A method called, “The Process”. . .
I. How It All Started.
Growing up I couldn’t envision a creative future for myself — even though I was an exceptionally creative, musically gifted, and artistically expressive kid. I danced in three different crews between my teens and my early twenties. I acted in school plays, and I’ve been playing guitar for the past fourteen years. I’m self-taught in audio production, years before online tutorials were a thing. And most recently, I’m self-taught in photography, film, and website design. One could say I was destined to be an artist.
But as life would have it, things don’t always go as planned…
Due to life and its pressures, I ended up going to University to study a BCom in Marketing and Communications, giving up a career in the creative industry. This period in life taught me a lot. I gained knowledge and skills which I apply every day where necessary. I learned how to organize my work, how to structure business plans, as well as how to develop unique perspectives and build a flow for ease of management. I also learned how to properly interact with clients and build professional relationships.
I apply this knowledge to every field of my life.
However, through this journey — I found that one key element proved to be the golden ticket. My creative mind.
While I did enjoy the edge I had over my peers plus the success that followed while working with agencies and later on, establishing my own Brand Development Company. This “golden ticket” left a dry taste in my mouth and a nagging question constantly drumming at the back of my mind,
“What if?”
II. The Long Way Home.
When it came to pursuing a creative career, I was scared away by the stigma of becoming a “starving artist”.
In hindsight, money wasn’t the obstacle. The biggest obstacle was the confidence to embrace my dreams and start the journey.
In truth, self-doubt and anxiety plagued me for years because I just didn’t know how to do the thing. I didn’t know how to look past the rigidity of my education, and the voices in my head; society - telling me otherwise.
For years, I pushed on. Working in the traditional business world. Creating amazing products, brands, and strategies with some of the smartest, and most creatively innovative and impactful individuals and companies. But the more the days, months, and years passed — the more I came to realize a burning truth. That I had been creative all along, through and through; and that nothing was going to satisfy this hunger and desire to create and release art.
When I was ready to make the switch, I had two questions:
Where do I start?
How do I begin?
I took some time to reflect on this but I knew in my gut that these answers were right in front of me, I just had to pay attention.
And guess what? I started to see a pattern.
I began to see this journey not as rocket science or luck. But like starting a business. I began to see that there were very simple and actionable steps that anyone could take to clear the fog and craft their future, no matter the industry. I started to see that a path will form itself because passion matched with drive becomes a magnet for the optimal future.
III. Rebirth.
I took the leap and begun curating music, Djing, and publishing my photography on social media. I was competing with twenty-two-year-olds and it showed in my work. While I was doing well in some aspects, I found that some of my techniques were a bit dated.
I was caught up in the nostalgia of the past while not realizing that the world had moved on. I had lost touch with my audience because they had grown up. They were now in their 30’s- raising kids, supporting families, and running businesses of their own.
They were no longer the people whom I was going to influence to make bold statements and create revolutions, for they had too much to lose. They‘d barely even leave their homes to attend a gig.
If I was to do this, I would have to immerse myself on a new journey to fully realize and re-create myself… whatever that meant.
I started letting go of my older self: the arranger, the critical thinker, the adviser stuck in his ways. I became a student. It was the hardest thing to do because of all the blocks I had built so far in my life, and the fixed mindset of my style, knowledge, skills, and the things I think are cool.
While some of my knowledge, skills, and acumen were still very much on point. I needed to learn that the art I create must connect with a certain audience and demographic.
What do they love?
What do they feel?
By doing this, I found that so many of us: artists, creators, and people starting a new business or passion project, struggle with the process of learning and unlearning.
It is difficult to let go and re-create. Honestly, it’s excruciating. But however difficult this path may be, my faith in it grows every day, as do I. A new way of doing things reveals itself to be of most benefit.
IV. Reflection.
Observing where the world is headed, I find that I would rather work on something I truly love and build on it than to work for the money-driven, socially-validating capitalist system.
I’m not going to sugar-coat, it is a difficult path. But it is also the most rewarding. The old road of “study-this-in-university-so-you-can-make-money-in-the-big-world” has collapsed.
Many of my peers are confused, and disheartened as we are all attempting to upgrade our outdated modalities of thought, especially in the industries that are a trend away from imploding. Turns out those secure jobs were never all that secure in the first place. We are passing through the fourth industrial revolution. Google can answer every topic known to man. In this coming decade, it’s a high possibility that artificial intelligence will take over the glorified tasks we call our careers, companies, and identities.
From doctors to lawyers, everyone will feel this shift. This current COVID-19 global crisis has provided us with the hidden blessing of quiet time, a chance for us to stop for a moment, and reengineer our ways of thinking, feeling, and being.
In this quiet space, I find that all the skills I was ready to throw out can still be of use to a lot of creatives. My skills could help them find new ways to make their art lucrative. Artists need business advisors and managers in order for them to solely focus on their art in its purest of joys.
Even if I do not make a successful transition to an artist, there is a chance to apply the lessons I learned along the way to someone who could. And perhaps, just perhaps, I am exactly where I was supposed to be all along.
My mantra for the past two years is, “why not take the road less traveled?” Why not become merge the passion of creativity with the solid foothold of business? Why not build something that fills your heart and your pocket?
V. Acceptance.
In combining both old and new skills to build a new future, I have found a renewed strength. A renewed ownership over myself, my identity, as well as my mission.
Maybe I won’t become the world's hottest DJ, Music Producer, Photographer, or Writer. But maybe as a Manager/Owner of a Label, as a Creative Strategist — maybe my journey is meant to support someone else’s journey to becoming who they are truly meant to be. And by doing so, I become who I am truly meant to become.
Today, I am strong enough to claim my journey both as a creative-minded and as a business-minded individual. I am sharing my version of a road map I wish I had when my journey began.
We all know about the “why”. Now it’s time to demystify the “how”. I want to show you whatever it is, it is all possible- no matter what the stakes look like. I want to pave a path where one can create a business, a brand, and a new authentic identity.
This is a journey on “Creating Your How.” A method called, “The Process”.
“There has never been a better time to create the real you.”
