“You do not wake up one morning a bad person. It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest.” – Robert Brault

 
Have you ever been here: You are in a bad mood and can’t seem to shake it? It’s affecting everything that you do; work, singing, performing and your important relationships. It’s making you tired, and there is very little that has gone right so far with the day. And the worst part is that you are unknowingly spreading it around to others. It becomes an insidious cycle of anger, disappointment, resentment, you name it that you are trapped in and that others are catching, like a cold. And the worst part is that you have usually given your power away without realizing it to someone or something else and that is partially what’s bugging you.
 
How does one catch a “bad mood” you ask? In life we unconsciously imitate the expressions and demeanor of those around us, along with the moods behind them. We may be oblivious to the effect, but it still influences how we think and what we do. And our moods can fluctuate wildly during the day depending on many of life’s variables. Getting caught up in one of these “bad moods” you might notice that it is hard to concentrate or focus. Those negative thoughts can become obsessive and start spinning out of control when you do nothing but speculate on them over and over again. It seems that when you become overly anxious, angry, frustrated, disappointed about something that happened to you, your thinking becomes distorted.
 
Self-awareness is the first step to getting out of the rat cage. That means recognizing that you have given your power away to someone or something else. If you fail to be aware of how you are behaving because of your moods and perhaps those helping to fan that flame, you are more likely to do something often times “unfixable” and embarrassing like sending an over-the-top text, tweet, e-mail message or worse yet, start yelling at your partner, friend, etc. You will no doubt regret your actions and could even damage your career. Break the cycle by realizing you don’t have to believe your own thoughts at times like these. This allows you to take your power back and gain your equilibrium once again.
 
I’m sure you get it that moods have a biological component; they do affect your body. So have some simple strategies already in place to calm yourself down like meditating, taking a walk or exercising. This has a noticeable physical effect on brain activity and may correct the neural circuitry that caused a bad mood to emerge in the first place. Also know that if anger, anxiety or depression, continue for days or weeks, they may be symptoms of a chronic disorder and a signal for you to seek help.
 
I’ve had students that come to a lesson carrying with them all that negative energy they are feeling about their experiences of the day. I have found that it is impossible to get and keep their attention when this happens and therefore they are wasting their time, energy and money. So I would have them go outside in the hallway and stand quietly as they imagined all their days “baggage” fall off one after another like big, wet, sloppy coats lying in a pile on the ground all around them. When they felt they were finished with letting go, I had them imagine leaving all that baggage right there in one big messy wet pile. Then I tell them to physically take a step over the wet mound and come back in. They are always amazed and noticed the difference in their attitudes because they were now feeling awake, fresh and ready to work. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
 
Knowing whether your moods are harmful by bringing about a “victim” mentality over time or just part of life is very important. Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and author of ”Emotional Intelligence” and ”Social Intelligence, says ”the bad moods that really hurt are the ones where you obsess and cogitate about what it is that’s upset you so much.” So find a solid ritual that gets you out of your mind and back into your senses, you know, touch, taste, hearing, smelling, and feeling. Usually when you are in a bad mood, you have turned in on yourself and start that litany of harmful inner self talk that starts here and now and can take you all the way back to your childhood. None of it is all the truth and most times we like to embellish both the good and bad stories we have about ourselves. So break that cycle and take back your power by first recognizing that you gave it away. Then literally, even if you don’t feel like it, turn your frown upside down and lift those corners of your mouth way up and see if you don’t immediately feel better.
 
You know what I have to say, let me hear from you about what you have to say.
 
Ciao, Carol
 

“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
 
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.
 
I think about a nursery, and I picture curly heads,
and one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds.
 
So… If you’re worried and you can’t sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
and you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.
 

The second thing to do is do something for someone else. Save someone else and you’ll save yourself… seems there’s a scripture about that.
 
Do remember, everyone is entitled to have a pity party. But limit it to one hour. Then get to work being happy.
 
I’ll finish with the words of a leader I admired for many years:
Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.

