We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James E. Guin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James E. below.
James, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Creatives have a deep connection with individuals and groups. We elicit and expose emotions and memories that have been part of the human struggle since the beginning. When you tap into that energy and make a fellow human being understand our struggles, you’ve contributed to the human experience in a poignant way that may touch someone’s life forever. This is success.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
My name is James E. Guin, and I am a multi media content creator. I began my career as a guitarist and guitar instructor, however in 2007, I majored in English Education at Kennesaw State University where I began writing flash fiction stories. From 2012 to 2018 I published twenty-four flash fiction pieces and short stories. These stories are now compiled in my new book From Adam to Eleodoro: The Short Stories 2012 – 2018 which is presently available on Amazon in kindle and paperback.
Nowadays, writing takes up most of my energy and time, however, I continue teaching ESL, guitar lessons, compose and preform music in person and on my two YouTube channel GuinPublishing, and James E. Guin.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up, many of my friends and teachers were anti-marketing. Almost all types of marketing were looked upon in contempt. If you had to advertise, you weren’t good enough and you had sold out. You were not a true artist. So in my early years and educational training there was little talk of branding, finding your niche, marketing funnels, ect… Most business topics were not discussed. If you didn’t make enough money or have enough gigs, practice more and work harder.
These type of disdainful views about common business practices are unhealthy. While practice and inspiration is to the creative what water is to human survival, there is a marketing balance that most creatives strive for in their careers.
I had to learn and am still learning the marketing side of the creative industry. I’ve experimented with everything from posters at the local library to Instagram adds, but I will say that word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective marketing tools. WOM is not the same as it was when I started this journey. Nowadays, it can be a shared post on Facebook, a friends TikTok or Snapchat video, an influencer whom you place confidence in on Instagram, or a customer testimonial review. Humans still value the opinion of other humans whom they know.
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
A career in music or in writing teaches a person multiple and supplementary revenue income streams. I think that all creatives utilize this philosophy and practice at an early stage in their career and education. For many years I have taught guitar, gigged, arranged music, and recorded music for clients. Even within these four facets of a musician’s life that I have mentioned, there is an incredible amount of diversity. As far as gigs, I’ve played in bars, churches, political events, retail stores, weddings, and the list goes on. Writers write, research, edit, ghost write, and again the list goes on.
Due to my openness in job diversity, I have been called every name in the book from a prostitute to an opportunist. Call it what you wish, but I think it is about time we labeled this lifestyle what it is, an entrepreneurship that utilizes multiple and supplementary income revenue streams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jameseguin.
wordpress.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/guinpublishing/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/guinpublishing/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/james-guin- 2b30431aa?lipi=urn%3Ali% 3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_ view_base_contact_details% 3BNMtjQeHxSM6Futyo866fzA%3D%3D - Twitter: @SietchGuin https://
twitter.com/SietchGuin - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/user/learnguitarandmore - Other: https://www.youtube.
com/channel/UCTEQ2fetVw_ MCmMg2Vet6Rg