Michael Shoup

I recently received this painting featuring one of my favorite Stephen R. Covey quotes as a gift [thanks Chels!].  It’s now hanging in my bedroom as a life catalyst that I wake to every morning, and it reminded me this week how difficult it can be to maintain focus and balance in your life.

How many choices, obstacles, emails, phone calls, in-laws, clients, agents, or band members do you face every day that have the potential to derail your direction?

Some of you might know me from my music and some of you from my posts about getting out of your own way, but even with all the systems and analyzing I put my life actions through, I find myself needing to remember this quote and refocus every few months.  I find this to be true especially among creative personalities, which tend to thrive on the fuel of sleep deprivation, coffee, and directional ambiguity.

Trust me.  I’m right there with you.

I’ve mentioned the 5 steps I take to realign before.  Previously mentioned Stephen R. Covey has his own famous 7 Step system for maintaining stability as well.  But the common thread I find in almost every method or system to refocus is one similarity: break it down to build it up.

It would seem we’re all doing Too Much.

I love to make a nerdy music analogy of the situation.  You see, for every possible melody, there are an enormous amount of complex harmonies, arrangements, and rhythms that could accompany it.  But for a superbly written, well thought-out melody, there’s often nothing quite as beautiful as it being performed solo.

I feel like our lives are exactly the same.  We all have responsibilities.  We all have time commitments and excuses and reasons why things can or can’t happen.  But nothing is quite as beautiful… quite as stunningly successful as when we quiet all of those voices and stand alone chasing the Main Thing.

Not long ago, I started a collective of fellow artists inspired to help other artists quiet the storm around them and focus on that main thing. Between us, my team and I have experience from touring with Grammy Award winning bands to working behind the scenes at companies like SONY and MTV Networks, but we’ve always been in this business for independent artists.  Through advising and helping build a support structure around their craft, our aim is to help artists fearlessly give of their art, by fearlessly giving of ourselves.

And today I’d like to invite you to participate.

How This Works:

If you’re a musician, songwriter, or artist passionately sharing your talents but feeling like you’re going nowhere, I want to hear your story… and I personally want to help.  If you’re ready to smash fear, foster creativity, overcome your own stumbling blocks, and get out of your own way, fill out the form below and tell me about yourself. 

The Catch:

Just like my work with my own artistry and songwriting, I am determined to see the artists I help understand and succeed at their dreams.  This means I get wrapped up in their lives, desires, and dreams. I do everything in my power to help them succeed, which often means revealing deeply personal stories, creating opportunities, and sharing a deep bond with my artists.   I am so driven to help my artists succeed that if you don’t experience a change in drive and direction within four weeks of working with me, I will work with you for free until you do.  My goal is to help you build strengths that eliminate your need for my help.  However, because of the time and energy I invest into these relationships, my team and I cannot work with more than five artists at a time.

If this sounds like something you’re dying to try, take your time filling out the form below and let me know why you’re in need of help.  If I think we’re a good fit, I’ll be in touch.

Meanwhile, keep chasing.

~ michael

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