As evidence from the past month’s events, Boston is a resilient city. It is full of strong Americans who love their country and care for each other valiantly. We’re fortunate to have the Classical Singer Convention and Auditions Plus Vocal Competition finals in the heart of the city next week. My wife and I were able to visit the city last summer and we loved the brief time we had to walk the historic streets, sail around the magnificent harbor, and experience rich American history.
 
More than 700 singers will converge on the city next week. And when singers get together, fun times are sure to be had by all.
 
So what is there to do in Boston?
 

 
Amanda Keil shared the following article in the May issue of Classical Singer title “America’s Walking City”:
 

May is an easy time of year to fall in love with the Athens on the Charles: think blue and gold weather, farmers markets, and gardens in bloom. The standard tourist destinations—such as the downtown mall and food court at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, and the historically Italian North End—are pleasing enough to visit. But Boston’s delights are best revealed serendipitously. Sure, you can tramp the Freedom Trail or catch the Red Sox at Fenway Park, but also take some time to seek out the hidden treasures of one of America’s oldest cities.
 
After bulldozers finished burying the interstate during Boston’s infamous Big Dig, the city turned what used to be unsightly highways into pleasant green spaces. The Rose Kennedy Greenway (rosekennedygreenway.org) snakes through Chinatown, the waterfront, and up to the North End—it features fountains, organic gardens, public art, and free Wi-Fi! You could easily spend a day meandering from park to park or cruise through on two wheels from one of Boston’s new city bike rental stations (thehubway.com). The nation’s craze for food trucks has come to Boston, and the Greenway is the best place to find tacos, Vietnamese food, barbecue, and more.
 
Several detours along the Greenway make memorable visits. While the North End can be a tourist nightmare in warm weather, it is still a treat to dig into a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry (300 Hanover Street, mikespastry.com) and imagine Paul Revere’s revolutionary “One If by Land, Two If by Sea” hijinks at the Old North Church (193 Salem Street, oldnorth.com). If sharks, seals, and penguins are your thing, the New England Aquarium (neaq.org) is one of the world’s leading institutions for marine conservation and it set a standard for aquarium design. The cost of admission is lower while the building is under renovation until July 2013, but most of the exhibits are not affected by the construction.
 
Just south of the aquarium and across from the Greenway’s “Urban Arboretum” is the Evelyn Moakley Bridge, which offers stunning views of the seaport and entry to the Fort Point neighborhood. Once a gritty outpost, Fort Point now boasts attractive restaurants, a thriving art scene, and Boston’s most innovative new building in recent years, the Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Ave., icaboston.org), designed by the multi-disciplinary architect firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Even if you take a pass on the ICA’s impressive exhibitions, the museum’s translucent façade and stunning waterfront location make it worth the hike. Find the ICA via the Boston Harbor Walk (bostonharborwalk.com) lined with native plants and interpretive panels about Boston’s seafaring history. Be soothed by waves lapping the shore as you hop over huge breakwater stones and watch seabirds diving for fish.
 
The harbor walk is best explored with a picnic from the Italian lunch counter Sportello (348 Congress St., sportelloboston.com) or sandwiches from Flour Bakery + Cafe (12 Farnsworth St. and others, flourbakery.com). Set right on the water, The Barking Crab brings the atmosphere of a Cape Cod clam shack right into downtown (88 Sleeper St., barkingcrab.com). If you’re still in the neighborhood in the evening, mixologists at the bar Drink will create custom cocktails based on your favorite flavors (348 Congress St., drinkfortpoint.com). Boston is known for its world-class cultural institutions that somehow inspire intimate, personal connections with their audiences. The venerable Boston Symphony Orchestra, for example, switches to lighter fare during the spring. If it suits your taste, drop by Symphony Hall (301 Massachusetts Ave., bso.org) to catch Megan Hilty from Smash singing with the Boston Pops. It’s worthwhile to pay a visit to the BSO’s home for its shimmering acoustics and balconies full of replicas of classical statues. While you’re in the neighborhood, take a look across the street at the Christian Science Mother Church (christianscience.com/church-of-christ-scientist/the-mother-church-in-boston-ma-usa), headquarters to one of New England’s own homegrown religions and the Christian Science Monitor. In addition to the striking plaza, a visit to the HQ features the memorable Mapparium, where you can stand inside a glass globe of the world.
 
