Success Is A State Of Mind

Let me ask you a question:  What will it take for you to be successful?  In other words, what do you need to accomplish in order for you to consider yourself having reached success?  Perhaps a more relevant question is what is your definition of success?  The former dictates the latter.  What kinds of standards do you set for yourself?

All of these things inevitably affect how you will succeed, and what this success will entail.  If you only do the minimum to get by, you might accept the smallest triumph as a victory.  On the other hand, if you are a perfectionist, you might sense failure when you don’t cross your T at a square perpendicular angle.

The trick to this, as is with anything, is to find the balance.  Where is your ideal medium?  This will be dependent upon your lifestyle, routines, and natural habits.  How high can you place your goals and standards before they cease being beneficial and begin becoming inefficient, tedious, and inhabiting?

Where does success come from?

Success itself is comprised of opportunity, ambition, and potential.  Opportunity is related to what is happening, being offered, or who is present in the society.  Ambition is the hunger or drive to be successful and potential is defined as how capable one is to achieve their goal.

There are some characteristics that can be traced throughout history as being present commonly among successful people.  These Include:

An Unwavering Passion.  Pursue that which you love.  Be passionate for what you do, only then will you try your hardest to reach it.  If you pursue that which you have no passion for, you risk abandoning it for something more appealing.  Commit and be dedicated.

Open Mindedness.  Have the imagination of a child.  Even the most intelligent realize that they will be forever learning.  Be flexible, at times you might start from one direction and end up in another.   Make the most of wherever you are and be open to new ideas!  The result might be better than you imagined.

Hunger.  Starvation for excellence.  Desire to be an expert, to master the craft, and to make it bend to your will.  Never lose sight of what you are striving toward.  This trait in particular helps with “hopeless” circumstances.  Sprint, don’t run.  Most people walk and even wait motionless.  Sprint.

Progression.  A forward-looking approach.  Learn from the past and move on.  Take the wisdom and experience and leave the rest.  Use it to better your future approaches.  This is the only way you will grow to your fullest potential.  Optimism is king, and the means to become one.

Creativity.  A constant flow of ideas.  Amazing problem-solving and innovation.  Love for the art of your specialty.  Never stop creating.  This is the life-line to your brand.  The most successful people always have a constant flow of new products or services to keep them relevant and profitable.  How can you be innovative?  Better yet, how can you be innovative with your previous innovations?  Offer your audience complete originality.

GOOD LUCK AND NEVER GIVE UP!

Business Cards or Stone Tablets?

With people carrying with them an accumulating amount of technology on a daily basis, it is no wonder why the business card attracts the occasional peculiar look.  Is there perhaps a neo-perspective developing in terms of these tried and true slips of convenience?  It may be wise to reevaluate your business circle to determine if they will indeed benefit your growth or inhibit it.  Today, business cards are becoming increasingly outdated by the minute.  But an artist would be unwise to discard the basic pencil, no matter how obsolete the remainder of the world may view it.

There are some that do not believe in the concept of business cards in the least.  This past weekend, I was approached during a music video by a magazine representative.  When I made a comment about passing my business card to the rep before wrap, he replied, “I don’t do business cards; might as well just throw it in the trash ‘cause you’re just going to do the same after you save my number.”  I had previously received this response, so it did not catch me by surprise.  However, when it came time to wrap, the representative again pulled me to the side and asked for my information another time.  I was ill-prepared for such a personal exchange that I had completely forgotten to reapproach him myself.

It is never harmful to carry some with you at all times, however be ready to drop the idea at a moment’s notice and instead save your contact information directly to their cell phone.  Keep in mind that your card should be personable as well as professional, representative, and memorable.  There is nothing worse than someone looking to contact you and not remembering your card, or not remembering who gave them a particular card.  Below is an image of my own business card that I had to compose at the last minute without any templates, so I utilized a promotional deal using basic Vista print.  My card is bright and fashionable, and has ALL of my information on it.  My number is on one half, with all professional information on the other.  It is extremely effortless (and incredibly memorable) to merely tear my card in half and exclusively provide either my number or professional information.  Always ready to leave an impression!

With the risk of being on the frontier of any movement, it may be wise to adopt this new attitude towards business cards in order to appear more personable and available.  This can show the business world a number of things: they will be working DIRECTLY with you, you do not carry pieces of paper to give to just ANYBODY, you are genuinely interested in maintaining a relationship, you do not procrastinate, and if you are saving THEM, not just their information, amoungst other business partnerships (big and little, same league!).  Also, eliminating the card eliminates the possibility of losing their info, so you may let a good connection slip!  Furthermore, being the one to propose the paperless exchange can make an impression of its own.

Just be flexible and feel free to take a glance at my quick assemble below.  Keep in mind that each should design their card to be personable as well as professional, representative, and memorable.  It should fit your style, job, and be visibly modern and pleasant.  You may want to personalize yours a bit more with a picture or something related to your field.  However, you may also want to use a simple, basic template that will work just as well.

Be the Change

If you want to make the world a better place, then be the change you want to see in it. This is the most simplest of advice that all of us have heard our entire lives.  However, it is the most effective and the more daring of methods, and so not enough of us instill this wisdom in our practices.

It might be that girl, the one you’re looking at.  She’s that model in the magazine and she is everything a girl would want to be.  But the world doesn’t know that she might have an eating disorder or be addicted to any kind of drug.  She is such a good actress that no one suspects a thing, and she makes both vices look cool to everyone around her.  However, the perfume in the ad smells even sweeter because she is selling it.  You’d never guess that your fantasy girl might have problems herself.  One day it’ll be too late, because everyone around her refuses to notice or intervene.

