By Justin Gray (Songwriter/Producer/Founderwww.wearemdiio.com)
There is no such thing as "diet" French Fries.
We all aspire to achieve some modicum of whatever it is we think we want. I would love to be thinner, but I would also love an extra side of fries. Sacrificing in pursuit of the bigger picture is the hardest part about "making it."
If you’re reading this blog, on many levels you want it. But are you really willing to do what it takes to bring "IT" into existence?
Even just navigating creativity is a key part of managing the expectations of finding the elusive "IT."
My every day as expressed in a witty meme as I chase "IT".
Here are 6 (usually 5 I know), ways we self-reflect, self-critique, and hopefully avoid self-sabotage. This is Awesome - I think it is so important to be impressed by your own creativity. Hey! If you are not a fan of you, then who is going to be a fan of you? The key thing here is to not overthink the process and just immerse yourself in the awesomeness that you are. There’s plenty of time to edit, re-edit, reconsider, and question your creativity. But at the onset, the freer that you can be with yourself, the more open your energy to manifest your musical mojo. This is Tricky - Yeah it is! Once you realize that you’ve gone down the path of creativity, you begin to understand the intricacies and the nuances of inventing something that has never been heard before. If it’s not tricky, you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes it's finding the magic part that can have you stumped. Be patient and kind to yourself and your collaborators. It’ll come. Ta-dah!! This is Shit - If you’re not questioning your creativity, are you even a "creative?" If you have never been tempted to highlight everything, drag it to the trash 4 hours into your creative process, then Bravo. You are a rare creative savant. I guarantee you Mozart, Picasso, and Kanye have been crippled with self-doubting their own creativity. If you can’t look in the mirror and be self-critical, then you can’t truly know when you’ve done something remarkably brilliant. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have the facts of life. This Might be OK - You have beaten yourself up, and lived to tell the tale. Invariably there is a moment when you step back from your creativity and start to actually absorb what it is that you’ve done. Not only is it OK, it’s better than OK! When you reach this stage, is when you realize that is the exact moment where you go from good to great, from average to awesome, and from acceptable to exceptional! This is Awesome (part 2) - What a journey this has been. Writing a song from start to finish is a rare talent shared by a special few. Including you!!! Be impressed with yourself for connecting to a concept delivered to you from thin air, and materialized through chords, lyrics, and melodies, while telling a story to, and for generations to come. The song you wrote today will outlive you, your children, and their great great grandchildren. You’ve left your mark until the absolute end of time. I would say that’s pretty awesome! The Coda - Wanting "IT" (when distilled down to its basic principles), is about doing whatever it takes. It’s hard. Self-doubt, insecurity, anxiety, and uncertainty weigh in heavily every single time I write a song. I’m sure you can relate too. When "wanting it" turns to ‘getting it," you will immediately realize that the journey was totally worth it. Every chord, melody, and lyric is meant to reassure your own belief in yourself and your life‘s purpose. Think about someone 500 years from now listening to the song you are writing right now? Pretty cool huh? See you next week and keep writing those hits! Justin@mdiio.com
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