Just down the road from Symphony Hall is the main auditorium at the New England Conservatory, the gorgeous Jordan Hall (290 Huntington Ave., necmusic.edu). A Far Cry—the youthful Boston-based, conducter-less string orchestra—performs there on May 24 (afarcry.org).
 
In addition to the symphony, the other dominant institution on Boston’s cultural scene is the Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., mfa.org). Visit the recently expanded Art of the Americas wing for everything from Mayan ceramics to portraits of the society leaders who made Boston the “hub of the universe.” Just down the road from the MFA but evocative of worlds away is the uniquely Boston Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (280 The Fenway, gardnermuseum.org). Inside the Venetian-style palazzo you’ll find a conservatory garden of tropical plants and a collection of fine and decorative arts, hand-picked by the city’s foremost patron of the arts. Admission is free to anyone named Isabella.
 
Another totem of Boston culture and an impressive architectural treasure is the main branch of the public library. The historic McKim building of the “palace for the people” evokes elements from classical French and Italian architecture and includes an open-air courtyard in the style of a Renaissance palazzo (700 Boylston St., bpl.org/central/walkmckim.htm). Not to be missed is the series of murals by the great portrait artist John Singer Sargent (sargentmurals.bpl.org), his most ambitious mural commission. Entitled Triumph of Religion, the work came to be known as the “American Sistine Chapel,” but for the glorification of education and learning.
 
The library is one of the institutions that characterizes Copley Square, Boston’s most iconic plaza (friendsofcopleysquare.org). The spectacular Trinity Church features recently restored stained glass windows designed by pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones and American painter and muralist John LaFarge (206 Clarendon St., trinitychurchboston.org/art-history/windows-slideshow). A terrific farmer’s market comes to the square each Tuesday and Friday beginning in May.
 
They don’t call Boston the walking city for nothing. In just an hour or two you can take in some of the prettiest parts, with excursions to unique sites along the way. A good place to start is on the Boston Common, where you can also pick up the start of the Freedom Trail. Opposite the lofty Massachusetts State House is the powerful frieze by Augustus St.-Gaudens, commemorating the first black regiment of the civil war (nps.gov/boaf/historyculture/shaw.htm).
 
From there walk through the Common to the Public Garden, the jewel in the city’s Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a string of green spaces that stretches for seven miles (emeraldnecklace.org). Take a gander (pardon the pun) at the famous swan boats and the Make Way for Ducklings statues. From here you can poke your head into the original Cheers bar (84 Beacon St., cheersboston.com) across the way or stroll down Charles St. to soak in Beacon Hill, one of Boston’s stateliest neighborhoods. If you go that route, hike up the hill to Secretary of State John Kerry’s house—a former convent—at 19 Louisburg Sq. Back by the Public Garden, on the corner of Boylston St. you will find the Arlington Street Church, a hidden gem full of resplendent Tiffany windows (ascboston.org/about/building.html).
 
The Public Garden makes a good launch pad for exploring Newbury St., traditionally the most fashionable strip to shop in town. Tucked among the luxury boutiques and designer stores are some of Boston’s best vintage shops, such as Second Time Around (176 and 219 Newbury St., secondtimearound .net), The Closet (175 Newbury Street, blog.closetboston.com/) and newcomer Rescue (297 Newbury St., rescuebuyselltrade.com). From Newbury St., turn right and after one block find Commonwealth Ave. (or Comm. Ave., as it’s always called) where you can continue your stroll through streets lined with elegant Victorian mansions, flowering magnolias, and a wide grassy mall at its center.
 
The best skyline view is found from the Mass. Ave. Bridge, on the way to Cambridge. (Go local and don’t call it Massachusetts Avenue!) From Comm. Ave., take a right onto Mass. Ave. to fortify yourself with a sugar bomb from Sweet cupcakes (49 Mass Ave., sweetcupcakes.com). Follow Mass. Ave. and the increasing breeze off the Charles River to enjoy the view of sailboats and sunshine over Boston’s Back Bay. Keen boaters can even rent kayaks and canoes to see the city from the water (various locations, paddleboston.com).
 
