SPRING 2015 | ISSUE 1 PART 1 Welcome to the first issue of my magazine! Oh how I have agonised over that pronoun. My magazine? Am I really so ego-centric? Well, yes I am. Just be glad I didn’t put myself on the front cover!
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A gloriously wise woman (hey Sarah!) once asked me as she helped me write a keynote address I was giving to a group of women
in the music business in Finland (a speech that changed my life as it turned out) – if there was a fire alarm at minute one of your speech what is the one point you’d like to get across so you can shout it out clearly before everyone gets up and leaves the room in an orderly fashion? It felt like I might spare you a lot of navel gazing nonsense here by asking myself the same question as I write this editor’s letter. Turns out this entire magazine is trying to make a very similar point to that speech. The whole music industry (not just the very commercial bit that garners the most
mainstream media coverage) is a huge, vibrant and wildly varied place, there is room enough in it for everyone to do their thing and, I believe, make a good living doing it. And lots of the very amazing things going on inside it – especially things that are making a difference - to music or to the world through music – are being done by women. However, working predominantly with women in the music industry for the last 7 years of my 12 year coaching career (be they artists, chief executives, bookers, managers, lawyers, PRs, freelancers or coaches) has shown me that sometimes it’s hard for women to feel at home or safe
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or appreciated for who they really are in the industry. And when you are feeling any of those things it can feel hard if not impossible to bring your desires or dreams fully into being. I’m a natural born coach. So that difficulty sits very badly with me. Very. Badly. Desires are there to be manifested. Dreams are there to be pursued. I know that one of the most powerful tools for inspiring humans is sharing stories. So I decided I wanted to create a place where stories could be shared. Specifically about the women who were daring to do their thing, be themselves and inspire by example. I also wanted it to be a place that once people were inspired, there were some practical suggestions or tools on hand so that they could practically apply what they’d learned to their own circumstances. So I went looking for women who inspired me or had inspiring stories to tell (I didn’t have to look far – they are everywhere in the music industry) and asked them how they did it. Like Lottaliina Pokkinen the only music lawyer I’ve ever heard of to take on the big players in television music talent shows to make them treat the artists more fairly, like Shannon Curtis an artist who has written a fabulously comprehensive tell all guide on how to make house concerts pay well and create super-fans based on her own extensive experience and is changing other artists’ careers for the good as a result; and of course artists like the extraordinary Ayanna Witter-Johnson (front cover) whose talent and genius makes my hair stand on end in delight. I asked them all how they got where they are.
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This magazine is the result of those generous answers. In places I have added my own knowledge and experience to more easily translate their insights into practical strategies you could use yourself and immediately. I’ve also poured in some of my own learning about what works to create transformation in a career as well. Finally, it was very important to me that as well as being inspiring and useful this magazine is beautiful. A joy to behold. I hope you think I’ve succeeded.
I would like to thank:
■ Victoria Barker and Athina Balopoulou for helping me gather my scattered thoughts and get started.
■ Ruth Leary, Susan Mumford and Sarah de Nordwall for their unfailing belief.
■ Holly Inkster and Veronika Bondareva for creating the beauty. ■ Chelsea Schwartz for being just what I needed - an inspiration and a stern task master rolled into one.
Find out more about who I am and what I do at: www.tamaragalon.com
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contents
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editor’s letter
on: silence, enlightenment and asking
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I hadn’t planned a career in music
how about a morning ritual?
morning ritual quiz
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When a good friend suggested that I check out Ayanna as a potential interviewee, I went to have what I thought would be a quick rummage on YouTube to see what her work was like. What followed was an experience involving goosebumps, slack jawed amazement and a history lesson. Ayanna is a MOBO nominated artist who has toured the world as a featured vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the renowned sitarist Anoushka Shankar. She notably has the honour of being the only non-American to win “Amateur Night Live at the Apollo Theatre Harlem” a hugely popular singing contest that has been going for over 70 years. When I spoke to Ayanna I was already a little in awe of how her music had touched me so profoundly but when as part of our pre-amble she disclosed she had just returned from enjoying a silent retreat I realised our interview as going to go deep.
– What mindset or beliefs have you employed to achieve your success so far? – I am a generally bubbly person with grey days sometimes. The more I tried to understand those grey days the more I moved along in my spiritual awareness. Now I’m so aware of the power of our thoughts, it’s easier for me to stay balanced. I am a lot more balanced. Now I’m more positive and peaceful because I’m more aware of the choices I can make in my thinking.
good, so grounding. It stops you spiralling into everyday drama. You can appreciate the drama for what it is. Now I’m reacting according to what I’d like the outcome to be not to what the situation is.
I make space to get quiet and meditate Whereas before I would just go through life not stopping much, not being silent much.
