Our time is characterized by intense insecurity – personal, social, economic. As an artist, you must face an additional insecurity – artistic. Often, an artist’s decisions and choices are not driven by his personal filters, but by necessities, unwritten rules, and conditions that he does not define himself. This makes his journey even more challenging.

Unfortunately, a musician’s life is not always lights, glow, and beautiful moments. Rather, it can feel particularly impersonal and hard. The survival and development skills needed to tackle it do not come for granted, and their cost is sometimes great.

There are important factors that decide whether an artist’s development is successful or not. An abundance of talent and love for what he does is a necessary, but often insufficient prerequisite to success. Quite often, artists have to make choices that can determine their course. These choices are based on answers to questions like:

What to choose?

– How do I work with and with whom?
– Will I be given the right opportunity?
– Will I meet the challenges?
– How do I manage success or failure?
– Can I do better? Is it worth it?
– I have come this far, and now what?

Many rising artists have never really moved on, and many big names and groups have not progressed – or even quit – because they did not provide the answers to these (and many other) questions that would allow for better development.

Therefore, it is of great importance to acknowledge all these factors and consider that artists need specific attention and support. They use sensitive and deeply emotional sensors on which their creativity, performance, and attitude are highly dependent. Self-awareness and originality are much needed when things get out of hand.

Thus, having the right support – either preventative or by means of intervention – is a very
important element of an artist’s journey. Knowing there is someone to turn to, someone who can provide support, motivation, guidance, enhancement, encouragement, and crisis handling makes all the difference.

The author of this article is Sotiris Hill – a Psychologist from Greece. He has been working as a professional psychologist in the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki since 2007. Sotiris specializes in the field of addictions and rehabilitation as a therapist and counselor. He is interested in Internet addiction and has worked as a counselor in diverse fields like 3rd Age counseling and Army Support counseling. Sotiris is a government-certified psychology trainer, familiar with various therapeutic methods, such as Cognitive Analytic Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. The latest field of his activities is the Artist Support (Coaching). It combines his personal interest in music and counseling by adapting his skills for the particular needs of artists. Sotiris’ goal is to motivate musicians and enhance their creative abilities.