Along the way you’ll notice odd markings that indicate the bridge’s length in “smoots.” This was once an MIT prank, in which fraternity brothers coerced a pledge—one rather short Oliver R. Smoot—into lying down again and again to measure the bridge with his body. The joke had traction, and the smoot is now considered a nonstandard unit of length.
 
If your feet get tired, hop a Mass. Ave. bus to Central Square, the bustling downtown of the City of Cambridge. Some leading restaurants of the Boston area’s locavore movement are found here, such as Rendezvous (502 Mass. Ave., rendezvouscentralsquare.com) and the ever-packed Craigie on Main (853 Main St., craigieonmain.com). If you can’t get a table at either place, drown your sorrows in Boston’s best ice cream at Toscanini’s (899 Main St., tosci.com) and try your luck at Cuchi Cuchi (795 Main St., cuchicuchi.cc), which features inventive small plates, festive cocktails, and wait staff in flamboyant costumes.
 
If you have more appetite for Cambridge, you’ll want to pay a visit to Harvard Square. Spend some time soaking in the atmosphere—and dodging the tourists—around Harvard Yard, the heart of the university’s old campus. Crowds fill the Harvard Coop, but the real independent bookshop is the Harvard Book Store (1256 Mass. Ave., harvard.com). There you’ll find a thoughtful and diverse selection, including gently priced used books in the basement. True bookworms will linger at Grolier Poetry Bookshop, (6 Plympton St., grolierpoetrybookshop.org) which claims to be the country’s oldest continually operating bookshop devoted exclusively to poetry.
 
It’s always exciting to see what’s going on at American Repertory Theater (64 Brattle St., americanrepertorytheater.org) whose innovations in straight and musical theatre consistently draw national attention. Afterward try some single-source hot chocolate at Burdick Café (52 Brattle St., burdickchocolate.com/stores-and-cafes-cambridge.aspx) or pick up a souvenir box of their signature chocolate mice (made with pure chocolate—not mice).
 
If you happen to run out of things to do, you can always find more ideas in the Boston Phoenix (pick up a free copy around town or go to thephoenix.com) or visit the ArtsBoston kiosk on Copley Square for information and discounts on cultural events (artsboston.org). But with America’s walking city right at your doorstep, good times practically come find you.
 

“Even though you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers

Self-esteem – what is it and how does one get more of it? This is a topic that has generated a fair amount of controversy and an adequate quantity of seekers over the years. There is one thing that seems very clear about self esteem, you don’t get it from constantly telling yourself how great you are, or even from other people telling you how great you are. Growing this self esteem muscle is something that takes guts and can be found in the most interesting of places. It mostly comes from living up to your own values by continually doing the right thing even if it seems difficult and unpopular.
 
You can boost your self-esteem when you keep a difficult promise whether it is to yourself or someone else, meet a challenge, solve a problem, learn a skill, step out of your comfort zone, or even simply and finally cross something unpleasant off your to-do list. Doing something beneficial for yourself or others, feels really good and is one of the best ways to build that self esteem.
 
Let me as you a question. Has there ever been a time when you noticed someone littering on the subway, in a park or just on the street? And have you ever taken the time to pick up that piece of trash and dispose of it in the proper place? How did that make you feel? Yes, good about yourself. I remember once being on a crowded subway in NYC and there was a mostly empty pop can rolling around on the floor spilling the remainder of its contents where people were walking and under the seats. Everyone noticed it and seems disgusted by the thought that someone else had been so thoughtless, but no one seemed to do anything about it. I was thinking the same thing, when it dawned on me that all I had to do was go and pick it up myself and as I exited the subway, put it in the trash. I did just that and I can say it made me feel pretty darn good about myself. We all have good intentions, but actually doing something about what we are annoyed or upset about often doesn’t happen. It’s such a small gesture that works for everyone and you also might become the example for someone else, like that movie, “Pay It Forward”, or the TV ad that inspires others to pass on these good deeds.
 
