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Making music in a professional recording studio setting can bring up a host of unexpected concerns, problems and anxieties.  Having recorded ten records of my own in a variety of different facilities around the country, I can attest that laying down tracks is no easy task.  Because the pressure is really on. Studio time is not only expensive, but finite. The meter is always running. Artists only have so…

The goal of a good photographer is to be invisible.  To document what is taking place, accurately capture the mood and the emotion of the moment, and most importantly, to not change what is taking place.  Souza, the legendary presidential photographer who took millions of pictures of two different commanders in chief, calls this approach leaving a small footprint. Meaning, he always used the quietist and most unobtrusive equipment,…

Chambers once preached that the reason people fail is because they are ignorant of the way they are made.  Which is certainly true, but it’s not the only reason.  People also fail because they are insistent on being the way they are, even when it doesn’t work. They may say that they want to change. And they may even take small measures to do so. But it’s mostly a performance. It’s…

Everybody is annoying.  We all have certain habits and traits that cause friction in our lives. We all have facets of our character that frustrate some people and charm others. And we all have a workable set of excuses to defend and protect those very behaviors.  Take it from a guy with a black belt in the ancient art of stubborn persistence. This is when we decide that our…

Every time we want to resent the success of another, there’s always somebody to remind us not to hate the player, hate the game.  But in reality, when was the last time hating something accomplished anything?  This empty, frivolous meme is not a sustainable career strategy and it’s not meaningful advice. It’s just a license for cruelty. Towards self and others.  Look, we live in an unfair world where…

A few years ago, a team of biomedical engineers conducted a study that mapped out human emotions on people’s bodies using different colors on something called somatotopic maps.  Scientists concluded that this experience of what they called embodiment, that is, unraveling subjective bodily sensations, could play a critical role in people’s emotional processing.  For example, anger and anxiety presented as fiery orange, located in the head and chest; whereas depression and…

Our teachers and parents never properly prepared us for the restless experience of doubting ourselves.  Apparently, we’re all big strong tough guys.  Because instead of learning how to navigate and accommodate the occasional crisis of faith that comes with the territory of being alive, we were trained to double down on our devotion, kick doubt’s ass right out of our minds and crack on until we succeeded or died…

My favorite definition of the word perspective is: The faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship.  Consider the following archetypes of how that might play out.  The job seeker who must cope with multiple rejections on a daily basis. Instead of cowering inside his own small circle of worry each time he hears no, he chooses to view the bigger picture. He documents the many…

Ever since childhood, I’ve always loved reading historical books about the bright ideas that changed the world and the inspirational people who brought them to life.  There’s something magical about studying the history of famous inventions, mistakes that turned into big businesses, and everyday items had surprisingly haphazard beginnings.  But we can’t consume our way to innovation. The only way to ratchet up our species is to create.  And…

Consider the following passage from the bestselling novel about the smartest dog in the world: Lem grew up with the conviction that any success he achieved was merely a precarious toehold on the cliff of life, that he was always in danger of being blown off that cliff by the winds of adversity.  Does any part of that ring true for you?  Certainly does for me. Success, after all, is a…