Monday Morsel: Awesome Advice from Songbird Amel Larrieux

Soul music icon, Amel Larrieux recently stopped by Abiola's Passion Party to dish on what she's been up to since her days with the Grammy-nominated duo, Groove Theory and how she keeps herself inspired when life as an artist gets tough. A singer-songwriter, keyboardist and producer, Amel juggles many different jobs and responsibilities and Greenlight Yourself was able to ask Amel how she maintains the balance between being an artist and being a business woman. Click play to learn her secrets.

I particularly love when she talks about being on the road to owning herself as an artist. Most of us are no strangers to the demands that are placed on our art and our person while building a career and it's quite comforting to know that that pressure happens at all levels of success. Moral of the story: you are not alone!

Has Amel inspired you? Please leave a comment and share this post with your community.

Success Secret: Form a Mastermind Group

Let's face it, empire building is exhausting! Especially if you try to do it all by yourself. Everyone needs help sometimes and a mastermind group can be a great tool for peer support, career development and inspiration.

The mastermind group concept, introduced by Napoleon Hill and inspired by Andrew Carnegie, is a group of people focused on helping one another succeed. The idea being that two heads are better than one and accountability goes a long way to keeping people on track. 

If you have career goals you need to get a firmer handle on, you might want to try creating a mastermind group. It doesn't have to be fancy or involve a lot of people. In fact, I recommend gathering only a few trusted friends or colleagues. Smaller groups are more nimble and focusing on fewer people can help prevent a sense of overwhelm. 

Here are a few tips for creating a group of your own:

• Determine the purpose of your group. Do you want to focus on general career development or do you need help bringing a specific project to fruition? It's helpful if each participant is interested in working in the same area. That way, strategies and tips for one person may be easily applied to others in the group. 

• Choose your participants wisely. When selecting people, consider things like temperament, communication skills, a spirit of reciprocity and accountability. Also make sure each person is committed to and capable of doing the work. Being supportive can sometimes be tough stuff and bringing the wrong people to the table could prove disastrous.

• Set the ground rules. Again, this doesn't have to be super fancy. No one suggests that you follow Robert's Rules of Order but everyone should be on the same page about what is expected of them so they'll know whether or not they can seriously commit to participating. Consider how often you'll meet and for how long? Will the group be together for a month, for three months, a year? It's up to you to decide.

• Have fun with it. The group should encourage and inspire each member. If it feels like a chore, you're probably not doing it right! Pursuing your dreams is not always easy but getting closer to living your dreams should feel really good!

Have you ever formed or been part of a mastermind group? Did it help you or was it a total disaster? Please share your story in the comments below. Here's a resource that provides more information about mastermind groups and how to do it right. Good luck!

8 Questions to Ask Before Getting a Creative Partner

Partners, collaborators and co-conspirators. We've all had them at one time or another even if it was only in grade school. You remember? Your running buddies! The people with whom you hatched elaborate schemes for fun or mischief or both. Drawn together by a common goal, you combined resources and brain power to make life more interesting and satisfying. It was good stuff even if the plans didn't always turn out perfectly. Succeed or fail, it was time well spent.

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Fast forward a few years. Your schoolhouse schemes have graduated and become artistic visions and business plans. Gone are the days of doing things just for the fun of it. You now have a direction and a mission, a career to build. Still, sometimes you long for the days of having a comrade in arms and you consider getting a creative partner. Great! It could be as it was before. Shared resources, shared brain power, big dreams realized!

Hold on, not so fast.

Creative partnerships are huge undertakings and as an artist, you must carefully consider all the possible triumphs and pitfalls before deciding to join forces with another. More so than in other professions, as an artist, your work product is deeply personal as it is both a reflection of you and a part of you. So if you're thinking about combining your creative mojo with that of another, let's consider a few things first.

Ashton Kutcher's inspiring Teen Choice Awards speech

In accepting his Ultimate Choice award during the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, Ashton Kutcher not only revealed his real first name, Chris, but had some wonderful words of wisdom for his legions of adoring, teenaged fans and for the rest of us. Ashton is a white-hot example of a do it yourself Greenlighter and his speech was an incredible display of those principles. Watch it!

Photo Credit: Getty Images

 - Watch More Funny VideosAshton Kutcher Forces You To Like Him

20 MORE Tips to Juice Your Creativity

We're continuing our mission to help you create a crave-worthy career with 20 more tips to juice your creativity! Immerse yourself in the juicy goodness and share them with your favorite creative friends. And don't forget to check out the first 25 Tips.