– How do you let it go? – I don’t force it. I breathe. See if there are other factors involved – I might just be hungry and it’s not helping. Or i might be tired. I acknowledge how I’m feeling and how I got there. I might call a friend and talk it out. I’ve got
– In fact, you’ve recently been on a silent retreat. – Yes. Someone recommended it. It’s so
If negative thinking happens, I find it easier now to acknowledge my feelings and talk myself through a healthier processing than I used before. This is how I feel. Let’s see how I let it go?
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a policy where I only have an hour to whinge about this and then that’s it. Get it out. It’s not a two week – I’m going to whinge to everyone I speak to - arrangement. I put a frame around it. That’s not the kind of thinking I want to keep perpetuating. That’s not who I truly am. You stop being a creator - you become a reactor. And being a reactor isn’t empowering. So, I give myself a window and then close it. Then depending on what the situation is – I try and put myself in the other person’s shoes for a second – it might help. To see, actually that’s just how they are processing things. – And where did you learn this? How did you learn this? – A lifetime of osmosis from my mum. We’ve always had a very open relationship. She’s one of my best friends. She’s not much older than me. It’s more a friendship than an authoritarian thing. I’ve read her bookshelf, listened to her conversations with her girlfriends. The older I’ve got the more I’ve taken it to my own hands.
Future
– What is your definition of success? – That’s a question. It’s probably different than it might have been before the silent retreat. Before it might have been something else.
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a more compassionate society. That was a bit deep! Conditions for Success – What are your key conditions for success? – I need the right people in my team. For example photographer, videographer, design team, web developers, producer, mastering engineer, musicians. Mentors – admin assistant PR hair make up styling friend and family manufacturers… A clear vision – that took a while. Hard for everyone to get on board without one. How things are supposed to feel and look and what effect you want it to hopefully have and who you want it to reach. Part of a career vision. – How did you access the right team? – Asking. Asking each person if they knew someone. Trusting my gut. Creating deadlines and sticking to them. Finding things I liked and asking who worked on that. And following up depending on if I felt it might work. Trusting the people you trust to bring in the people they trust within the budget that you have.
How would i define success now? To be able to express your truth at all times, with all people and in all situations. It’s a very different definition of success than the material success I’ve been aiming for for most of my life. I would only still value material success in the way it would help me to focus on all the other things that are important but not as an end in itself. Material success has its place – what you then do with it or how you share or use it - that is what actually matters.
I knew as well as putting a product out I knew I wanted to re-brand myself. Last time I didn’t have a brand to accompany my release. That meant I needed someone who could not only make an EP cover but would design a website, a business card, a banner - all the pieces that go out. The last people I worked with did a good job but it felt like a transaction. I wanted to develop a relationship. I managed to put together 2 designers. One of them had created a flyer for a gig which I thought was beautiful. The other designer came through my partner. Each of them had different skill sets – and they both knew each other.
To be abundant on all levels emotional - financial - creative – physical. To be abundant in all areas of life for the benefit of
The question was could we all work together? It took a little bit longer (one of them was graphics and the other art
direction) pulling a feel together but it was worth it. The Art Director recommended a photographer. I didn’t know her but i was aware of her and she had worked with other people I’m aware of. It was a chain of relationships. You don’t need to know everyone from the outset. So, yes, ask and make a decision quickly so you don’t slow the project down.
me and literal experiences I’ve been through. This EP is about love – a love story in connection with my personal development. Honouring and celebrating my ancestry and opening up to different women who have touched my life and sacrificed for me. And then on to the more universal – women’s voices who may not be heard and I am that channel.
– What challenges, if any did you face on the project? – I tried to get the photo and video shot on the same day. Disaster. One over-ran… The video producer found the venue for me, which was very helpful so I wasn’t responsible for all the logistics. But there was a lot of that. I had to work backwards. If I need the cd in my hand by this date, then two weeks before I need the manufacturer to have it, so the art work needs to be done by this date… and so on.
It’s personal, heartfelt and honest. In thinking about my ancestry – it’s not literal accounts of blood family but I have had my great- and grand-parents in my thoughts. My way way forefathers from way way back. Drawing on the strength they may have had and drawing on my grandmother and my mother specifically and then to me. And then to a more universal experience.
So I’m answering emails to all and sundry all day long. That can be frustrating. It’s nice because it moves things forward but it’s not really your ideal job. Negotiating, working it all out. It would be easier to get someone to help me with that. Next time I’m definitely getting someone to assist with that. – And do you love your end result? – I love all the pictures, the video, the cd, the roller banner, the flyers, the business card… Yes. I love it all. Future – What are you dreaming of accomplishing next? – More individual gigs and then festivals. The goal is to get a booking agent in the coming months. This EP is a refresher of where I’m at. A tool to keep expanding my audience. – Tell me about the EP. – I’m very excited about my new EP – Black Panther. It’s taken me on a deeper emotional journey. It’s touched on stories that inspired
Black panther is the parallel to Ain’t I a Woman [Ayanna’s contest winning interpretation of the words of former slave Sojourner Truth’s speech made in 1851]. Instead of Sojourner Truth’s words, these are my words. This is maybe the journey that my grandparents went on. This is a more general truth. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and there was a lot of beauty that was present then and is present now. There is nothing to fear in getting to know your history. Albeit it was very likely a hard journey or something filled with pain on reflection. But because of that – here we are. It’s about freedom, love and freedom of expression. This theme emerged naturally. It’s almost as if the songs come to me. I barely remember writing Ain’t I a Woman or Black Panther. All the songs on the songs on the EP came to me quickly in a real flow. That’s been interesting. They are songs I’ve performed again and again at the live shows recently. They’re the die hards. They leave people with something - an emotional feeling. I know they translate really well and they live with people in the way I want my music to. – What are you proudest of with this EP?
