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What People Think Of You – Managing the Feedback and Opinions of Others

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Hi, All!

I’d like to talk to you today about the feedback and opinions of others with regards to our work and how we can approach them.

So, as I have mentioned in a previous post, I have been hosting a weekly radio show on a community radio station for over three years now. Well, last week I received some feedback on my show – during my show. A listener sent an e-mail something to the effect  ” the female announcer in x time slot – a.k.a me – is too chatty and giggly and should stop talking and stick to playing the great music.” Hey, at least they liked the music. 😉

I laughed when I read it. If they had heard me when I started my show three years ago, they would realize how much I have actually toned things down.  And I didn’t think I was doing anything out of the realm at the time. But, of course, such commentary is always a little disconcerting, particularly when you’re in the midst of doing your job. It’s like a comedian being heckled or someone shouting, “You suck!” in the middle of your concert.

And you can take it to heart and let it overshadow everything else, like all of the positive feedback you might get.

I mean, I’ve had way more people calling in to tell me how much they like the show and enjoy my bubbly personality, saying I bring a youthful vibe to the station and I’m their favourite announcer. And, sure, I could be more “professional” and not share stories about the songs. but I figure if they wanted to just hear one song after another, they can get a playlist together on Spotify  and have at ‘er. Lots of people love knowing the creative history behind their favourite tunes!

There is a difference between constructive criticism and people’s personal opinions. There are times when we get feedback that can help us improve as artists.

If a pianist goes to a masterclass and is told they are slowing down their runs as compared to the rest of the piece, that is possibly an indication that practice in that area is required. If a writer is told they are doing something consistently that is grammatically incorrect, it may be an opportunity to learn the correct use of grammar in that situation. As an editor, I have encountered situations where writers will insist that they are going to do things the way they want to do them but, well, they can’t say they weren’t warned.  Anyway, this is constructive criticism from, hopefully, someone with knowledge and experience.

On the flip side, if that pianist is told by someone that they hated the way they played Rachmaninoff because they don’t like Rachmaninoff, or that writer gets feedback that someone doesn’t like  the word “blustery” so they should never use it, well, that’s simply opinion. And I suppose if you receive the same opinion often enough it might be something to look at but, otherwise, you might want to let it go. 

Now, I think about it, this can also apply to competitive situations. I remember years ago hearing about a scandalous situation at a local vocal competition where the adjudicator was blatant about the fact that she chose the winner because she like the song he sang because it reminded her of her childhood or something.  It was clear he was not the best singer so, hopefully, none of the other competitors took their loss to heart, even if they were miffed about the results.

You have to look at where the feedback is coming from, how frequently you get the feedback and what bias might be involved. If the commenter says, “when you do this, this is the result, and this is the effect it is having on your work” etc. it can make sense. If they say, “I just don’t like it” well, they can just move on .

The main thing is, are you pleased with what you’re doing? Are you proud of your work? If not, then what will it take for you to be proud of your work? Do you need to practice more? Do you need further education? Do you need to take a different approach?  If you are proud of yourself, if you look back on your performance or writing, or, in my case, radio show and think, man, that was fun and I did a good job, that’s what matters. 

And let others do with it what they will. A publisher may dump you. You may lose a gig. But there is always another publisher, there is always another gig for those who approach their work with dedication and passion. And we will always find out audience!

So go forth and create! Share! And if you delight more people than you annoy, keep doing it!

In Swimming Tigress News,

I just released a video in honour of Shark Fest and Shark Week. It’s my twist on a classic ditty that’s been on my mind for a couple of years now. You can check it out here on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CuSyJIYgTZk/  . Enjoy!

Have a great day and have fun creating!

Tiffany

Professional Communication in the Creative World

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Hello, all!

So, today I thought I would talk about communicating with others in the creative industry. And I don’t mean sending a text a band member or artists you’re already familiar with.  I’m talking about when you are reaching out to fellow industry professionals in a professional capacity.

I believe I have already talked about behaviour on social media, in Facebook groups, etc., but this is about directly contacting someone, particularly for the first time.

