There are many ways our creative spirit can be knocked, so it pays to have a few tips up your sleeve for boosting your creative confidence.
Through any art form but especially when singing, as we are our instruments and in turn, our voices can be affected by physical and mental stressors.
Here are some tips for boosting your confidence that can help you to avoid falling into any emotional traps that risk holding you back from being the best singer you can be.
Creative confidence comes from clarity
Know yourself and what you want so that you have confidence in your decision making process. Being sure in what you want will help you grasp the opportunities that come to you.
Trust that you are unique and work hard to make your voice the best it can be.
With this clarity in yourself and your direction, chances are good that success will be knocking on your door often.
Knowing yourself and what you want can make any ‘wins’ more manageable as opposed to scary as hell!
Embrace failure
You WILL make mistakes, that’s how we learn and it’s not the end of the world.
You will have disappointments, auditions you don’t get and performances that aren’t great.
Move forward by learning from the experience. Think about what you can change or do better next time.
Focus on what you have
The “If only I had…” thought process can stop you from seeing what strengths you have, what needs to be done to help you progress and at worst, can be an excuse to stay stuck where you are through a fear of success.
Try to not use a lack of resources, money, support (management or agent) to affect your confidence in achieving your goals.
There is always a solution. It may take a little longer than if you had what you felt was missing, but you will get there by moving forward with what you have.
Knowing yourself and your strengths will help you to focus on spotlighting what is GREAT and tweaking whatever you want to make better.
Learn to manage anxiety on and off stage
Performance anxiety is very real for many artists and can be debilitating.
There are a number of reasons this may happen. Nervousness about nailing the performance, making a mistake, not being prepared or not feeling good about yourself as a performer/singer/artist/creative.
Nerves can be helpful in keeping you focussed and accountable to try your hardest when you are performing. However, if it goes too far it can hinder your performances so finding ways to shift that energy into more of a positive excitement can help.
Anxiety offstage is also a confidence killer. Try to combat this by looking after yourself with a balanced diet, movement, relaxation opportunities and time out to nurture yourself with a bath or meditation. Do activities that make you feel good.
Avoid using alcohol to deal with nerves. It’s a depressant, which can fuel feelings of insecurity and lead to a lack of confidence.
Stay positive and stop self-sabotage or negative self talk
Fear and any insecurities negatively feed all areas of creativity.
You can acknowledge anything that is bothering you and find ways to manage it.
Talk to a counsellor or work with a vocal coach if you what you are feeling insecure about is singing or performance related.
Creatives have a delicate relationship with themselves and understanding this is the first step.
You will have doubts about your ability but how you manage them will be the key to not only succeeding as a performer but actually enjoying your performance experiences.
See my post that delves deeper into these elements as part of developing as an artist.
Train your voice
Take lessons to help you explore your voice safely and boost your confidence by knowing your instrument and having a plan to develop it.
Work with an experienced vocal coach to create long term goals for your voice.
If you’d like some help, book a time to chat with me about what your goals are for your voice and I’ll let you know how I can help you.
Train your ear
Support your vocals by working on your ear training.
Having a heightened confidence in your overall musical abilities is a great way to boost your confidence.
Learn an instrument
In the same way training your ear can boost confidence, improving your musical theory by learning an instrument will do the same.
Prepare, Practice, Persevere and Play
PREPARE – Make sure you are as prepared as you can be by PRACTICING regularly and having a clear practice plan.
PERSEVERE – It’s hard work improving any area of your life but the more you do something, the easier and more accomplished you become.
PLAY – Make sure you achieve some balance by playing and having fun to remind yourself as to why you love singing & lean into the enjoyment factor.
Managing expectations can boost your creative confidence
Nothing happens overnight regardless of whether your goal is to be a touring music artist or a doctor!
You need your passion to drive your goals forward.
Sometimes in the pursuit of stardom, we set outcomes like receiving a Grammy, which can act as a symbol of your achieved success.
Of course this is an awesome outcome! Do remember that first and foremost, you sing and engage in music making because you love it and it makes you feel good.
The best expectation you should have of yourself is that you WILL turn up and give your all to improving your singing.
Then that becomes the reward and the Grammy is a bonus!
Aligning your expectations with the reality of what it takes to be a great singer does not mean that you shouldn’t dream big.
It just means that the wins can be small & happen every day. We need to remember to acknowledge that & pat ourselves on the back.
What is some great advice that you have received for boosting your confidence?
Please share your tips in the comments.
Go forth and conquer!
Cherie