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– Not being afraid to share my vulnerability. To share the truth in the physical and spiritual sense of who I am. I’m also proud that I tried some new things. I played guitar for the first time which is a whole new chapter. I’ve dreamed of playing guitar for 2 years. At the moment I’m at the stage of picking it up and using my ear to guide me. That’s stage 1. Stage 2 is coming back from tour and learning chords and developing a better knowledge of what I’m playing. Theory too. It’s one of my favourite instruments. Black Panther is also the first time I’ve officially put my face to video. And marks the first time I’ve allowed someone to remix my material in a totally different fashion. The 3rd track is a wonderful remix by Ben Mark. It’s experimental dance. This is the first time I’ve been happy enough to let my music go and let it become accessible to a new audience. It doesn’t change the core of who I am. It’s just a different way of seeing the music. I really like it. Also - with trying new things, I wrote a song with Nigella Lawson in mind. It was really interesting. It came through very quickly. I recorded it with one mic. Denied that’s songs called. In fact with Denied and my Jealous Story – I may be collaborating with a charity organisation that works with women in spreading awareness of domestic violence. I like that too that the songs opens a conversation. – So how come cello but no guitar as it’s a favourite instrument? – There was always a piano in the house but there wasn’t a guitar. And none of my friends had one. I didn’t go camping enough in my teens to get to take a guitar. I think it’s important having instruments in the house so children can find their way to them. I will have to remember it for the future!
– Do you know you’re doing something that’s different and do you care about that? – I’m just me. I know that from others’ reaction to me after a performance or after a sound check. I play what comes to me. My background and culture add to something that isn’t really common. I definitely feel that when I perform it’s all of me that appears. In an interesting fusion that sounds like me. I found my own music using the tools I had at my disposal. It felt like a natural thing to do. My barometer is the audience. People then share things with me, other things they’ve seen. The more I do, the more I’m aware of a network of cellist worldwide – of people innovating. Same for most instruments I suppose. – Do you have a bigger long term vision? – To create a sustainable creative career as a musician dancer actress. Covering all the things that are important to me - human development, enlightenment... – Oh, Enlightenment! I love that word. What does it mean to you? – Enlightenment – it’s why I have an interest in music. My process of enlightenment is to understand more about my soul and I access that through music. It’s felt on an emotional level. And that’s my guage for how I process things, how I relate to peole – music helps me to do all that. Music helps me to access people on an emotional level. The kind of music I sing – I tend to open conversations as a result of that. I tend to open conversations on an emotional level. It helps to process and share. Give and take. That’s how I navigate my personal development through art. Enlightenment is also important because it’s the purpose of being here. To be happy and to grow and to help other people do the same. To fulfil the goals that you want to to fulfil there’s lots of striving and doing
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and valuing all the external things in life. It’s balancing a healthy ambition with a pursuit to be whole and healthy and happy. Not to let your work define who you are even though they are closely linked.
So yes I am an artist and I do xy and z, but I try to step back from that sometimes because I am also other things – depending on the time or the hour of the day.
■ Working with the BBC Symphony
Job description: Creative musician Number of years in the industry: 2 years as a full time thing – trying to make a living. 7 years from exploring what this may mean – starting to put things together. Career highpoints to date: ■ Being the only non-American to win “Amateur Night Live at the Apollo Theatre Harlem” Season winner 2010 ■ Being on a float with Gladys Night in Macy’s (New Year’s Day) Parade
Orchestra and Hugh Massakela Your Heroines (music or otherwise): Maya Angelou Nina Simone Oleta Adams when I was 9 was my starting point. Sweet Honey in the Rock (when I was 3 or 4) Jill Scott took up a big space in my late teens. Alice Walker took space. A Sarah Vaughan phase at the point when I started listening to Jazz. Ella and then Dinah Washington after that. Anita Baker had a big chunk in my childhood as well as Whitney. Delete as appropriate: Introvert /Extravert Bit of both. I’m a performer so have some extraversion but suddenly I need to be alone. Starter/Finisher I do finish but I like to start. Detail person/Big picture person I do like detail. I do step back from things and try to see the bigger picture. Big goals/little goals/no goals big goals Planner/Flying (by the seat of your Pantser) Planner. I thrive on a plan and a to do list.
