5 P’s To Getting Good At Anything

I like to say music taught me practice, persistence, and patterns.  But after writing/talking about it, and getting some further questions and comments (thank you), I’m realizing there’s 2 more P’s for this list. Performance and patience. They have their place too.  So let’s try this again: The 5 P’s to getting good at anything: … Continue reading 5 P’s To Getting Good At Anything

Hitting The Shed (Studying Jazz, Studying Life)

When you’re learning to play jazz, you take a recording and break down everything - especially the improvisations, note for note. It takes patience and focus. There’s a reason jazz musicians call working this stuff out “woodshedding” (or “shedding,” or “hitting the shed,” etc.). It’s all about whittling the block down into tiny parts.  After … Continue reading Hitting The Shed (Studying Jazz, Studying Life)

Toni Morrison On Making Your Work Look Effortless

So you want to get good, eh? Here’s Toni Morrison on leveling up: I thought of myself as like the jazz musician: someone who practices and practices and practices in order to be able to invent and to make his art look effortless and graceful. I was always conscious of the constructed aspect of the … Continue reading Toni Morrison On Making Your Work Look Effortless

The Secret To More Good Ideas Is…

If you want more good ideas, you have to start with more ideas. Regular, terrible, brilliant - any and all ideas count.   Up the overall quantity, then dig for overwhelming quality.  Idea generation becomes an essential step. Podcasts are one of my personal favorite sources. One thing I love about my Spotify podcast feed … Continue reading The Secret To More Good Ideas Is…

Mitch Hedberg On How To Name An Appliance

Mitch Hedberg on the art and science of appliance naming: I want to get a job naming kitchen appliances. That seems easy, you know? Refrigerator, toaster, blender - you just say what the thing does, then you add “-er.” Kitchen Appliance Naming Institute: “What’s this thing do?” “It keeps (expletive) fresh.” “Well, that’s a 'fresher.' … Continue reading Mitch Hedberg On How To Name An Appliance

Different Meanings For The Same Events

Everybody comes back from vacation and inventories their frustrations and failures, right? Just me? I’m an optimist (or so I tell myself). I’m working on the list of positive things to focus on too. This James Clear quote sums up the backward-looks well: Different meanings can be assigned to the same events. Look for evidence … Continue reading Different Meanings For The Same Events