The God and Gigs Show | A Podcast for Christian Creators

Is it possible for a music artist to overcome multiple childhood tragedies, build a massively successful music career AND reach a goal of financial freedom -  all while never compromising their faith and calling?  If you follow the example of Manafest, the answer is yes.  Chris Greenwood, known in the music world by his stage name Manafest, is an award-winning Canadian Christian rock artist who ha...

There's nothing new under the sun...and that goes especially for musicians' often rocky relationships with their pastors and spiritual leaders. Thanks to a recently released video that went viral, debate is raging among musicians and leaders in many gospel churches about the professionalism and spiritual maturity of church musicians. We have a different response than those who point fing...

Many of us set up big goals at the beginning of a year or a season.  But usually, sometime in the middle, we lose our focus and our motivation dries up.  The thing is, before you can make choices on how to move forward, you have to remind yourself why you want what you want. But if you found yourself getting off-track from your goals, it’s not because your goals weren’t admirable or worthy. It’s b...

It’s one thing to be a creative who has a connection to God.  It’s another to know why.  If there’s any musician who is serious about knowing what you believe as a Christian, it’s Greg Johnson. With years of experience in music ministry, he has a passion for helping musicians and creatives to embrace an authentic relationship with God. Greg’s understanding of theology and ministry was a key elemen...

If you're a creative, you need an audience. However, in a noisy world where everyone seems to have a product and a platform, it's getting harder and harder to rise above the masses to reach those that want to hear from you. The answer? Creatives have to own the connection with their audiences, and the only tried and true way to control that connection is through an email list. Unfortunat...

From a life surrounded by the arts, to being in the center of the entertainment world, and then finding her calling as a highly-trained and successful mental health professional - this is the journey experienced by psychotherapist, counselor and mental health advocate Dr. April Andelle. Having experienced the highs and lows of working in the creative industry, she now helps people to achieve bette...

The word "crazy"  is no longer considered acceptable by most...but it seems to fit the way many creatives view themselves.  At what point, however, does our creativity actually conceal serious issues that we should be addressing?  Let's talk seriously about mental health and how we creatives sometimes cover it up with our 'personalities'.  Links Related to this Podcast Epi...

It’s easy to get excited about sharing your latest project, performance or product.  But what do you share with your followers when there’s nothing to promote?  In other words, what do you say day-to-day?  Whether it’s via social media, your email list, or any other connection medium, we creatives have to consistently share moments and messages with those we want to impact - and not just when ther...

Imagine you have been working with the most popular artists in the R&B music industry...and only to be led by a radical faith experience to shift entirely into the gospel music world - a world that doesn’t really know how to deal with your ‘unchurchy’ background.  What would you do?  This was the situation facing Hope Sheree, an award-winning singer / songwriter, blogger, actress, motivational...

Does your audience really know WHO you are?  While social media seems to encourage people to share a lot of personal details, that seldom leads to the kind of authentic connection that results in long-term commitment to your platform or creative business.  The fact is, a lot of us don’t really tell the whole story of our creative lives well.  If we show up to our audiences:  Only when we’re sellin...

Are you stressed every time tax deadlines roll around?  For many artists, financial management and tax planning is a "set it and forget it" process. That's a dangerous game to play with your creative business, as host Allen C. Paul discovered when his tax situation changed, but his planning did not adjust, resulting in some major financial struggles. Thankfully, taking ownership of...

Imagine you are a creative professional, working your way up the ladder in a huge media corporation, and achieving the highest honor in your career - only to be fired less than a week later.  What would you do?  This was the situation facing Melissa Vargas, an Emmy and Promax Award-winning producer, multimedia journalist, writer and brand strategist. In the midst of an unexpected pivotal moment in...

There are glimmers of hope beyond the horizon for the music industry and live events. But what can you do now as a musician or creative while everything is sorted out? Peter Moore, a industry veteran with over 30 years in the music business, has several key insights for anyone trying to figure out their next step in the music and art industry. He's  been instrumental in dozens of music, film...

As hope appears on the horizon for a return to normalcy in a post-pandemic world, a serious question remains: Is 'going back to normal"  a good thing?  Like the majority of professions, musicians and creatives like you experienced extreme hardships during the heart of the pandemic.  However,  we also learned major lessons, grew tremendously in our ability to pivot and reinvent ourselves,...

Being a parent is already a tough enough job.  Late nights. Unpredictable schedules. Having to always be available for emotional support and providing love and care to those who need you most.   Now add on the role of being a creative professional with the responsibility of managing a family. What do you do when you have the privilege of being both a creative and a parent? How can creatives practi...

They say family is everything... ....which means they can be one of our greatest assets as creatives, or possibly, one of our greatest struggles. When your family supports and celebrates your creative work, it can be one of the most rewarding feelings you can have.  However, it can be equally devastating when those closest to you throw water on the fire of your dreams. In this episode, we point ou...

You've got SO MUCH to do, creative.  But have you neglected one thing that could make everything easier?  In other words, have you started your podcast?  If you haven’t, you’re missing a golden opportunity.   Despite the surge of podcast popularity, most creatives still are not particularly excited about creating their own podcasts. They’ve heard it’s hard, or that the market is saturated, or...

Every artist has to have a vision in order to create. But those creatives who make films and movies have a special ability to see beyond the screen, to envision what the audience will eventually feel .  Director, producer and writer Christina Faith has a vision that is much broader than simply creating cinematic experiences. This bold creative has taken on dozens of projects in all areas of creati...

Are you struggling to find a mentor who can help you reach the next level of your artistic career? Finding it hard to connect with creatives who have more experience, more knowledge, and bigger audiences? Do you automatically assume that you’ll be rejected, ignored, or just plain “one of the fans?” Maybe the biggest issue isn’t whether you have a big name or big influencer who is mentoring and coa...

Are we creatives always “in our feels”?  Emotional connection and expression is at the heart of most creative work.  We think and feel, then we create as a response.  But what do we do with the emotions that don’t get worked out in our performances and artworks? In this episode, we take a deeper dive into the emotions that can paralyze and trap us into a tailspin of imbalanced and rollercoaster fe...

What's stopping you from doing your best work every day? Maybe the biggest issue facing your creative life isn’t lack of money, lack of access, of lack of inspiration! It may be simply lack of a consistent routine. Many of the greatest creative minds of history were not only talented - they had incredible discipline to follow a system that worked even when they didn’t have great ideas to work...

We’re talking about how you can ensure personal and creative success this year. You don’t have to sacrifice your peace, your principles or your purpose to be successful while pursuing your God-given goals. But you do need one thing - other people! 2021 will be the year of collaboration, and without people in your corner, you’re going to find it hard to make the changes you need to make to improve...

How can a married couple, both whom are aspiring artists, find their place as individual creatives AND grow together toward building a successful creative business?  Michael and Simonie Hugue  have successfully overcome major challenges and insecurities, and are now building their creative business the right way.  As long-time members of the God and Gigs community, have put themselves in a positio...

For anyone that survived the roller coaster of a year that was 2020, it may seem impossible to reflect and learn from all we experienced, both good and bad. But without that reflection, we're doomed to repeat the mistakes and we can't capitalize on the successes. We want to highlight the things that will help us future-proof our creative businesses and avoid the pitfalls we experienced w...

No matter what your artistic discipline,  you need to be able to communicate your message. That’s what creative, editor, entrepreneur and consultant Yoshika Green specializes in doing  for entrepreneurs, job-seekers, creatives, aspiring writers, top companies, marketing departments and more.  Her gift is being able to recognize talent in others and draw that out of them in a joint effort to realiz...