Starting with a few questions:
Who is this for?
Who is this NOT for?
What is this for?
These questions have been haunting me for the last few months, largely as a result of devouring Seth Godin’s podcast Akimbo, as well as Jen Waldman’s and Peter Shepherd’s new and excellent podcast The Long and The Short Of It. I find that I really can’t do anything at this point without these questions lurking somewhere in the back of my task-oriented mind.
Who is this for?
Who is this NOT for?
What is this for?
It used to be that I could do something just for the sake of doing it. Crossing it off the to-do list. “Make a website.” Check. “Design and order business cards.” Check. “Start a newsletter.” Check…sort of (it’s an inconsistent endeavor at best).
These were simply the steps I had to take in order to become a professional. They were the steps that every 21st century artist took in order to get noticed, to get competitive, to get hired. They were mandatory if I wanted to be regarded as a “pro.” Ergo, there was no “why.” The “why” was implicit, I thought, in striving to be a professional singer.
A major problem with this mindset was that curiosity was at an absolute minimum. I wasn’t curious about my audience, about the individuals who might be consuming these materials (or, more likely, not consuming these materials at all). And, more importantly, I wasn’t at all curious about why on earth I was putting these things—website, newsletter, YouTube videos—into the universe. It was just the thing that every aspiring artist did. Ultimately, it was spam.
Who is this for?
Who is this NOT for?
What is this for?
So these questions were introduced to me through Seth Godin’s work, through Simon Sinek’s work, through Jen Waldman’s work. These powerhouse influences coalesced in my life within months of each other, aggregating as the perfect storm of anxiety and inspiration. Why the hell am I doing this? Who is benefiting from this work, other than myself? Who cares?
I don’t have solid answers at this point…which leads to this blog. I’m convinced the answers to these questions will slowly—very slowly—reveal themselves over a lifetime of work—but only if I remain curious, day in and day out. So I’ll be here every week, reflecting on those things that have inspired me, challenged me, thrown me down the rabbit hole of feverish self-actualization.
For now, I have these answers to the Big Three Questions:
This blog is for the Creative (whatever that means to you) who approaches the world with curiosity and wonder, and who is interested in exchanging sources of great inspiration.
This blog is NOT for the one who already has all the answers, or even for the one who has the most answers.
This blog is for the open-hearted and non-judgmental exploration and discussion of music, art, literature, and all media that inspire.