Growing your self esteem, sometimes just takes something as small as really listening to those with whom you are carrying on a conversation. Learn to listen more than you talk. We have two ears and one mouth, so use them in that proportion. Everyone wants to be heard and understood. When you truly take the time to listen with both ears, you are also giving a gift to those with whom you are engaged. So, get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them and it will make both of you feel good.
 
Here’s another good idea, take pride in your work. You might feel angry and frustrated by your “day job”, you know the one that pays the bills while you are honing your craft and building a career as a singer. This can be a self esteem drainer. So change your mind about how you want to perceive that “day job” and notice how that affects others attitudes as well. Or perhaps you really resent and strongly dislike the fact that the very mundane and boring parts of practicing vocal technique, learning your music and words properly and doing business for you are taking up way too much of your time and you find it boring. It’s important to remember that this is your life going by so you have to live it in a way that makes you happy, fulfilled and feel successful. It has to be fun or at least enjoyable. Make a promise to yourself that you will do what needs to be done for your career in a smart, proficient and thoughtful way and your self esteem will soar. And no matter how great everyone else feels your performance was, if you don’t believe it, in your mind it isn’t the truth and your self esteem plummets.
 
And don’t forget to expect and encounter failure and make mistakes along the way. They will remain just that if you don’t find the lesson within them and your self esteem will fall. Everyone experiences both failure and makes mistakes so find your answers and gain some self esteem and move on.
 
Self esteem is just that, you make yourself feel good about you by the deeds you do, and the attitudes you have about life and work. Do you allow yourself to become the victim with the ideas that life has given you nothing but lemons? You alone can change this by taking action. Make a change even if it’s not exactly what you intended and then adjust it as you go. You are the only one who can grow your self esteem. So step up to the plate and start the process. Avanti. Ciao,
 
Carol
 

Hi Mr. Stoddard!
 
I read your blog posts religiously on Auditions Plus. I am one of those 100,000 new singers being released into the world after completing grad school at a fairly prestigious state university.
 
My specific question about marketing is in regards to use of Facebook. I find it obnoxious when young singers post about every single one of their upcoming performances or audition successes. However, this keeps former teachers and professors informed about your career. Where is the line between being informative, bragging, and oversharing?
 
Thanks for your posts, they truly help me feel like there are concrete ways to create a good image.
 
Sincerely,
Anna Laurenzo

 
My answer to her and to all of you reading:
Hello Anna,
 
Thanks for writing.
 
Loved your question. Perfect one for the use of social media.
 
If you received a letter from your grandmother and she started selling, you’d be disgusted.
 
With emails, social media, etc., informing a single person about something they might like as if they are a good friend is the only way to talk.
 
Generalized advertising doesn’t work. It turns people off exactly as you describe.
 
And, if you play a middle C on the piano, that sounds nice. But if you keep hitting that note I’m covering my ears and running out of the room screaming.
 
Social media is so new that the customs, grace, manners and protocols are still being figured out. But, human emotions and needs are immutable. All such advertising must be about “them” and not about “you.”
 
I have several singers who have “friended” me on Facebook and for the most part they’ve learned to walk the line. I read of their pregnancies, heartbreaks, fun things, what they did at a party and occasionally they announce they got a gig at a restaurant. They say it in a way that they’re telling their friends that a neat thing just happened to them. Their friends then congratulate them and some ask where this restaurant is. They respond in the text and it’s sincere and effective.
 
Agree or disagree? Let me know. Tell me what you’re working on and let’s share more creative ways to find jobs, get jobs, and also get paid for doing the things we love.
 
Leave a comment below or email me at mark@vmt-tech.com.
 

Dear Mr. Cass,
 
I am Veronica Lopez and just happened to check out your website due to multiple recommendations from fellow performers who have had the pleasure of working with you on their head shots. I have two questions for you. First is a makeup question and the second a photography question. My makeup question is when I go on auditions, how do I create the perfect smokey eye without it taking too long and making a mess with the shadow? I usually end up looking like a raccoon! LOLS!
 
Secondly, every time I get head shots done with photographers, it seems they always make me look too sharp and garish due to my strong structure. Is there anyway if I book a shoot with you that you can make me look more soft, warm and youthful in my pictures unlike my prior photography shoots?
 
