James Barbour

I had a realization over the past few days and it had to do with time management and so I asked this question of myself. Am I using my time efficiently? Over the past few weeks I became "diverted" with some tasks that took me away from the regular work that I was focused on. Although those tasks were important I felt as if I was being pulled away from things that I needed to do and yet did not have the time to do them. I was taking phone calls any moment I could, hopping on Zoom calls in the middle of other activities and basically did anything I could to keep all the balls in the air. Here's the realization. I was able to do it...all. I realized that my time was now focused on completing tasks and getting things done in a timely fashion and that, oddly enough, gave me MORE time that I thought that I had. I wasn't "wasting" time on unnecessary things and as such I was doing things faster and more efficiently. I was completing tasks and moving on to another i...

How often do you stop yourself from pursing a goal?  Moreover, how often do you stop yourself from pursing a goal because someone else tells you you can’t? The noise, the banter, the doubt creep in from the outside  All of these things and more are like little tiny darts being thrown at you in an effort to keep you down, to stop you from expanding and growing. To keep you  imprisoned in your self doubt.  So what if you just turned off the noise?  Turned off the naysayers and listened to yourself….your TRUE self.  Make a list of the things you want to accomplish and WHY you want to accomplish them. Whenever the doubt creeps in, the noise gets louder or the banter start filtering into your thoughts, go back to that list and look at the “whys”.  Remember WHY you wanted to reach that goal in the first place and then drive forward with that as your fuel. Your destiny is waiting. 

When you know how to do something, doing it seems pretty simple.   Obvious right?  You know how to drive a car, now you do it without even thinking about it.  But remember when you just were learning?   You had so many things to think about at the same time. It may have seemed overwhelming or at best a little confusing, making sure that you were doing it right.  And the first time you hopped on a highway behind the wheel, very different than after you had driven for a while. Once you knew how to drive you had integrated the power of information.  The information about the car and how to drive it. Well the same thing is true with the information I share in my new book The Artist's Survival Guide.   The tools I reveal are things most artists have never been taught, exposed to or even seen.   In the book I shed light on the not so secret, secret tools of entrepreneurs and marketers and how these tools are vitally important to the success o...

Should I go to University and get a degree?   This is a question I've been asked countless times.  Full disclosure here, I went to a four year program and graduated with a degree.  However, my viewpoint has shifted over the years and my answer might surprise you. I'm going to share some info and let you choose for yourself which you feel would be the best scenario for you.   Let me break this down for you and you can decide for yourself.  The average cost of going to a reputable arts University ranges between $50,000 - $60,000+ per year depending on the school. That means that a four year program (at a $55K per year average) is going to run you $220,000 (minimum).  This doesn't include any extras.  Most universities don't include housing and food in the tuition.  In short, it's freaking expensive.  ( Grab a FREE chapter of my new book The Artist's Survival Guide by clicking here. ) If you go to University and spend 4 years getting ...