1. Take your work seriously. You're making a contribution to the world that would not exist without you. Honor that reality.
2. Ask for support when you need it. Working in a vacuum is not necessary to preserve your authentic expression.
3. Give credit where credit is due. All artists are influenced by work that came before them. If you were inspired by someone or something, happily say so!
4. Embrace technology. You may be surprised how helpful it can be in your process.
5. Look for inspiration in unlikely places. Is there someone in another industry that you admire? Can you translate what they do into your area of expertise?
6. Eliminate energy drainers from your life. Be they people, places or things.
7. Identify your biggest distractions and take steps to minimize their presence during your peak creative times.
8. Be clear about who you are as an artist. What do you want to be known and remembered for?
9. Find online and offline communities to join. Social interaction can break many a creative block.
10. Be kind to yourself and commit to eliminating negative self talk.
11. Remember that perfection does not exist. Really, it doesn't.

7 Apps to Help You GSD (Get Sh*t Done)

Whether you're just beginning to manage your career or you're running a mini-empire, you're probably grappling with having all the tools you need to make things run smoothly. With so many things to do and so little time, technology can really step in, help manage your resources and smooth the path so you can focus more time on doing the work you love to do.

Here's a list of my absolute must-have apps for getting sh*t done.

Evernote

Evernote is hands down my favorite app of all time. I use it for everything: note keeping, list making, clipping web pages to read later, you name it. With so much information coming at us all the time, it's impossible to remember even a fraction of it and Evernote fits the bill. It's available on all platforms and it's one of the few apps in my arsenal that is continuously improved. I love the UI! You can have several notebooks and organize and retrieve notes by project, label or date. My favorite features include the Chrome browser extension for easy web clipping and a new-ish reminder system that keeps must-do action items at the forefront.

Google Drive

I love the Google ecosystem! They've done a fantastic job of centralizing information and making it all easily accessible and totally connected. Google Drive is available on all platforms and devices and is particularly helpful for those in the performing arts because you can create documents and keep your resume and photos readily available for sharing at a moment's notice. Need to tweak something for a potential client? No problem. It's a fast moving world and you don't want to have to wait until you get back to your computer before you can send your particulars to interested parties. It's like having a traveling media kit that's shared with just a couple of clicks.

Emmy nominees Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle on life in Hollywood

No strangers to success, Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle are two of the hottest actors working in Hollywood today. Each plays the lead character in a blazing hot television show, Cheadle takes us to dark, sordid and hilarious places as Marty Kaan on Showtime's House of Lies and Washington plays Olivia Pope, the political fixer/presidential mistress on ABC's Scandal. And for their troubles, they've both received Primetime Emmy nominations this year in a contest that is sure to be closely watched and hotly debated.

They talented pair sat down with Variety editor Jon Weisman for a frank discussion on what it's like to live and work in Hollywood. Here's a brief excerpt from their conversation and I encourage you to watch the video in its entirety. I found it encouraging and enlightening and I hope you will too!

Variety: Looking back on your own careers, what was the ebb and flow like and what was it like trying to get started?

Don: It's so funny: Kerry and I did a movie a long time ago called The United States of Leland, and I was looking at the cast list of that movie. Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Jenna Malone, Kevin Spacey, Chris Klein, Michael Pena...

Kerry: Wow, yeah!

Don: You know, all people that are still working, which is pretty fascinating. But I came out of school -- I graduated in 1986 -- in a time when those great TV shows, LA Law and Hill Street Blues and all the comedies that were on TV, and (for) all of those roles and guest spots you could get as a no-name actor that had no track record, no resume. If you were good, you could get that shot. Those shots are all being filled now with people who have name recognition. And that's tough. People come up to me now and ask me, "What can I do to start?" and I have no idea. When I started acting, I walked into a room with a casting director; I met the producer, the director. Now they go in a room and there's a camera in a corner or they're taping themselves at home (and) emailing them in, and that's just antithetical to the way I -- I don't even know how to start now. I count myself very fortunate. I don't think I'm "there," quote unquote. I always feel like it's a grind.

Kerry: I actually think that attitude is what keeps the actors that are consistently working actors, that's what keeps you in the game. ... If you look at someone like Diahann Carroll, if you ask someone who Diahann Carroll is, it depends on how old they are. People of my generation or younger are like, "Isn't that Whitley's mother from A Different World?" Or people from my mother's generation will give you Julia. In between, there's Agnes of God and Dynasty. ... People like Rita Moreno and Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand keep reinventing themselves. They directed, they produced film and television and theater. We are constantly willing to work in all different mediums because you just want to work ... it's about continuing to grow as an artist and as a craftsperson.

