As is true with all endeavors, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.

The trick is to stack the odds in your favor by making the right choices at the right time, cultivating a supportive network, and assembling the right team.

As artists trying to establish ourselves in the music industry, we are not alone.

When I was accepted to UCLA and USC Law School with scholarship offers, I had a very difficult choice to make between the safer, clear path of becoming a lawyer or the uncertain path of “making it” in the music industry.

So many questions and scenarios raced through my mind…there were compelling possibilities either way. Thankfully, I had a supportive community of family, friends, professors and industry professionals who helped guide my way.

Some said, “Follow you passion” while others said “I know people who will kill for scholarship offers to UCLA and USC Law, you’re crazy to turn them down!”

Deep down inside, I had to discover my own truth but I knew that no matter what I chose, I had support. And that support becomes even more critical when you choose the riskier path.

Choosing artist empowerment meant stepping into uncharted territory.

It meant financial risk, personal risk and uncertainty.

But there is no reward greater than doing what you love and that outweighs any risk, at least in my book.

Artist empowerment isn’t a solitary journey…it is a team effort and teams accomplish significantly more than the sum of what each individual would accomplish alone.

WE CAN THRIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!

The stock market takes a huge dive…
The war continues endlessly…
The housing crisis is crippling…
The unemployment rate is peaking…

Just read the front page of the newspaper or watch any news channel…doom and gloom, with no end in sight.

While there is so much to worry about and so much that is wrong with the world, there are many more things to be happy about and grateful for.

You are breathing, alive!
You have loved ones who love you!
You have food to eat and water to drink!
You are an artist and you create art!
You have dreams and the capacity and talent to achieve them!

Hundreds of millions of people around the globe would kill to be where you are now. Remember, the worst circumstances here are a blessing compared to the best circumstances for someone somewhere else.

Stay on your path and maintain a balanced perspective. Every change in our external environment requires an equal and opposite change from inside us. You might have to work a bit harder and be more creative to achieve your goals but they are still well within your reach.

What the news won’t tell you is that we humans are resilient, amazing creatures. Challenging times are just that, a challenge, and you and only you are the master of your destiny.

Don’t let them, or anyone, extinguish your flame.

The following headline needs to be the opening phrase of every newscast and published in every newspaper around the country, everyday:

WE CAN THRIVE UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES!

Cheers to that!

And don’t forget to smile

This beautiful word describes the perfect equilibrium of ego where your confidence in your abilities and your pride in your accomplishments are always balanced by an intense need to improve.

You have the confidence to put yourself out there yet you realize that you are incomplete.

You believe in yourself but know how much more you have yet to learn.

Humility is that very moment when you look in your rear view mirror, reflecting on the distance you have traveled and then look forward, realizing that the journey to your destination has just begun.

And when you get to what you thought was your destination, you realize that you merely reached a milestone to bigger, better things that lie in your horizon.

There is more to strive or…more to accomplish.

It is this constant push and pull that will set us apart.

Humility is the way of the empowered artist.

I’ve always been a fan of great quotes, here are a few on creativity I thought I’d share:

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”

Rita Mae Brown

“Creativity is the ability to see relationships where none exist.”

Thomas Disch

“Conditions for creativity are to be puzzled; to concentrate; to accept conflict and tension; to be born everyday; to feel a sense of self.”

Erich Fromm

“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.”

Tori Amos

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

Mary Lou Cook

When you meet someone and you get that feeling like something isn’t right, chances are, something isn’t right.

Too often, we ignore our initial “gut” instinct and rationalize our decisions for the sake of working with someone who is very talented.

As artists, we can be very creative in our rationalizations…here are three classic examples:

• “Yes, she appears like she is an egomaniac, but she is such a talented singer that it is worth dealing with her ego.” (It never is.)

• “It seems like he is conniving and manipulative, but maybe that is the kind of guy I want as a manager.” (You don’t want someone manipulative representing you.)

• “This producer seems like he would be very over-bearing and controlling, but I heard that he was the second engineer on the last Weezer album, so maybe I should work with him.” (You will always be unhappy with an over-bearing producer.)

The biggest indicator that you are trying to rationalize something that goes against your first instinct is when you start to say to yourself: “I’m sure she/he will change.”

When that phrase runs through your mind, take notice…

While no one is perfect, you should only work with people who you get a good vibe/feeling from. It doesn’t matter how talented they are.

As artists striving for empowerment in the new music industry, learning to tune in to and trust our instincts is critical.

Rejection.

Let’s turn rejection on its head and learn to see it in a different light.

This is not easy to do…but it is possible.

Here’s a hypothetical example: you are a female singer/songwriter who is trying to make it in the music industry and your boyfriend’s plumber’s wife used to go to college with Tori Amos.

As soon as your boyfriend Sam tells you this, you immediately begin to imagine yourself opening for Tori on her next North American Tour and singing a duet with her on your debut album. You are excited and believe this could be your big break!

So you beg poor Sam and he agrees to pass along your demo to his plumber who will give it to his wife who will, hopefully, pass it on to Tori.

A week passes, a month passes and several months later, Sam gets a call from his plumber.

“Tori heard the CD. She thinks your girlfriend has talent but the demo doesn’t sound right and she still needs a lot of work.”