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
  Sincerely,  Veronica

 
First, to answer the first part of Veronica’s on how to create a smokey eye question:
 
1. The easiest and cleanest way to create a smokey eye is to first take a loose powder and, after applying your foundation and concealer, take the puff or blush brush and place a nice amount of powder under the eye on the cheek bone. (This looks messy at first, but allows the shadow that will fall on the cheek under the eye during application to be brushed away with a blush brush when finished, eliminating the chance of dark and messy smudges under the eye created by the black or dark eye shadow.)
 
2. Then take a silver or champagne color highlight shadow. With a sponge applicator or eye shadow blending brush, apply it pressing harder at the arch of the brow and lighter as you move down to the crease for a soft blend. (You want to make sure to do it like this so when you are applying the darker shadow in step 2 you the two shadows will blend effortlessly.)
 
3. Then take a very black eye shadow, (The best I have found being Carbon by Mac) and with an eye shadow blending brush, apply it starting as close to the lash line as you get pressing harder all across the lid and as you move up with the brush press lighter above the crease going into the metallic highlight shadow you just applied. (The consistency of the metallic shadow mixed with the darker shadow makes the blending process easier and gives a beautiful blend if applied this way.)
 
4. Then with a liner brush and the same dark shadow creating a line following the entire lower lash line.
 
5. Then apply mascara or false lash for the finishing touch to a beautiful smokey eye!
 
Now to answer Veronica’s second question regarding how to soften her strong bone structure photos.
 
When someone comes to me who has very sharp structure and requests to make it look softer, the way that I do this is by lighting them with two ambient soft lights on each side of them created by attaching soft boxes to the two strobe lights. This lights both sides of the face, eliminating any shadows that would define the facial structure if you were using a strong harsher strobe or strobes without the soft boxes. This teqnique is also great to soften wrinkles, creating a more youthful-look, if this is what the client requests. I always want to create an image or images for my clients that showcases their best potential but at the same time still looks like them. This is what I strive for whether I am doing a casual or glamour look.
 

For all who are interested, I will be at the Classical Singer Convention in May, May 24-26 at the Westin Waterfront Hotel in Boston. I am offering a special attendee photo shoot at the hotel for $399 (Payments plans accepted, inquire for details).
 
This includes:
 
- 2 changes(casual and formal)
- Hair / Makeup / Styling included
- 1 touched up image, a $45 value (reg $995.00 NYC) untill the end of Oct.
 
There are limited time slots available so schedule as soon as possible if you desire a session!
 
Please email for details on how to schedule to devon@devoncass.com or call 347-995-9421.

“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created–created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination.” – John Scholar

 
Ever feel like you might not have the right skills and tools to get either a full time or temp job to make ends meet, when you make the move to a larger city where there are more opportunities to work, hone and master the necessary skills required for a professional singing career? This conversation comes up time and time again in my consultations and as I mentor singers about to make this kind of move. Here are some ideas you need to understand and embrace concerning this subject.
 
First fact! With so many Baby Boomers turning 65 (10,000 every day) and leaving the job market, many organizations and businesses are not prepared for such an unequaled drain on their work force choices. And on the other side of that coin, the projections of younger workers entering the workforce are even more shocking. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the 10 years between 2010 to 2020, the number of workers between the ages of 16 to 54 will decrease by about 1 million. So, as the person hiring, your biggest human challenge is this: Where will you find enough next-generation workers with the skills required for success? Organizations and businesses far and wide will compete intensely for workers who are adaptable, resourceful, and can quickly learn and apply new skills to a variety of challenges. The big question for them is where can you find such workers? The big answer to this question is: Employ an artist.
 
Second Fact! Artists of all types often possess the skills and temperament that business leaders regularly say are in short supply: creativity, resiliency, flexibility, high tolerance for risk and uncertainty as well as the courage to fail. Artists have the ability for critical thinking, adaptability and resourcefulness when working with others. Plus they are often innovative, courageous, gutsy with a pretty clear understand of how to use their creative skills in a variety of settings. And, the business and corporate world has finally realized all of this. To put the topping on the cake, here is what IBM found in a global study of more than 1,500 CEOs from 60 countries and 33 industries, that the most important skill for successfully traversing our increasingly complex, volatile, and uncertain world is none other than creativity.
 