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To read more of the transcript visit Variety.com and don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Greenlight Guru: Storyteller Dawn J. Fraser of Barbershop Stories

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Greenlight Guru is an interview series that highlights artists across disciplines who have created projects and businesses around their art. This month I welcome humorist, writer and storyteller Dawn J. Fraser of Barbershop Stories!

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"Instead of thinking of your project as 'ready, aim, fire' 

think of it as 'ready, fire, aim!'" ~ Dawn J. Fraser

GY: What is your current passion project and how did it come about?

DJF: I have two passion projects, one which is more “fun” and one which is more “business”, but both support my interest in building a platform as a writer and performer. The first is Barbershop Stories, a storytelling show that I host and produce that features poets, musicians and performers sharing true tales in New York City salons. Then I chop off their hair!

My second project is a series of speeches, workshops and educational programs. My academic background is in public policy and leadership, and as a storytelling instructor, I started seeing the ways in which a well told story could be inspiring and engaging. I’ve since made it my goal to not only entertain when I speak, but to also leave audiences with practical life skills and a memorable message.

What was your reason for starting Barbershop Stories and your speaking series?

I was at a storytelling show one night, and after the show I met a professor in the audience. He mentioned that he taught a communications course at a business school, and how he wished that he could show his class how to apply some of the techniques of storytelling to his group of rigid, unengaged presenters. I told him I would develop a workshop for his class, free of charge, in exchange for them video taping the event. 

I put together a workshop that got students working on their feet. The professor was so pleased that he agreed to bring me back for another session and to find some funds so I could get paid. I went back a few months later, did a great job with the workshop, and that led to two more booked workshops. That's when I really started to take notice that there could be a way to use my expertise as a performer and a storyteller to make some side money or possibly even a career.

What has been the best thing about your experience?

It may sound crazy, but I love the unexpected twists, turns and lessons that come when bringing a creative idea to life. Although I started Barbershop Stories as a fun way to showcase some of the city's best performers, it allowed me to explore a creative skill where I didn’t have as much experience: as an MC and host. I’ve since grown to love the art of hosting and might even look into ways to promote myself in this way after I’ve successfully completed my current passion projects. For storytelling and speaking, the best part has been realizing that I can do something that I love and truly make a living!

25 Tips to Juice Your Creativity & Catapult Your Career

Let's be honest, building a successful career is a lot of work and building a crave-worthy creative career is really tough. Sometimes you get overwhelmed or feel downright uninspired. But don't be discouraged! I've composed a list of twenty-five tips you can use to get your creativity flowing and keep you on the crave-worthy career path. Go ahead, soak 'em up and share them with your fellow creatives!

1. Get clarity on your career goals. Write a mission statement that excites you.
2. Stick a post-it with your artistic and career goals on your mirror or computer. Glance at it daily.
3. Keep your enthusiasm for your work by reminding yourself each day why you love what you do.
4. Be accountable. Find a buddy and meet weekly via phone, Skype or in person.
5. Expand your network. Success is not created in a vacuum.
6. Strengthen your network. Stay in touch and share resources/news with new contacts. Don’t just collect business cards.
7. Give yourself credit. Pursuing your dreams is amazing!
8. Take a look at your daily activities. Are they helping or hindering you?
9. Avoid autopilot. Be aware of each decision you make and why.
10. Success comes in many forms. Decide what success means for you and avoid comparing yourself to others.
11. Use the barter system but make sure the trade is equitable.

Greenlight Yourself Quote of the Day: Dare to Win

Daily Dose: Aim for the company of immortals!

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Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals. 

~ David Ogilvy

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Greenlight Guru: Ingrid Graham of Collaboration Movement

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Greenlight Guru is an interview series that highlights artists across disciplines who have created projects and businesses around their art. I'm delighted to have the lovely and talented Ingrid Graham of Collaboration Movement launch this series!

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Ingrid Graham. Photographed by Martha Benedict for the Los Angeles Women in Theatre Festival.

"The minute you embark on your passion project, your perspective changes. You are inspired and you thrive." Ingrid Graham

GY: Ingrid, please tell us about your passion project.

IG: My current passion project is my dance company Collaboration Movement which involves choreography, performing, teaching and films. I started the company because I wanted a vehicle for my choreography and I wanted to dance again. Dance is a huge part of my essence. I love performing work that I have choreographed and it's exciting for me to see my choreography interpreted by dancers as well.