I get that things have changed over the decades and centuries. We are not as formal as we once were. There is no “Dearest Sir of the Highest Regard” anymore. But we are still trying to make connections and we are still trying to make an impression on the person we are reaching out to, or at least we should be.

Some of us have been doing this for decades and have become used to a certain level of etiquette.  So when you send me an e-mail that says, ” S’up, check out my track…” I am not likely to pay attention to it, never mind provide an actual response. Your work may be brilliant but you have shown you don’t know how to properly introduce yourself to people and that immaturity will likely translate to your other interactions.  Yes, it is possible these are scam e-mails but I know of artists etc. who actually think this is appropriate.

There is a way to insert a recipient’s name in a message, even if you’re doing a mass e-mailing. And even if you don’t do that, a proper greeting and a little explanation about yourself is necessary. Why are you contacting the person? (Make sure you know what you want to get out of the interaction and that your connection is actually relevant to both of you.) Who are you? What is your genre or style of art? Why should they engage further (open an attachment, go to a website) other than because you’re trying to tell them to?

Something to the effect of “Greetings, so-and-so (or just Greetings if it’s going to several people), I am a <artist type> from <location> with a focus on <genre or style>. Since you are involved in <related field>  I wanted to reach out to introduce myself and my work to you for the purpose of <purpose>”  etc., etc. might work. I’m sure there are better formats out there and templates that will be targeted to specific ends.  But the point it to make your intention clear and to show you’re serious. And, honestly, with all the phishing and such going around, a generic blurb of an e-mail is less likely to get engaged with for safety purposes alone.

And know that there can be legitimate standards of conduct for different fields. Writers spend months preparing a query letter and book proposal in search of a publisher or agent, so if you just willy-nilly send an e-mail or a text to someone at Simon and Schuster with, “Yo, just wrote a book. Check it out.” miracles happen but it’s not likely going to go well.

And here’s another thing. If you’re not familiar with it already, there is something called Blind Carbon Copy – or BCC – in reference to e-mails. This allows you to hide the addresses of the people to whom you are sending a message. Essentially it’s just a matter of putting the addresses in the BCC box instead of the To box. Learn to use it. 

I recently received a message – someone passing on a bunch of music tracks – and every recipient’s e-mail was laid out for all to see. There are times when one does send out a message to several people – we all understand that – and it is possible this was done accidentally, but such indiscretion is in no way professional and it exposed us all to potentially unwanted communication, or worse, in the future. 

When you are calling someone, try to plan out why you’re calling and what you’re going to say before you dial. Maybe even have a little script in front of you for security. Learn a bit about the company or person you’re reaching out to so you aren’t calling an art gallery that focuses on portraits to pitch your collection of landscapes. Related but not related, I once had a parent call me to enquire about swimming lessons for their child, apparently not aware that Swimming Tigress Music is, in fact, a music company. Just because something’s on a list or in a directory that doesn’t mean it’s for you. 🙂

And, finally – this is not really direct communication as such – look at how you present yourself in online gatherings, like webinars. Webinars can be great places to learn new skills and gain new information, but some people think it is a good opportunity to promote themselves.

I was on a webinar recently where people were trying to draw on the host’s screen – not sure how that’s even possible – and the chat was filled with “Check out my site…” “New vid on my TikTok…” etc.  even after the host had specifically expressed that self-promotion is not appreciate. Incredibly distracting.

As an observer, I see two things here. I see a) you don’t know how to be polite and follow the rules, and b) you aren’t there to learn and you don’t care that I might be there to learn. You just want to rack up views on your video, or whatever it happens to be. How likely do you think I am going to be to suddenly stop watching the educational webinar to follow up on those invitations and interact with you? You just look silly.

I don’t mean to criticize or be overbearing. I get it. We all want to get out there, have people experience out work and, hopefully, make good money at it. But in this insta-world in which we live, where we try to abbreviate everything and anything over 60-seconds is not considered worthy of our time, a thoughtful communication will make you look like you know what you’re doing and get you more attention.

