When It's Over

We’re not good at scripting endings because we don’t often do it. For three main reasons…

Sometimes the endings are out of our control.

Sometimes you never knew when the end was.

But the more likely reason is that we let things fizzle and fade. We don’t script an ending and mark it because it’s scary to draw the line and declare it’s over. If we let it fizzle no one will notice and no one will ask. But if you script an ending you invite the uncomfortable question, ‘why did it end?’.

The opportunity to mark the ending (even when you don’t feel like it) is a gift to your future self. Ending the chapter with eyes wide open and turning the page.

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Getting On Fire

You’re going to have some hot streaks.

Wether it’s for song ideas, vocal range, playing shows…making omelettes, making 3s, telling jokes, connecting with your family and friends.

The hot streaks are incredible. Wind in the sails. A true joy.

But it’s important to remember that hot streaks come about from committing to the process while you’re not on a hot streak.

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Freelance Gold Miners

I listened to a short thing about freelance gold miners.

As artists and musicians and most other freelance gigs, we know the deal…we work we get paid…we don’t work we don’t get paid. But for the gold miners it’s don’t work don’t get paid…and then, do the work and probably still don’t get paid.

So take solace my freelance friends. You might not strike gold but the good news is you don’t have to.

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Leaving The Stage

That’s the last thing they’re going to see you do.

When you walk on stage they are excited. While you’re up on stage they are connected. And when you leave the stage they wish you wouldn’t have.

That’s the whole thing. It’s three parts but that last part is everything.

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The Final Iteration

I dug up some old hard drives a while back with a ton of songs and sessions on them.

My method back then was to open a Garage Band session, hit record and play whatever idea I’d just come up with…then hit stop, tinker for a few minutes, record the updated version on the same track, stop, tinker, record…and keep going until…

Sometimes the track would be thirty or forty five minutes of iteration after iteration of the same idea, and that doesn’t include all the tinker time in between.

But here’s the interesting part…Listening back to all those songs (songs I had long since forgotten about), the final iteration of each song is the one I still like best.

As creative people we develop a sense for when to push and when to pause.

Usually when we think we can make it better right now, we’re right.

Usually when we think it’s as good as it’s going to be right now, we’re right.

»» For those who have watched Get Back…Once Paul lands on the melody for Get Back it doesn’t change.

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The A

The A on my computer is keeps coming off. I think one of the clamps that holds it down is broken…so sometimes when I press it with my pinky, the little square just stays on my finger.

Here’s the real problem…

It’s infinitely easier, faster and more efficient to buy a whole new computer than it is to get the key fixed. But I find it interesting that the easier, faster and more efficient choice isn’t the best choice for me in this case.

I’ll probably live with the wiggly A a little longer and then suffer through a half a dozen phone calls to Apple repair places to find out who can fix it for five dollars.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple