Massive News Coming Soon
I’ve got some massive news, but I can’t say anything till later this week. Stay tuned.
Inspiration
Remember the first time you saw that video? How original his voice was. How epic his piano playing was. And not just for a kid. But as a crazy talented human. Remember the originality of what he was doing? Here’s what makes me sad about that. Today, he sounds just like everyone else. Sure, the label with the most incentive ran after him, probably promised him whatever he wanted and then turned him into this. It’s not bad. It’s just not original anymore. It’s not a jaw dropping YouTube sensation. It’s a kid trying to sound like every other pop star out there. That makes me sad.
Now, I’m not knocking this kid at all. And I don’t know the first thing about his record deal, his incentives, his songwriting ability, or really anything else. But what I know is that what blew everyone away on YouTube was completely polished and buried in this new song. And that I think is a problem.
I might be taking this a little far but how many times has something truly inspired become commercial and when you take a step back and look, it’s nothing like it was when it started? I’ve been struggling for a little while looking for inspiration. I used to write songs and poetry, books and books of it. I used to draw. I used to paint. I used to play music. I used to be inspired. It’s not like there aren’t moments of inspiration throughout the day, but I’d be lying if I said most of my day wasn’t consumed by making it through with a clean inbox and my to-do list neatly checked off. So much so that there are times where I literally feel claustrophobic in my own skin. Some people call it selling out. Some people call it making a living. Some people call it hustle.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my job, and I love the projects I get to work on and the people I get to work with. And that’s why I’m desperately working on keeping the inspiration. I love to create. I love to see things differently. I’m not sure what the answer is. I’m not sure if there is one. You might be thinking that I’m a baby. And that’s okay. I probably am. But sometimes don’t you want to strip all that away and go back to being that kid banging on piano singing as strong as you can?
How do you get your inspiration back when it’s fading?
The New SkörInc.com
Well, if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you probably saw yesterday that the new SkörInc.com launched. We’re super excited to start taking things to the next level. We’ve got some fun ideas for different sites as well as what we will be doing with some of the artists on the road. Lots. Anyway when you get a sec, head over to the new site, poke around, let me know what you like, don’t like, or anything else. Jordan did an amazing job on this build so he needs some love.
Also, we’ve got a new blog over there as well so it’s probably going to show up a little less here, and more over there when it’s Skör related material. Other than that it’s back to your regularly scheduled web browsing. Have a great Thursday.
Please Keep Your Hands And Feet Inside The Train
I’ve had a weird couple of days. They’ve started out pretty normal, then moved quickly into really exciting and awesome, then both yesterday and today took a sharp turn into really frustrating and stressful. An absolute roller coaster. Have you ever had a days like that? I’m not sure how much I want to get into it on here just yet, but I will say this. I am unabashedly thankful for an amazing, understanding wife and friends with level heads when mine is far from it.
If you’ve been around this blog at all you’ll know I’m a pretty (for lack of a better word) sensitive person when it comes to negativity of any kind. Call it ‘thin skin’ or whatever you like, but I get affected pretty easily by other people’s actions which is not exactly an amazing attribute to have when you’re running a company I don’t think.
Over the past two days, I’ve literally gone from some of the coolest phone conversations with exciting opportunities followed up by some conversations that have left me speechless and, quite frankly, jacked up a little. I’ve gone from major changes in an awesome direction, to major changes in a hurtful direction and back again.
Mostly I’m just processing things, but right now I’m continuing to appreciate Kristin and all that she does for me and our family, appreciate friends that I can call and talk about these struggles and have them let me know it’s not that bad.
So that’s the deal right now. Sorry this is such a lame post, but I just wanted to let you all know where things are at. More to come on some of these more exciting things for sure. That stuff is going to be amazing.
On The Fence
It’s magical. It’s revolutionary. It will change the way I check my email. It’s all those things and more right? I’ll use it more than I’ll use my existing computer. It’s lighter than my laptop. I’ve heard all the arguments for me to run out and get an iPad. And don’t get me wrong. I want one for sure. But I’m still on the fence deciding if I need one.
I literally have been going back and forth with myself. Do I need it? Would I really use it enough to make it worth it? Do I go with the 64 gig if I do? 3G? See how this can mess with you?
Now, most of you know, I spend all sorts of time ‘online’. I’m always having to do something, most of which is possible to do from my phone, but not the easiest thing in the world. My question would be, is the iPad going to replace anything? It can’t replace my computer, it can’t replace my phone, it won’t replace my kids toys, but do I still need it?
Let’s hear it. Should I go get one?
Seth Godin Is Smart
So, I completely stole this post from Seth Godin. I was going to Re-Tweet it or whatever, but this seemed to carry a little more weight thank just a ‘Hey check this out’. Absolutely brilliant. What do you think?
Who judges your work?
Here’s the mistake we make in high school:
We let anyone, just anyone, judge our work (and by extension, judge us.)
Sue, the airheaded but long-legged girl in Spanish class gets the right to judge our appearance.
Bill, the bitter former-poet English teacher gets the power to tell us if we’re good at writing.
And on and on.
The cheerleaders are deputized as the Supreme Court of social popularity, and the gym teacher forever has dibs on whether or not we’re macho enough to make it in the world. These are patterns we sign up for, and they last forever (or until we tell them to go away).
