To say the last 6+ months have been tough is an understatement of almost hilarious proportions… It might be funny if it weren’t for people dying, massive unemployment, political chaos, and (not to be underestimated) the psychological weight borne by folks who aren’t even directly affected by those other problems.… Read More »The Pandemic Persists: Are You Keeping Your Time Alive?
A while back, I listened an audiobook called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverence by Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, researcher, CEO, philanthropist… The list goes on. Not only is she shining example of “grit” herself, she’s also been studying the subject for a significant chunk of her professional career. The… Read More »GRIT: The Musician’s Most Important Trait
I haven’t written anything here since May… In fact, since I first started this blog, it has been an inconsistent outlet, almost an afterthought, that I come back to from time to time. There’s even an entry a ways back about unintentionally wandering away from it… So here I am… Read More »Getting Back on The Horse
I’ve had this topic vaguely in mind for a little while now, but after a couple months of self quarantine, it seems more appropriate than ever… With people losing jobs, being furloughed or working reduced hours, musicians without gigs, and well, nowhere to go, it seems like plenty of folks… Read More »The Content Consumption/Creation Ratio
Before I even dig in, how many caveats can I put at the beginning? I am undiagnosed, unmedicated, untherapized… I am not a medical professional, and I’m sure this is all woefully unscientific. I know for an absolute fact that I don’t have things half as bad as millions of… Read More »Bad Guy Brain: Personifying Struggles with Mental Health
I started this topic well before all of the pandemic insanity, but perhaps now it’s more important than ever to flesh it out, as creative habits have been essential to my wellbeing, and a ton of us have drastically different schedules than we’re used to… I’ve been slacking on this… Read More »Make Stuff, Put it Out
I was supposed to be in Ohio last week. I busted my ass for just four dates out of state with Flexadecibel and The Brandino Extravaganza… Now it’s a wash. The album release show tomorrow is canceled too… And with longer stretches of mandated distancing, the whole calendar is under… Read More »Dear Gigging Musician: Pandemic Sucks, Right?
You can look at almost anything we do as a skill, from speech to tying shoes, mountain climbing to trading stocks. Broad categories like these are full of microactions, too: pronouncing certain words, getting the lace loops the right size, etc. Consciously or not, we learn the little bits through… Read More »The Fluidity of Skill
Look… I’m a “busy” dude. I have a job, I have bands, I have the ocassional freelance project… I’ve got relationships and booking and practice to tend to. I also waste plenty of time on Netflix and bullshitting over a pint. When I talk to people casually (like strangers or… Read More »Hustle Culture
Perpetual positivity is a myth. The reality of humanity is steeped in peaks and valleys – good days and bad. This is as true for diets as it is conversations with your spouse… Dayjob performance or sleep cycles. Sometimes the downs are brief, fleeting even. Other times they persist. As… Read More »Fighting Through The Slumps
