Allen C. Paul's Blog, page 30
May 10, 2019
The Fun Factor: How Joy Leads to Creative Success with Thierry Dejean, Musician and Entrepreneur
How would you describe your creative career?
You might say it's challenging, time-consuming, or tough.
But would you describe it as fun?
Our guest and long-time friend of God and Gigs, Thierry Dejean, believes that it's still possible to have fun while facing the challenges of the creative lifestyle. As a veteran musician, entrepreneur, producer, photographer, and career / lifestyle counselor, he consistently embraces the joy of being a creative.
Born in Haiti, raised in New York, and now...
May 2, 2019
3 ways to better balance your day-job with your creative career
Are you both a ‘gig-lifer' and a ‘day-jobber?'
A creative with a traditional career?
An 7 days-a-week artist who keeps a 9-to-5?
If so, you're not alone.
As we've shared earlier, the economic reality of the creative lifestyle often requires multiple streams of income. For many artists, musicians and creative freelancers, that means keeping a traditional day-job while simultaneously working to build their creative career.
That creates a problem. And it's not necessarily all about money.
...April 25, 2019
Why Gratitude is NOT Optional: Lessons from 25 Years of Music, Ministry and Family
Sometimes, you just have to sit back and think.
The journey of a musician, artist, or creative is never easy, and especially so for those who maintain a role in ministry as well as the mainstream arts and entertainment industry. Maintaining your emotional health as you balance these worlds is a must.
The best way to do that? Maintain a sense of gratitude.
In this very personal reflection, I (Allen) took a quiet moment to look back over two decades of working in church music ministry to poi...
April 18, 2019
The Sunday after Easter: A Note of Encouragement for Church Creatives
For some, Easter Sunday is a day for decorating eggs, wearing spring colors, and eating way too much chocolate.
But for those who work in church creative and musical departments, there's a lot more going on.
As churches pull out all the stops to celebrate the Resurrection and welcome visitors to their sanctuaries, countless volunteers and church staff will put in extra work and make big efforts to make their services memorable and exciting. Thus, the creative and musical artists that make...
April 11, 2019
Build your Creative Business the RIGHT Way: Tips for Artists from Connor Tripp, Financial Coach
Taxes…accounts…profits…budgets.
Do these words scare you?
It’s not always easy for artists, musicians and creative entrepreneurs to accept the responsibilities that running a business requires. Keeping up with taxes, getting our business expenses under control, and sound recordkeeping aren’t attractive parts of the creative lifestyle, but they are extremely important if we want to truly call ourselves professionals.
After all, if we want our creative endeavors to be blessed, we must first b...
April 4, 2019
An Impact that Lasts: Reflections on Nipsey Hussle and building a creative legacy
Chuck Palahniuk
The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.
In the wake of the tragic murder of hip-hop artist, activist and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle, there have been countless testimonies and appeals from entertainers and artists around the globe.
View this post on Instagram@nipseyhussle was pushing something bigger than music.
A post shared by lecrae (@lecrae) on Apr 1, 2019 at 9:04am PDT
View this post on Instagram
March 28, 2019
How Much Should I Charge? Reinventing your Mindset when Setting your Rates
It’s the moment that many of us dread as we seek out gigs, clients and opportunities – the moment that someone who wants to hire you asks, “How much?”
Some of us have an answer ready. Others sweat bullets and fear the worst.
If you are doing any kind of creative work for a living, you’ve had to consider what to charge. In this Behind the Scenes look into one of our Mastermind calls with our our core creative group, you’ll learn how to leverage powerful shifts in mindset that will help you v...
March 21, 2019
Facebook Fail: 3 Reasons Why Creatives Should Be Using Email Marketing
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Facebook is the giant of social media, boasting more than 2 billion users worldwide. However, all of their success means that a lot of people expect trouble-free access to their profiles, 24-7.
Those expectations weren’t met during a recent server outage at Facebook that crippled their services (including child companies like Instagram and Whatsapp) and left online audiences in the virtual dark.
For close to twenty four hours, our timelines, likes...
March 14, 2019
Your Creative Work vs. Your Traditional Career: How to Maintain a Healthy Balance
Are you a creative artist, musician or entertainer who maintains a traditional career? Do you struggle with balancing your creative work with your responsibilities in your primary job? You’re not alone.
A large percentage of artists continue to work in other fields while exploring their creative and artistic abilities. There’s no shame in not being an full-time artist! However, you do need to be intentional if you are considering turning your passion into a full-time creative career one day....
March 7, 2019
What to Do when your Family Doesn’t Support your Creative Career
of the NBC TV drama "This is Us".
It’s hard to start your career when your support is shaky. A young girl has dreams of becoming a ballerina. She trains hard, makes it into a prestigious dance school, and makes all the sacrifices she can as she focuses on her goal of being a principal dancer one day.
Until her mother steps in.
In a climatic scene, the girl’s mother steps her daughter’s room. Music is playing, and the young gi...