Because our industry of performance often requires maintaining a more flexible schedule, (making time for lessons, coaching’s, rehearsals, and even taking a larger block of time off for performances) when you are out there looking for a job, make sure your work resume gives a really great description of what you, as an artist, have to offer that is unique to those looking for great employees. Use some of these valuable facts and pepper your CV with these influential adjectives when introducing yourself on paper. You are the commodity they are looking for. I know for a fact that many of my students have found well paying jobs whether they are 9-5 or temp jobs, in fields they know very little about, where when it came time for them to move on to a better situation or because they had enough work as a performer to pay the bills, the employers were surprised that they had to hire 2-3 people to fill that job.
 
Remember that many people still see artists as shamans, dreamers, outsiders, and rebels. However, when you interview for that job, it’s up to you to change their minds by introducing some of the skills we have just talked about. In reality, the artist is a builder, a manager, a research analyst, a human relations expert, a project manager, a communications specialist, and a salesperson. The artist is all of those and more–combined with the imagination of an inventor and the courage of an explorer. Not a bad set of talents for any business challenged to innovate in a world of volatility, uncertainty, and change.
 
Ciao until next time. Carol

1. Treat Employees not as chattle but as a sacred trust. When you hire someone know you’re hiring their families and their future. Don’t take it lightly. Pay the best and don’t hire the rest. Building an empire is futile. Fewer employees the better. Charge them with responsible and worthwhile endeavors and great vision and let them decide that a few employees working 10+ hours a day is far more fulfilling than working in a company with lots of bodies that waste time and punch the clock. If you hire right, you’ll rarely have to fire. Firing is a sign of management failure.

 

2. Rarely use investors. If you need money to start something, earn it first, then start. Use your money. Then start the business by “boot-strapping.” If you must still get money, consider that investor money is a sacred trust. Be totally honest in everything you say and do and tell the investors more than they wanted to hear so they can never accuse you of holding back information.

 

3. Set deadlines. Keep deadlines. Demand everyone around you honor deadlines.

 

4. Be grateful. Constantly thank people because you didn’t do anything alone. Show your gratitude in many ways, but begin with opening your mouth and thanking people who do service for you — taxi’s, waiters, custodians, etc. People who rarely get thanked.
    
   For singers, after a day full of auditions, judges are tired and a bit cranky. Find out what time they are going to leave the audition hall and meet them outside. Just walk up and say, “I’m (your name) and I just wanted to thank you for taking your time to listen to me today. Have a good evening and again, thank you.” Then walk away. Don’t give them your card, materials or a sales pitch. They’ll be uplifted and thankful for the chance of serving you.

 

5. Be realistic while dreaming. Entrepreneurs are the dreamers and they make the dreams. Governments don’t. Private people do. It takes people with severe imaginations and incredible drive. You’re one or you wouldn’t be reading or listening to this. But, during all the dreaming, be realistic and have a back door. Agamemnon’s first command after all the Greek ships arrived in Troy was to have the ships burned. The soldiers knew they had to fight because there was no way home in defeat. DON’T BE AGAMEMNON. When my father fought in World War II one of his mentors was an ACE pilot. When asked his secret he said, “I knew when the battle was starting to turn against me it was time to leave and fight another day. A hero dies but once but a reasoned man lives to fight another day.” If you can see your business isn’t going to make it, sell it, get out, don’t go down with the ship. Live to lick your wounds, evaluate what you did right and wrong and then go out and try something else. You can do it.

 

6. If you’re married, or when you get married, know this: what goes on the road doesn’t stay on the road. It comes home with you. So, guys, tell her everything. (My class was all guys this time. Counsel goes the same to wives and their husbands.) She may NOT want to know everything. Tell her anyway. She’s your partner. Treat her like one and she will be your greatest source of ideas, motivation, inspiration and support.

 

7. Know and practice the greatest advertising principle: It isn’t about YOU, it’s about them, your customer. Help them experience the benefits of your product.

