7 ways to get your creative mojo back

  1.  trap yourself in the woods by yourself for a week (perferrably a cabin)
  2. read survival guides (as long as you’ve never done this before in your life)
  3. bring 30 pounds of vinyl records with you. Listen your heart out.  – don’t forget the actual player as well
  4. Hike daily – in the woods you’ll remember just who you are. A creature of God.
  5. Write in your journal in a “poetic voice”
  6. Meditate by a body of water (don’t forget your mosquito spray)

animalstalkinginallcaps: YOU HEAR YEASAYER’S GOT A NEW RECORD COMING OUT? I GUESS I HEARD THAT SOMEWHERE, YEAH. I MIGHT CHECK IT OUT. I DON’T KNOW, MAN. I REALLY ONLY LIKED THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES FOR A SPECIFIC TWELVE MINUTE SPAN BETWEEN THE RELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT RECORD AND THE FIRST TIME IT WAS REVIEWED BY AN OBSCURE WEBSITE. I REALLY ONLY LIKED THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS’ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BAND PERFORMANCES. IF WE’RE BEING HONEST I ONLY LIKED THEM WHEN THEY WERE, RESPECTIVELY, IN UTERO. I DON’T EVEN LIKE THEIR MUSIC. I ONLY PRETEND TO SO I HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT WITH THE BARISTAS THAT SERVE ME MY MORNING MACCHIATO. I DISLIKED YEASAYER BEFORE THEY WERE BORN. I FUCKING HATE THAT BAND. I ONLY LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF RUST FORMING ON THE UNDERCARRIAGES OF NORWEGIAN LUXURY SEDANS. I HAVE A VINTAGE RECORDABLE 90 MINUTE MAXELL CASSETTE TAPE THAT’S  JUST THE SOUND OF A VACUUM CLEANER LEFT ON IN AN EMPTY APARTMENT. IT’S MY FAVORITE RECORD. THAT SOUNDS AWESOME. IT ISN’T NOW THAT YOU SAID THAT.

animalstalkinginallcaps:

YOU HEAR YEASAYER’S GOT A NEW RECORD COMING OUT?

I GUESS I HEARD THAT SOMEWHERE, YEAH.

I MIGHT CHECK IT OUT.

I DON’T KNOW, MAN. I REALLY ONLY LIKED THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES FOR A SPECIFIC TWELVE MINUTE SPAN BETWEEN THE RELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT RECORD AND THE FIRST TIME IT WAS REVIEWED BY AN OBSCURE WEBSITE.

I REALLY ONLY LIKED THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS’ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BAND PERFORMANCES.

IF WE’RE BEING HONEST I ONLY LIKED THEM WHEN THEY WERE, RESPECTIVELY, IN UTERO.

I DON’T EVEN LIKE THEIR MUSIC. I ONLY PRETEND TO SO I HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT WITH THE BARISTAS THAT SERVE ME MY MORNING MACCHIATO.

I DISLIKED YEASAYER BEFORE THEY WERE BORN.

I FUCKING HATE THAT BAND.

I ONLY LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF RUST FORMING ON THE UNDERCARRIAGES OF NORWEGIAN LUXURY SEDANS.

I HAVE A VINTAGE RECORDABLE 90 MINUTE MAXELL CASSETTE TAPE THAT’S  JUST THE SOUND OF A VACUUM CLEANER LEFT ON IN AN EMPTY APARTMENT. IT’S MY FAVORITE RECORD.

THAT SOUNDS AWESOME.

IT ISN’T NOW THAT YOU SAID THAT.

Thank You Video of the Day

THANK YOU DANICA MCNAB

 http://www.kapipal.com/bd9c51fb720b4de6aea25e3b190b60c1 

Come for the weekend stay for the week

I went in a great vacation with my multiple sets of eloping couple friends. Up in northern saskatchewan there are incredible hiking trails and elk that wall the streets. I just decided to stay instead of going back to the city. Need to commune with nature.

Tests of being a musician….

I am back in the Canadian prairies, the dust is plentiful and the days are already hot.

I am taking naps, going for walks and reconnecting with friends. Coming home is always a bit bumpy, I feel a little like a ship at sea. Tied to nothing. Wondering what I’m doing (ships ask themselves these questions right?).

When I’m touring, everyday is of service to humanity and Baha’u’llah and connecting people to their soul. When I am home, swimming in a sea of emails, writing reports, practicing and writing; its not as direct and I second guess my motivations.

Am I doing this for validation?  When I arise to serve Baha’u’llah, people clap and tell me that I am wonderful. I am not slugging it out in the trenches, week by week doing a Junior Youth Empowerment program whose results will take 5 years to manifest.

Am I doing this for financial gain? or rather, the future promise of financial gain? Finances is something that comes up a lot with what I do. I am asked daily how I pay the bills? I sell Cd’s, sometimes I charge a door fee at a show, sometimes communities help me out.  Mostly I pray for God’s help to cover the expenses of travel and recording. I don’t make money at this point, but I do seem to sell more CD’s then I ever did when I did performing my original music. I’d say thats because people actually want this CD. But the whole issue of payment for being of SERVICE is kind of a tricky one. But it seems  a waste that I would be answering phones instead of singing in people’s living rooms. 

What is the future of this? Blarg. This is a thought I try not to entertain. I do not have a standard education. There is no plan B. The skills I have, they really all allow me to be a musician and I’m not much good at anything else. Even in the path of service to the Baha’i community - I’m not good at providing music for children, or JY or helping others sing or being collaborative. I have a pretty narrow skill set. But I also believe God made me like this for a reason - yes I can grow and expand to be better at other things. But God made me REALLY GOOD at concerts where I sing and effect the human heart. Its not too interactive, or community oriented but there must be a space for this…i hope so anyway. But then, how do I grow this? How does a family fit into this picture? What does this look like when I am 60? or 40? or even 35? 

In the end, the answers to these questions are the same as they always are and exactly what my mom always tells me.

Pray about it. Wait. so thats what I am doing…at least when I’m not napping.

my life in airports

I am in the last airport I will see in 6 WHOLE WEEKS!!

I must say the Victoria BC is the nicest airport ever! There are 10 trees INSIDE of the airport. And guess what??? I found GLUTEN FREE MUFFINS at the restaurant. AMAZING!

This is how I kill time in airports:

1) Download tv episodes to watch on the airplane

2) Write emails to neglected friends

3) Take photos of cute babies, without their parents knowledge so I dont seem like a creeper. 

Here is a picture from the incredible Buchart Gardens that I had the honour of seeing.