Writing and Deciding

If you wake up every morning and have to take time deciding whether or not you’re going to write today then you’re putting too much effort into it. You’re making it too complicated. Wasting time. There are too many voices that pop up when you’re deciding whether or not you’re going to be creative today.

It’s easy throw away an entire morning going back and forth on this decision.

Better to have already decided. If you decide to be the type of person who writes everyday you save yourself a lot of agony in the deciding. Now you can put your effort into writing, not deciding.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Earmarked...

for opportunity.

Some money, some time, some energy.

If you earmark some extra for unexpected opportunities, you’ll be in a much better position to engage the opportunities.

When money and time and energy are tight it’s a lot more difficult.

Earmarking and setting aside time or money or energy takes work…you guessed it, it takes time money and energy.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Fat?

The cry of many a performer.

If you’re not worried about your shirt it’s your hair or your teeth or your hips or a mole or your height.

You get on stage DESPITE knowing that someone in the crowd just might think you picked the wrong shirt.

Shirts are like band names…they will bend to the character and presentation of the person donning them.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

The After Dinner Mint

First Monday of the month, new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple.

There’s a reason the after dinner mint gets eaten after dinner and not before.

If you had it beforehand the minty flavor messes with the main course. There’s less enjoyment of the mint, less enjoyment of the dinner.

But after dinner is right where it needs to be.

Similarly…when putting together a playlist or an album or a setlist, what came before this song and what comes after this song have a lot to do with how this song will be perceived and enjoyed.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

New Material

Every song starts off as a new song. Even the great ones. And new songs are the least familiar.

Your fans have a long, trusted, storied relationship with your old material…so it’s not that the new song isn’t great or that it isn’t better than the old stuff…it just needs a little time to percolate.

New could mean bad. New could mean great. Give them time to figure it out.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

The Big Note

When you have to hit the high note at the end of the song, the only thing you’re thinking about the whole song is having to hit that note.

If you’re on stage afraid of not hitting the note, there’s a good chance you’re not gonna hit it.

If you’re in the rehearsal room four weeks before the tour afraid you’re not gonna hit the note four weeks from now…you have plenty of time to go from afraid of the note to indulging in the note.

You’re gonna think about the big note either way. But you get to choose what you think about it.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple