Choosing to be a great artist is an investment. It’s an investment in time and passion and sweat - all poured into captured performances. Because greatness is achieved in the audience’s reactions and remembrances. You can choose more than one type of audience to invest in as an artist. It comes with tradeoffs. Some financial, … Continue reading Pop Vs. The Underground: Community Wins (Jay-Z + Eminem Vs. Kweli + Common Edition)
Tag: poetry
Faith And Evidence
This isn’t a religious post. Just a reminder, you’ve gotta have faith, faith, faith. It’s about playing in the unknown. Even when it’s scary. Because we’re all just groping for some evidence. Something we can touch. Which doesn’t even make it real. That’s why we try new things. That’s why we push off and explore. … Continue reading Faith And Evidence
Sunday Music: Alvvays’ “Very Online Guy”
Today in Canadian indie-pop I can’t get out of my head - Alvvays’ song, “Very Online Guy.” Somewhere in between the out-of-time synths and shoe-gazingly fuzzed-out guitars, there’s a commentary on life and relationships in the 2020s. The meta-awareness of what we project, of who we are in private, and how any of us are … Continue reading Sunday Music: Alvvays’ “Very Online Guy”
Sunday Music: Militarie Gun
I don’t know what they were going through when they wrote this, but I know what it feels like they were going through: I've waited long enoughThe plans are offAin't nothin' to do in the dayAin't nothin' to do but waitFind myself just sitting aroundPush me up, push me outWaste my time, waste my lifeAs … Continue reading Sunday Music: Militarie Gun
Poetic Revolutions (Rebecca Solnit Edition)
This quote kisses the cheek of the artist in me - "I still think the (real) revolution is to make the world safe for poetry, meandering, for the frail and vulnerable, the rare and obscure, the impractical and local and small." - Rebecca Solnit In no small way, it’s because the business person in me … Continue reading Poetic Revolutions (Rebecca Solnit Edition)
How To Be Authentically Creative (Essay)
This is a collection of recent posts, lightly edited and merged into essay format, on the topic of Authentic Creativity. It was largely inspired by my LifeDesign+ interview on YouTube with Justin Castelli. Justin’s unique ability is to help people organize and simplify their thinking down to the point of action. It’s on full display … Continue reading How To Be Authentically Creative (Essay)
Isaac Newton Was A Poet
Gravity is just an observational description. Somewhere outside of Yeats and Taylor Swift lyrics is science. Elsewhere is religion. It’s not a level playing field, and yes, science has a seperate set of rules that make it wonderful. But it’s just a description. With layers. With nuance. With an audience who gets it. And with … Continue reading Isaac Newton Was A Poet
Prayer To The Muse
Begin 2024 with me by invoking the muse. We have so many stories to hear this year. We have so many stories to figure out how to tell. O Divine Poesy, goddess, daughter of Zeus,sustain for me this song of the various-minded man who,after he had plundered the innermost citadel of hallowed Troy,was made to … Continue reading Prayer To The Muse
Sunday Music: Making Angel(s)
Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel” has had multiple lives. This “making of” video snuck up on me. The demos are so cool to hear. Iteration is a magical part of the artistic process. As 2023 comes to a close, I’m embracing the processes. Digging in. Unearthing, as part of the work, in stages. Happy to copy some … Continue reading Sunday Music: Making Angel(s)
Mary Oliver’s “Lead” And New Beginnings
Mary Oliver’s poem “Lead” wants you to know something. About yourself. I can’t tell you what it is. But it has to do with the broken bits. It has to do with what you do after you break. After. Next. On the first day. Even when it's not the first-first one. Because... I don't know, … Continue reading Mary Oliver’s “Lead” And New Beginnings