Piano Explored

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram @bhardingmusic and on my website benjaminharding.net. 

Toward Creativity is to serve as guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to today’s episode!

On today's episode I outline five tips and tools that will help you deal with nerves as you present in public. We all deal with performance anxiety. For some of us it's in our public speaking. For others it's in our performing of music in public. Whatever the scenario, we all deal with nervous energy. 

Spoiler alert! 

Here are the 5 tips:

1. Deep Breathing and Mindfulness
2. Practice Performing
3. Record and Analyse your Performances/Presentations
4. Do Some Cardio
5. Maybe See a Doctor about Beta Blockers 

Here are the resources that I recommend at the end of the episode:
1. The Inner Game of Music
2. https://bulletproofmusician.com 

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram @bhardingmusic and on my website benjaminharding.net. 

Toward Creativity is to serve as guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to today’s episode.

Today's episode is personal. If you are anything like me, you have dealt with the struggle of relentless negative self-talk that drains creative energy. The tips shared today come from experience and through personal struggle and work.

I am will be relentless in saying that some of us need professional, licensed help in this area. I get into that particular concern of mine in this episode. If you go to therapy, make sure they are not a hack - religious or otherwise. 

Join our Facebook group - Toward Creativity - for a community that supports one another and where I show up on Monday's at 12pm est to further explore topics. 

I want to share with you today an overview of an idea that might change your life! I'm really serious about this. Plus it’s pandemic proof - it will be ready for the next pandemic! Here we go!

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram @bhardingmusic and on my website benjaminharding.net. 

Toward Creativity is to serve as guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to today’s episode

This is the one where I take a stab at explaining why email lists matter for creatives now more than ever. I get lost in an analogy that comes to me mid-episode and I answer a question posed by one of our Toward Creativity Facebook group members. Wow. This is an episode not to be missed.

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram at bhardingmusic and on my website at benjaminharding.net. 

Toward Creativity is a podcast where I explore the inspiring world of creativity. In participating in this learning journey, I hope to also serve as a guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to it!

Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by affiliate programs that you can find on my website at benjaminharding.net under the tab gear. I love these companies and have benefited greatly from their products and services. So go to Benjaminharding.net and click on gear and take a look at some great products from Skillshare, Cunningham Piano and Open Studio Jazz. Let’s get into today’s episode.

Today we dive into the important book 'Show Your Work' by Austin Kleon. It's a must read for creatives and those who are trying to build a sustainable creative career.

Stay tuned to the end of the episode where we announce an exclusive Facebook group that is centered around the Toward Creativity community. Join us! 

To get the book you can go here to my blog: https://www.benjaminhardingmusic.com/post/episode-6

Today's episode is me, Benjamin Harding @bhardingmusic on Instagram and www.benjaminharding.net, open processing about taking a look at our lives as creatives and bringing healing to ourselves and the world through our creativity. Thanks for tuning in! 

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram at bhardingmusic and on my website at benjaminharding.net. 

Toward Creativity is a podcast where I explore the inspiring world of creativity. In participating in this learning journey, I hope to also serve as a guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to it! 

This episode is brought to you by affiliate programs that you can find on my website at benjaminharding.net under the tab gear. I love these companies and have benefited greatly from their products and services. So go to Benjaminharding.net and click on gear and take a look at some great products from Skillshare, Cunningham Piano and Open Studio Jazz. Let’s get into today’s episode.

Today I want to build you up and encourage you. That’s my goal and objective for today’s episode. 

My friend, there is only one you and you are uniquely made for creative work. Whether your discipline is in music, art, graphic design, theatre, composition, writing - you are uniquely called and qualified for the work that you produce. There is only one of you and there will only be one of you. Are you hearing what I am saying? My faith says that you are of eternal value made in the image of God. I want to build you up today and affirm you in your creative work.

I go through three levels to help you cultivate an audience and help you build a sustainable creative career.

I refer to an op-ed by Taylor Swift. 

Thanks for tuning in! 

Today's episode is about how I think through my day creatively. It was a fun episode to record.

Don't worry. Monologues are not going to be the foundation of this podcast show. We've got great guests coming up soon.

www.benjaminharding.net

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram at bhardingmusic and on my website benjaminharding.net. This is a podcast where I explore the immense world of creativity. I hope to also serve as a guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career.

As episodes continue to be released, I hope that they begin to give this whole show a shape and a sense to you the listener about what this podcast is about and where my heart is. I have to say that it's going to take time before the messaging of this podcast creates the whole 'w-h-o-l-e' of my heart towards you. I love people deeply and I want to do everything I can to help you succeed in your creative space. 

And, if you are discouraged with your creative work, I get it. If are fired up, I get it. I've been there and continue to be on this journey together with you - in this moment of time on the planet. We need each other. 

For me, I have to pause and say that I am thinking about developing a course online where creatives learn to set up creative businesses that are profitable and sustainable. If you are interested in being a part of the development of this course and community, please send me a message on my website at benjaminharding.net or on Instagram at bhardingmusic. 

The bottom line is that you need to take care of yourself. Your creative practice, your family and the world needs you and your work. 

I'm not kidding. We need you. 

We live as whole human beings - body, soul, mind, spirit. How you care for yourself as an artist is crucial for the output of your heart. 

And so today - I want to talk about 6 ways to improve your self-care today as an artist. All of this needs decision points. You need to decide that this is important. 

Let me list them off:

1. Exercise 
2. Eat Clean 
3. Meditate
4. Rest
5. Think Clean
6. Surround Yourself with Positive People 

Alright and now to handle them one by one.

Hey! Welcome to Toward Creativity -  a podcast by Benjamin Harding - that's me. You can find me on instagram at bhardingmusic and on my website https://www.benjaminharding.net.

This is a podcast where I explore the immense world of creativity. I hope to also serve as a guide in conversations centered around tips, tools and strategies towards building a sustainable creative career. 

Let’s get to it!

This episode is brought to you by - well - me! I don’t have any sponsors yet but I do belong to affiliate programs that you can find on my website at benjaminharding.net under the tab gear. I love these companies and have benefited greatly from their products and services. So go to Benjaminharding.net and click on gear and take a look at some great products from Skillshare, Cunningham Piano and Open Studio Jazz. Let’s get into today’s episode.

In this episode, I am going to outline three areas where you can make money through your creative work right now. 

The three areas are as follows:

1. Affiliate Marketing (blogging, and promotion on social media) 
2. Services and Products (you need a website where you can sell things) 
3. Social Media Following (so many ways to make money here)

In all of these areas if you have an open mind to them - again, in other episodes we will talk about the need for a mindset shift among musicians, artists and creatives - but, if you have an open mind to these ideas, you can apply all of the transcendent values and virtues that you have worked on as an artist - capacity to learn new things, discipline, focus, training for hours and hours, problem solving, perseverance, etc. - you can take these virtues and apply them to these areas and do very well.