Or maybe it’s the actor on the big screen.  He can’t distinguish real relationships from fake ones and so he is depressed.  He abuses alcohol on a regular basis.  But it makes everything better for him, and he is able to smile on camera.  Perhaps he suffers from a recent accident, or perhaps a parasitic cancer is consuming his body.  But he finds a way to numb the pain and do what he loves.  It puts pep in his step and a twinkle in his eye.  And people idolize him.  He keeps it a secret until he can’t conceal it anymore.

It’s probably the song you can’t get enough of on the radio.  Did you know the songwriter committed suicide a month after her song hit the charts?  She found the passion to write after she was recently attacked and raped.  She experimented dangerously with drugs and ODed three times in a week before the fourth attempt took her.  She tried to cry out to the world through another voice, and still no reply came that would save her.  The artist now sings the song with so much emotion and honor, it is hard not to believe it is not her own and no one remembers the pain of the songwriter.

These are popular themes in all types of work, the entertainment industry included.  However if we take Michael’s advice, the world would be better instantly.  For example, I work out instead of eating too little, I prefer to use raw/minimally-edited photos, and I strive to lift others up along with me, rather than isolating myself from inspirational talent.  Be the change you want to see in the world and lead by example.  Make an impression that lasts a lifetime and put your efforts toward that which matters.  How can you make a change?  Go out of your way to throw that energy into the universe and see what you reap.  Maybe it’s eating better, not smoking, saving money, being more considerate or humble, recycling, etc.  Whatever you choose to pass forward, good luck and stay true!

The Waiting Game: It Should Consume You

Your dream, your passion, your will, and your ethics will all be put on trial.  These are the most valuable things in this superficial industry.  If you leave any one of these four priceless possessions unguarded, then vultures will swoop before the moment's end.  These are the four elements that fuel any individual successfully to the top.  An artist of this caliber does not need much help from other people to progress, and thus is more difficult to be controlled.

Veterans will have plans to handicap these elements before you can label them friend or foe.  It is very important to stay ontop of your game: paint your vision on the back of your eyelids.  This way, you can never forget a detail when your eyes are open, and when the day ends, your aspirations will be clear and crisp at night.

Crave your vision like a diabetic thirsts for water.  The hunger in your soul should cause striking pains.  There should be no other thing on your mind other than what you are waiting for.  At the same time, you should be waiting as an untamed animal ready to vault itself into attack.  Too many people in this world become accustomed to not only waiting, but to waiting to wait, as well.

The perpetual waiting circle may be interrupted by simply and directly seizing your own goals without giving any of your power over the situation away.  Don't even let anyone else have the slightest chance at disrupting your success.  In doing this, you are bypassing all who remain waiting to get discovered, waiting for their turn, waiting to step on the gas.  These people do not realize that after their current waiting period, it will be replaced with another.

However, if you make the tiniest effort to better yourself in the slightest regard everyday, you will soon see your past-self miles back.  Now, imagine who is also miles back keeping your past-self company.  "Let the force be with you" was not referring to anything other than the force inside yourself that drives you to be great and conquer the universe.  Sound familiar?  Its your soul.  Your will, your dream, your passion, and your ethics.  With these anything is possible, and without them nothing is.

And you know what they say about forces/objects in motion!

Make Your Portfolio Scream Who You Are

Been thinking of joining the entertainment industry?  It's extremely simple to try it and get a taste of the life style.  However, like any other job, an abundance of hard work is needed to become a serious contributor in the industry.  The only thing you need to get started is a port.


A portfolio is a basic collection of pictures shot by/of you.  In other areas of the industry, it may be more dynamic to compose an audio clip that showcases other aptitudes.  Your port should be constructed of images that represent who you are and your relevant goals.  For example, a 5'2" hand model's portfolio would include pictures that established what type of work she is looking for.  It would be unwise and an inefficienf use of space for her to include runway or athletic shots.

A portfolio is merely a picture resume: it should be a small series of simple shots that display your talents, interests, and goals.  Start with what you have, a couple headshots, a body shot, and a swimsuit shot.  This is all you need to give anyone a glimpse of who you are so they are able to create concepts to shoot with you.  The more experience you attain and the more skilled you become will speak for itself as your port grows and new captures are added.  Remember that a portfolio is a small composite of your work, so as it grows, you should cycle out less recent or irrelevant shots so that it remains current. In this way, it is possible to control the type of work that presents itself to you because your desired role in the industry will be determined.  

One thing that I have noticed is that when a new artist enters the entertainment industry, they may not have the knowledge to focus their thought, efforts, and energy into one area.  The industry's size can be overwhelming and intimidating.  If you do not dedicate your talents to your prospective specialty, it will be reflected in your port and you will receive an unstructured variety of work.  Make sure you approach every task with intentions and objectives so as to continue gathering relevant experience and wisdom.  Concentrate your efforts and build a base beneath one centralized area so as not to confuse anyone watching you grow.

Being versatile is not a negative thing; one should take some time to explore the industry, as not everyone enters into the best field for them.  However, remember what it is you are centering your port around.  KEEP YOUR VISION CLEAR.  The correlations should make a spider-web pattern that is clean and crisp.  The more serious you are of remaining in the industry, the more effort should go into your port.  If you are enjoying a hobby, perhaps your collection should be one of playful images or one that expresses what draws you to photography.

Finally, your portfolio is your showcase.  Take the time to include quality pictures.  Rushing a shoot is the easiest and quickest way to sabotage it.  Good luck and be beautiful!