intrinsic motivation (creating for the sake of creating) and extrinsic motivation (creating to obtain a new or separate goal). Here's a non-exhaustive list of motivating factors propelling the drive to create. It is important to note that some factors can be both intrinsic and extrinsic and that a person can derive both types from the same activity. Please feel free to add more in the comment section below:

• "I don't mean to sound conceited but I'm a much better writer than so and so..."
• "I hate promoting myself on social media, I feel like I'm bothering my friends"
• "I know this sounds vain but my work is so good that it needs to get published"
• "I have nothing important or innovative to say so why bother contacting a promoter?"
• "I believe in my abilities as a performer but when I know I'm the center of the attention I start to freeze" 

These are examples of statements I hear very often with many of my clients and most commonly with artists. Professional artists whose success requires the presence of an audience, fans or a critic, are faced with the inevitability of having to get the word out there about their latest work. Unless there is another person to do this kind of work for them, at some point or another they will need to talk to people about what they do, post updates on social media, inform friends and family about their news and introduce themselves to other professionals while promoting their skills, talents and professional background. 
Some artists may have no problem doing so. The process may seem effortless and natural to a subgroup of creative individuals, in part, due to the following reasons: 

 a. personality traits such as extroversion or narcissistic characteristics
 b. a very supportive environment 
 c. the overlap between a personal identity and the professional identity of an artist
 d. an understanding and acceptance of the necessity of self-promotion in order to achieve goals
 e. a solid feeling of confidence and belief in the work's worth

However, other artists struggle with the idea of attention. Perhaps it's discomfort with the attention-seeking process itself, or the anxiety associated with standing out. Some artists may feel unworthy of being set apart from peers and may feel that they are imposing or displeasing others. The result being the hindrance of advancement opportunities. I once worked with an actor who happened to be in the presence of an accomplished director yet refused to talk to him about her career because, according to my client, "it should not have to be this way." 

Here are some tips to help embrace the process of self-promotion:

1. If you don't do it, others will: Learning to be ok with promoting yourself is most likely a lengthy process and you are bound to be somewhere on the continuum. While you may find yourself being on the more reserved side of the spectrum, somebody who has benefited from sharing their accomplishments will most likely be further along. By keeping yourself "hidden", you are just making space for someone else to reveal himself. If you believe in your work, why them and not you?
2. It works: Despite all the stories about being "discovered" by someone in the industry, if you appear hesitant or ambivalent about your work, it will most likely be perceived this way. Talking often and with certainty about what you do will increase the chances of someone noticing. You don't need to sound conceited or make boastful comments. But merely being eager and sounding enthusiastic about what you do will make others want to share your enthusiasm and jump on the bandwagon. 
3. Others are bothered significantly less than what you might think: Sure, there will be the occasional negative reaction from someone, and in more rare cases an outward expression of irritation towards your posts etc, but in most cases, people will either be supportive, accepting, or simply, will not care. It ultimately comes down to a choice: pleasing others (or at least believing you are doing so) or taking steps to achieve your goals.
4. Ask for permission: Some artists feel more comfortable asking a simple question such as "Is it ok if I talk to you about my latest poem?" or creating separate online profiles for their artist versus personal pages. That way, friends and followers are being invited to be included in the updates or newsletters.  
5. Give the option of opting out: Similarly, ending your newsletters with the options to be removed, or periodically checking in with social networking site connections to ask if someone would rather be omitted from updates, can be a good way to remain aware of others' reactions without making assumptions that could potentially harm you. 
6. Think of it as "doing your job": One of the tasks associated with the role of a professional artist is promoting the work. As was mentioned previously, unless someone has hired someone else to do this, they will need to do it themselves. Thinking of the process as "part of the job" and a work-related obligation, may help smooth out the conflicting emotions about doing so. 

If you are internally clear about the benefits of being open and expressive about your work, initiating informational dialogue and inviting others to see what you do, it will slowly become easier to overcome hesitations and inhibitions. Most importantly, if your work is valuable to YOU, it has got to be valuable to someone else! So, why deprive them of that opportunity?

An article was published last month on BBC news discussing the differences in brain structure between artists and non-artists. 

"The research, published in NeuroImage, suggests that an artist's talent could be innate" says the article, which can be found here. Hearing this statement probably comes as no surprise. The idea of "a natural talent", "being gifted from an early age", having an "innate inclination" are all phrases we use to describe what sets writers, musicians and visual artists with exceptional skills apart. 

However, there is something that can be perceived to be rather deterministic about this statement. A graphic illustrator, who gave up a career in sales to pursue illustrating in her mid 30's, came to my office and discussed this article. With a slightly pessimistic tone she said "maybe I should just give up if I'm competing with all the people who were born to do this." This article triggered some disheartening childhood memories in my client. She recalled always feeling slightly behind and at a marginal disadvantage, compared to her peers who seemed to put less effort into their artwork but consistently received more positive feedback. Experiences such as these influenced my client to want to pursue a more "steady" career in which she would be able to rely on other factors rather than just talent. However, after a decade of being in sales, she came to terms with her persistent desire to do more creative work and made a drastic change leading her to seek out freelance work as a graphic illustrator. 

