Unplugged

No, I'm not talking about wall outlets or playing accoustic versions of all my hits, I'm talking about earbuds, speakers, etc...

I just came back from an errand to the local store. Like always, I had my iPod in my pocket and earbuds ready to stick in my ears. I was tempted to pop the little things in my ears and scroll through the music and podcasts to listen to while I walk.

This time, I hesitated...

Don't know whether it was a result of listener fatigue or the fact that it's a beautiful sunny day here in Vancouver with the birds chirping, cherry blossoms in bloom and signs of Spring everywhere. Regardless, something convinced me to just walk down the sidewalk without any artificial auditory stimulus to entertain me on the way.

I live with music or some sort of audio soundtrack playing at anytime. I live and breath audio pretty well every waking hour of my days. It's either me playing/writing music, listening to music, interacting with my family, etc... There's always something auditory going on.

I found the few blocks to and from the store "au naturelle' to be invigorating and refreshing. I found myself listening to the sounds in the neighbourhood - really listening to what's going on in the world immediately around me.

Instead of being bored, I quite enjoyed the randomness and unexpected things that reached my ears. I also found myself creating and revising music snippets in my head based on the sounds and rhythms from around me. If I could have somehow recorded all that ... well that would have been cool.

Anyway, I thought it was this kind of thing ... taking away the "conveniences" we have grown to rely on to entertain ourselves that turns into a touchstone for breaking out of the mold and seeing things in a fresh perspective:

Getting out of my normal routine, watching the breeze in the trees, smelling the flowers and listening to the birds sing...

Rejection - doesn't have to be all that bad does it?

Thought I'd share something that got me thinking.

I know, I know, it's yet another infrequent post by me. I dunno, but blogging is this fickle thing for me for some reason - feast or famine...

Anyhoo, just got a message from a client that I submitted a demo for that they are deciding to pass on me for the bigger project. I mentioned it to someone, and got the response:

"Oh, that just sucks - you must feel dejected!"

...

To tell you the truthI didn't feel that bad - I got to do something that I quite enjoy, got some experience under my belt and learned some lessons.


I didn't quite agree with the feedback, but hey, that's what music is all about - it all hinges on personal expectations and taste. Sometimes two peoples' visions don't align, and that's cool

I took the "rejection" with some grace - thanked them for the opportunity, told them I had fun doing it (and I did), and mentioned that I had ideas on other parts of the project and offered any help if they were open to it.

On to other stuff - turns out they're open to other ideas and wouldn't mind hearing them.

All in all, not too shabby. Sure, it would have been good to land the gig, but who knows? By taking it all in stride and looking to the positives, the door is still open for something down the road, which may even be a cooler gig...

We'lll see!