In Swimming Tigress News,

Just a reminder that if you are a music teacher looking for new repertoire for the fall, I humbly invite you to check out my songbooks for young singers, Bad Moods and Seven Other Super Reasons to Sing a Silly Song and the follow up, Brain Freezes and Seven More Super Reasons to Sing a Silly Song.  These books are filled with songs that you will love teaching as much as your students will love to sing. You can find them on Sheet Music Plus, Amazon, and at

www.tiffanyprochera.com.

And if you want inspiration to help keep you creative juices flowing, the audiobook version of my ebook, Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity,  narrated by yours truly, is now available on Amazon and Audible!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany

The Benefits of Establishing a Creative Target

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Hello,  All!

Lately I’ve been thinking about creative focus – what I create and when and why and all that jazz – and it was suggested to me a while back that I get a creative target – a specific entity towards which I would be directing my creative energy.

You see, I’m sure a lot of us wake up in the morning and say, well, today I’m going to write a country song. And there’s certainly something to be said for following the inspiration in the moment. I’m not knocking it. I do it all the time!  But the thing is, you still have so many questions to answer after that.  What kind of country song – contemporary? traditional? a mashup with other genres?  What are you going to do with it when you’re done? Who are you going to pitch it to, etc. ?

But…

If you say to yourself, I’m going to write songs to pitch to Carrie Underwood, you then have a more defined path. You know her voice, you know what she likes to sing about, you know what her style is so you know what vibe to give the song – yes, she may suddenly decide going in a different direction but you can only go off of what you know.  You can look up her management company and figure out how to get in touch with them or look for other resources that allow you to pitch specifically to her people. The point is, it is already giving the song a home instead of just creating something willy-nilly and hope it gets somewhere.

This idea was suggested to me a while back. I have a tendency to be a little all over the place with my work – creating a pop song one minute, a film script the next.  I had a storyline in mind – a light-hearted mystery based on a real event –  and I didn’t know what to do with it. Should it be a short story? A novel? A script? What to do? But there is a production company I have become rather fond of over the past number of years and the suggestion was that I write the story as a script to ultimately pitch to that company. I know the formula, what they look for, even who I would want to star in it,  and I would know where to go to pitch it. It made total sense.

So, while there is certainly room for riding the creative wave and seeing where they land after the fact, it doesn’t hurt to approach at least some of your creative projects with intention and focus.

In Swimming Tigress news,  I have started doing to occasional live on Instagram, chatting about things that have to do with the creative process. So feel free to follow me @tiffanyprochera to get in on the fun!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany

How New Ways to Connect With An Audience Can Become A New Passion

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Hi, all!

I hope you are enjoying the approaching of summer. We’ve been experiencing a heat wave over here so it’s been feeling like the end of July over the past couple of weeks so I have to remind myself that I’m not on summer vacation. 🙂

So, I want to talk about promotion and marketing, in a roundabout way. There are lots of avenue to approach – cold calling, social media, getting on podcasts or starting your own.  From what I have read and listened to, it’s probably a good idea to pick a couple of methods or platforms and focus on those instead of trying to do them all. Even in the realm of social media alone, being on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can be overwhelming, never mind, diluting your potential for visibility. 

How is your promotional strategy going? Are you getting the results you want in terms of establishing a viable, legitimate audience that ultimately translates into revenue for yourself?  I add that last bit because you can have 10,000 followers but if they aren’t truly supporting you and buying your work, it may not be the best use of your energy to try and keep them.  If you’re not getting the results you want, are there promotional tactics out there you’ve never tried before? 

Last year, it was suggested I view a YouTube video about making reels – short videos that go on Facebook and Instagram, if you’re not familiar with them – not as a promotional tool, but as a revenue generator in its own right. The intention, apparently, is to create a bunch of reels, rack up a bunch views, and then you eventually get paid by the company to put up the content.

I had to give it a go, since, while I can’t draw or paint for beans, there is a visual side to me I thought would be fun to exercise.  And I’ll tell you something. 

