artist

8 reasons to participate in a band competition

Have you ever participated in a band-competition? You probably have. There are so many competitions, that you might think that every band must have won at least one of them! Here the basic rules for a band-competition: – Several bands participate, similar to a festival, but they don’t get paid. – The audience come for one of the bands and listens to the others too. – The audience likes the contest-element, it’s a way to participate as audience. – Bands […]

Just like Popeye, you have a secret power too

Do you remember Popeye? It’s an almost 90 year old cartoon figure; a sailor man who tries to impress his girl Olive. Though she loves strong men like Bluto. Bluto is tall, strong, with very broad shoulders, with a beard and a small head. Popeye has a big mouth with a pipe, a big chin, big forearms, but he is small and has small shoulders. His secret power is spinach. Spinach makes him invincible, even when fighting against Bluto. Just […]

Why solitude is important to artists

How do you feel when you are alone? I  mean really alone, without friends around you, without a computer or smartphone? FOMO, Fear-Of-Missing-Out is one of the main reasons why we are afraid of being alone. Others might have fun without us. We might miss an important event or some breaking news. That’s scary. Important events on FB are often not more than a photo of the dinner a friend is eating. Breaking news is about the holiday plans of […]

If-only and the hedonic treadmill

“If only we could play this major festival, we would become successful and happy.” “If only I could find an agent, I would have many shows and will be happy.” “If only a major record company would discover me, I would become famous and happy.” Do you recognize the if-only thoughts? Many musicians have them. They think that their happiness is dependent on positive events, and that positive events will lead to long-lasting happiness. Research in the ’70s has shows […]

Get better in what you are good at – because it’s fun!

Get better in what you are good at already. That’s the motto of one of the big Dutch all-round speed-skate champions Gianni Romme. He’s a successful speed-skate trainer now. If you are not Dutch, you probably didn’t notice. Last weekend were the World Championships in all-round speed skating in Berlin. With speed-skating, the skaters compete in pairs in an oval of 400 m. dressed in tight jump-suits. All-round speed-skating means, that it’s about the overall winner in 4 distances. For […]

4 P’s that make it so difficult for musicians to deal with fame

Fame – that’s what most musicians dream about. In the music business we still live with the myth that once you are famous, all problems are solved. NOT! You will encounter a whole lot of new problems. Many musicians struggle with fame and with being famous. They suffer so much that some of them die far to young, like Kurt Cobain or Amy Winehouse. Here 4 P’s that make it so difficult to deal with fame: Personal Imbalance. Fame does […]

Musicians need stress – and relaxation 3

If you want a life without stress, don’t become an artist, don’t become a musician! As a musician, you better know how to deal with stress! You need stress if you want to be a good musician. The most common form of stress is to live up to expectations – from others or from yourself. Don’t underestimate your own expectations. At all levels you meet expectations: how you want to sound, how you want to play your instrument, what kind […]

How enthusiasm can slow you down

Doesn’t it feel great when you put your heart and soul into something, music for example, and you feel the enthusiasm? You’re in a flow, the world is at your feet. This is what you need to succeed. How can enthusiasm slow you down?? There are two different versions of enthusiasm. The first version is the enthusiasm that I describe above. It’s the enthusiasm you feel after you’ve accomplished something. The inner fire is burning, you feel happy. You feel […]

Shine like a star

Have you heard of winter-depression? Are you infected too? I can get quite down if the days are so short as they are right now. No wonder that the celebration of the winter solstice is so important in most Nordic cultures. It’s the start of the days getting longer again. Many Christmas customs have their origin in the celebration of winter solstice in Nordic countries. Pines and pine branches stand for the hope of everything getting green again in spring. […]

Article in IQ Magazine:

Quote from IQ_mag twitter: Paperclip Agency’s @HildeSpille discusses how empowerment can help musicians who feel screwed by the music biz bit.ly/1TqEtLe

Go out and conquer fear

After the attack in Paris last week with 89 people being killed at a concert at Le Bataclan, everyone in the music business is shocked and grieved! And we react accordingly. Some Dutch venues have increased safety measures by using twice as much security people ans searching every single visitor and his/her bag.  Prince is postponing his European tour. The targeted attack on pop music affects us all. Music is important to us. Music can cross borders and connect people, […]

Who do you trust?

How more success you have in the music business, how more ‘friends’ you gather. Everyone wants to share in your success. Everyone wants to stand in the limelight with you. And they all start to make great promises. Who can you trust? “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” (Oprah Winfrey) First of all, the music business is […]

How musicians can use purpose to become more flexible

As musicians and as person it’s important to know your purpose. Purpose is about your meaning, knowing what motivates you, why you want what you want. Purpose gives you a direction for your career, it helps you to stand out. On the other side the music business is an ever changing business. Look at the last 150 years and how technical developments have pushed creative developments in the music industry to come from operas with 400 visitors to arena shows […]

4 reasons why empowerment is important for musicians

Everything at Compass for Creatives is about the empowerment of musicians. The importance is so self-evident to me, that I often forget to explain myself to others. I hope that after reading the 4 reasons below it’s evident to you too. 1. Stay motivated even after demotivating comments Using your musical talents brings you lots of fun, as long as everything is going according to plan. You enjoy becoming better and better on your instrument, others enjoy it more and […]

Empowerment for musicians so they don’t get screwed

Musicians often feel screwed by their managers, agents, and labels. The publicity that Sinead O’Connor got last week is a good example. People in the music business are not all crooks, for sure. But everyone in the music business has his/her own financial interest in the career of the musician. Independent, non-legal advice for musicians is scarce. The solution Hilde Spille discovered, lies in the empowerment of musicians. On September 15 she starts with a new online workshop. She fills […]