An artist lives many lives both on and off the screens. While he dons multiple caps on screen, depending upon the requirements of the project, his life off the screen takes him through many ups and downs, depending up the ongoing phase of his career. Just like many other professions, an artists’ success is not always proportional to his talent and skill set. There are innumerable examples of actors who were highly talented and had all the prerequisites of being a successful actor but ended up being sidelined due to various reasons. Could they have done something different? Would an executive coach have made a difference to how their career eventually panned out? As distinct as the paths of artists and an executive coach may seem at first, their combination can actually be a wonderful partnership both professionally as well as personally.
Life of a struggling artist is tough in India. The years before you become an ‘overnight star’ never come into the limelight. In fact, only a handful of artists complete this journey. One of the first things that budding artists struggles with is the feeling of envy he develops looking at another artist’s skills. Envying someone else is not always a sign of lack of confidence in your own abilities. However, when an artist you consider having a level of skill set same as yours ends up getting more accolades than you, an envious feeling is natural. In order to come out on top, it is imperative to channelize this feeling and focus on the task ahead. An executive coach with all his professional experience can handle this situation in an excellent manner, probing the artist with insightful questions helping him look at this own strengths and focussing all energy on the factors in his own control and before anyone knows it, the career gets back on track.
Executive coach can solve struggling artist’s conundrum
Let’s be very practical and address the biggest concern of some struggling artists. When you are not doing well at your primary profession which is your bread earner, financial crunches are obvious. As an artist trying to make it big in the world of glitz and glamour, you need to maintain a certain standard of living since you need to be visible in the social circles in order to catch someone’s eye. However, there is always a risk in taking up side roles to pay for your expenses since you don’t want to be type casted into an actor who is only meant for secondary projects. This conundrum is faced by a majority of struggling artists. This perhaps highlights a lack of confidence in one’s own art. The fear of being typecast into specific kinds of projects stops the growth of the artist and doesn’t give him the courage to try his hand on unorthodox projects. As an artist, it is especially difficult to come out of this situation since there is no one to talk about it and share your apprehensions. An executive coach is ideally suited and trained to handle such a situation since he can be a true thought partner in such situations, giving the artist a neutral perspective while bringing all his experience into play. The experience of handling similar situations in the corporate world places the executive coach really well to get the best of this conundrum.
One of the biggest fears faced by any artist is the feeling of being irrelevant. While big superstars are recognized everywhere and their opinion, however pragmatic or otherwise, are taken seriously, struggling artists rarely get this kind of treatment. This treatment can swiftly erode anyone’s confidence in his own ability, thus hurting the prospects of professional growth. The best way to overcome this is to have a neutral person by your side who understands you, your strengths, weaknesses and aspirations and gives a well balanced, unbiased opinion. There is no one better suited for this job than an executive coach who comes across such issues rather frequently with corporate leaders and their projects.
Successful actors can benefit from executive coach too
While aspiring artists have their struggles, well established artists have their own set of issues that they need assistance with. Though they have achieved professional success in their field, their personal life is not always as glorious as their on screen avtars suggest. In fact, many well established actors have gone on record admitting their fight against depression or other personal struggles they have been up against. The hollowness of this glamorous industry is well documented and accepted by many. The benefits of having an executive coach go way beyond the professional life and helps in sorting out personal issues as well by being a patient listener, a probing thought partner and giving neutral opinion whenever asked for.
It takes years of hard work and perseverance for an artist to turn into an overnight success. While millions start this journey every year, only a few actually capture the imagination of the public. This journey through the darkness needs a partner in the form of an executive coach who can show the light when it is needed the most.