■ find out more about Ayanna at www.ayannamusic.com ■ see Ayanna’s extraordinary winning piece – Aint I a Woman
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“ From no plans for a career in music to heading up Scandinavia’s panNordic Music Export Office, learn Anna Hildur’s route to putting Nordic music on the map.
I first met Anna Hildur with trepidation in my heart – she was part of my group of coachees in a leadership coaching programme for women in the music industry – funded by the Arts Council and championed by the Music Publishers Association. She’d been described to me as Icelandic and scary. Well, she’s definitely Icelandic but she’s not at all scary… That said, she does have some of the fiercest levels of focus, vision and passion for her work that I’ve ever encountered and an ability to create new roles and organisations that I find endlessly inspiring. I think you might too. if you would like to receive the upcoming Part 2 and Part 3 of this magazine go ahead and click
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Photo by Kate Beard @ Ja Ja Ja Festival, Roundhouse, London
Making a difference
– Everyone I am interviewing in this magazine is someone I see as making a difference in some way. Either by acting to improve the industry, making a difference to the world through music or by being someone who is going first, being original or leading the way. Is it important to you that you are making a difference? – Yes I think so although I have never thought about it much. But I do like when flowers grow from seeds that have been planted. Gardening is a rewarding thing and so is starting new projects and seeing them growing. Educating people about solutions.
Vision
– Let’s go back to the beginning. When did you know you wanted to make a career for yourself in the music business? What was your original dream/vision? When did you get your first start in the industry and what were you doing? How did it come about?
– I was a journalist after I finished my BA in Icelandic language and literature. I had actually done a teachers training and was interested in further studies about learning disabilities. But my initial aim was to try out being a housewife when I moved to the UK back in 1991. I had my two girls whilst finishing my BA studies and was dreaming of a bit quieter time whilst my partner wanted to study Graphic Design. I lasted three months in my role as a housewife when I was tempted to take on a job. I was encouraged to become a correspondent for a radio station in Iceland and took the challenge even if I had never done any journalistic work. From there on my journalist career took off and I did my MA Radio studies at Goldsmith’s in 1995 to become the correspondent of the National Broadcasting Corporation and work freelance for BBC and NHK (Japanese National Broadcasting). NHK took me into TV production and I supplied them with a specialist insight into the Nordic region for 2 years. In the mean time my radio studies had sparked
Anna Hildur’s From no experience in the music industry to getting an international record deal for her act and selling out a London gig within 2+ years. Anna Hildur’s strategy of joining the Music Managers Forum and attending every training for 2 years evidently paid big dividends. Why did this work so well? It wasn’t just about getting more knowledge (Anna Hildur could have gone and done a regular course for that), she also benefitted in numerous other ways from this strategy: ■ The Music Managers Forum represents some of the managers of the biggest bands in the UK - Anna Hildur was making an energetic connection to some of the most successful people in her new chosen role. She was also enhancing her chances of meeting those individuals and adding them to her network or finding mentors (which I know she did!) ■ Anna went to every session. In particular she didn’t decide which were relevant to her yet or which she might be ready for. She went to EVERYTHING. That’s an expansive energy approach. Doing everything that you can to achieve your aims is bound to get you to your tipping point faster than holding back. ■ She was taking consistent and regular action. Once a month powerfully connecting with who she intended to be. Big leaps can be made through simply taking consistent action. In essence Anna Hildur was embracing and creating a new identity for herself. How can you do this yourself? When you find you have a vision for where you
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want to go or a goal you want to achieve, a great place to start is with what identity a person creating those things in the world already would have. Because from our identity flow our beliefs. And our beliefs colour all of our actions. If you want to embrace the role of a music manager in the outer world - you need to embrace that identity in your inner world. Do you need to upgrade your identity to start creating from an empowered place in the pursuit of your current goals?
Make this Strategy Exercise: Ask yourself these questions. You may like to journal your answers. What new identity do you need to embrace to be powerfully moving towards your key goals? (Tip: don’t be afraid to use adjectives or details to really nail the most powerful version of this identity for yourself. You may already have the career you most want – but are you identifying with a powerful version of it?) Is there an identity you need to let go of or give less emphasis to? (Sometimes people still identify with an old role or version of themselves (part of imposter anxiety) Next Step. As someone with this identity – what are 3 key beliefs that you would like to embrace? (What would someone confidently embodying this identity believe?) What is the easiest or simplest action you could take, ideally regularly or consistently, to reinforce and deepen your connection to your new-found identity and beliefs?
off my interest in radio theatre and later stage theatre. I became the producer of the Icelandic Take Away Theatre and got some training in arts management through that. It was however, through my work on doing a 5 part documentary series on Iceland for NHK that I got to know a female rock band called Bellatrix. I chose them to frame the programme we did on culture. This was in 1996. A year later I was helping them out and in 1998 we had achieved an international record deal giving me the title to be a manager. I hadn’t planned a career in music and felt I needed to learn more about the business. In order to do so I joined The Music Managers Forum and went to every single monthly training session they did for two years. In 1999 I sold out a London gig for the band for the first time. That was a proud moment. And at that time I was hooked. I started working on other music related projects and managing more artists. Then I become the European PR manager and marketing consultant for Iceland Airwaves and helped setting up a UK branch and a digital distribution strategy for the Sugarcube owned label Smekkleysa.
