Rebel Creative: Recent Episodes
Deane Ogden
Rebel Creative is an interactive discussion of daring business ideas for fearless creative artists — the topics, concerns and details of creating a thriving location-independent artistic business, promoting and marketing your art, strategizing your releases, handling finances, harnessing technology and leveraging personal branding as a creative entrepreneur. International recording artist, musician and creative businessman Deane Ogden answers your art business questions and addresses the heaviest concerns weighing on creators in today’s tumultuous and shifting global artistic climate.
Today's REBEL is Stacey, a teenage #rebel4life who is dealing with a mother who doesn't think she should pursue her creative discipline as an actress and sees a much more practical way for her life after school. How do you deal with a parent who isn't keen to your choice of creative path? How much do you "owe" your parents in terms of what they've sacrificed in raising you?
All REBELS can get a one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Beth-Anne, who has submitted for several gigs but keeps getting rejected. After being told "no" again and again she's starting to doubt many things about her art and wondering if anyone out there at all thinks she is capable of success.
All REBELS can get a one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Lia, who is confused about whether she should become friends with the people she works with on her creative projects or if it's better to just stay professional.
All REBELS can get a one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Bob, a former music producer who is looking to transition into a music career path that is less volatile and more consistent. His main concerns are doing something that brings joy but also supports his family. Tall order? Can it be done? How do you decide which verticals to examine, and, most importantly, which of those will be lucrative enough to sustain a living?
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is… all of us. In light of the political unrest of this week — from the Barcelona terrorist attacks to the hate rallies in the United States — Deane devotes today's episode to the discussion of whether it is wise to espouse your political beliefs with your art. What is the REBEL way when it comes to the "separation of church and state" in terms of your creative output? What's the smartest play and how might your choices, either way, impact your fan retention?
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Casey -- Deane's brand new baby boy! In celebration of that, Deane spends a few minutes ruminating on a secret hack that he and his wife Vrina have deployed in their personal relationship that he also uses in professional situations. One that could change the course of your pro life, too.
All REBELS can get a one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Teresa, emailing from Jamaica, and facing a very real and important crossroads in her young life: Proceed from high school straight to music school or enroll in the "school of hard knocks" and go it alone? To complicate matters, Teresa's parents are insisting she pursue formal education as an investment in her future. What should she do? What would YOU do?
All REBELS can get a one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Ramone, a Washington, D.C.-based rap artist, concerned with his past life, some of the choices he's made along the way, and how those might be adversely affecting his potential success. Ramone has a DEEP and touching story. This is a hugely important episode for Rebels everywhere.
Get a free one-month FREE trial of Freshbooks.com, the extensive cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Dave, a longtime friend of the show who brings up the very relevant topic of clients who take advantage of "project creep"… the phenomenon referring to changes in the agreed upon parameters of a project, at any point after the project begins. You might recognize the scenario: You're hired on a gig, but after you start, the client changes what needs to be done, and pretty soon you have gone far beyond the call of duty but are still getting paid the same amount, regardless. Welcome to "project creep". It's not fun. It's not sexy. But, what can you do about it?
Get a free one-month trial of Freshbooks.com, the cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Mike, a 26-year old Nashville musician whose normally supportive wife, Martine, has now suggested they move in with her parents to save money because Mike's not making enough with his art. Mike feels this would be a step backward and that it would be a sign of him "giving up" on his dreams. Who's right?
Get a free one-month trial of Freshbooks.com, the cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Chad, a session guitarist in New York who is having trouble discerning which online music marketing "gurus" are legitimate and which ones aren't. With the proliferation of Internet resources, how do you vet those resources and tell which ones will be of benefit before you spend money blindly on any of them?
Get a free one-month trial of Freshbooks.com, the cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Joost, a composer from the Netherlands who is struggling with putting things out that he feels are worthy. People tell him his material is ready and that he should be releasing commercially but his perfectionistic tendencies get the best of him and it never seems to happen.
Get a free one-month trial of Freshbooks.com, the cloud accounting software Deane uses to run his entire business operation. Head over to https://www.freshbooks.com/rebel and enter REBEL CREATIVE in the "How Did You Hear About Us" section.
Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by visiting http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Deane is back from hiatus to address several Rebels' concerns over the US Presidential Election and what it means for creative artists and the creative class overall. What positions has president-elect Trump displayed regarding the arts and is there any way to predict what kind of arts president he might be?
Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's episode is the final part of Deane's conversation with his dad, the original gansta Rebel Creative, Don Ogden. "Daddy Don" fields more questions from the Rebel Creative community about his own life as a businessman and how he feels things have shaken out after 64 years of operating with the same principles he passed down to Deane in business, life, and love. This episode is part 2 of 2.
Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is the original gansta Rebel Creative, Deane's father Don Ogden. "Daddy Don" stops by the Musicave to sit with Deane and talk through his own life as a businessman and how he feels things have shaken out after 64 years of operating with the same principles he passed down to Deane in business, life, and love. This is Part 1 of 2.
Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is Jamaal, a young 17-year old creative concerned that his lack of experience will keep him from getting the gigs he needs to obtain the very experience he needs to land more gigs — a common problem nearly all creatives face in the beginnings of their careers. How do you overcome the "circular problem" of no experience? Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is Stephen, a Los Angeles-based creative who brings up one of the most — if not THE most — important topics to ever grace the REBEL CREATIVE platform: Contrasting what you think you know about yourself versus what others think or say about your abilities. If you only hear ONE single episode of REBEL CREATIVE, we sincerely hope that it's this one. Ohhhh… the feels! Listen, ponder, and comment if you desire at ask@deaneogden.com.
Today's REBEL is Colin, a Dublin composer who writes in to ask Deane to clarify his stance on the romanticism of process, a topic from the 56th episode of the SCOREcast Podcast Show.
Today's REBEL is Cliff, a 54-year old Rebel who feels he's wasted a good portion of his life not pursuing his passion and is now ready to make up for lost time. What should his first steps be in embarking on the career he's always wanted? Deane tackles Cliff's predicament from a few angles in this very poignant and personal episode. Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is Daniella, a Rebel flutist who has been playing for nearly twenty years but is having trouble assessing why she can't seem to get hired. What has changed? Is it her or is it "them"? When you stop getting calls or if you cannot find traction to start with, how do you proceed? What are the logical steps to restoring health to your career? Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's episode is the last part of a two-part series of a question posed by REBELS Nina, Odahl, Orren, Pavel, Teressa, Sam, Sammy, William, and dozens more, wanting to know about how Deane and his assistant Aiche work together. In this final installment, Deane details his own personal philosophy on why he and Aiche's working relationship runs so smoothly and also describes some of the tools and processes they use to get things done efficiently given their vast geographical separation. Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBELS are Nina, Odahl, Orren, Pavel, Teressa, Sam, Sammy, William, and dozens more, wanting to know about how Deane and his assistant Aiche work together. In this first of a two-part series, Deane chronicles back to 2004 when he hired his first assistant up to now and how, deep into their fifth year together, he and Aiche run the day-to-day operation of Deane Ogden Creative International, Inc. Submit your creative business question to the show at http://rebelcreative.net for Deane to answer in a future broadcast.
Today's episode is sponsored by our awesome friends at FreshBooks. Get your FREE one-month trial by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and enter "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is Geoff, a New Yorker musician who is relocating to Los Angeles to start his own composing business. Geoff has $5000 budgeted to spend on his startup… will it be enough and how should he spend it? What things should you watch out for when you are relocating with a limited budget? Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page, or via email to ask@deaneogden.com. This episode is sponsored by Freshbooks, the cloud accounting software that runs the Ogden Media empire. Get your free one-month unlimited trial of Freshbooks by visiting http://freshbooks.com/rebel and type "Rebel Creative" in the How Did You Hear About Us section.
Today's REBEL is Casey, a Young Adult fiction writer who has been told that her "voice" is derivative of other things already on the market. That's not good… or is it? In this episode, Deane examines how to infuse originality into your product whether you are in music or literature, visual or performance art. It takes a certain skillset to identify a special sauce, but once you do there could be no stopping you. Submit your artistic business questions to be potentially featured on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page, or via email to ask@deaneogden.com.
