Disqus - Latest Comments for wholemusician

Re: Small actions changing self-identity

wholemusician — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:00:20 -0000

Good morning Derek.

Reading this post has given me a great start to my day.

I was just talking to my wife, Cora, yesterday about how everything great and life-changing always occurred in a moment on a day which was the miraculous tomorrow of the unsuspecting day before.

As we were contemplating our great plans for the next nine months, we realized that we didn't have to wait nine months to realize our dreams since everything could change tomorrow (or today or this week...).

I read Huxley's Island while in Bali and it changed everything for me, too.

I look forward to more inspired posts and synchronistic insights.

Joshua

Re: Action-Reaction

wholemusician — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:24:00 -0000

Great timing with this post!

I would like to comment specifically on the emerging "Anti-Long-Tail" reactive phenomenon (let's call it ALT) since the belief in Anderson's theory has been a cornerstone of many recent artists' declarations of independence.

I have been thinking and writing all month about how the Long Tail theory is predictably coming under scrutiny and how inevitable it is that every trend is met with an anti-trend. I am psyched to see these concepts being addressed on this blog.

A couple of pieces which led me to decipher the current ALT trend were Paul Resnikoff's "Parting Shot" in the Digital Music Newsletter on May 13th, 2008 entitled "Where's My Long Tail Playbook?" (http://www.digitalmusicnews... and the July/August 2008 Harvard Business Review article by Anita Elberse (http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/pub... entitled "Should You Invest In The Long Tail?"

Not surprisingly, both authors have come out against the Long Tail perspective and have drawn upon lots of solid statistical evidence to support the case for the persistence of the blockbuster model of entertainment industry success.

I was so provoked by Resnikoff's post that I immediately responded by drafting a five page essay about how there were so many more choices than the either/or model of "superstardom or starvation" would have us believe and that an artist's success goes well beyond only economic and critical factors...but that is another conversation.

So what is going on?

Taoism? Physics? Curmudgeons? I suspect it is all of them and more.

There will always be large trends and anti-trend trends. A juicy musical example is the resurgence of authentic acoustic American roots traditions on the heels of an overabundance of manufactured-sounding technologically-inspired music.

Everything is in motion, perpetually changing and shifting. The adventure is in discovering what's going on each day, not in pinning it down.

Re: Trip diary from Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong

wholemusician — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:34:50 -0000

Thank you for posting your impressions from the road. What a whirlwind!

I lived, played, worked, and traveled in and around Japan for most of my twenties and always appreciate the rushes of new perspective that come from adventures on the road.

Oddly enough, what fascinated me the most in your sharing is your description of reading Richard Branson’s autobiography on the plane (a fitting location) and spending a couple hours writing about lessons learned from it.

Given all of your adventures, it might seem like a small, insignificant detail, but the fact that you spent focused time personalizing the information you absorbed from reading the book strikes me as significant. So does the matching of the book subject and the location you were reading it (whether or not you intended to do it).

As a voracious learner, I have made it a practice for years to underline, circle, mark up margins and create copious notes when reading. By restating what you learn from others in your own words, you deepen the lessons and quicken your ability to understand, assimilate, and be changed by their wisdom.

I have also developed this funny habit of reading books in locations that deepen their impact...I read Dylan's Chronicles, Volume 1 in cafes in The Village, John Hersey's Hiroshima in Hiroshima's Peace Park, Napoleon Hill's Think And Grow Rich across the street from Andrew Carnegie's mansion, Aldous Huxley's Island on the beach in Bali...

I am fascinated by the learning process and people's learning styles, especially artists and musicians. In my observations, effective learning makes good information usable--which can lead to wise action--which can lead to successful results. If anybody else on this forum has an interesting learning habit or tactic, I would love to hear about it. (JP@Letitoutproductions.com).

Perhaps not everybody needs to write down their interpretations or travel to specific locations in order to effectively process information, but the fact that you did and bothered to mention it served as an affirmation of my learning style this morning.

Thank you for sharing the small details in addition to the dramatic events and big ideas...

Re: Across the Universe

wholemusician — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:42:07 -0000

I look forward to your rant on how context can change everything. It sounds like fertile ground for an inspired conversation!

Re: Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn

wholemusician — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:06:51 -0000

How refreshing!...A set of blog posts celebrating the art NOT KNOWING (or what Alvin Toffler referred to as the skill of unlearning). Thanks for the link, Rich--I lived in Japan for many years and the practice of "beginner's mind" was one the essential pieces of wisdom that drew me in and kept me there.

Applications of this important concept are everywhere: I just finished two days of tracking guitar and bass parts for a client's record and everything that was worth keeping only came after the we got past what we thought we knew and began to discover what lived beyond our preconceived musical ideas.

The same principle seems to apply to entrepreneurial activity, such as business meetings where the breakthrough realizations or ideas only emerge after the initial agenda has been given its due and everyone is free to explore what better ideas or solutions might be hiding out in the recesses of their minds.

I will often set up a detailed agenda before a meeting and then allow myself to eagerly anticipate the discovery of what the actual purpose of the meeting will prove itself to be, knowing full well that it might have nothing to do with what we initially think we are meeting about.

This might seem like folly if you are operating in a large, hierarchically-structured organization, but in an age where many are discovering the freedom to design their own independent, creative, visionary business/career models, I think that a "beginner's mind" approach to life, art, and business fits right in.

Re: Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn

wholemusician — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:04:27 -0000

Derek,

Thank you for sharing this great distinction. I couldn't agree more.

I would add to the definition of modern literacy the skill of filtering...being able to decide what is important, nourishing, valuable, and/or useful and learning to ignore that which isn't.

This insight emerged during a conversation I was having with my 15-year old son just before the purchasing of his first private computer.

We were pondering how in the 20th century (and before), there were social filters (governmental authorities, centralized media companies, departments of education, censorship boards, etc.) that took responsibility for filtering through and trying to discern what material made it in to people's consciousness.

Of course, these social filters still exist, but I sense that now it is up to individuals to learn to self-filter. There are simply too many places to put our attention. Being able to creatively steer our focus would appear to be becoming a matter of psychological survival, not just a useful skill.

Keep your valuable ideas coming...it's good to know that you are out there learning and growing, sharing and caring...

Re: I’m a stereotypical entrepreneur

wholemusician — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:59:08 -0000

Better a stereotype than a monotype...