Defining Success
– What have been your proudest moments so far and why are those particular achievements so important to you? – I think nothing will ever top the feeling of selling out the first London gig with Bellatrix. We had been doing a lot of shows and getting some attention from the media. We had organised a gig at the Water Rats, which was app. 200 capacity. On the day Time Out recommended the gig and dedicated a page with a photo of the band. When we came out after sound-check the queue was already around the building and the show sold out completely. Since then there have been many things that I can look back at and think a lot of hard work has paid off. Being chosen to lead the set up of the Iceland Music Export office after having been involved in developing the brand of Iceland Airwaves in Europe and setting up digital distribution internationally for a big Icelandic catalogue. It felt like a lot of hard work
was being recognised. Being chosen to be in a group of women from the music industry in 2007 that got special leadership training in the UK. Negotiating a friendly take-over of Iceland Airwaves in my role as an MD for Iceland Music Export and turning the festival around from financial struggle into an even bigger and better known festival with the help of fantastic staff. Leading the first report on the economic benefits of the Creative industries in Iceland and seeing the change of attitude towards this growing sector. To be chosen the first director of NOMEX (Nordic Music Export) and getting the opportunity to develop a Nordic region branding for music. These are a few of the highlights. When you start each journey it’s hard to know where it will take you but it is nice when you can look back and say to yourself: “All that hard work paid off in the end”.
Tipping point
– What was the tipping point for you? What happened or what did you create that prompted those successes? – I am not sure but I know two things in gaining confidence in what I am doing have been very important for me. The monthly workshops at MMF and the Leadership course in 2007. I have been lucky to meet great people along the way that have supported me and been available to give me advice and help. In that context I can name especially Keith Harris and Ralf Simon. And I have had a fantastic family that has supported me all the way.
Mindset – beliefs
– What mental attitude/mindset/ beliefs did you have to employ (or change) to achieve them? – Hard work and passion has always been what has driven things forward for me. I have had to learn patience but that has taken a long time ;) To grow into the roles I am doing now I had to learn to delegate as well. – How do you hold on to your beliefs in the face of challenges or things not working out quite as you intended? – I have learned to accept that sometimes there are limits. This took some time for me and I didn’t cope very well with failures when
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I was younger. I blamed myself and went through horrible guilt trips. I have learned the value of team-work and accepting limitations which might be due to budget, man power, bad timing and various other things. – People in the music industry can talk a fair bit about it being a hard place to make a living, being male dominated, being in decline and so on – do you think you are affected by this and how do you resist getting caught up in these stories? – The last time I had an ordinary paid job was back in 1995. I have been on freelance contracts most of my working life and you learn that you need to create you projects with income vision intact. This is often hard when you work in arts and creative industries as people are very much driven by passion and when I started in the music industry I had to rely on overdraft and loans from time to time. To survive you have to learn to value your work and apply that into the projects you take on. – What strategies do you use to deal with professional criticism/rejection? – I listen and try and learn from it if it is relevant. If it is not relevant it is not worth much. – What strategies do you employ to stay focused, inspired and on track to your goals? – I am lucky to be able to implement strategies and develop projects from scratch. I am very passionate about projects that I work on. The desire to see them become reality keeps me focused. – Have you ever been scared to entirely put yourself out there – (really be seen/ take a stand/be original/be different)? How did you overcome your fear? – I lacked confidence in the early years of my career. However the more I accomplished the more I started being able to tell myself that I was competent in what I was doing. You just have to take the sweating that comes with the stage fear from time to time ;) Conditions for Success – What is your biggest challenge (bad habit/weakness) to achieving your music business ambitions? How do you over-
come it? – Your weakness is often your strength as well. I avoid conflicts and sometimes that leads to processes taking longer than they should. I have learned to accept the pros and the cons of this weakness which also gives me diplomatic skills to keep people focused on what matters at the end. – What are your 3 key conditions for success? Some examples follow; please feel free to suggest your own. – Good and simple set-up Supportive community which benefits from your work Having fun Money – Part of a sustainable and joyful career is earning enough money to live a good life and invest in yourself, contribute where you want to make a difference (be that with time or money). A lot of people struggle with this in the music industry – what is your money mindset? – I was crap at this in my early years and as I started in the music industry more as helping out I didn’t think of the income to start with. Passion has always come first and then the necessity of thinking of money has been second for me. I have learned to balance this out. But through passion I have also been given a lot of opportunities such as the leadership training back in 2007, which has been an investment in building my skills. It’s about how you combine your work and your passion and how you reach the balance in catering for your needs and the cost of living. I have valued the fact that my work brings me a lifestyle that I enjoy. That is part of my rewards but learning how to negotiate my fee has also been fulfilling. Applying what you’ve learned – What advice would you give to any woman wanting to achieve the kind of success that you have created but is unsure, stuck or scared? – Go and try it otherwise you will never find out if it was meant to be or not. Changing career plans is not difficult. I was on the way to be a teacher when I became a journalist and then took a u-turn by becoming a music manager. It doesn’t look logical on my CV
