For the Dreamers...

I saw this on Tyler Perry's page and wanted to share it with you all for some mid-week motivation. This is for all of you who are feeling that frustration with where you are at in life and are at the point of giving up to accept mediocrity because you don't see how you can make the dream placed in your heart possible. I've been there before. I think that anyone who has been successful has wanted to give up at least once but more realistically many many times. Don't give up. This is your time to strengthen your faith in yourself and in the plan for your life.

Check out what Tyler had to say about this here: 

THIS IS FOR FRUSTRATED DREAMERS

I was driving in to work this morning and I started thinking about all the days I dreaded going to work. I was so sick of it… the job, my boss, the people I worked with, the traffic… I would wake up angry every morning. I didn’t want to deal with the crap of the job, but I was forced to go. I had been homeless, I was broke, living paycheck to hopefully the next paycheck. I couldn’t take a day off for fear I would get fired. I was just frustrated. I thought I hated my life and the job.

It was so aggravating because God had placed all these dreams and hopes in my soul and mind and I had no idea how they were going to come to pass. To have a dream of being something better and living better than the way I was at that moment and to not see a way of getting there felt like death to me. I thought, “Dear God, why would you give me so much hope and not make a way?” But what I learned through prayer was, with no path in front of you and no road map… this is where true faith begins. With faith I realized that I wasn’t frustrated with my life or the job, I was frustrated because I was a person who had dreams for myself, a person who had visions for my life and I wasn’t living it. Have you ever been there, where you felt so strongly that there was more to this life than what you see in front of you?

One of the most difficult things about being a dreamer is the fear that the dream will never happen. I’m here as a living witness to tell you your dreams can come true. You can’t give up. And I am here to let you know that everything can work together for your good. The time that you are spending on that job that you think is a dead end is not. You’re being prepared just like I was. I was a shoeshine boy, I worked as a bill collector, a used car salesman, in housekeeping in a hotel, and they all were preparation for where I am now.

What do these things have to do with where I am now? I’m glad you asked. I am able to use skills that I learned. I shined shoes, so I know how to shine my shoes if I need them to look nice. Selling used cars was a great way to learn how to close a deal. Bill collecting taught me great negotiation skills. Working at that 5-star hotel taught me a lot about travel. Every experience in your life is here to teach you something.

Today, while you’re at work, don’t be frustrated. Look around you and ask God what are you there to learn and how will it be a part of your future dream. Honor that job, do the best you can at it, because God will bless you for honoring something that belongs to another.

I hope this inspires you today. If you need a little more inspiration then watch my first sit-down interview in years with Oprah on Oprah's Next Chapter. It airs this Sunday on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network at 9/8c. I talk a little about not giving up. I know it will move you.

Here’s a prayer for today: “God help me hold on, help me to get to what I dream of, help me to honor where I am today so that I can appreciate where I will be tomorrow. In Jesus' name.”

MONDAY MOTIVATION: Money Talks

In 1993, Jay Z and his friend Damon Dash sold his record out of Dash's car.... and well the rest is history! Tyler Perry spent his life savings to make a musical that people did not attend!  He was homeless for a time and spent many months living in cheap motels and his car!   Finally in 1998, he was successful and never looked back! 

What Jay Z and Tyler Perry have in common is that they didn't give up and they also invested in their own dreams, spent their own money to make things happen!  By investing in their dreams both of these men have changed the face of the entertainment industry. Yet, by  having the support of the black community they also have changed the way in which urban culture is viewed by the mainstream!  The only way we can make changes is if we as artist choose to invest in our own projects, but also reach out to our various  communities  to support our projects.

I have invested thousands of dollars in my own productions and some have been very successful ventures and some have lost me money but I still kept/keep going, because I believe in my work, believe in my talent--Believe that I have something very important to offer this world!Lately,  I've been really impressed with the numerous innovative ways that artists are now choosing to invest in themselves and their work, and their dreams. 

