Allen C. Paul's Blog, page 19

How to Overcome Adversity and Embrace Your Voice with Hope Sheree, Inspirational Artist [TGGS 112]

Imagine you have been working successfully in the R&B music industry…and only to be led by a radical faith experience to shift entirely into the gospel music world – a world that doesn’t really know how to deal with your ‘unchurchy’ background. 

What would you do? 

This was the situation facing Hope Sheree, an award-winning singer / songwriter, blogger, actress, motivational speaker and radio show host.

After years of working with some of the most popular artists...

How to Overcome Adversity and Embrace Your Voice with Hope Sheree, Inspirational Artist

Imagine you have been working successfully in the R&B music industry…and only to be led by a radical faith experience to shift entirely into the gospel music world – a world that doesn’t really know how to deal with your ‘unchurchy’ background. 

What would you do? 

This was the situation facing Hope Sheree, an award-winning singer / songwriter, blogger, actress, motivational speaker and radio show host.

After years of working with some of the most popular artists...

Why Your Audience Doesn’t Know Who You Are (and how to fix it) [TGGS 111]

Does your audience really know WHO you are? 

While social media seems to encourage people to share a lot of personal details, that seldom leads to the kind of authentic connection that results in long-term commitment to your platform or creative business. 

The fact is, a lot of us don’t really tell the whole story of our creative lives well. 
If we show up to our audiences: 

Only when we’re selling somethingOnly sporadicallyOnly in social media

…Then we’re making a bi...

A Creative’s Tax Turnaround: 3 Essential Tips To Keep More Income [TGGS 110]

Are you stressed every time tax deadlines roll around? 

For many artists, financial management and tax planning is a “set it and forget it” process. That's a dangerous game to play with your creative business, as l (Allen) discovered when my tax situation changed, but I didn't adjust my planning – resulting in some major financial struggles.

Thankfully, taking ownership of my situation radically changed my financial standing and built new-found confidence in my ability to manage my busine...

The Beautiful Battle: How DMX’s Life Reveals the Inner Struggle of Artists

Some artists are known for their ability to capture the essence of love, beauty, or joy.
There are other artists who are able to capture the essence of anger, anguish and the struggle to survive.

DMX was absolutely one of those latter artists.

With an ferocity rarely seen even in a genre known for gritty, unadulterated emotion, DMX channeled the incredible challenges he endured as a child into music laced with both pain and power. His commercial success as a recording artist and actor, whi...

How to Discover Purpose in your Pivot w/ Melissa Vargas, Creative / Brand Strategist [TGGS 109]

Imagine you are a creative professional, working your way up the ladder in a huge media corporation, and achieving the highest honor in your career – only to be fired less than a week later. 

What would you do? 

This was the situation facing Melissa Vargas, an Emmy and Promax Award-winning producer, multimedia journalist, writer and brand strategist. In the midst of an unexpected pivotal moment in her career, she discovered the keys to pursuing her God-given creative purpose, even ...

Coming Back to Live? Position Yourself for Future Success with Peter Moore, Music Executive [TGGS 108]

There are glimmers of hope beyond the horizon for the music industry and live events.

But what can you do now as a musician or creative while everything is sorted out?

Peter Moore, a industry veteran with over 30 years in the music business, has several key insights for anyone trying to figure out their next step in the music and art industry. He's been instrumental in dozens of music, film and and licensing agreements, and essentially helps to bridge the gap between artists, their aud...

Is ‘Back to Normal’ Actually Bad for Musicians and Creatives? [TGGS 107]

As hope appears on the horizon for a return to normalcy in a post-pandemic world, a serious question remains: Is ‘going back to normal”  a good thing? 

Like the majority of professions, musicians and creatives like you experienced extreme hardships during the heart of the pandemic.  However,  we also learned major lessons, grew tremendously in our ability to pivot and reinvent ourselves, and even became possibly more marketable and savvy in our businesses.

With all of those positive effect...

Parenting while Creating: How to Pursue your Goals w/o Neglecting Family [TGGS 106]

Being a parent is already a tough enough job.

Late nights. Unpredictable schedules. Having to always be available for emotional support and providing love and care to those who need you most.

Now add on the role of being a creative professional with the responsibility of managing a family.

What do you do when you have the privilege of being both a creative and a parent? How can creatives practically balance the passion to perform with the passion needed to be totally engaged with th...

How to Cope when Family Doesn’t Support your Creative Career [TGGS 105]

They say family is everything…

….which means they can be one of our greatest assets as creatives, or possibly, one of our greatest struggles.

When your family supports and celebrates your creative work, it can be one of the most rewarding feelings you can have.

However, it can be equally devastating when those closest to you throw water on the fire of your dreams.

In this episode, we point out three key strategies to help maintain your family relationships while simultaneously pu...