While I haven’t figured out the monetization aspect of it all yet – I’m pretty sure it’s not as straight forward as the video made it sound as I haven’t seen a cent from it yet – It’s actually a lot of fun! I’m creating videos for all sorts of things – my poetry, random inspirational musings, and, of course, promoting my work. It’s allowing me to explore another aspect of creativity, even if I’m not exactly an expert at it yet.

What about doing lives to check in with your audience? It may scare you at first but you might come to find it rather comforting to be so open.

What about a podcast? What could your focus be if you decided to start one? You might discover you are told you have a fabulous radio voice

When you start to explore the options and look beyond your usual way of operating, you might find things you really enjoy, maybe almost as a much as your craft itself.  And you might come upon a whole new audience for your work that you truly enjoy engaging with.

 In Swimming Tigress news… well, it’s that time of year. Time to be thinking about Christmas! What, you ask? But it’s June! Precisely. I’ve just started working on some fun Christmas tunes so they’ll be good and ready for the upcoming season. Stay tuned for more info on your new holiday faves!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany

The Use of Classical Music In Media Projects – Know Your Stuff!

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Hello all!

This isn’t going to be a rant – though it easily could be because it’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine . Let’s call it a bit of friendly advice from one creative to another, shall we? 😉

Music can be such a powerful tool in a creative project. It can reinforce or deny emotional expectation. It can foreshadow. It can make you feel anything, really. And every genre under the sun can be placed in a project – jazz to pop to country to electronic – under the right circumstances.

If you are planning on using classical or instrumental music in your projects, I beg you, please take a minute to learn what the piece is actually about. Even if something doesn’t have words that are in English – or whatever language you happen to be working in – it doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean anything and it is to be used all slap-happy, willy-nilly-like. And if you treat it all slap-happy, willy-nilly like, you could run into problems.

Case in point…

Years ago, a well-known airline put out a campaign ad about their new comfortable seating, or something like that, and had images of passengers blissfully dozing to the soundtrack of “Nessun Dorma”, the big aria from the Puccini opera, Turandot. You can see why – it’s a well-known piece. Even if you don’t know what it’s from or what it’s about, we’ve all heard the famous rendition by the late, great Pavarotti, so why not put it in there for recognition’s sake?

Well, my friends, I’ll tell you why not. Because “nessun dorma” literally means “none shall sleep” in Italian! The hero is singing about how the whole kingdom is being kept awake under the threat of death as the princess Turandot will execute him and everyone else  if she does not learn his name by morning – because if she doesn’t discover his identity, she has to marry him, and she wants to stay single. So, those who were familiar with the work were no doubt watching the ads and chuckling to themselves, if not downright guffawing, at the irony of it all. 

Last year,  I was watching a documentary on television about the gardens of the late Queen Elizabeth II, may she rest in peace.  There is a clip when she is perusing the scene at one of her garden parties and I’m listening to the instrumental music in the background thinking, wait, is that “Get Me to the Church On Time” from My Fair Lady?  You know, the tune sung by Eliza Doolittle’s father as he’s preparing for his wedding day?  I mean, first of all, the gal just lost her husband of 60 + years and I’m pretty sure she’s not ready to get married again any time soon, and what does that have to with a garden party? A relatively minor infraction but it’s still just throwing something in there because.

You see, not all music is going to have specific meaning and is designed to simply create a mood, a vibe. In that case, go for it. Throw in something that sounds happy if you want people to feel happy.  But if you’re going to use a piece particularly because it is recognizable, get some context for it. I’m not saying you have to do hours of research into the history and everything of it – unless you want to, of course – but don’t use a song about not sleeping to promote sleeping! Or use “Spring” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a scene about winter. Not that I’ve seen it but I’m sure it has happened somewhere. Don’t do it! It’s just embarrassing for everyone.

I will add that, the more you learn, the more you understand, the more you will effectively be able to use classical or instrumental music in your projects. You might want to ironically use “Nessun Dorma” in a scene where people are sleeping, and you will know it’s ironic because you now know what it’s actually about.

 Or if you’re doing a period piece and familiarize yourself with the works from that era – maybe this is left to a music supervisor but I’m going to personalize it just the same – you can really play with it. 