What has been the best part of your venture?

The best part has been watching my dream flourish. There have been so many outlets for my work. I have seen opportunities present themselves through the formation of my company that I am so grateful for. For example, my dance films have screened and received honors all over the US and internationally. I have also had the privilege of working with outstanding artists in all genres of the arts.

What has been your greatest lesson?

My greatest lesson has been to follow my heart. I encountered a lot of opposition in the creation of my dance company. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances tried to dissuade me from pursuing this endeavor. I am thrilled that I never listened to them. In the end, we all know what we want to do with our lives. Don't let fear paralyze you. Ask for help if you need it. If you are following a dream and working hard to achieve it, I believe you will make it. It takes persistence, vision and optimism.

If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently, if anything?

Since I started the company I have been focusing more on solo work. I'm now working on a solo show and I have to say I absolutely love it! In my first year, the focus of my work was ensemble pieces. I think this experience helped me realize that I needed to be dancing more.

Why do you think passion projects are important?

I think passion projects are a necessity. So many people I meet are just trying to "survive." The minute you embark on a passion project your perspective changes. You are inspired and you thrive. I think everyone should experience this feeling at some point in their life.

Is Your Lack of Focus Preventing Your Success?

One of the biggest challenges artists (and producers) face is choosing between the scores of great ideas we have on a daily basis. If you're anything like me, you can't resist diving into a shiny new idea. After all, it's bright and sparkly and filled with limitless possibilities. But if you're not careful, you can quickly end up with piles of barely begun projects which can lead to stagnation and frustration.

That's where the Big D of Discipline comes into play. Truth time. Discipline has never been one of my strong suits. I often need a taskmaster to keep me on track and in the absence of said master, I'll wile away my hours dabbling with whatever idea tickles my fancy while perusing fashion blogs and watching General Hospital reruns. As a function of discipline, focus is one of the most important tools in your toolbox.

When the lure of a shiny new project is beckoning you, consult your mission statement and ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this project in line with my vision?
• Will this project get me closer to my goals for the week/month/year?
• Will I be more fulfilled by taking on this project right now?
• Do I have the resources necessary to make it a success? If not, is there someone who can provide or connect me with those resources?
• Is there real value in pursuing this project over my current commitments?

If you answered 'yes' more than you answered 'no,' go for it. Figure out how you can make it happen without seriously depleting yourself, creating stress or hindering your current projects. If you answered 'no' more often, perhaps it's not the best time for you to take on a new project. And remember, sometimes a 'no' is really a 'not right now.'

I highly recommend keeping a running log of projects that you'd love to tackle just as soon as you get the time and/or connections you need. By keeping a list of 'In the Very Near Future' projects, you'll always have a clear idea of what's coming up next for you. A list helps you stay focused without feeling like you're stifling your creativity. It's a win-win!

What tricks do you use to help stay focused? Don't be shy, pony up in the comments below!

Welcome!

Hello!! My name is Patranila Jefferson and I'm super excited to launch Greenlight Yourself: The Lifestyle Manual for Creative Entrepreneurs!!

I know what you're thinking. All entrepreneurs are creative, they have to be. And you're absolutely right! Being an entrepreneur requires tremendous creativity, flexibility, resourcefulness and many, many other things! What I mean by 'creative entrepreneurs' in this context is those artsy folks. You know, your actors, your singers, dancers, painters, sculptors...the folks that create and craft things out of thin air and then perform or display them for your enjoyment! And for the record, I count myself among that group for sure. More about my stuff here but for now, back to the mission at hand!

I started Greenlight Yourself because when I was a young actor just starting out, I made an alarming amount of god-awful mistakes with regard to my career decisions. Looking back, I wished I'd had someone who could have given me a tiny bit of real-world advice. Sure there were books on how to make it as an actor but the thing about books is, by the time one is in the 'book writing phase of life' one is usually quite removed from the actual day-to-day hustle. There weren't any resources by people who were in the trenches, sweating it out everyday. That's what I hope Greenlight Yourself will be. An honest, inspiring guide for navigating the often treacherous waters of life in the arts. It is designed to help you create the career you crave.

Each week I'll share resources and tips on career visioning, planning and marketing as well as the latest in entrepreneur style and tech savvy goodness that makes a busy life easier and a little more fun. I'll also profile artists/entrepreneurs whose stories I hope will inspire and encourage you! We'll talk all about the dos and don'ts for career building and focus specifically on how you can take your career into your own hands and Greenlight Yourself!

So, welcome aboard and let's get to it!

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