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M Pire Magazine is running an instagram contest, and whoever gets the most votes on their instagram photo by April 30th receives a double page feature in the August issue! All you have to do, is click the link below, go to the top right and import an IG photo you think best represents you as an artist, write a description, then your email, then press submit. You will then be given a link that you can copy and share with your fans and friends to vote. The link to the contest is as follows:
Also, if you feel a little competitive, feel free to share this link/post to your friends who are artists, so they can enter as well!
In the meantime, check out our February issue below, and sign up to our monthly newsletter (to stay up on contests like these, upcoming events you can perform at, and useful articles on career building) by Clicking Here.
We're going to start writing more posts that help deal with daily emotional and spiritual struggles that artists face on a regular basis while building their career.
As a writer for M Pire Magazine and an artist myself, I can most certainly relate to the mental battles that we as artists fight, that many others may not understand even if we explain it to them. One popular issue is spreading ourselves too thin...
When you are, as I put it, a "Creator" by nature, you "create", whether it's intentional or unintentional. The blessing/curse that comes with the role of the Creator includes having ideas consistently stream in and out of your mind, usually at the most random times. These ideas could be as small as a melody of a song or a sketch, to as big as a fortune 500 company or movement. This blog post was an "idea" for me, which is why I'm writing it. Usually, when you have an individual with both creativity and drive, you'll usually end up with a very busy individual, trying to get all of those ideas off the ground, and in extreme cases, an individual who has spread themselves too thin.
Here's what others may not grasp about us: Anyone can look at a driven Creator, such as you and I, and say "simply stop spreading yourself too thin". Simple as that, huh? The core of this vicious cycle is, we are attached to each and every one of our ideas because they are our own, like children. If any one of these ideas do not get executed, a huge part of us either feels incomplete or feels like we're "wasting away". Unfortunately, that comes with the territory. It's the "Universe's" way of making sure we are doing what we were put here to do, and that's to change the world (cliche, I know, but you get my drift).
Now, there are very many ways to deal with this situation. I can share a couple with you that has helped me deal with my scattered brain and keep a sense of peace at the same time.
Write Everything Down: I have a notebook for just about everything. One in particular is an "idea" book. My biggest worry is forgetting a good idea that crosses my mind altogether, or losing that idea among all the other ideas that come to mind. So I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go, or I download an app on my phone that I can use to record all of my ideas. This is usually my first (and most important) step to keeping track of and organizing all my ideas. You want to record all your new ideas as well as the ones you are currently executing.
Evaluate Yourself and Your Ideas: There are layers to this one. We all know logically that everyone has their limits. Somehow, to us, we subconsciously believe we have none, which is why we're in this situation. Some of us have been told for so long that if we have an idea, that it must mean we are meant to do it.... which is true to some degree. The reality is, we come up with an idea because we have the capability to do it. However, capability and capacity are two different things. Here are some things you need to consider when dealing, and ultimately filtering, your ideas.
Reflect on the many things you are working on currently, then evaluate your physical schedule. First, find out how much time it will take to invest in each of these ideas, then look over your schedule. What I like to do is create a 24 hour chart. I take out the hours I use to sleep, eat, work my regular job, run regular errands, and time to myself. How many hours are left? A more accurate way to do this is to keep a time log for the next couple weeks of where your time is going, like a balance sheet. If you find that these ideas collectively take away too many hours out of your daily schedule (which should never be at capacity), or if any of these ideas are being neglected due to lack of time, it's time to cut down.
In filtering the ideas you are currently working on, prioritize them. Which ideas mean the most to you? Which ideas do you want the most to be executed? Which ideas can wait?
Focus on One or Two Ideas: From that list, pick only one or two ideas (preferably one or two long-term ones), and focus your drive/energy on those one or two ideas. There's a scene in Man of Steel that pretty much summarizes our chaotic situation and how we deal with it. In this scene, towards the end of the video, Superman confronts villain Zod, who is having trouble controlling his superpowers on our foreign planet, and Superman gives him some pretty interesting advice that connects to this topic:
Create a Timeline for the ideas you want to work on now, as well as a future timeline for the ideas you want to work on for later. That way, everything will be done in a timely manner, and you won't have to worry about missing a beat or losing your mind.