Say you’re doing something set  at the turn of the 20th century but want a modern twist on it – like the classical covers of current hits in Bridgerton or the original rock tunes (meaning original artists, not original to the soundtrack) placed in one of my favourite movies, A Knight’s Tale – if you know the classical or instrumental hits from that era you may find modern songs that are based on those pieces. For example, Eric Carmen’s hit “All By Myself”, revived by Céline Dion for Bridget Jones’ Diary, is based on the  second movement of  Sergei Rachmaninoff’s  Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, composed around 1900-1901. Playing with that knowledge allows you to not only have a better framework for the music in your project, but it allows you to drop some Easter eggs as well – I think. Did I use that term correctly? My gaming days are behind me, I’m afraid. 🙂

All this to say that just because a piece of music is in a genre you’re unfamiliar with, it doesn’t mean it exists just to be pretty or dramatic or whatever you happen to be looking for at the time. There is a context to it all and it behooves one to learn about it. 

Now, in other Swimming Tigress News,

We are quickly approaching summer and, specifically, teddy bear picnic season. The official day is, in fact, July 10th but I’m sure there are picnics held throughout the summer. If you’re looking for a theme tune for your event,  I humbly suggest, “Teddy!” from my alter-ego, Tofaru, a rousing tune in honour of our fluffy friends. Check out the lyric video on YouTube and go to Pond5.com to license the track for your event!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany 🙂

Another Tip From an Idea Factory – Everybody Has a Story

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Hello, all!

So, let’s talk. It’s easy to get creatively stuck from time to time – you don’t know where to go with a project or you’re having trouble  coming up with an idea for the project in the first place.  And it’s not fun when you have the desire to bring something to the world, and especially not when there are deadlines involved.

This is where I can be of service.

You see, as a creative community I think we need to support each other because we all have different strengths to bring to the table. And  idea generation just happens to be one of mine. 🙂 In my e-book and now audiobook,  Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity, I joke about how I can’t tell you how to market or promote your art since I haven’t sold more than a handful of anything I’ve ever done but I’ve got project ideas coming out the wazoo and I always have.  I will literally be working on one song and suddenly be struck with  lyrics for another. 

So,  if you don’t mind, I’m going to share another tip from the book to help you get through a dry spell. You can check out my last post for another tool to put in your creative arsenal, if you haven’t already read it.

Tip  #7 is called “Everybody Has A Story”. It’s about looking at someone you’ve never met  – in a grocery store, while you’re out for a walk – and creating a backstory for them.  Look at where they are, how they’re dressed, what they’re doing, and try to imagine their life – where they came from, where they are now, where they might be going.

You can be as sensational as you like about it. Maybe that woman in the trench coat is a spy heading to a meeting with her handler to learn about her next mission. Maybe that man running past you on the sidewalk is training for a marathon because his father died before he ever had a chance to complete one and he wants to honour his memory.  Get into the details – establish a real sense of knowing that person inside and out.

This exercise  will not only help you to boost your creativity, since you’re making up a bunch of stuff, but it will help you feel more connected to the world  around you. So often, we go through our lives just zooming past everything and everybody.  We don’t even notice the person we  pass on the street, yet alone contemplate where they came from and what brought them to that moment in time.  You might be surprised at the amount of empathy you’ll develop in the process.

So why not take your people watching to the next level and have some fun? And feel free to comment and let us know what you’ve observed!

For more information on Idea Factory you can learn more on the website , and you can find it on Amazon, iTunes,  and Audible, depending on your format preference. 

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany

A Tip From an Idea Factory

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Well, hello all!

I hope you are enjoying your spring thus far. In fact, where I am it is somewhat warmer than usual so it frankly feels like summer and I’m not complaining.  I always welcome the opportunity to do my work outside and take in the fresh air.

Now, as I have mentioned over the past couple of weeks, I have recently released the audiobook version of my e-book, Idea Factory:20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity. I’m someone who is never at a loss for creative inspiration and I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks to help others get unstuck.

So, I thought I would share a couple of those tips here in the blog to get you started.

