In this category you find texts that help artists to take the lead. “Artists lead, they don’t follow. They’re not beholden to their audience, IT’S THE OTHER WAY AROUND!” (Bob Lefsetz)
Last year I was a panelist at Summerschool of BKKC. The purpose of Summerschool is to improve the entrepreneurship of artists in all kind of creative fields, from sculptors to flutists, from interior designers to painters. The main obstacle for the present artists is to find enough clients. They all feel very creative, but in order to find clients, they have to come out of their studio or workplace to connect to real people. The best way to do so […]
Many life-coaches tell you that you have to become a leader, that you shouldn’t follow anyone. But we are all followers, not only on Twitter. We all have some people or idea’s that we admire. Whom or what you follow, can have a broad range. It goes from following leaders like Michelle Obama or Mahatma Gandhi, to following what your friends do or expect you to do. From following hypes and fashion to your following own intuition or following a […]
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 […]
What happens now, after the attacks in Brussels yesterday, is that we fool ourselves in order to stay comfortable. A logic mistake many make is to think: A: All attackers were Muslims. (or: All tulips are flowers.) B: You are a Muslim. (or: A rose is a flower.) C: You are an attacker. How wrong this logic is becomes clear, if we replace attackers with tulips, Muslims with flowers and you with a rose: A: All tulips are flowers. […]
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
At school I’ve learned that I have to put extra attention to the subjects I’m not that good at. In my case it was French, Latin and sports. All the good grades in history, religion and music were taken for granted. The focus was on getting better in the stuff that I wasn’t that good at. It took me quite some time to find out that there are alternatives to that approach. Waldorf schools, Montessori schools and other alternative schools […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Context is everything! If you need an example, look at the picture above. Looking at the cylinder it depends on the context, on the perspective if you see a square or a circle, Context is important in everyday life too. Some years ago a right-wing Dutch politician asked during a speech if the audience would prefer more or less foreigners, and they all shouted “less, less, less”. But if you ask the same question to employers who are desperate to […]
It’s hot today, a humid 37 C in the shadow. It makes me wonder how anyone can focus with these temperatures! For me it’s difficult to focus, even with a fan next to me and a cold damp cloth in my neck. Even my ability of speak seems to have melted away: I’m mumbling unarticulated sounds, assuming that others understand what I’m thinking. Deadlines don’t take care of temperatures, on the contrary. On Saturday it’s Conincx Pop Festival. For more […]
On September 15 I start with a new edition of the workshop “5 empowerment tools for musicians – online workshop to learn in 6 weeks how to move from despair to an upward spiral towards success”. I’m now halfway of the first edition. It’s great to see how the idea works in action. After only 6 weeks: – you will have the right network to support your musical career – you will know your purpose, the flame that keeps you […]
It’s a crazy thought, but it works. As adolescent, cleaning my room and having a clear mind always happened simultaneously. Most of the time my room was a mess. And when it was very chaotic in my mind too, it was time to clean up my room. My mind got cleared too. “If you want to improve your life immediately, clean out a closet. Often it’s what we hold onto that is holding us back.” (Cheryl Richardson) I still wonder […]
Energy is important for everything you do. When someone gets a burnout, we think that he/she spent too much energy. On the other hand, we all know people who seem to have endless energy without getting burned out. How do they manage? In the music business, everyone I know more personally who is working there for more than 10 years has had a burn-out. To start with, it’s important to know what activities give you energy and what activities take […]