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but it all makes complete sense to me and that is what matters. – If you had it all to do again, what 3 things would you do differently? – I don’t think there is much that I would have done differently. Maybe learning to delegate at an earlier stage but it is always difficult to know what would happen IF…. – If you could go back to meet yourself as you started out on your music industry career – what advice would you give yourself? – Get yourself good mentors that you can talk to whenever you get stuck and envisage where you want to take your projects and how you get there. Future – What are you dreaming of accomplishing next? – I have been doing NOMEX for 3 years now,
so much focus is on succeeding with the projects I have helped develop there. Following conthe expansion of our cept into the form of a (first experienced at Iceland Airwaves Festival last year) we are creating 5 more Nordic Playlist radio bars in 2015 across the Nordic countries. I am also working on the Nordic Travel Pass, a tool to create discounts on touring costs for Nordic artists. Alongside this we are expanding the concept. I was reading an old interview that was done with me back in 1999 when I had just done an international deal for Bellatrix. The journalist asked me where I would see myself in 5-10 years. The answer was that I would go with the flow and follow the adventures that would present themselves to me. I think I will continue with that and find out what more I can accomplish.
3. Taking over the management of Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in 2010 and turning a struggling festival into a healthy even stronger brand than before. 4. Being asked to be the first director of NOMEX and implement strategies for pan-Nordic Music Export.
Job description: Director at NOMEX (Nordic Music Export) Number of years in the industry: Since 1998 so 15 years now. Career highpoints to date: 1. Being hired as the first MD for Iceland Music Export. 2. Raising support for and managing the first research on the economic effect of creative industries in Iceland which was released May 2011 - .
Your Heroines (music or otherwise): My mum for all her hard work and devotion. My two girls who are 23 and 25 and continuously inspire me. Yoko Ono for her free spirit. Björk for being a great artist – inspiring and innovative. Delete as appropriate: Introvert /extrovert Starter/finisher Big picture /details Mixture of big goals and little goals/no goals Planner but always open to detours/seat of my pantser
■ find out more about Anna’s Nordic Music projects at Nordic Playlist ■ Radio bar ■ Ja Ja Ja Music
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by Tamara Gal-On
It’s a small strategy that yields big results. You might only need 5 minutes of a Transformational Morning Ritual to totally shift your world. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with small and consistent action. Creating a morning ritual for yourself could be the catalyst to bringing a dream that feels a little out of your reach - like a helium balloon whose string is floating just out of your grasp - down out of the ether and tethering it firmly in your reality. Such rituals are particularly good for shifting emotional or energetic obstacles out of your way or focusing you on positive, whole hearted ways of setting off into your day. I am a firm believer in the power of making small, even tiny, changes that have the potential to revolutionise your entire being and life. A morning ritual can really make a radical difference to your sense of wellbeing or self-worth or clarity around your desires or intentions. Any and all of which will impact your approach to your day and therefore the results you get from it. Photo by Veronika Bondareva
And a morning ritual really can be small if you need it to be. Prepared the night before, a morning ritual might only require an extra 5 of your morning minutes or if you’re particularly wily it could integrate itself into something you are already doing, (like listening to a guided visualisation in the shower instead of the news) so adding no extra time to your morning routine at all but still bringing a tonne of transformational oomph!
The power of consistent action is something I learned when I first began my coaching business and committed to attending a weekly networking breakfast. I attended pretty much every Friday at 7.00am for 7 years. (And yes, looking back I do wonder how I managed it). But the numbers speak for themselves. I filled my practice within 12 months and earned a full time coaching income for the 6 following years until I took
Morning rituals combine two powerful factors. Firstly they happen in the morning or whatever you use for morning (the music industry keeping late hours as it does) and secondly they are something you do consistently and with a little consciousness – it’s a ritual after all. The power in these two factors is well researched. It’s not for nothing that breakfast is proven to be the most important meal of the day. Just as giving your body the fuel it needs as soon as you can once you awaken gives the best results the same is true for feeding your soul.
time off for maternity leave. I did barely any other form of marketing for my business. You could even call my attending that breakfast a weekly morning ritual. It worked as one. I left the breakfast venue at 9am full of positive ideas and energy with a full day ahead of me to use my good energy. 6 years of a full practice would suggest that consistency pays.