Today's REBEL is Scott, a musician who is finding it difficult to convince his spouse that the financially unpredictable nature of his artistic career is nothing to worry about. How much should you involve your spouse in your creative business? What happens when you've had previous relationships where money was never an issue, but in your current case it seems to be the only issue? How should you keep the peace in your relationship in order to fully focus on your creative tasks and ambitions? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Fran, a #Rebel4Life in Spain who is worried that his promotional tactics are flawed in that he promotes things that seem sure but don't always materialize. Does this negatively impact his integrity with his audience? How soon is "too soon" when you are promoting something you know needs end-user onboarding time? Will people understand if you promote things that ultimately don't end up happening? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
We did it! 100 episodes. In the can. Done. Dusted. Boom. To celebrate, Deane takes questions from five Rebels in this flash round episode covering rogue employees, monetizing podcasts, being a terrible conversationalist, pitching production music, and setting up a music studio for basic recording. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is… Deane. It's episode 99 of the show - one away from 100 - and instead of having one of the team members write this description, I'm doing it myself because this episode is deeply personal. Essentially, it's an open letter to you, my listener, my Rebel Alliance audience, and one that I hope you'll stick with the whole way through to the end. I need you to hear it. As we embark on the next 100 episodes of this show that I am so proud of and humbled that you give your attention to every week, this is what I need you to understand moving forward. Thanks, and as always… Rebel On! Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Kristine, a brand new #Rebel4Life who, like many upstart creatives, is caught in the seemingly endless loop of trying desperately to get ahead financially once she gets paid for a creative gig. What is the best way to set-up your finances to guarantee you aren't constantly turning your business profits over to the landlord or the electric company? Is there a best practice to paying yourself before you pay your expenses? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is William, a long-time #Rebel4Life who is inquiring about how to set up his creative fee structure. What should you charge people for what you do and how should you go about informing them of what to expect financially when they hire you? Tricky stuff sometimes, but highly necessary if you ever want to move from amateur to professional. Deane gives the rundown on how he approaches informing, expecting, and collecting on his creative fees and provides some food for thought on Rebels might begin to think about their approach as well. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Deane takes one last opportunity to challenge Rebels everywhere to not fear the refresh — the important but not-so-easy event of pushing the "do over" button on life, career, relationships, and everything else. On the eve of his relocation to the island of Bali, Deane broadcasts his final message from the Jakarta Musicave. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Deane himself and 30 or so emails he's received from REBELS all over the globe. The gauntlet has been thrown down. From 30,000 feet. A special challenge from the Rebel Leader. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Jeremy, who is dealing with a business partner who recently went through a major personal loss and hasn't yet regained strength to return to the grind. How much personal time should you give a colleague while you shoulder the business as a solo act? What if your partner is making personal choices that are negatively affecting your business opportunities? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBELS are Markus, Shannon, Dino, Julia, Robert, Jasen, and Chad -- all hardcore #rebels4life who are coming to this Flash Round episode with a potpourri of interesting questions for Deane on a variety of subjects. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net" and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is David, an independent singer/songwriter who is gearing up to release his own music in album format. The problem is that he doesn't know where to start, much less how to plan it all out. Deane uses his own first two solo album releases, EASTERN CHRONICLE (http://bit.ly/chronicle13) and KWELA (http://bit.ly/kwela15) as examples of how he ramps up project releases and how he plans out the schedule of work that needs to be done in order to launch a successful international album release campaign. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Ken, a legendary music producer, and friend of Deane's, who challenges Deane to compare philosophies on disruptive technologies and their effects on commercial art futures. Using Spotify and digital music streaming as the jumping off point, Deane finally lays out his long-asked-for REBEL CREATIVE theology on why he believes that disruption should be embraced rather than run from. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is LeAnne, a New York visual artist who is having a heck of a time getting people to pay her. It's not that people don't want to pay her, they do. They just don't want to do it quickly. Deane has spoken on this show before -- recently, in fact -- about how you should bring up money earlier rather than later… but what is the best way to do that when the time feels right? How do you keep a client from avoiding the issue or even bailing completely when you start asking to be paid? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Otto, an East Coast #Rebel4Life drummer who is worried that circumstances in his life that are beyond his control are wreaking havoc in his creative life, but because he can't control them he doesn't know what to do about them. What a problem! And a frequent one, right? We all deal with this. But, in this super-duper long RC episode, Deane examines this problem in a light that perhaps we don't always think about. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Nick, a #Rebel4Life in Tasmania who is concerned about how his remote location could be affecting his ability to build a solid network of colleagues. In this 2nd part of Rebel Creative episode #83, where Deane answered a question about networking online versus networking face-to-face, Nick's question introduces new information to the debate on whether you can build a network without actually being physically present. Should you move to an art mecca to have a better chance at deepening your resume? What are the benefits of being "in the room" versus on the phone or on Skype? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Charlotte, a #Rebel4Life who is having issues with people trolling her and her art. God, who hates trolls? All of us, probably. Haters, trolls, dissenters -- these people can make your life a living hell. Deane responds to Charlotte with his carefully considered and applied thesis about haters and how to cohabitate with them. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
Today's REBEL is Rowant, a #Rebel4Life from Australia who is trying to figure out which lane he should tackle as a Creative interested in multiple artistic avenues. How do you decide which is the best creative road to go down if you know you are good at several things? Which avenue will pay off best? How do you know if you'll be successful doing that thing? Submit your artistic business questions to Deane for potential inclusion on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big "Start Recording" button on the page.
The next in a long string of general topics that Deane has been inundated with these last few weeks while on tour, today he's talking about what to look at when you are gaining no momentum, getting no traction, and just not feeling the burn in your creative career. What things are within your control to change and what things aren't? It's the episode topic everyone hates to talk about, but in true #Rebel4Life fashion, we don't avoid the difficult conversations. Submit your artistic business questions to Deane to feature on a future REBEL CREATIVE episode by heading over to http://rebelcreative.net and clicking the big green "Start Recording" button on the page.