Tip #16 is called “The Best Thing and the Worst Thing”. You think of a scenario where something is about to happen and you then imagine the best thing that could result and then you imagine the worst thing. For example, a man gets down on one knee  in front of his girlfriend (or boyfriend) in a restaurant. Probably the best thing you could imagine is that he proposes and she (or he) says yes. But what else could happen? Maybe he’s tying his shoe and she only thinks he’s going to propose.  Maybe the man sees a rat scurrying across the floor and the whole restaurant goes into a tizzy!

It’s about the sense of anticipation that we get with art, especially when we’re talking about art with a narrative. Last weekend, I saw the delightful film, “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”, based on the novel about a widowed cleaning lady who has a dream of going to Paris to buy a dress from the House of Dior. I loved it so much for so many reasons, one of them which was the sense of anticipation about things. There were so many moments of “what’s going to happen? How is that fellow going to act in this situation?” I got excited every time someone knocked on the door, wondering who was going to be on the other side. And sometimes the result was predictable, sometimes not.

What if you walk up to the door of your regular coffee shop and, lo and behold, it’s closed – maybe just for the day or maybe permanently. What is the best thing that could result from that disruption and what is the worst thing? I had that happen to me once and it led to a rather fun encounter indeed!

The point of this tip is to take things in different directions. Even  if you’re involved in music like I am, there are certain aspects of composition and songwriting that have become convention and there are ways you can play around with it to make it fresh. You don’t have to have the bridge follow the second 8-bar chorus, you know. 🙂 I always try to find a balance between familiar and new so things are interesting but not overwhelmingly so. 

So try taking scenarios like a knock on the door, a package in the mail, and imagine the best thing that could happen in that situation and the worse thing. It’s actually a lot of fun and who knows what you’re going to come up with?

In Swimming Tigress news,

I’m having fun working on music which should be on Pond 5 soon. And if you’re a music teacher looking for music for the upcoming summer or fall teaching seasons, check out my song books for young singers, Bad Moods and Seven Other Super Reasons to Sing a Silly Song and the follow-up Brain Freezes and Seven More Super Reasons to Sing a Silly Song. You can find them on Amazon, Sheet Music Plus, and here on my site. Enjoy!

Well, that’s all for now. Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany

To Dream or Not To Dream – Why You Might Want To Establish Creative Goals

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You know, I was honestly going to write about something else this week  but this has been on my mind lately.

Today, I was talking to someone who was expressing her goals for her career. She’s working on a life-changing book – really, it’s going to be epic – and she has visions of being a multi-bestselling author and connecting with the likes of this luminary and that luminary and her forward will be written by so-and-so etc. I was so inspired by her aspiration and commitment and,  at the same time, I felt a sense of sadness.

These days, I don’t really have any dreams with respect to my creative career.

Sure, I’ve got a bucket list of things I’d like to see and experience – like going to Eurovision, getting under dark, clear skies where I can actually see the Milky Way galaxy glowing above head –  but I no longer have those end goals, those thing I want to accomplish, or those dreams that can drive and guide one into their future. I chalk it up to the fact that I feel I have failed so often that there’s no point in really trying for anything because, in my mind, it’s not going to work out anyway. So, I just do what I feel like doing, put it out there, and see what happens, like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks. 

The most important things that have happened in my life have happened without reaching for them, without real effort.

 But I’m not sure that laissez-faire attitude is ultimately helpful. 

Do you have goals and dreams with respect to your creativity, a timeline with a list of things you want to accomplish, both as projects and achievements? Absolutely, one needs to follow inspiration even if it’s not necessarily part of “the plan”, but goals and dreams can excite us and keep us focused. At least that’s what they’re supposed to do.

Imagine this. You’re a musician, you record a song and release it on social media, hoping maybe somebody somewhere will listen to it. Yaaay.

Or, you have a dream of reaching x-number of people with your music, releasing an album by the end of the year, signing with a major label within 5 years – maybe you even have a specific label in mind – and having a Grammy or two ten years from now.

Which vision do you think is more likely to get you out of bed in the morning?