Know That It's All In Your Head: If you're still fighting that irritating demon that tells you that you are a "failure" if you don't execute a particular idea due to your capacity, you need to learn to talk back to that demon. The existence of this demon is fueled by fear.... but fear of what?
"You'll be a failure and a bum".... Let's look at the bottom line here: How exactly are you a failure and a bum in this case? You're already executing a couple of really great ideas which are probably blooming already. You may not be at the level you want to be, but everything takes time. Learn to appreciate the progress you've made instead of worrying about not reaching your final destination. If you train yourself over time to remember these things, I promise that "failure" demon will eventually be replaced with inner Peace and Gratitude.
"So and So is much further along than you are, so what's wrong with you?" - The fact that you're even comparing yourself to someone else in the first place is your demon's livelihood. Of course you know this already, but let's look at this a little deeper: You don't know that person's full situation, or what they went through to get where they are. It may have taken them decades, where you may have only been in this business for six months. Their resources, mentorship, education, etc may have also been different form yours. There is nothing wrong with that, and there most certainly is nothing wrong with you because of it. What I like to do to help deal with this mentality, is look up some of the most well-known companies, and research how they first started, and nine times out of ten, it's no where near where they are now. Daymond John started out hand-sewing hats and selling them on the streets of New York. Over 20 years later he's a multi-millionaire. It's always best not to compare your situation with someone else's, and revert back to point number 1 about appreciating your current progress and enjoying the moment!
"You don't want your friends and family thinking you're a failure" - There's an expression my brother and I always say: "Your opinion is not putting a single dollar in my pocket." Need I say more on this one?
I really hope this posts helps someone! Feel free to give us some feedback on this topic, and share some of your experiences and advice in the comment box below for us and some of our other readers! Outside of that, if you subscribe to M Pire Magazine's monthly newsletter below, you'll be entered into a pool from which three individuals will get a full page feature in our next issue. Also, if you send three people to sign up, your name and web link will automatically be listed in our next issue. So subscribe away below!
M Pire Mag was able to travel to NYC last week and attend a special anniversary for our friends at Soul 4Real Tuesdays. For those who may not know, Soul 4Real Tuesdays is a weekly live band open mic series that have been around for 7 years. It normally takes place in the uptown Manhattan/Harlem area, and is as authentic as they come! This particular night occurred at the Shrine World Music Venue on Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd.
You know you've gone to a real open mic like this one where you can come in, experience the freestyle energy between the performers, the musicians, and back up singers. It's a very free-flowing, fun, fulfilled night where you can find real talent, a real appreciation for art, and zero pressure! This particular night, we've witness various forms of talent, from singing, to singing with self-accompaniment on keys (which is hard to do if you're not used to it), to even tap dancing!
Among the amazing musicians were Jamal Peoples, Larry Peoples Jr, and Shawn Whitley. Among the talented artists who came through and performed were Walter Holmes, Sing Joseff, Orlando Napier, Noel MaDonald a.k.a. "Tasty", Naiika Aye, Len Berzerk, "Jazzie" Jasmine Lloyd, Brian Davis (our tap dancer), and soooooo many more artists! We were able to grab a couple of the artists and do a video interview with them, along with interviewing the founder of Soul 4Real Tuesdays, Miss Raine Torae! The videos will be released in the May 2014 issue of M Pire Magazine along with the rest of this coverage. To stay up to date on when this issue will be released, please sign up to our monthly newsletter by clicking here (I'll talk more about the many awesome perks of being on our mailing list in a minute). In the meantime, here are some photos from Tuesday night!