In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work–the people who will make it better, use it and reward you–is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do.
If you haven’t already check out more from Seth Godin. He’ll blow your mind.
The Bird Photographer
It happens every now and then. Sometimes when I’m on the road for long periods of time, sometimes when I’m tired, or sometimes when everything is fine. I get in this funk that for some reason I can’t shake. Call it a depression, call it being moody, call it what you want, but I think we all go through it occasionally…. At least I hope. These last few days have been a little like that but different…. and this time it’s starting to jack with me a little.
I literally just got back from walking down the street to a Starbucks in Spokane, Washington. The venue we are at is on the other side of the river and there’s this pretty amazing walk across a bridge and through a downtown area. There was a carousel with music and all sorts of people enjoying their day.
Walking back I noticed a guy sitting on the bridge with a massive camera taking pictures of, I assume, the birds as they dove down into the water. He looked pretty involved in what he was doing, wearing headphones and clearly ‘somewhere else’. Instantly, my mind went to this place of “what’s the point?” ”Why would you take the time to go to some bridge to take pictures of birds? Seems pointless to me. It’s not benefitting anything. What’s he going to do with 100 pictures of birds?”
What?!?
Who’s in my head, and how did you get there? I used to take pictures of birds. I used to appreciate art. I’m usually blown away by music. I’m fascinated by photography. Is the concept of ‘art’ slowly becoming meaningless to me? Maybe it’s because I’m working so much. Maybe it’s because I’m simply too busy to enjoy the artistry of the things around me. Maybe it’s because I have to pretend to be a “business owner” all the time studying statistics and all that junk. If anything, I hope I’m not turning into ‘that guy’.
Now this isn’t one of those posts where I have some answer or ‘solution’ on how I “got over it”. This is just the only thing I could think about writing when I got back from seeing the bird photographer. Maybe I need more sleep, or a day off, or to see my family. Who knows. I just know there’s going to need to be a conscious effort in noticing the art.
Anyone else fall into this every once in a while? Any suggestions?
Positive Post Tuesday
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Positive Post Tuesday post. Not because I haven’t been positive, but because I just keep forgetting. Well, yesterday I heard someone talking on the radio and they challenged everyone listening to not say anything negative on their Facebook status and it reminded me about this whole talking positive thing. For those of you that don’t know, it’s easy. All you have to do is write something positive on your blog and link to it in the comments.
So where to start. It’s been insanely busy these past few months and from my end that’s a totally positive thing. Finishing out the year with Billy was great. I still talk to those guys regularly and it’s awesome to go from one organization of good people to another organization of good people and there’s no weirdness or feeling of abandonment or anything like that. Just smooth transitions and we’re all still friends. The MercyMe tour is off to the races and it seems like it’s going well. It’s awesome to be out with the Fee guys too, though we still need to get our flag football on before they leave.
Another amazingly positive thing is the way Kristin and the boys have handled this whole last few months. I don’t know how she does it but somehow Kristin keeps on top of all the home stuff while I’m out running around like a maniac. I don’t know many other people that could handle that and she does it gracefully.
So in a nutshell, I guess this Positive Post Tuesday is about work, friends and family. Now let’s hear yours. Write about something or someone on your blog and throw the link in the comments.
What Pollutes Your Life?
This morning I watched a keynote talk by Gary Vaynerchuck at the Web 2.0 Expo in New York. One thing he said right at the beginning really jumped out at me.
“There is no reason in 2008 to do s**t you hate. None. Because you can lose just as much money being happy as hell.”
Make sense for business right? I can totally see where he’s coming from. In this day and age not doing something you are passionate about you should be. There are too many resources out there to do other things and it’s just a matter of finding them and working hard.
A little later I saw the question, ‘What Pollutes Your Life?’. I didn’t even catch the context of the question, but I started thinking of the things that pollute my life, and what that does to my productivity, my family, my time with my kids, and my time making SkörInc a better company. I’ve been thinking about that ever since.
I realized pretty quick I know what pollutes my life. I know what clouds my vision and I know what slows me down and it’s pretty simple. Criticism. And not only criticism, but the attacks of those critics. I hate not pleasing people and being friends with everyone and that has the potential to occupy more of my mind than anything else. I hate that. I hate that it affects me and I hate that it pollutes my life.
Now I think these things can be similar to a degree. If I hate dealing with criticism and hate dealing with the crap of those critics, why do I do it? Why can’t I just put my head down and work harder at being the best of what I am doing?
So there it is folks. What pollutes your life? What can you do to push through it?
Day One
Randy flew in last night about nine-thirty and now he officially lives here. It’s a little weird but it’s cool that we can officially get going on the company. We left the airport and stopped in at McCreary’s for a cool adult beverage. After a brief tour around the town we headed back to our house.
Randy’s staying with us for a while until he figures out what he wants to do, but for the time being it will be cool to be able to work in the same room. We’ve got some big plans for the Fee guys, so look for that soon. Also it will be nice to be able to not have to deal with time zone differences, waiting for emails, and communicating across the country. I’m hoping we can be a lot more productive in the same town and same house for a while.
From what Randy remembers this is the furthest East he has been, except for one time when he was little. What’s the furthest you have been from your house. For Vacation, work, anything. Where’s the furthest place you have traveled?
I went to Jamaica last year. That seemed like it was pretty far.