At this point, you feel lower than low. Tori Amos just rejected you. How will you move on?

This is the defining moment that can set you apart from everyone else…you can either retreat or advance.

In every rejection, there is a priceless lesson, an opportunity to improve.

Learn to see the diamond in the dark cave - Tori said you have talent!

So what do you do next?

Get your songs properly produced. Build your online and offline presence. Build your brand. Get your music to the point where it is undeniable so that the next time you send Tori a CD, not only will she be blown away by your songs and recordings, she will also see that you are actively building a fan base and making a career for yourself.

As you get better and your brand becomes more developed, you get rejected less often and when you do, you’re not desperate. Even in the face of rejection, you are confident and you continue to learn the lessons that all empowered artists learn each and every day.

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it” - Unknown

This is pretty straightforward but it has so many implications as it relates to artist empowerment.

Fans, friends, strangers, acquaintances, industry representatives, spouses and the press will all have something to say about our art and the pursuit of our passion…sometimes words of encouragement, sometimes sharp criticism, most often somewhere in between.

We artists are like sponges: we hear and absorb everything people say about our art or the pursuit of our passion.

The question is, how does that information affect us?

There is a very delicate balance to be achieved between the following two extremes:

1) Paying no attention to what others have to say because we feel like we have all of the answers, know what is best and are beyond criticism.

2) Being so sensitive to the comments and suggestions of others that we become demoralized, paralyzed and lose belief in ourselves.

There will always be people who are too afraid to pursue their dreams and who will do everything they can to discourage us from pursuing ours.  It is important to identify these people and not let their negativity affect us.

It is also crucial to remain open to constructive feedback, especially from those we are very close to and who want only what is best for us.  Even then, try to keep it all in proper perspective.

Those who can, do.  Those who can’t try to discourage those who can.

Just in the past week, my song “Drive By” was used twice in the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and a short film I scored was screened at Norris Theater at USC.

Artists are always asking me: How do you do it? What is your secret?

There are no earth shattering secrets, just versions of what I’ve been saying all along:

1) You have to develop relationships, real ones.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to respect people and establish real friendships with them. People can tell when you are befriending them to gain something and that is the biggest turn-off. Always remember that people want to do business with people they know and trust.

2) You have to understand what people are looking for and why.

This means understanding their brand and their target audience. If you want your music on Food Network’s “Baking Pies on a Dime,” don’t pitch your death metal song, rather, pitch a song that you feel would resonate with Martha Stewart’s friends.

3) Don’t be pushy or desperate.

Establish the relationship and if you are good, your opportunity will come. There is nothing more annoying than people who are aggressively pushing their music to every avenue they can. It is a small world and if supervisors see you as someone who is indiscriminately pitching your music to everyone, you won’t get placements.

4) When you get your opportunity, deliver.

If you are asked to submit music for a placement, make sure the song is what they are looking for, that it has been produced, recorded and mixed to the highest standards. and don’t forget to be professional every step of the way.

Follow these four steps and you will be well ahead of the game.

We all get so caught up in the day-to-day aspects of our lives that we forget to take some time away from everything to just think.

As a student of Philosophy at UCLA, I spent four years thinking through very complex issues ranging from the assumptions underpinning our political system to practical ethics to the possibility of different worlds. Philosophy is a very intense field of study that allows no room for error in logic or judgment.

What is it that determines my identity?
Is it my memory?
Is it a vital organ in my body?
If I lost my memory and woke up on a remote island in the South Pacific, would I still be me?

I didn’t realize this when I was sitting up in my dorm room at 4 a.m. writing a paper on “Retrograde Amnesia; Am I Still Me?” but my education in philosophy has been critical in every aspect of my life.

I am not suggesting that every artist should study philosophy for 4 years at UCLA (Heavens no!) but I do believe that it is important for us to take time to reflect, think and improve our mental faculties.

Examples could be:

• Picking up a book on philosophy and actually reading it
• Taking 10 minutes every day without distractions to think and reflect
• Thinking through complex issues systematically and critically

This “stretching of the mind” sharpens our judgment and clarifies our focus. In turn, this ignites and sparks our creativity.

I am a Star Wars fan (Episodes 4, 5 and 6, not the new ones)

In fact, I am a die-hard Star Wars fan.

When I was three, I would watch the Star Wars movies every day and that is how I learned to speak English (at home, my family exclusively spoke Armenian.)

I would get scared and cover my eyes whenever the Emperor was in a scene. Even though I had already seen the movies dozens of times, I would ask my older sister why Luke didn’t just use his “Light Saver” when he first walked into the Emperor’s chamber (with a heavy Armenian accent, of course.)

A few days ago, I saw John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl and the highlight was actually right after intermission.

The crowd knew that the Star Wars Theme was coming…

Just before John Williams came back on stage, the house lights dimmed and all you could see were a thousand light sabers spread throughout the crowd, pointed to the sky.

When the orchestra played the Imperial March during the second encore, the light sabers were waving up and down in perfect rhythm…it was beautiful.

John William’s music has been a huge part of our culture over the past 30 years (Jaws, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, etc.) and it was amazing to watch him conduct the hits from his vast catalog.

It was also reassuring to see that I wasn’t the only Star Wars geek in the audience; in fact, there were more than a thousand people there who were bigger geeks than I am.