My brother, Darren Anthony recently started his own indiegogo campaign to raise money to turn his successful play, Secrets of a Black boy,  into a short film entitled THE REC, with the hopes of eventually making it into a feature.  He is a few thousand dollars away from his dream and I would encourage you to support him!  We need to support artists who are changing the "game." To find out more about THE REC and to support Darren's work check out this video. 

I recently had the pleasure of meeting playwright Katori Hall, one of the few black womyn to have her play on Broadway. Hall shared with me that director Kenny Leon was instrumental in going to the community to raise 3.1 million dollars in order to bring her play to Broadway!! Wow! 

As I'm currently embarking on my own initiatives to raise money for my own production of 'da Kink in Atlanta, I was inspired by Kenny Leon's tenacity to raise such a great sum.  Suddenly, my own efforts to balance 'da Kink budget didn't seem so daunting and I realize I just have to raise the money, one dollar at a time!  

So,  trust me folks in the next few weeks I will be rolling out an initiative to get donors, investors, and supporters on board and yes I will probably be clearing out all my life savings once again to make my dream of bringing 'da Kink to Atlanta happen!  I believe money talks, money changes the game and money changes the way we are able to tell our stories!  I strongly urge you, if you want to see more diverse stories on stage, on television and in the media, it's time you put your money where your mouth is! Let your money talk! Invest in your artists! And also invest in yourself! If your dream is important to you spend your own money as well!

Please also remember to donate to Darren Anthony's production and help him actualize his dream! In the next few weeks I will be using my blog once per week to highlight various artists who need our community support to make their dreams come true! If you have an initiative please feel free to contact me and I will try my best to support it and help you spread the word!  Every penny counts, donate even just $5 and if you've got it, donate MORE!!! Let your money talk! 

Ownership vs. Owned: Tyler Perry Drops Knowledge on the Cover of Men's Health Magazine

I was at a store a couple of days ago, passed the magazine stand and I literally did a double take at this month's Men's Health Magazine when I saw Tyler Perry on the cover. What caught my attention is that I would have never expected to see Tyler grinning from ear to ear on the cover of this type of magazine. Tyler has faced plenty of criticism in the past and present about the image that he represents as the infamous character 'Madea' in his series of movies and plays. He recently seems to be making moves towards expanding his brand outside of the franchise that has made him famous by branching outside of his comfort zone. He currently stars in the recently released action film, Alex Cross, as well as his soon to be developed partnership with Oprah's OWN network.

Along with his expansion into new territories, in the magazine he talks about continually sticking to his basic principles of investing in himself and into his craft. A lesson I think we should all take note of. In the magazine he says:

On owning his own things and investing in his career.
The thing about using other people’s money is they’re going to set the rules. So at the beginning I used my money, kept reinvesting in myself. Now I own all my content, as opposed to having someone else own it and me being ‘work for hire.’ That’s the difference between doing well and having generations of wealth to pass on to your children.” [source: NecoleBitchie.com]

This couldn't be more timely of a topic as I will be sharing tips and stories with attendees at The Artist Millionaire workshop this Saturday about building financial success from your passion. I have also worked hard to live by this philosophy in my own career as I think that it is important to keep funding your craft so that you not only improve and reach new levels but also so that you can ultimately have complete ownership of your work. A difficult thing for artists is often seeing your dreams and work pulled apart and altered by someone else's vision because they are funding it so they have the final say.

It's my own Artist Millionaire dream to produce more work, fund my own content and open up a theatre in Toronto to provide opportunities to emerging talents.

The lesson in all of this comes down to one simple word: ownership. Treat yourself and your craft as a business in which you need to constantly invest in, in order to build your brand and propel to the next level. It's easy to value the instant gratification of buying material possessions once some money starts rolling in from your work, but it is truly valuable to put money back into where it counts - you.

If you haven't done so already, please check this link to register for the workshop. Take this as an opportunity to begin investing in yourself and your craft! Space is almost full, take the step now!