Over the last year, or even longer (though less consistently) there have three or so major themes here:

1. Music/Sound
2. Electronic communications (social media, Web 2.0, new media, etc…)
3. Our human potential (self-motivation, self-help, goals, etc…)

These themes have taken many forms, including anecdotes, videos, and posts I’ve found online to quotes, book references, poetry, sound samples and musical references. That’s not going to change, but time has given me the benefit of being able to see what this blog is about; what scales, and what’s sustainable as a writer and leader of this endeavor.

If you imagine this blog as an impressionist painting, say a darker Monet (above) or Renoire, and you blur the specific content items into a single whole, the focus of the writing and the message start to get more narrow. You start to see that really this blog is about me and what I’ve tried to do since I came online with my music in 1999, I write a bit about that at the bottom this post here. Here’s an excerpt:

It’s funny because as I write this I remember what it was that attracted me to the Web. I was a musician/composer, and I was working on a recording. After having played guitar for years, being in bands, playing shows, and trying to sell music at venues, I saw that the Web had the power to change everything for me as a working artist — the playing field had been leveled. On the Web, in 1999, Mp3.com had just launched, and it was skies the limit for artists to get out their, hang a virtual shingle, and let the world know about their work. However, it wasn’t about huckstering your product and bombarding folks with spam to inform them about your work (though there was some of that); rather there was an openness that permeated throughout this new platform. There were new channels for sharing what you were doing, as well as for folks, from all the over the world, to share with you.

The Web was, is, the great liberator. It leveled the playing field for artists of all kinds, but for me as a composer, the benefits have been huge. Here are a few reasons why:

• Getting the message out is cheap (often free)
• Exposure is as great as the work you put into it (and free, not historically the case)
• Everyone in the world (with an internet connection) can access your work.
• You are your own limitation because the world is at your finger tips (or to use bad 90’s copy – just a mouse click away)

These items are unprecedented, and while they have, and will continue to, come with their own struggles, it’s has the potential to be a boon for the working artist, writer, and creative. Therefore, the moral of the, blog/story that I’ve been weaving for the past year  starts to look like this:

If you’re a composer, artist, creative, whatever then there’s no excuse to not get your work out there, do the most and be the most you can be; the Web and the many electronic communications tools available to you (including email, social media and even old school listservs and newsgroups) can help you get the message out there about your work.

That’s it.

That’s the fork in the message for creatives out there.

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Sometimes, oh hell, most times, we don’t know what we have until it’s lost. We make plans, and go about our daily business searching for some thing that’s out there, at some distant point, some distant place, some distant state of mind, or state of being. When really we don’t bother to look inside ourselves, look at our experience, look at the present moment and see what we have right now.

It’s been said, that we teach what we ourselves need learn most, and by putting these lines down I’m certainly giving myself a lesson. What do we have right now? What’s going on right now? What do we have to be grateful and thankful for? What do we have that our lives would be worse off for if we didn’t have it? There’s something like that for everyone, and when you figure out what that is, you can start being thankful and grateful now, not later… otherwise, when we get to that later point, we’ll realize what we had, but only because we’ll no longer have it. The universe can be a very cruel teacher sometimes.

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We come into working life doing just that, working. Sometimes, though, in the daily grind of trying to make a living and trying to make something happen for ourselves on a personal and professional level little opportunities present themselves.

It’s funny when I think about the work that I do now: electronic communications, Web and multimedia work; such jobs didn’t even exist when I was coming up. I sort of stumbled into what I do.

I was thinking about this a few days ago as I sat at my desk composing music for an internal video I was working on. To think that I’ve had the chance to get into electronic communications, Web, etc… is one thing that I feel really lucky for, but to be able to sit in my cubicle, in a corporate environment in 2009, when a lot of my fellow workers don’t even have jobs, and I get to compose music, man that just blows my mind!

Anyone who reads my posts regularly knows that I’m not prone to gushing optimism, more like cautious realism with slightly pessimistic undertones… But seriously, I, a guy of average intelligence, and not particularly gifted at much of anything, have been able to create these kinds of opportunities for myself.