It’s not about chasing the glory or even “making it” necessarily. It’s about having a focus, establishing intention behind what you are doing, working on a trajectory towards something meaningful and not seeing each action as starting from scratch to random, unpredictable ends.  Wait. That sound like me. 😉

Anyway, it all allows you to streamline your activities and eliminate distraction. If you’ve determined that you’re going to create a pop album by the end of the year, you might write down the ideas that came to you for that children’s song for future reference, but you’re not going to put real energy into it – yet. No wishy-washing about it. Decision made.

And here’s the thing.

 The ultimate results are not as important as who you have to become to be dedicated and focused – what kind of commitment is required that you can ultimately transfer to other aspects of your life. And honestly, things can change. In the process of working on the album or chasing the Grammy, you can discover a love of education and decide to become a music teacher. I’m not exactly sure how that would happen but it’s possible. It’s not the Grammy. It’s who you become in pursuit of the Grammy – or Booker or whatever.

And I might add, don’t be afraid to commit. It can feel like you’re missing out on other possibilities. But what if this happens? But what if I get an idea for that? OMG, have I been there! But think of it as a foundation, something to ground you, and trust that you will be led to where you are meant to be and if you are supposed to shift focus, it will be clear.

If you aren’t familiar with them, try establishing some SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (look it up if you don’t know what that all means) – and enjoy the support that comes with knowing where you want to go!

In Swimming Tigress News, I’m working on some new  music that should be out on Pond 5 soon. And, in case you didn’t know, Tabitha’s Magical Voice and Idea Factory  are now audiobooks that you can find on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany 🙂

Do you really want to be doing this? – Questioning Your Creative Career

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Now, hold on. You’re probably thinking this is one of those, “If you can think of yourself doing anything else, go and do it” lectures, one of those diatribes about how hard it is to have a creative career and if you’re not willing to give up literally everything else in your life to do it, you should just quit now.

This is not that. What I’m about to say is more geared toward career creatives and I’m not trying to be judgmental, so hear me out.

When the pandemic was in full swing, there was a lot of “I haven’t sung in months” kind of talk. And then, when things started to open up and folks started getting back to business it was, “I haven’t danced in 18 months. I have to get back in shape for this Broadway show.”

And I would say sometimes people need a break and it’s good to step back once in a while but these were pained comments. These people didn’t want the break. They wanted to keep singing and dancing.

Or at least it seemed like they did. So why didn’t they?

Maybe there was context I was missing. Maybe it was the shock of it all and there was a fear that things were never going to  be the same again. But it almost seemed like, for a lot of people, the only reason they would dance or sing is if they had a show or a gig to prepare for.  And these were some prominent, professional artists I’m talking about. In spite of the shock, they had to know things were going to start up again eventually. But suddenly it was, “Oh, rehearsals resume tomorrow and I haven’t sung in a year.”

I don’t know about y’all but I’m singing and dancing and writing whether there’ s a pandemic or not or whether I’m getting paid to or not.  After my ballroom dance classes shut down in March of 2020 I started watching dance tutorials online and I have no one to dance with!

Which brings me to the point of this post. Absolutely we can need to step back for a while and reevaluate things. I suppose the situation over the last few years provided an opportunity to do that. But, in general, if you aren’t interested in maintaining and expanding your skills, if you aren’t curious and learning more about your craft and getting better, whether or not there’s a paycheck immediately attached, maybe you need to look at whether you actually want a creative career. Maybe it’s meant to be something you do on your own time when it moves you, and that’s perfectly okay.

There was a controversy about a theatre festival where some of the companies involved required actors to re-audition for the roles they had before things shut down. There was outrage at the audacity! And I’m not saying there was no reason to be upset.

But a show or event wants to present with a certain set of standards, a certainly level of quality. Yes, you may have been fabulous when you were hired in 2019 but if you didn’t keep up your skills etc. and are fumbling around when someone else has been preparing all along and is ready to just step into the role, do they not deserve the chance?

And again, I’m not judging. It was tough. Life can be tough. And sometimes you just want to hang out watching TV and eating bonbons. But if, for the most part, you don’t enjoy what you’re doing enough to be consistently participating and growing, even on your own, maybe it’s time to look at why you’re doing it.

