Original You Part II: Balancing Business with Creativity

Are you feeling burned out from trying to balance the business side of being a professional artist with the creative side? Listen as Holly talks once again with guests, singer/songwriter, Ayden Graham, and entertainment lawyer, Mark Pearson.  Find out why it’s important to work on pieces that are “hot” for you, as we talk about selling your art, using failure as a springboard for success, and overcoming self-doubt. You’ll also learn 10 ways to get into Alignment with being creative even when you’re overwhelmed so that you can Make Art in the Middle of the Madness. 

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Ayden Graham is an indie folk rock singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up on the music of Sting, Cat Stevens, and The Beatles, he began his career busking in front of the local Three Twins Ice Cream shop. With a regular spot at the Sweetwater Saloon, Graham exploded onto the local music scene as a promising young voice. During two solo trips to Ireland, Graham sharpened his fiddle playing in the pubs and sang on the streets for his supper. While studying literature and electronic music at UCSC, Ayden was introduced to the underground rock, jazz and reggae scenes of Santa Cruz. Graham began to craft a unique artistic identity, incorporating his poignant lyrics with the myriad influences that surrounded him. Ayden Graham released his debut Wooden Bones EPNovember 2017. Find more at www.aydengraham.com/epk

Mark A. Pearson is a principal attorney at ARC Law Group, a law firm focused on counseling creative, talented and entrepreneurial clients. His primary practice areas involve forming business entities, counseling on trademark & copyright issues, and drafting entertainment and technology contracts. His list of clients includes musicians, actors, film & television producers, live entertainment companies, video game developers, online content providers and artists. Mark has negotiated deals with Disney, HBO, LucasFilm (Skywalker Sound) and the Golden State Warriors and worked on projects for MTV Networks and Nintendo of America. Learn more at arclg.com

About Your Host, Holly Shaw

Holly Shaw, CHT  is a performance coach, creativity researcher and stand up comedian.  Growing up in Indianapolis, IN she convinced her parents she needed to go to Chicago to get her own agent when she was 14 years old and has spent a lifetime in film, T.V. and on professional stages all over the world as an actor, dancer, and director.

Now she shares her passion for the problems that artists face as a Creativity Coach and a Certified Hypnotherapist and has helped hundreds of artists, from Emmy award winning and Grammy nominated artists to world class choreographers overcome their anxiety, stage fright, impostor syndrome, and creative blocks so that they can create original work and totally kill it onstage again and again without feeling like they're selling out or losing their sanity.

In 2016, Shaw wrote and released her book, The Creative Formula: Compose, Choreograph, and Capture Your Masterpiece  which has become an Amazon bestseller.  In 2018 she launched the Performers & Creators Lab podcast which was named one of 2019's most outstanding podcasts by Databird Research. She teaches regularly at the SAG/AFTRA offices in L.A. and SF and runs creative laboratory workshops like the Comedy Lab Open Mic once a month at Monaghan's on the Hill in Oakland. Follow her on Instagram @hollyshawspritely