What’s my point? Here’s the point: In the grind of the day to day it’s easy to lose track of what’s important, it’s easy to lose track of your goals, and your ideas, but if you’re passionate, and care about what you do, man, the universe will meet you half way sometimes, and give you what you’re looking for even if it seemingly comes out of thin air. Truth. Can’t explain it.

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If you’re an entrepreneur of any kind, it’s likely you’ve already started, but maybe you’re just not aware of it. Here are few signs of whether you’re an entrepreneur and don’t know it:

• Do you work harder than most for quality and value when others around you would prefer to maintain the status quo?
• Do you feel like you care more about the work, customer, and/or employer than those around you?
• Do you do your best work simply because you couldn’t imagine doing it any other way?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions then surely you’re an entrepreneur.

It’s easy to think that an entrepreneur is a business owner or the like, but really entrepreneurship is the just the willingness to do something and take responsibility for it. And actually, the definition for leadership isn’t much different, which is why entrepreneurship and leadership go hand in hand. The entrepreneur takes responsibility for their life, career, etc… and goes for it. There’s no need to begin at some distant point in the future, as I’ve said, you’re likely already doing it; make a conscious decision to start where you’re at.

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The path.

Often, the path we’re on, isn’t the path we want to be on.

Imagine, how different the world and our experience could be if we could let go of the idea that we want to be somewhere, other than where we are at this very moment.

It seems like a profound idea, but should it be?

After all, we’re where we’re supposed to be until we’re not.

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No job, no problem: here’s a list of 10 things to do while unemployed.

1. Learn a skill.
2. Read a book.
3. Go to the library.
4. Exercise; get in shape.
5. Learn a Language.
6. Plant a garden.
7. Learn a musical instrument.
8. Do volunteer work.
9. Go for a walk.
10. Start a journal.

1. Learn a skill. What does it take to learn a skill? Usually time and patience. When you’re unemployed time is in great supply. Use that time to do something productive; learn woodworking, plumbing, electrical or something else where you can build or repair something. These aren’t just great things to know, they’re practical and can help a great deal in every day life.

2. Read a book. When you’re unemployed there’s nothing but time to read that book you’ve had sitting on your night stand forever. Secondarily, reading is great way to escape from the doldrums of unemployment.

3. Go to the library. Get curious. Go to the library and learn about something. Someone, though, I can’t remember who at this point, once told me that a library card is one of the most important things you’ll ever have. That’s a philosophy I believe, and lived by. Check out the local library.

4. Exercise; get in shape. You have lots of time; move, exercise, do some yoga… you’re not rushed, so go ahead and walk to your daily errands. Exercise also serves to get out those energies that collect in your being when you’re out of work. Get movin’!

5. Learn a language. It takes time to learn a language. Use your unemployment freedom to acquire a foreign tongue. During one unemployment stint I started a translation of the Tao Te Ching, which I’m still working on today, and may be for quite a while longer…

6. Plant a garden. A garden, a flower box, or a flower bed can be a great way to not feel so disconnected from the world. Periods of unemployment, when your friends, spouse, etc. are working can be lonely. Cultivating soil and planting is a timeless and ancient endeavor that can connect you with the earth. I’ve found it especially peaceful to embrace this natural world during when struggling with employment woes.

7. Learn a musical instrument. Everyone has a piano, guitar, recorder or some other kind of musical instrument they’re not using. Get your hands on a musical instrument and try to pick it up. Nothing is so relaxing as a plunking out a few chords on a piano or a strumming a guitar. The cost of admittance is low, and it can be really rewarding and relaxing.

8. Do volunteer work. People need help and can’t afford to pay — offer your time. You won’t be paid in cash, but you will be paid in kindness and good will, things are often, but not always, in short supply during periods of unemployment. Too often, when I’ve been faced with unemployment, I’ve resorted to feeling better by eating a Big Mac, or an entire supreme pizza, there are better and more healthful ways to get recharged… try volunteer work.

