Recently I watched a Ted Talk by Daniel Levitin about "how to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed."  As someone who has dealt with severe stress and anxiety throughout my life I am always looking for new input on how to deal with it.  Stress management is essential to be successful in the entertainment business, especially when managing an artist.  In the beginning of the talk Daniel tells a story about having to break into his own house, because he forgot his keys inside. The result of this was Daniel waking up the next morning and forgetting his plane ticket, due to being stressed about the hole in his window.  He explains that when you stress your cortisol levels escalate poisoning your brain resulting in cloudy thinking.  This got him thinking about way to prevent stress before it happened.  Later he says his friend, Daniel Kahneman, gave him a  bit more insight on how to stop stress before it happens. Mr. Kahneman had told him that he had been practicing Prospective Hindsight.  What it all comes down to is organizing and preparing yourself.  He explains how putting everything that is easily lost in a specific area can help reduce the chance of you forgetting it.  Yeah, this sounds like common sense, but he has a point.  If you were to keep up with organizing and planning ahead you can usually eliminate most issues in the long run. There will still be unforseeable obstacles, but you will be better equipped to handle them.  Another point Daniel makes is to ask your doctor about two different percentages when being prescribed medicine; one is the chance of side effects and the other is the NNT (Number Needed to Treat).  Normally people aren't thinking about these two percentages when going to see the doctor, because at that point stress has usually taken over and that person just wants to be cured.  As Mr. Levitin says you should ask your doctor about both of these before taking any medicine, you may be shocked by the percentages.  Sure this may seem to add more stress but in the long run it can save you from even greater stress.  After listening to this talk and reflecting on it a bit I'd like to share a little input.  What Daniel Levitin says is useful knowledge for anyone, although you must follow it to a tee to get the wanted results.  for instance if you begin organizing things you fear you may lose, but you only place those things their designated area a few times then start leaving them where ever else you feel like it than it won't work.  You must be diligent and keep things organized. After awhile it should become second nature, and be imbedded into your mind where these things go and where you can find them.  The end results should reduce your stress level, because you won't be as worried about where things are or what happens next.  For more information on the Ted talk done by Daniel Levitin please visit the link below.

https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_levitin_how_to_stay_calm_when_you_know_you_ll_be_stressed#t-441810

Expecting The Worst Making The Best: Artist Struggles

As an Artist Manager you have to know what to expect whether it be good or bad.  The life of an artist is no cake walk, and you must be able to handle anything that comes your way.  Essentially as an artist manager you're signing on to walk side by side with an extremely talented individual who is taunted, harassed, yet also loved by millions.  One false step and it's a long hard road down hill.  There are many different forms of art and artists such as performance artists, painters, photographers, sculptors, etc.  If you have decided to take on the task of managing an artist than you probably have a love for the arts, so it's safe to assume you've followed other artist since you were a child.  I'm sure you've seen careers rise and fall within short periods of time.  Each having different reasons for their failures.  Some of the most notable struggles are depression, competition, lack of real talent, and timing.  Unfortunately, not much can be done about lacking real talent but the other three are workable.
There will always be competition, so the artist has to be able to keep up and keep getting better.  As a manager you must provide the artist with the tools to enhance themselves.  If this is done correctly an artist can hold their own and be successful no matter what competition comes around.
Timing is a big factor, because fads change very quickly.  What is popular today most likely won't be popular tomorrow.  As the Artist Manager you have to keep artists up to speed on what's new and hip.  They may not to make the changes necessary to be successful, but you have to push them to do so or their career could end very quickly.  This doesn't mean completely changing their art; instead it must be adjusted to still be their work but have a dash of what's popular at the time.
The biggest issue to me is mental illness/ depression.  When it comes to creative types and artists it's almost for certain they will have some type of mental illness.  Mental illness can be great for their creativity, but can be very harsh on the artist as a whole.  This can cause many complications, self esteem issues, drug usage, etc.  This is where an Artist Manager really needs to be able to handle themselves.  Successful artists normally don't have time for a real social life, or leisure time which makes these illnesses worse.  A good Artist Manager should be able to keep the artist's head above water when the world seems to be crashing down.  It's no easy task, but that's what separates the pros from the amateurs.
Take some time to study up on these struggles and pitfalls so when the time comes you're prepared.  The struggles listed here are only a few of the many obstacles you will come in contact with in regards to managing an artist.  Keep an open mind and take the storms as they come.  Managing an artist isn't just about numbers and connections, remember that.

Becoming an Artist Manager

So you think you have what it takes to control the fate of an artist.  You think you know the ups and downs of success in the entertainment business.  Well, maybe you do or maybe you are in for a big surprise.  Ask yourself this do you know how to budget, do you know how to set reasonable prices that will suit the customer and the artist, and can you lead even in complete darkness?  Life isn’t pretty kid and this industry isn’t an exception.  Artists want to make money and fans want everything for free.  One day you are on top of the world loved by everybody, and the next you’re a monster everyone wants you dead.  Can you handle this stress?  Can you convince musicians, actors, etc. that you are worth paying to lead them?  If you believe you are and that you can handle any burdens thrown your way than here are some pointers.  First off you need to find talent that is marketable, if you can’t market an artist they won’t go far.  Appearance matters, timing matters, location matters.  A good example of appearance is if you are trying to sell a pop star that looks like they were hit it the face with a shovel over and over again than they won’t have the sex appeal to bring in fans that gravitate towards that style of music.  That being said if you wanted to sell a metal band that looked like they were hit in the face over and over again with a shovel they might actually have a great deal of fans.   Timing matters because every ten years it seems styles and fads change, so you need to be with the times.  If you promote what was cool ten years ago; instead of what’s is the new and exciting no one will take you seriously except for maybe a few people still stuck in the past.  You have to keep up with this fast changing industry.  Keep in mind location, believe it or not preferences can change dramatically within a few miles.  A good example of this is sports teams if you promote the New York Yankees in Boston you will probably get thrown out of town to put it softly.  This works the same for styles of music.  You need to know what is popular and where it is popular.  What might help you in your journey to become an artist manager is to connect with different companies such as http://www.breakoutartistmanagement.com and http://www.iamaworld.com. I hope you have found this useful and good luck on your journey.