Keep Searching

Being a musician or artist is one of the best gifts ever but it can sometimes seem like a curse. As creative people we are all striving to find our voice or purpose, not unlike most of the world. Everyone wants to know why they are here and what are they supposed to be doing. This is extra hard for us because we are often faced with the fact that financial reward and pursuing your passion don't always line up, or so it seems. Life is truly a journey that we will travel until we expire so it's never over until it's over. We have to keep searching and learning to find our place. The cool thing about this search is that it is never ending because there is always something new to learn and experience. For example, for those of us that spend the bulk of our time gigging or creating, it's now time for us to search out ways to increase the value of our years of experience. This process requires study and a willingness to do something different. You see the misconception that artists have to be broke or have a "day job" to support themselves is just that . . . a misconception. We have to buckle down and spend our time finding ways to exploit the various skill sets we have acquired while doing what we do as well as staying open to learning even more. We must also understand that no matter how much money or success we attain, we have to always keep searching and learning. Once you stop wanting to grow, you die. None of us know everything nor should we want to. Living as an artist is a beautiful thing and we have a daily opportunity to walk a path that is full of wisdom and freedom. This also applies to all facets of our lives. Let's stop complaining about what we don't have and focus on what we DO have and what we WILL have. We just have to stay focused and keep a fresh outlook on life because this journey is much shorter than any of us realize. There is no time to waste on nonsense. so let's live, love, create and keep searching. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth 

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2013

In Spite Of

Following your passion takes a lot of courage, especially when your passion is music. There are tons of examples and cliches about the musician or artist. We are often referred to as starving artists. It is really a metaphor for dedication because following your passion means risking it all and before you can walk you have to crawl. The hardest part is that following this passion is never enough to guarantee success. Along the way we find that we have to master our business skills in order to make our passion worth something to others. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. You see, we can see the vision because it's ours but to the rest of the world and even those closet to us, we are just dreamers. Well my advice is that you keep moving in spite of. Being an artist is a thankless endeavor and we have to have unshakable faith and a thick skin. What most people don't get is that we have to spend thousands of hours developing who we are and what we do before it ever really pays off. The problem is that most of us give up or allow others to make us give up before we reap the reward. Trust me, the only way you loose is to stop playing the game. I've seen people with very little natural talent become very successful because they simply didn't quit. I've also seen people get one or two steps away from making it only to give up, never realizing that if they had only kept going, their payoff was right around the corner. This can be much harder as we get older, especially if you have a family, but I say even then you can not give up. To do so will only make you bitter, full of regret and make you resent those closet to you. It's also important that we keep our minds open to expanding our visions so that we can see all of the opportunities that lie before us that can be a part of our passion. Stay encouraged and focused in spite of everything else and remember to enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2013

Life Is Short

I've had a few close friends and associates pass away within the last year. The shocking thing is that all of these people where young and in, what seemed to be, great shape. In every case I found myself shocked thinking of how I had just seen or spoke to them not realizing that would be the last time I would share time and space with them. Of course when people pass away, we all have brief moments of reflection and an acceptance of our own mortality but these thoughts soon disappear and we return to our lives as usual. The thing we have to remember is that life is short and we don't have time to waste. This point is driven home more and more as we get older because death is something we will ALL experience so why not live our BEST life all the time. We never know if this moment will be our last or someone else's. This is also applicable to our craft. We never know how our music and performance can affect some one's life so it is paramount that we live and perform FULL OUT all the time. We are not promised tomorrow so we should learn to focus our words, thoughts and actions toward living the best life we can because it can all be over in an instant. The key to living life is to be HAPPY. Yes we all strive for success but if the stress of achieving a certain success shortens your life, it's not worth it. Some say that stress is just a by product of winning. Well not if you truly love what you do and your goal is to live a happy life. As musicians it is important for us to remember that stress kills just like cancer. So as we continue on our paths, let's be sure to take time to enjoy every beautiful moment we can and not stress over ANYTHING. Trust me it's not worth it. God bless those we've lost and may he continue to bless us as we continue ahead. Be well and enjoy the journey.

The Truth 

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2013