Many of the people from the last few generations who have became Artists did so because they yearned to be: freeing and expressing their creativity, speaking the truth, expressing social insights to help raise consciousness of things that need to change for the better and continuing their growth as people.  The modern Art/Music/Theater business has become in many ways the antithesis of many of these goals. So I decided to express my views on each point, to let my audience who I value tremendously and want to encourage to be creative themselves, know how not to get pulled into some of the destructive ways of the business that many people can get quite self-destructive about.
 

1) Being free to express creativity:
        Most Artist end up stretching a drop of creativity through a desert of negative interactions and intimidation's.  If the record labels and artist managers/agents "allow" an Artist to be creative in the way they feel drawn to be, the feedback of critics (who may think their writing is equally creative, yet is often a vehicle to tear down a life time of effort with stupid wit and sarcasm) that is all to often done in the name of upholding standards that the critics have decided is THE way to express art. The critics own personal "style" is then upheld as art itself and what's lost is the unique gift each one of us has to offer.   Artists can easily be, and are often misquoted or even have lies printed about them - and that's if they DO get press. Then, there are many others who devote themselves to Artistic expression all their lives and may never be all that recognized.  It's the whole Artistic community as well as the audiences that must be educated and encouraged to be creative themselves. I feel that behind any harshness vented at Artists, is the frustrations of ones own blocked creativity.
 

2) Speaking the truth:
        Many times while getting some success, business people start telling an Artist that the truth "isn't popular".  This is enough to try the hardiest soul who's trying to express something meaningful.  In watching only a few episodes of VH1's "Behind The Music", we begin to see even the most successful Artists have had quite a bit of heart ache in this very harsh business and the very nature of how it is driven by all too often misguided "support" people that feed on it. Other "Real Life" TV shows as well as ones like "Behind The Music" are becoming more & more insightfully interesting to the public and proving that truth is stranger than fiction. People want to know about it, as long as it is given in a way where we can all learn something from it.

3) Expressing social insights:
        Occasionally some social insight filters through the commonly known MTV style "party till you drop" presentation and although it seems to be changing, the total ambiguity of a lot of pop lyrics that are laced with sexual innuendoes (or worse yet violent ones) yet don't say all that much of anything or imply something really negative. ("Baby hit me one more time?!!") Every once in a while, issues come out because of music or movies that have spoken with integrity about some of the shameful hypocrisy of our society, ones that need to be noticed and everyone grows from it.  Songs such as "Luka" (child abuse) by Susan Vega and "Me & A Gun" (rape) by Tori Amos "Jeremy" (children's violence & suicide, and how it's connected to "bullyism") by Pearl Jam. I feel that this trend is what will save music in the next wave when we are done with little boy & girl groups & young girls riding the fine edge of almost porn - for our amusement & consumption.

        One issue that I find especially harmful is our countries "drug policy".  How many sensitive people and otherwise good citizens are in jail over minor drug offenses? And now they are living together with those who have committed violent crime, to somehow make them better citizens? I have known of it ruining many people to be in this harsh environment for any length of time and especially for people who were only smoking marijuana because of medical needs. And how many of these people would have done far worse with legal psychological drugs that would keep them out of jail? Hopefully, the next the next 5-10 years will allow us to just say no to Prozac and other harmful psychological drugs condoned by the system with many harsh side effects (and often times creatively debilitating) that are only sanctioned because they're profitable and seem to be an easy answer to a very complex problem.  Worse yet is Ritalin and other ADD & hyperactive medications that children are being given mostly because of lack of attention from their parents, poor diets, & schooling that is not connecting them with their gifts and is more focused on outer discipline.
        The worst of the problems with these, is that the person is told that they are "sick" and others with sometimes even more off values and actions are "normal". Through my research, I have found that most artists, and inventors learn to channel their insights. This is possible due to the support they get for their innate gifts. Interdependent Support Skills through CoCreative Arts is something that I taught kids as an art teacher and adults as a comedy traffic school teacher. I am happy to say that there are many natural ways to balance the body and mind and especially with the so-called "disease" Manic Depression or being "Bi-Polar" which through my healing practice I have found linked to a thyroid imbalance (adrenaline rushes = manic and lack there of = depression) together with the misunderstandings of the spiritual aspects of manifestation this can send anyone into a tail spin. I call "Manic Depression"...  "Inspiration hitting the wall of Manifestation" and those who are told they have ADD I see as "creative multi-taskers".  I feel the main problem is that the disease oriented medical community doesn't understand the creative mind or the creative process.   This is further complicated by how hard it is to become an artist in a world that either does not value your artistic process, only the end result and then may over value it way too much - only to tear it down soon after. 