Morning rituals can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes from reading the newspaper to walking the dog. What turns it into a transformational morning ritual with the power to change your life however, is ensuring it does at least one of the following three things for you:
■ allows you to connect to the power of your . (Any activity that has you considering, visualising or exploring your personal or professional goals)
■ enables you to negative energy or your sense of joy or serenity in the world. (Anything that releases you from over-thinking, brings you into your body and/or into enjoying the present moment as perfect or blissful) ■ connects you to
(God, the Universe, the Energy Field of Life) and thus opens you
up more fully to your . (Anything that builds your relationship and grows your trust in your intuition or that enhances your sense of self-worth and self-acceptance). Ask yourself - would you benefit from more time to think, or perhaps the opposite – less time in your head and more time with focus on your body and what it has to tell you (intuition comes through from the body not the mind). Would you benefit from something more spiritual? Once you’ve decided whether your focus is on mind, body or spirit – or a combination – you can decide what kind of activity might fit nicely with that desired focus. Here is a (totally nonexhaustive) list of activities that either myself or my clients have used and found powerful. if you would like to receive the upcoming Part 2 and Part 3 of this magazine go ahead and click
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SO YOU FANCY GETTING YOUR DAY OFF TO THE VERY
WHAT ARE YOU LIKE FIRST THING IN I know exactly what I’m doing and when as soon as I leap out of bed.
Are you working towards a performance or gig of some kind?
Vocal practice. With its emphasis on breathing, can be a spiritual practice all by itself if you do it right. And knowing that you are taking the very best care of your instrument wins you top marks on the smug-scale
May we heartly recommend 30 minutes of your favourite comedy? Stand up, sitcom, sketch show. Laughter is the best medicine after all.
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I know what the big tasks are but I’ll need to make a plan of action first...
What’s your biggest challenge?
I can be quite hard on myself sometimes, be a bit of a worrier. I then spend a lot of time analyzing all my options and get stuck. More + being less serious would be great.
I could do with being more focused on my goals and intentions. I can do a lot of running aroung for not a lot of gain otherwise
Created by coach Jeanna Gabbelini Speed-dial the Universe is an comprehensive but compact written morning ritual designed to power up your day – it’s like a spiritual and intentional super-smoothie
I do get great intuitive ideas sometimes. More would be very nice and then actually daring to follow through on them.
I want all three. Lightness, focus + intuition
How about a Morning Ritual App? Check out this or this
BEST OF STARTS WITH A MORNING RITUAL?
THE MORNING? Huh? Don’t ask me that until I have had a coffee!
I’ve got lots to get on with – I’m just not sure what to do first
OK, I admit I get lured by the bright lights of my smartphone. It’s so shiny!
If you really can’t bear to be parted from your smart little friend…
If you’re distracting yourself from feeling stuck by being busy on social media
I wish I could but I can’t sit still that long – I need something more physical
Fetch your singing bowl and floor cushion, it’s Morning Meditation for you
I’m a bit stuck – all my plans so far have stalled... I’m not sure how to get myself going again
May we suggest giving Morning Yoga a go? You can do it alone at home or in a class with like-minded company
I do like the idea of emptying my mind but in practice I can’t manage it
May we suggest the Morning Pages, one of the life changing practices in The Artist’s Way – it’s almost like meditating deeply but with a pen
How about trying out my Guided Visualisation – it’s my gift to you, designed especially to get you reconnected to your brilliant self and reestablish your links to your intuition and Source. You’ll be amazed what starts falling into place once you’ve listened to it a couple times. Enjoy!
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If being interrupted by children comes into the equation for you early mornings – you could always turn them into willing assistants (working on the premise that “the best way to learn anything is to teach someone else”). You’d be amazed how early on in life children can pick up and make use of any number of the above activities… I wish someone had taught me to keep an appreciation journal as a child, or the power of visualisation or yoga. So - choose an activity (not necessarily from the list) - if something else intuitively comes to you, do that. But whatever you chose, if it feels right (ask your body – is this the right choice?) stick with it for a while. Until you see results, even if it feels like it not working – and especially if it seems to be making things worse. You’re making waves in your reality. Keep going.
How long should your ritual last and when should you do it?
Many of us have enough to do when we get up. A morning ritual may feel like a bridge too far if it’s more than 5 or 10 minutes. Trust me, if you’ve only got 5 minutes, 5 minutes IS enough. Do your ritual in the spirit of “do what you can, with what you have, from where you are” – Mike Dooley (author, Leveraging the Universe). You may well find as time passes and you start to see and feel the real benefits or transformation that takes place that you are prepared to get up a little earlier to do more of it. Or you may not.
