Getting Back Into Content Creation

It's been a long time since I began my music career back in 1999 at the age of 41! I've done shows all over the USA, in Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. I've played in some amazing venues, met a lot of wonderful people, and written a lot of songs. In almost every way, except monetarily, I've had some great experiences that most of my contemporaries have not enjoyed. My whole career has been comprised of doing shows (concerts) instead of playing in bars and senior centers... although I've done a handfull of senior centers and at least one bar!

I've also made a lot of mistakes along my journey. Like most singer/songwriters, musicians, and creative people, my career began with me doing the lions share of everything. I'd write the songs, record the songs as best I could at home, ask a friend or family member to take some pictures, design packaging, make a website, burn CD's, print labels, package and shrink wrap them, and then play everywhere I could for free... so long as I could sell CD's after my performance.

I had to drum up my own business, network with other musicians, and hope that I'd get more shows next month than I had the last month. Eventually, I took a chance at doing something much bigger with the help, encouragement, and financial resources of some very close friends. We all had such big dreams! A lot of money was invested in me that led to a manager, a duet with Dolly Parton, a record deal with Universal, a European tour, playing Red Rocks twice, and ultimately... failure. Investment dollars lost. Resources almost non-existent.

Looking back on it, we were all naive regarding the way the music business worked. It's an old story. I got chewed up and spit out. The best of our intentions pretty much broke all of us in terms of finances and risk taking. In many ways, it devastated me. After all, my name was on the forefront. My talent wasn't enough to carry us through to a profitable experience together. I lost some of my closest friends, and I deeply ache to this day over those losses.

Although there were a few very cool highlights that we can look back on, we were never able to find the momentum to sustain us. My whole music career never lifted me out of poverty or allowed me to become the kind of artist I felt I had the potential to be.

The sum total of all my experience left me with a certain kind of paralysis. I couldn't find it in myself to take risks again after letting so many people who loved, believed, and invested in me down. Although I could still find inspiration to write, and do shows when I could get them, I couldn't find inside of me the ability to recover to the point that I could restore my previous drive and desire. It kind of pounded the passion right out of me. But I kept at it... as best I could.

Now, as an aging artist, my outlook and mission has changed. I've still got a few die hard fans that I earned over the years who follow me and occasionally check in to see if I've released anything new... and for that I'm so thankful.

So, where am I at right now? Well... I realize that with the passing decades I've amassed a fair number of songs... and I'm still writing. Some of them are pretty good, and some aren't, but all of them have creativity and a good measure of the "me" I've become over the years.

I'm not delusional with thoughts that one of my songs will "break" into the big time in my late 60's! Nobody is breaking my door down to book me at amazing new venues popping up around the country. And yet, I still have something inside me that needs to carry on musically.

So, that's what I'm gonna do. I'll be posting YouTube videos featuring songs I've written (new and old). These will be stripped down simple guitar and vocal songs that showcase what came out of me at the moment a song was technically "finished". I've shot a few of these already and posted them. Perhaps I'll flesh a few of them out with the help of a few musician friends, as I learn more about home recording and engineering. Maybe this experience will open other areas of interest as I go.

Social media is kind of hard for me. I have a small Facebook following, so I'll try being more engaged there. Who knows what I'll try?! I might even put together another album or two over the coming years. At this point in my life, my main goal is to re-ignite a little of the passion I once had. Not just with music, but with life! It's so easy to get lethargic from walking in the same ole ruts of life. We all need newness and change.

I'm so very thankful to still be kicking around. To still be able to ride a motorcycle, or go hiking, or do an occasional concert. I know I'm not alone. Many of you are working on what your next move is as you turn into senior citizens like me. I'm cool with that. Although some of this post sounded a bit melancholy, I'm still working on my thankfulness and creativity. I hope you'll check in on me now and again to see what I'm up to. I'll try to keep it interesting!