Take a Chance

I recently posted this to the Mountain Climer Instagram page:

Growth is painful. Doesn't matter if it's physical growth, personal growth, artistic growth, to grow is to suffer in some way. The last two years have been incredibly difficult in a lot of ways, but instead of avoiding it, I've been walking through it. I've had to push through my through life-long habits and behaviors to come out the other side. I've had to come to terms with how few people actually care and make peace with that. What you have will always be enough when you have the Lord. Focus on your family. Focus on your close friends. Focus on what you're passionate about. Help others. Ignore the noise and don't sweat the drama. Those folks are just passing through.

For me personally, the growth in my art has coincided with the growth in my spiritual/emotional life.  They’re tightly connected.  This is not coincidence.

Whether it is lyrical or musical, or even photographic, I’m letting go of the chains that I shackled myself with. 

What’s the worst that could happen?  No one likes it?  No one is listening now.  With a couple of exceptions, my friends and family don’t even care.  Why wouldn’t I make the music I want to make?

Nothing great was ever accomplished by playing it safe. 

All greatness was proceeded by failure. 

I’ve written a lot about this recently. In blog posts about Aching Baby and Violator in particular. U2 and Depeche Mode had a lot to lose. I don’t. You probably don’t either. Add weird sounds. Create a character like Ziggy Stardust.

If I like it, it goes out the door. If I don’t like it, it stays. You have to have some rules, creative people need rules (as much as we might tell you otherwise), but keep them simple. Make those rules work for you, not against you. Perfectionism is as much your enemy as mediocrity is.

Get weird and own it.