There are three main reasons why I would encourage my client to resist the urge to tick the "innate vs acquired talent" box. 
1. The first reason has to do with the complicated relationship between genetic influences, brain characteristics, early socialization of skills, motivational or mood based traits and environmental factors involved. In other words, brain characteristics alone do not account for the successful nurturing of creativity characteristics. One of the reasons I often explore the impact of growing up in an anti-art environment with my clients, is because hindrances such as these can be a detriment to a person's ability to think and behave creatively. 
2. The second reason has to do with the subjective nature of aesthetic appreciation. While some artists may benefit more from innate cognitive skills such as having novel, "overinclusive" thinking and being highly imaginative, other artists value creative ideas resulting from precision, and a more traditional style of creating. In the example of a painter whose style is surrealistic versus a painter who uses a more formal and realistic approach, the degree to which brain characteristics play a determining role may vary substantially.
3. Finally, productivity is a fundamental indication of eminence in a creative field. A "naturally gifted" person who spends time "here and there" working on art may produce some innovative paintings, but an artist who is motivated, committed, and who is willing to remain consistently productive will perfect his/her skills and create a large scope of work rendering him/her a "successful artist." 

I would encourage my client to accept the discovery of facts about the "artist's brain" in a way that acknowledges factors beyond her control, at the same time being careful not to draw conclusions  implying that there are no controllable factors. 

Performance anxiety is the most common reason driving performers to seek out help from performance coaches, counselors and therapists. It can be debilitating and severely hinder performers' experience and enjoyment from being on stage. 

In a previous blog entry we looked at how therapy can benefit performers. The most common techniques to overcome this type of anxiety involve breathing and meditation exercises, focusing on pre-performance preparation, exploring what each performance means to the performer (what am I getting out of it?), magnifying emotions in order to feel that we can control them and, finally, embracing the feeling and, if possible, using it creatively during performances (for example a spoken word performer may allow their vulnerability and anxiety to come out during the performance).

A new study from the Harvard business school has a new recommendation. It involves reinterpreting the feeling of stage fright and labeling it excitement rather than anxiety. The idea is that this positive spin to the experience will decrease arousal and physical symptoms such as sweaty palms, shortness of breath and dry mouth. In fact, saying things such as "calm down" may not be as effective as telling oneself "you are so excited right now! you love this feeling!"


You can find a summary of the study and an interview with clinical psychologist, Guy Winch, here.  And you can go here to read that study itself. 

Last night I co-facilitated a workshop on Creative and Entrepreneurial Blocks as part of the Staten Islands Arts initiative to help artists share their visions, to problem-solve, confront obstacles and discover new resources. 

I wanted to share, in the form of bullet points, some of the topics that were addressed and to highlight the universality of certain themes that seem to come up in many discussions among artists. 


The portion on Creative Blocks addressed:

• blocks as a force of resistance which, though normal and frequently occurring, can become a great problem when the artist remains in the "low motivation" phase for too long or when deadlines, pressure to sell and turn work in becomes overwhelming.
  
• blocks as filters with which artists view what the work or the creative process should look like. For example, "I have to have complete silence during the creative process" or "the work needs to pay the bills" and so on.
• the need to adopt new thinking patterns and innovative ways of doing things in order to manage and overcome blocks. Creative individuals, already being at an advantage due to their creative nature, will hopefully be able to use their flexibility in thinking and perceiving as useful tools to change behaviors and thoughts which contribute to creative blocks.
• the importance of understanding different types of blocks before attempting to overcome them. For example, is my block related to the way I think about myself, related to past experiences, to the meaning and value I assign to my product, my environment which is not conducive to creativity?
• Steps such as 1) developing an inner dialogue to respond to negative thoughts 2) visualizing desired goals 3) acknowledging fears or anxieties and practicing relaxation or mindfulness 4) taking actionable small steps towards new goals etc.

One of the themes that often comes up in discussions among artists is the motivation or meaning attached to the creative process and the work. In particular, the search for what art means to each person can be a bumpy road. It may start off as a form of venting, self-expression, facilitate identity search, become a way of connecting to others and eventually turn into a means to paying the bills; a product to be sold. This shift can create somewhat of a cognitive dissonance and create unsettling feelings about the subjective value and use of art. 

It is important to explore how each artist feels about making the shift from "art for me" into "art for money" and what this may bring up. For some, it may be a forbidden path which leads to the artist keeping their "day job" as a source of income in order to have complete freedom in their art. For others, it may simply mean establishing boundaries about what compromises the artist is willing to make in order to make money from art. For others, it may be about compartmentalizing their art pursuits in different categories, i.e "this art is for art's sake, whereas this art is there to achieve another goal, and I'm aware and fully ok with this distinction."

Either way, having open discussions that facilitate sharing these concerns, blocks, dreams and goals is an extremely vital part of becoming successful - whatever one's definition of success may be!