Overcome the Common Creative Struggle. How to Unlock Total Creative Freedom and Become Your Own Rockstar Employee.

You’re a creative, you’re passionate, you have something to express! You want to be a professional, living a life of total creative freedom. Working on what you want, when you want. Loving what you do because you chose to do it, not because you have to.

The truth is, the deep desire you have to express yourself, is at the fundamental core of your being.

Trust me, it’s not going anywhere.

You may have discovered this already. Yet, to achieve a lifestyle that centers around your passion and creativity, YOU have to build it.

You must become the rockstar of your world and CREATE your career. It won’t manifest itself, and no one will give it to you.

You’re going to have become the magic that makes it happen! To become magical, you must COMMIT yourself to the art of the craft.

Now it’s time to roll up those sleeves! (I hope you have sleeves)

The Paradox Of Freedom

Paradox is an interesting concept. In essence, it means something that contradicts itself. A fun example is the paradox of the liar, who states “everything I say is a lie”.

If the liar is lying for realsies, then the liar is telling the truth, which means the liar lied. Cognitive dissonance at it’s finest!

Freedom isn’t usually defined as a paradox, but thinking about it through that lens reveals a deeper truth.

To experience true freedom, you need to develop discipline and self-control. Such as building good habits, developing a work ethic and scheduling your time.

Herein lies the contradiction. The very nature of these acts of self-restraint, seek to control and limit your behaviors. Which is the opposite of the freedom to do whatever you want.

However, embodying those qualities of self-discipline is what will bring you the creative freedom you’re looking for!

“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.” Friedrich Nietzsche

If you don’t work to develop good habits, you’ll develop poor habits. If you don’t schedule your time, something else will. If you don’t focus on your priorities, someone else’s priorities will take your focus.

In other words, If you don’t create your own career, you’ll be working for someone else!

Be Pro-Active

Your first step in the quest for self-employed rock stardom is going to be to develop the habit of being proactive. This is the first habit of Steven Covey’s book, 7 Step Of Highly Effective People. As the future CEO of your own endeavors, you have to learn the skill to act of your own will and become responsible for your own life.

Holding yourself accountable to your schedule, and subsequent tasks will the most invaluable asset you will ever gain. This will lay the foundation for your success in creating a career for yourself.

Harness unshakable WORK ETHIC!

“Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, by their environment. Proactive people are driven by values — carefully thought about, selected and internalized values.” Steven Covey

Take some time to think about what your future will look like, develop a vision, a meaning, a purpose. This should go beyond your career goals. What kind of life do you want to live? What new skills do you want to learn? What are your health goals? What do you want to see?

Here is the big one: What is your underlying *“Why”?

Brainstorm all your ideas, break them down into actionable steps then grab a planner. Yearly, monthly, weekly goals and daily tasks. Then you can structure your life around your goals. Envision a holistic lifestyle that supports all aspects of a life you want to live. Also consider your skills, strengths, and preferences.

With this type of approach, you’ll be able to build a unified system. It can include when you wake, sleep, when and what you work on, your fitness and dietary habits, etc. Consequently, the habits you build will support you in your forward progress towards becoming an overall better version of yourself.

The key here is a sustainable plan. A routine that you can enjoy, grow with, and is flexible enough for you to remain free!

The Rockstar Employee

It’s like when a song on an album also shares the album’s name… but it’s a heading that matches the title of the blog!… I gotta work on these. Errhm

How do employees get promoted? What would you be looking for if you were the CEO of a company? Leadership.

Employees will typically get promoted because they have shown, along with their immaculate work ethic and pro-activity, that they are ready to handle the next level of responsibility.

Leadership naturally emanates from an inner sense of responsibility, along with a genuine interest in helping others. In the corporate world, it also reflects a deep-rooted belief in the company’s staff, goals, and values.

A real *rockstar* in the workplace.

In truth, as a creative entrepreneur, you are everything. The CEO, the staff, the rockstar employee, the counselor, janitor…

This is going to be a little odd. I ask you to find the same enthusiasm you would have in working your dream job with your best friends. Picture you work for a company that you whole-heartedly believe in.

You need to find that spark, within yourself.

Have the plan and decision making power of a CEO. Take the leadership role of the rockstar employee to go over and above. Encourage yourself as part of your own team! Embody the ethos of the company’s vision; your “why?”.

Creativity Is Not a Talent, It’s A Work Ethic

Creativity is not a talent. It’s a work ethic and a process. The most productive creative people are able to tolerate the uncomfortable feeling of having not solved a problem for longer. They’ve developed an efficient workflow and are able to persevere through those moments towards meaningful solutions.

They have a high threshold for spending time in those uncomfortable, all-to-familiar, mental spaces of actually… creating… things.

To harness your creativity to its highest potential, you’ll have to develop a certain tolerance for frustration. Every creator has known the feeling when “inspiration” strikes. When the work seems to flow seamlessly, problems decide to solve themselves, and new ideas appear as though they have minds of their own.

Unfortunately, this phenomenon doesn’t always happen and can’t be reproduced on demand; inspiration can’t be consciously created. What can you do in those moments when ideas are fleeting, problems become obsessions, and all paths seem exhausted?

“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” — Stephen McCranie

The true tried and tested answer to this question is that, while sometimes timid, inspiration prefers to reveal itself to those who work hard. As long as you manage to stay consistent with some sort of creative routine, your mind will eventually return to the appropriate state for more stimulating work.

It’s all about your work ethic and integrating it into a balanced lifestyle.

With these principles as your side-kicks, YOUR SUCCESS IS INEVITABLE!

1.Being A Rockstar

2. Pro Activity

3. Quality Work

4. Consistency

5. Perseverance

Interested in learning more? Click here to download your Mindset Map and discover your next steps in your musical journey.

My name is Alexandre Joyal. I help music creators achieve success with their music by teaching them how to produce themselves and adopt a creative mindset.