Allen C. Paul's Blog, page 34

The 4 types of people you need on your creative team

Ask the average person to describe a typical artist. They’ll often describe a solitary person, lost in their own world of creative genius, locked up in a small room or studio working tirelessly on a masterpiece.

In reality, creatives aren’t usually alone.

While many creative people are introverted and can work alone without feeling lonely or abandoned, we all need healthy interactions with other people and honest, authentic relationships. In fact, if you want to be successful in making your a...

Harness the Power of Being Consistent in your Creative Work

Isn’t being an artist all about keeping things fresh and new? Perhaps, but without consistent work habits, we can find our inspiration and creativity growing stagnant. In this episode of our Creative Thought of the Week series, Allen shares some thoughts on how creatives can use the power of consistency to build momentum and maintain steady artistic output, even when inspiration doesn’t spark our imaginations.

As great artists like da Vinci, Picasso and others prove, daily practice leads to s...

5 books every creative should have read by now

It’s said that you can tell a lot about a person by the books by looking at their bookshelf.

Now, I’m very aware that some folks don’t read a lot, and in our fast paced creative lives that’s an understandable situation. However, despite all the videos, podcasts and other forms of educational content out there, there’s still no substitute for sitting down and learning from the written word. Even if you choose to use audiobooks, (one of my favorite methods of reading)  you’re still taking in th...

Making the Right Moves: A talk with Movement Analyst Toranika Washington

What do you do when your artistic journey takes you on unexpected turns? If you are like Toranika Washington, you find a new path that utilizes your unique gifts. Starting her career as a dancer, Toranika overcame physical setbacks and major career shifts before discovering her passion for movement analysis, which is a method and language for describing, visualizing, interpreting and documenting human movement.

Tornika holds a M.F.A. in Choreography from Jacksonville University, a M.A. in Cur...

3 common fears about going pro as an artist

I’ve got a little test for you.

No, I can’t see if you actually are going to do this, but I trust you.

Fold your arms across your chest. You know, the “I’m waiting / listening impatiently” pose.

Did it? Ok.

Now, drop your arms and do it again, but reverse the position your arms.

Not so easy, was it? I’m guessing you paused, or had to struggle to remember which arm was on top, or felt weird when you did it.

That’s an example of how it feels to make a major change in your life. There’s always a...

Turning your Frustrations into Fuel for Creative Success

If you’ve worked as a creative artist for any time all, you’re dealt with frustration. Every day we’re faced with issues, projects, deadlines, and relationships that spin out of control.  When we become overly frustrated, our artistic pursuits can be paralyzed by our emotions. To overcome those debilitating effects, we have to find a way to turn that energy from negative to positive in our lives.

In this episode, Allen C. Paul takes a shot at hosting the show solo, and presents an alternative...

Side Hustle Masters: Why creatives are well prepared for economic shifts

Gigs aren’t just for musicians anymore.

For decades, the word “gig” was strictly used in musical circles. Musicians were likely the first professionals to refer to their performances as such, (), but throughout the years more and more freelancers and entrepreneurs have adopted the term to describe their work. Now, the term is so common that many commentators call our current economic season the “Gig Economy”. You might also have heard the term ‘si...

The Angry Artist: Getting mad without risking madness

Our emotions can either be a source of creative power - or a serious problem

“No negative impulse can work, can produce any happy creation. Only a positive one.” – Eva Zeisel, artist

“I’m as mad as h—, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” – actor Peter Finch, as Howard Beale, character in the movie “Network”

Feelings are powerful things.  They motivate us to react, to change things, to move in new directions. As creatives, our emotions are often the main catalyst behind our inspiration. W...

God and Gigs at the 21st Melton Mustafa Jazz Festival – A Recap

This festival honored its founder by showcasing great artists and inspiring a future generation

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God and Gigs Show co-hosts Allen and CriStyle with a portrait of Melton Mustafa, Sr.

“All we wanted to do was play, man!”

Those words, spoken by Melton Mustafa, Sr. during his interview with us last year on The God and Gigs Show, sums up the feeling that surrounded this year’s edition of the Melton Mustafa Jazz Fesitval, held in the Lyric Theater in historic Overtown, Florida.

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Nestor Torres and Ric...

Your Art, God’s Heart – now available in paperback [Announcement]

Your Art, God’s Heart – now available in paperback

If you’d like to read our latest resource for creatives, “Your Art, God’s Heart: A 21 Day Devotional for Creatives,” you can now get it in either paperback or eBook formats.  This compact, powerful series of lessons will help you reaffirm your spiritual foundation with daily readings, prayers and Scripture passages to apply to your creative life.[image error]

Order your paperback edition here, or find the eBook edition at Amazon or  your preferred...