Artists: Trust your instincts. In the years I've been a recording artist, I've all too often been given bad advice by people who didn't understand my vision. For instance, I might've been showing an early demo of a song to a friend when that friend instinctively begins suggesting changes to make to the song. Now the friend means well, but in all honesty he or she does not have enough of an understanding of my ideas to speak on what I'm doing. Many times these people mean well when they advice you though. Their intention is not to steer you wrong, put you off, or even to offend your artistic sensibility. They simply wanna help. But more often their comments mislead the artist and cause them to overthink the great ideas they had in the first place. The solution is simple though. Artists must trust their creative instincts. There comes a point in your journey where you have to stop asking questions and make a statement with the music your making. And when that time arrives, you have to take preventive measures to ensure that those around you cannot hinder you from being bold. So don't show people your rough ideas because they often can't imagine what those ideas will become. And if you choose to heed the advice of someone close, decide carefully who that person will be. Trust that these seemingly simple steps will go a long way in ensuring that your creative confidence remains in tact as you make great music. ABOUT KYLE AHN