9. Go for a walk. In the rush of daily living that usually encompasses the gainfully employed how often did you get the opportunity to walk around your neighborhood. This is kind of a dove-tail into #4, but I wanted it to be separate, and not about exercise, but rather about exploring your locale. Be a tourist in your own town. Go out walking, look around, meet people, and connect with the world around you. It’s so simple, and so rewarding, yet it’s also very challenging to do when you’re working… make the best out of the unemployment time, because even though it’s dreadful at times, it won’t last forever.

10. Keep a journal. Unemployment can be a real bummer vitality suck. Write about your experiences and get the the thoughts and energies out there. Writing can be a cathartic and healing process that can allow you to get in touch with yourself. Keep a journal or put together a blog. Writing down the trials and triumphs can settle the madness of unemployment down.

Unemployment doesn’t last, but it is lasting longer and longer for folks out there. For me, personally, I’ve tried or done all of these things in periods of lay-off or unemployment before. Being unemployed sucks, but if you can keep your body and mind alive and feeling good through work and exercise, you’ll make it through happier and more satisfied. You will get through it, but like any prisoner of circumstance knows, doing good time is the goal.

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Or as a plaque in my grandfather’s office read: Don’t let the bastards grind you down. You can read more about the origin of the quote here. The funny thing about that is that I read that quote so many times through my childhood that I started to use it whenever people were in a bad spot, or a tough position. The earliest that I can remember using it was when I was 13 in my first band, and a friend was having trouble with his parents, and unable to make practice.

I don’t recall my father or my grandfather ever saying that quote to me, or around me, but I certainly remember that plaque that hung in my grandfather’s office. I would say that quote is as timely as ever now. It’s easier than ever to take a look around at unemployment, bankruptcies, home foreclosures, and think it’s someoneelse’s fault. Somebody else is to blame for my situation, or my predicament, but the only thing that we can control is ourselves, and to some extent our situation.

I believe that through attitude, and foresight we can create the trajectory for our life. If we want to be bummed out, rejected, and unhappy with what life gives us, we can, but we’re in charge of that. That’s not to say that this is about some kind of happy, happy, joy, joy affirmation perspective, but it is to say that if we want to ride the suck express, then all aboard, because there’s always room. However, it’s the hope train to tomorrow that’s going to get you off on the right foot and creating a trajectory that’s going to keep you moving forward towards life-enhancing opportunity and joy.

In fact, that’s one of the craziest things that I’ve noticed in life. When I start doing something, and I’m working at it, the endeavor takes on a life of its own. It becomes less about you and more about taking care of the thing that you’ve created. The first couple times I realized this it threw me, because I was on a trip and I wanted to get off. Sometimes, though, there’s no getting off. You have to ride the whole trip. Which, on the one hand, prevents you from beingwishy -washy with the things you build, but on the other hand a sort of synergy is created where the process of what you’re doing intersects with some kind of unseen energy, or current that just keeps flowing out from the thing you created.

The take-away is that if you want to put yourself on a positive life trajectory then be prepared to build something. Even through the tough times, don’t let the bastards grind you down, and eventually things will take off on their own.

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Decisions are made for us a lot more than any of us would like to admit. Sure, we make choices, come to conclusions, take action and work at things that makes us believe that we’re running the show, but truly the path, the direction, the trajectory of our lives seems to be handed to us in a series of small choices from the cosmos, whether we’re even aware of it or not; a left turn when we would have gone right, a stop when we felt like starting, a risk when we wanted to play it safe.

Awareness isn’t the key here, though, I would say that the key is not submitting to the fact that the cosmos guides our life direction, but rather how we deal with the circumstances, how we deal with the trajectory, do we resist or move with the current of life to some end that we can neither conceive or imagine, to an outcome that is uniquely ours. I hope that I am able to stay with the current of life, somehow,  so far, that’s been so much more than anything I could have conceived or imagined.

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