Was there pressure from the family? Maybe you come from a family of artists or you got the “we spent thousands of dollars for you to learn the bloody piano so you better make money at it” speech.  Maybe you feel a sense of status. You like people’s reaction when you tell them you’re a professional author or a painter. “How cool! I could never do that!” I know I get it all the time so I imagine it’s not that uncommon for people to think of creativity as a magical gift only reserved for a blessed few and you are basically a unicorn. Maybe you became a musician because of something that wasn’t directly related to the music itself. It wasn’t really about playing the guitar. The guitar served as a vehicle for comradery and connection with the other members of the band.

It’s okay if your creativity isn’t your bread and butter. You can still create. You can still paint, write, sing, dance. Nothing will take that away from you. But work is, well, work. Joyous work but it takes commitment, nonetheless. 

So, if you don’t know for sure, maybe take some time to reflect on your experiences in the creative realm and see if you can figure out what makes you happy and what situations truly suit your soul. It’s possible you will feel a renewed sense of passion and commitment for your craft but be open to the possibility that there might be other more fulfilling avenues out there for you. 

Hey, I question things sometimes, for various reasons. I wonder why I haven’t read that book on film scoring yet. I wonder why I I don’t know the music from that musical that everyone seems to be talking about on my Facebook groups. I wonder why I sometimes allow other, often inconsequential things, to take precedence over my craft.  But I keep trying to get better and always come back to the fact that I love what I do and I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else. 

In Swimming Tigress News, 

Did you know Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity is now an audiobook? With ideas to help get you creatively unstuck and keep those juices flowing, it’s a fun, quick read to enhance the experience of your craft. You can find it now on Audible, iTunes, and Amazon!

Making Everything Creative

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As creatives, I think it behooves us to be constantly thinking about the world around us in creative ways. It can feel like pressure but if we can have fun with it and not see it as a project to complete, it can help us keep the creative juices flowing. Because creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised, after all.

Last November, I was thinking about getting myself an Advent calendar for December – I’ve never had one and I thought it was a fun way to enjoy a little tasty surprise every day. But I looked around and didn’t see anything that really appealed.

Then, it occurred to me. I could be the Advent calendar! After contemplating the possibilities, I decided I would write a poem every day that would essentially document my experience of the Advent season, from December 1st to the 24th, creating art while creating memories.

And I had fun! I was more attentive to my life and my surroundings so I would be able to capture the moments. I  experimented with poetic form, writing everything from sonnets to haiku. I wrote about Bohemian waxwings on trees, holiday concerts, and there was a heartwarming tale about a  gingerbread man named Gumdrop Charlie. I still tear up just thinking about it!

Not only was it a joy to wonder what I would come up with every day – what would inspired me and how I was going to express it – but I was able to share the poems with others online and I think I might make a book out of the poems to release later in the year. I also repeated the process in February when I wrote a poem a day about something or someone I loved, February being the month of love and all.

So, what can you make a little creative game out of? Can you make up a song about your trip to the grocery store? Could you dedicate a little time every day to sketching something that represented what happened during the day?

It doesn’t have to be grand or even particularly good. You can make it a long-term thing like I did or periodic.  No one else needs to see it if you don’t want them to. And it shouldn’t be part of any existing project. It’s just a little something to look forward to, a little creative vacation to spice up your day that has no strings attached. Maybe see what pops up for you organically – my sister and her husband seem to enjoy making up songs about their cats – and then see if you can continue it and make a game out of it.  Having fun and taking your creativity out of the work situation is what this is all about.  Enjoy!

In Swimming Tigress news, 

Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity is now an audiobook!  Also available as an ebook on Amazon,  it’s a fun look at ways to help you get unstuck. I have come to call myself an “idea factory” because I am never at a loss for inspiration. I have more ideas than I know what to do with, so I thought I would share a bit about what I know to help others get those creative juices flowing.  You can check it out on Audible, iTunes and Amazon!

Well,  that’s all for now. Have a great week and happy creating!

Tiffany 

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