 

 
By the way, my rewrite of my book, Marketing Singers, just came off the press today. In addition, we’re making an audio and an e-book version. Tell Classical Singer if you want a copy.

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? John Wooden

 
How do you want to introduce yourself to your audience? Do you want to impress them by letting them know what and how many performances you have done, (i.e., the laundry list)? Or are you interested in letting them get hooked into the emotional value you, the product, have to offer. This second option, gives them a taste of who you are, where you came from, what you are doing now and what others have said about that. It creates an emotional hook that makes them want to cheer you on as you perform and keeps them coming back for more. They will what to know and follow what you have coming up in the future because they feel they know a bit about you as the person and might even want to follow your career both at venues in theaters as well as online. This is how you start building an audience for yourself so when you are asked back to perform those that feel that emotional attachment to you will want to come out and support you. They feel close to you because you have allowed them into a very small, very calculated part of your personal life. This is what PR is all about. It’s that “it” thing that the audience manages to grasp that touches and engages them at an emotional level.
 
As the latest Creston Limited “Brand Enrichment” research shows, the most important factor that drives peoples’ choices is not the monetary value or list of achievements; it’s actually the emotional value brands offer via their product. In this case you, the singer, are the product. The research clearly shows that it’s not only the products and services that you sell. You also offer emotions—confidence, status, the sense of belonging and, most importantly, PLEASURE that drive almost 25% of respondents’ buying decisions.
 
How inspired are you when you read through most bios you find in program notes for any performance? Do you receive much Face Book, Twitter, or email activity after your performance because your audience members want to share some similar connection they have with you because they read your bio and feel a kindred ship in some way? Or do you still believe that most people are truly interested in trying to weed through the long, tedious, and boring laundry list you have given them as your bio to digest that represents your Personal Brand as they wait for the curtain to go up? For the most part, this doesn’t mean much to most people. They want you to tell them why they should be as or even more interested in you as they might be in any of the other performers on stage. What will it take to grab their emotions?
 
Research suggests that women seem to be easier to approach and “seduce”. Anything that appeals to their sense of group identity, comfort and security has a chance of grasping their interest and enthusiasm. Men are in general more difficult to influence. Brands need to show more creativity and inventiveness to appeal to their emotions. It gets easier if you can push their status and pleasure buttons. Mix it with concrete examples or add a tint of challenge and you’re on the right track. Also remember to use the three inner language systems we all use all the time to make sure you have engaged each and every audience member – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
 
Here is the bio formula I have developed and had much success teaching.
Start with a powerful, theatrical assertion. From her beginnings as a young performer growing up in a small rural town in New Mexico, to winning audiences rave reviews, Ms. Smith has generated a loyal following with her persuasive acting and delicious voice. (Does any of this information grab you emotionally and if so figure out why?)
 
Now back it up with facts. At her most recent recital, Ms. Smith’s innovative program and beautiful singing was not only enthusiastically appreciated by the audience, but she received a glowing review from the San Jose Sun. Jack Place said, “A beautiful program, beautiful voice, beautiful young woman.” (This gives you a sense that others like this person and how she does what she does as it encourages you to jump on the band wagon.)
 
Lastly, let others know what’s coming up in the future. Having recently won the Pit Award, Ms. Smith will next perform at Towne Hall in New York. While there she will coach with Maestro Tullio in preparation for her debut of Inez in Trovatore at Albert Hall in March of this year. If you are interested in knowing more about Ms. Smith, you can follow her by going to www.anita.smith@gamil.com or Facebook (address) twitter, etc.
 
These short, concise and carefully thought out paragraphs cover all the bases we just talked about – a sense of group identity, comfort, security, creativity, inventiveness, status, pleasure. Plus you have created concrete examples and added a tint of challenge if you want your audience to become fans. So, start thinking about the Personal Brand that represents you, mind map it, and start creating emotional value for you with your bio.
 
Avanti! Ciao until next time.
 

This article was published in the April 2013 issue of Classical Singer magazine and written by Carol Anderson, who is currently the principal coach for Utah Opera.