You can’t fail at a morning ritual
Even if you only have 5 minutes, even if you risk being interrupted by a small person in the middle of it 3 mornings out of 5 - it’s fine. If you take an attitude that you can’t fail at this – it’s about the intention and the energy not the perfect execution. Doing your ritual with pleasure and with faith that however little time you have to dedicate to it, it is enough will greatly assist you in making the very most of it.
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It’s about the intention
At the very heart of any morning ritual is the intention for change. It’s an energy exchange. If I do this, then I would like to get that. The Universe will be very clear what you are after, if you are clear. If I spend 10 minutes in the morning stretching, I’d like to feel more relaxed throughout the day. If I don’t manage 10 minutes before my toddler interrupts me, I’d still like to be rewarded for having got out of bed 10 minutes earlier than I might have and getting 4 minutes of stretching done anyway. The Universe will say yes, if you do.
Be prepared
A little preparation goes a long way. If part of your morning ritual involves inanimate objects that you could find and put where you’ll be needing them the night before, you’re on to a winner. Not only will getting your ritual started feel that bit easier from the exquisite warmth of your bed but your unconscious mind (so often our archnemesis) will be more likely to work in your favour – knowing as it does that you fully intend to do your ritual because you’ve already started it in essence by laying out your yoga pants/ colour pencils/moleskine notebook/candle or what have you.
Be honest, be practical and be kind to yourself If you aren’t a perky mornings person, deciding to do a morning ritual before you’ve had coffee may seem highly laudible but in reality is dooming the entire enterprise to failure. Don’t ask too much of yourself, this isn’t about grand gestures – you don’t have to do 2 hours of bikram yoga every morning – 10 salutes to the sun may be job done. If you are hypoglycaemic, it would strike me that eating some breakfast before you do a 4 mile run is a plan. There is no right and wrong. Find out what works and do that. Regularly.
Avoid all shoulds
NEVER start a particular kind of morning ritual because you think you should. If the word you’re using in your head is “should” I promise you, you don’t really want to. I beg you – cross it off your list. Your ritual (once you’ve got past the initial starting something
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new “teething troubles” stage) should bring you a sense of pleasure when you think about it as you fall asleep at night. Otherwise it’s a (thinly disguised) punishment. I would no more get up in the morning and drink a wheat grass and spinach smoothie (however much my skin and digestion might thank me) than I would open my first floor bedroom window and jump out each morning in the hope that the fresh air would clear my head for the day. Right aim, wrong ritual!
Find your perfect Magic touches for maximising the effect
What you may lack in time to throw at your ritual you may be able to make up for with style (not that you need to, you might just want to though). A little self-love and care in your ritual can go a long way. Listening to a guided meditation may take on greater potency with your favourite scented candle lit beside you. Morning pages may feel really magical written in a beautiful notebook or with a Mont Blanc pen or simply with the gift of a clear desk at which to sit. Your 5 salutes to the sun may feel more potent in brand new yoga pants (look no holes!) or your vocal practice may have greater power in cashmere bed-socks or socks hand-knitted by your
favourite grandma. Be creative – make yourself smile or sigh with delight every morning. As those lovely Bananarama girls so rightly sang – it ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it – that’s what gets results. And one final benefit of a morning ritual; if travelling is a regular feature of your music life your ritual can be an anchoring piece of your day – a connection to home or home routines. The right magic touches to your ritual might be the perfect way to bring a hint of home with you. Another reason for buying myself cashmere bedsocks? Yes, please! Any activity can become a morning ritual – whether it works as a powerful one depends on your approach. If you’re clear what end you have in mind in doing it, if you work to find an activity that genuinely helps you to clear stuck, jaded or negative energy so you become increasingly open to the opportunities that the day offers to you, boost your connection to your inner wisdom so you know which opportunities are perfect for your and if you’re prepared to breathe a little magic into it, you may find that even as little as 5 or 10 minutes spent each morning undertaking your ritual can transform your life.
If you aren’t quite ready to create a morning ritual yet, here are some quick and simple tips for making the most of your morning – and setting yourself up for a positive outlook. If you are ready for a ritual, applying these tips as well will help you to boost the power of your morning practice. ■ Eat breakfast. ■ Avoid the news – four lying politicians, two grisly murders and an ecological disaster before breakfast is not good for the spirit. ■ Try to avoid gossip media. It’s like coca cola for your soul. It’s designed by brilliant people to be pleasurable and addictive so you miss how it really makes you feel deep down. Start your day as the most glorious version of yourself without cynicism, judgement or (comparison fed despair). ■ Resist surfing the internet and social media until you’ve done one thing that will positively impact your work or life. You could allocate a time limit like 30 minutes (90 would be better) of meaningful work before logging on. The easiest way to implement doing this is to decide and write down what you’re going to spend your time getting done the day/night before.
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Made for Music | Part 2 if you would like to receive the upcoming Part 2 and Part 3 of this magazine go ahead and click
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Š Tamara Gal-On UK 2015