As far as our monthly newsletter, aside from the usual updates on upcoming events (such as this one), informative articles on how to help build your career as an artist, and contests, here are a couple really cool things about being on our mailing list: For one, just by signing up, you automatically get entered into a pool from which three individuals each quarter will get selected for a full page feature in the upcoming issue. Second, you have the option to send at least three referrals (get three people to sign up to our newsletter), and in exchange, your name and web link will appear in our magazine (we call it the "M Pire Page of Fame"). All you have to do is share this link (http://eepurl.com/OCrWv) with your fans and friends, they sign up, and they put your name down in the "Who referred you?" box. In the meantime, you yourself can sign up right below:
Hello again... I present to you our referral promotion below! We're looking to further build our magazine subscriber list, so we are asking participants to submit their emails and refer three more people/emails via this promotion to be added to our magazine subscriber list. Whenever we come out with a new quarterly digital issue, it will be sent to their email as well as yours. Those who send those three or more referrals will get listed in our M Pire Magazine "Page of Fame", where your name and web link (or if you don't have one, your name and your favorite quote) will be listed in our upcoming May 2014 issue. Once you sign up, you will be given a link. Share that link with your friends, so they can submit their emails under your specific referral! Promotion ends on March 31st, so you will have time to invite your friends and fans to sign up!
Also check out our February issue below:
We're taking M Pire Magazine to the next level. We just initiated a photo contest for artists (any type of artist) to enter, and the artist who gets the most votes at the end of March gets a double page spread in our upcoming May 2014 issue. Click Here to check out our submission page and for more info!
In the meantime, check out our February 2014 issue and it's transforming cover below!
Here it is!!! Our February 2014 issue has arrived! With a good list of the worlds best and most famous festivals, including music, literary, and film festivals, including:
Our exclusive coverage of the 2014 NAMM show, and embedded exclusive video interviews with one of the top folks at Yamaha and Lamvin Inc...
The Lucidity Festival
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam
The Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Book Fair
The Alabama Book Fair
Sasquatch! Music Festival
FirstGlance Film Festival
The Philadelphia Book Festival
Also including featured top chart Reverbnation artists such as hip hop artists Nicky OMG, Coach Real, Docman, and Rock Mecca, composer John Winsor, and more. You will also run into informative articles on the Music Industry, Health and Wellness, and Business/Entrepreneurship. Also enjoy our interactive front cover. Enjoy and feel free to give us feedback and share, and also subscribe to our free issues on the second page!
NAMM, which stands for the "National Association of Music Merchants", is an association built to help music product makers, music retail owners, and the like, to connect and network with each other. This year, I was able to represent for M Pire Magazine and have the opportunity to attend the NAMM show and see what it's really about, and boy, was I taken aback by the activity!
The weekend-long show took place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, which I discovered was right by Disneyland. During my attendance, I witnessed concerts on multiple stages, indoors and outdoors, great food, great scenery, and great folks. There were literally thousands of exhibitors there, on multiple levels of the convention center. As I was there for one day, I unfortunately wasn't able to get around to all the exhibitors and concerts, but what I did come across was rather unique. Among some of the exhibitors were retailers for audio equipment, guitars, drums, pianos, classical instruments, keyboards, music schools, and even some new instruments I can't even name! What was cool, was that spectating artists and musicians were allowed to play most of the instruments that were on display:
The photo below won the popularity contest on my facebook. The Crush drum set below changed color, which was super awesome. You'll get to see the clip in the video interviews being released on February 15th, 2014, alongside the February issue, where you'll find the rest of our coverage of the NAMM show...
Speaking of interviews, we were able to get a hold of a couple of exhibitors for a video interview. One of the exhibitors include the pro audio/combo division of, you guessed it, Yamaha. In that interview, you'll get the first-hand scoop of the new synths and monitors they have coming out, so stay tuned for our February issue to find out all that info!
In the meantime, check out our November 2013 issue below and subscribe to our magazine on page 2 at the bottom to stay updated on our new issue:
