Success without alignment can feel empty. The people you collaborate with will shape not only your opportunities, but your well-being and the energy behind your work.

For the six years up to that point, I’d considered myself a songwriter and producer, not a business. Now the IRS was asking me to prove that I was a legitimate business entity.

Something important happens when we name overwhelming feelings of discomfort—whether it’s a mental health diagnosis, chronic illness diagnosis, or a fascist assault. Names stabilize, categorize, shape, and unmask chaos.  

The truth is: our paths, if we choose to embark on a truly creative journey as artists (and humans in general), should feel vulnerable. Our feeling of vulnerability is actually a sign that we’re doing it right.