Pursuing a career in the arts or music is a journey filled with passion, creativity, and, often, immense challenges. It can feel like you’re constantly pushing against a wall, struggling to be seen, heard, or valued in a crowded industry. The road to success is rarely a straight path—rejections, self-doubt, and setbacks can make even the most talented artists question whether to keep going. This happened to my friend Lonnie Park, now a Multi-Grammy® award winner.
By leaning in to insurmountable challenges rather than retreating from them, especially after being catapulted over the top of a quad vehicle, Lonnie took a huge step to mentally break through those setbacks. In this article, we’ll explore how embracing obstacles, staying adaptable, and refining your craft with strategic goals and relationships can transform hopelessness into potential success.
Overcoming Challenges
Challenges are inevitable, but they are also opportunities in disguise. Overcoming them requires a mindset shift—from seeing obstacles as roadblocks to viewing them as growth experiences. Lonnie had to persevere through pain as he ultimately couldn’t walk or even crawl after his quad accident with six herniated discs. But he had a choice. He had performed on an album that was up for a Grammy Award® and he had the opportunity to fly across the country to Los Angeles. He had some decisions to make to get on that plane and a lot to overcome in the process.
There are many stories of small businesses that have had to overcome challenges and by doing so, became stronger and more successful. An example is Richard Moross who initially ventured into the business card industry with Pleasure Cards, aiming to reinvent business cards with fashionable designs. However, the venture failed. It tried to be “too cool,” wasn’t customizable and had no marketing plan. The best thing Richard did was listen to wise marketing advice to overcome the unprofitable and failing challenges before him. Whether personal or professional, leaning into challenges builds resilience and fortitude, sharpening your ability to navigate future difficulties with greater confidence and clarity.
Setting Clear Goals
When facing adversity, clear and purposeful goals act like a compass. They provide direction, focus, and motivation to keep moving forward. Setting goals helps break down overwhelming challenges into manageable steps and fosters a sense of progress. After receiving the Grammy Award® invitation, Lonnie worked hard to get back on his feet, though he couldn’t even drive himself to doctor appointments. However, he wanted to get to Los Angeles. Working through the pain, hope started to return to his life.
I got to meet Lonnie when he did finally make it to L.A., sitting next to each other at a Grammy event. He didn’t give a hint of pain; instead he focused on meeting new people, myself included. When I asked about his songwriting journey, he shared about the songs he was writing documenting his perseverance through pain. Clear goals helped him move ahead with intention and a plan to get at least well enough to travel and say “Yes.”
Defining success, especially working as a musician or composer, is often elusive. I asked myself this question and ultimately realized the answer is simple. The ability to make and create music is success in and of itself. Awards are fleeting and quickly forgotten, but the ability to do what we love is the ultimate gage of success. Lonnie just wanted to keep doing what he loved. He aimed to just “keep it simple.”
Maintaining Mental Wellness
Mental wellness is a buzzword we hear often with program after program to help navigate life’s challenges. Stress, anxiety, and burnout can cloud judgment and slow progress, so intentional self-care practices—such as mindfulness, rest, and support—are vital. There are many ways of adding self-care to our lives. A regular exercise routine, sleep and a healthy diet all contribute to maintaining a healthy mindset.
Also, doing work for the right reasons, rather than focusing solely on results, leads to fulfillment and resilience with a growth mindset. Lonnie advises not attaching self-worth to external validation, noting that in creative fields, 90% of efforts may not succeed. He suggests positioning oneself for opportunities, working hard, and continuously improving one's craft as keys to success. I agree with Lonnie that retirement is not a goal for passionate creatives, as we love what we do and can continue working for many years.
In an HPR interview with Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) he said when asked about retiring, “If I’d been selling insurance all these years and somebody said ‘Peter, why don’t you retire?’ I’d say I’d love to. I’d love to retire and become a folk singer. But having done what I dreamed of doing, (which is a folk singer) why stop? Not a good idea.” The mindset of “never retiring” is a healthy life perspective, especially with medical advances allowing longer life spans.
Improving Craft with Opportunities
Every challenge presents a chance to refine our craft. Whether it's developing a new skill or adapting to a new environment, growth often occurs when you're pushed beyond your comfort zone. After failure, Moross rebranded Pleasure Cards into Moo.com, taking investors advice. He then humbly approached the market with a new and much more humble message. Since doing so, the company became profitable ever since 2009.
It’s easy to let our pride get in the way of progress and change. This is especially true for anyone re-entering the marketplace. Doing it “the way we’ve always done” doesn’t always work, especially with the explosive growth of AI. But simplicity and a clear message is never outdated. Even though there are never any guarantees of success, hard work, listening to wise advice and the willingness to change creates more opportunity in many situations. Fortunately, making a change was an opportunity that Moross didn’t pass up with Moo.co.
Maintaining Gratitude
There is so much in life to be grateful for. Our health, sustenance, the freedom to work in a field we love are all areas that create gratitude. Even in difficulty, taking time to reflect on what’s going right helps shift your focus from scarcity to abundance. It nurtures optimism and reminds you of the strength and support already present in your life.
I find taking time to reflect and write my thoughts in a journal is extremely helpful. There are many “life situations” as well as “business situations” that can bring us down with discouragement and worry. Stressful thoughts seem to diminish when placing those thoughts and worries on a page.
Also, spending time outdoors in nature is a proven way to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. Studies have shown that even short periods of time in green spaces can lower cortisol levels, reduce anxiety, and enhance mood. According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychology (2019), just 20 minutes of contact with nature significantly reduced stress hormone levels, with even greater benefits seen after 30 minutes or more. Taking a simple walk in a park, sitting under a tree, or hiking a nearby trail can offer a powerful reset for the mind and body. Gratitude doesn’t diminish challenges—it reorients your perspective so you can face them with hope and courage.
Application
- Overcoming Challenges – View each obstacle as a stepping stone that builds resilience and clarifies your purpose.
- Setting Clear Goals – Define specific, achievable objectives to maintain focus and track your progress effectively.
- Maintaining Mental Wellness – Prioritize regular self-care practices like rest, mindfulness, and connection to support emotional stability.
- Improving Craft with Opportunities – Embrace every project, feedback, or role as a chance to grow and sharpen your skills.
- Maintaining Gratitude – Cultivate a daily habit of recognizing what’s good, even in difficulty, to shift perspective and uplift your spirit.
Additional Resources
Stuck is Not a Four-Letter Word: Seven Steps to Getting Unstuck by Deborah Johnson
Goal Setting Worksheets- Free Downloads
Age Proof Life Lessons by Deborah Johnson
Secret of Great Joy by Deborah Johnson
Sheet Music: https://DJWorksMusic.com
- about lonnie park
Multi Grammy® Award Winner, Billboard charting producer, composer, performer, and artist LONNIE PARK is an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in Freeville New York. In addition to TV, film score, and Billboard charting appearances, his catalog of works includes decades of multi-genre work from jazz, new age, children's, world, gospel, country, and folk, to progressive metal. Lonnie’s work has received three Grammy® Awards, and six Grammy®Nominations, the Global Peace Song Award, Global Music Award, multiple SAMMY Awards, and the United Nations Action Award.
Embracing obstacles, staying adaptable, and refining your craft with strategic goals and relationships can transform hopelessness into potential success.
deborah johnson
Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker, Author
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