        Art and culture at its best contributes to the evolution of human consciousness as opposed to being a drug for numbing awareness for those wanting to escape their 9 to 5 existence.  It should inspire them to be creative themselves and to enrich their lives. Drugs have never been an issue of 'whether or not' but 'which ones', 'how are they used', and 'for what purpose'?  The same is true of Art.  Being a sensitive person in a mostly insensitive world is not a disease and the bully mentality of the creative "business" is what has to change, as well as the psychological & medical community in order for more Artists and creativity itself to flourish.  I feel that this awakening is an important step towards a true and lasting peace on earth.

4) Continuing to grow as a person:
        My path as an artist has become a balancing act between retaining enough of my original impetus to make it worth while and real for me, and to also finding a way to interact with and grow from my audience.  I have become less and less interested with allowing "self proclaimed music business guru's" tell me what and how my audience wants to get from me and my music.
        On the one hand, I stand as a defender of the Artist and the creative process especially when this is so widely misunderstood.  Especially, when this misunderstanding effects how we treat or mistreat our children by disciplining through medications.  On the other hand, I have grown as a person, and I am dedicated to my relationship with a wonderful partner and our child and am no longer interested in carrying the fanatical emotional projections of hype that surrounds Artists. I wish instead to influence and inspire things to change for the better.  Artists are sensitive, and often very psychic people, and often times misunderstood. Usually, until they do sell their art, they are not considered "real artists" to the outside world.   Because they have devoted themselves to the skills of their creativity and selling is another skill all together, they often are forced to rely on more or less shady characters to sell their Art and usually come out with very little money for the Art they do sell.  All this, along with the reaction to the harsh life of rejection, backhanded praise from critics, or out and out adoration, and each of these can be harmful if one is not spiritually centered about it all.   The way things are done had got to change and the Internet is leading the way. In the past, most of the money Artists may be given (in a record deal, for instance) ends up going to the middle man who pays for the process of building hype around the Artist and that usually ends up over-saturating the market place with their music, until the public tires of the current flavor of the moment and moves on - that is, if there is any success at all. In today's world, Artists have ended up taking on many of the shadows of our culture and part of that shadow is being built up only to be torn down. This is more of an archetypal thing and our psyches need to be healed from this tendency to do this in all aspects of our lives, from personal love relationship, to how we treat our family members. It's time that we take a look at this whole aspect of how we value, what we value, and why. This, more than anything will help to heal creativity as well our hearts and I feel that this is an important part in helping to bring about a lasting peace - through the consciousness of understanding how powerful the shift could be if we really understood that "how" we love what we say we love - allows us to become what we love. And what and how we love leads us to who we are. The question is... what do you choose to become?

5. On a more personal note:

        For me, being an artist is about walking the path of self-discovery and resisting the temptation to buy into the mass machinery of glamour and cynicism.  If you feel drawn to my music - if it touches something in you, I'm grateful we have the opportunity to connect. I feel it's one of my most sacred joys to offer it.   If my music isn't your bag, simply move on to what does turn you on. Yet, more importantly, explore your own creativity!

I pray we all can support and appreciate friends who are being creative:
Artists/Musicians/Poets/Actors/PerformanceArtists/FilmMakers/Writers- (and all the forms of creativity yet to come) and let their need to be creative, lead all of us to what we vibe with... so that everyone can be inspired to be creative. As I said before, I feel that this is an important part of us cocreating peace on earth. Together, we are CoCreating.us

Peace,
Aliah Selah
aliahselah.reverbnation.com

After doing years of Advocacy TV & Music Video Productions,
we are now blending both as be gather interviews for an artistic documentary on being creative in healthy ways - that helps raise emotional intelligence in the artist and those who enjoy the art they share. The myth of chemical embalances is starting to be understood,
as we learn more about the brain and how we heal and learn optimally.
We aim to inspire people to get off toxic medicines for learning & mood balancing as they discover a Wellness Lifestyle works so much better. Looking at who they are, and the many health conditions that play a part in the explanation for extreem behaviors as well as amazing creativity. The film will show the ability in anyone who seeks it - to gain skills in interdependent support and collabroation, to help them with who they seek to becomeas artists and people.
Artists that will showcase their Art/Music/Performance Art/Poetry/Acting/Dancing/Writing/Computer Art and in their own words discuss
their own creative process while incorporating thoughts that cover many aspects
and overviews of the artist's dilemma and the cocreative life
of being an Artist in today's world.

The film is called:

CoCreating.us

Would you like to do an interview?

At this very important time of heart awakening consciousness on our planet...
we are coming to understanding that "creative solutions"
work much better than "bully methods" in business
and in life in general, for all concerned.
We are all in need of support and this show is all about
honoring creativity and support for the Artist in everyone -
as just one small step toward cocreating peace.