Radiator

I couldn’t peel myself from the radiator this morning. It’s bitterly cold.

And I thought of Mr T, a homeless regular in our emergency department.

His story never changes: shop lift vodka, drink at bus stop until he collapses, brought in by a stranger’s call.

For him, the only glimmer of warmth is the few hours he spends in our emergency department before he’s discharged again.

And as my hands pressed against the warm radiator, I prayed Mr T found his next moment of warmth.

Rabbit

Today I met Gerald again, carrying his usual plastic bag full of cans.

I often find him wandering around our park, aimlessly circling the grass.

Whenever he sees my two sausage dogs he loves to ask the same question:

“What’s the name of your rabbits mate?”

He beams, smiling with missing teeth.

And in that moment, it doesn’t really matter what species they are.

But that these little rabbits brought joy to Gerald’s day again.

Snot bubbles

We sat on the kitchen floor, the smell of warm rice cooking on the pan.

Ren is finally over the worst of his cold, snot still streaming down both cheeks.

He looks at me anxiously, refusing to be let go. So we sat, cuddled and rocked.

On the radio I hear Chris singing “I drew a line. I drew a line for you. Oh, what a thing to do..”

And I well up as I tell Ren how much I loved him. He looks back with a plain expression as if to say “I know you do.”

And there we were, both blowing snot bubbles. 

Un-adult

One epiphany I’ve had as a parent is that the best smiles come from infants.

And maybe I think this because Ren’s smile is world class.

But I think it’s also because their motive to smile is pure joy, innocent as snow.

And when we express our selves unadulterated by politics or gain..

I feel it moves us deeper.

Ritual

Before I start writing in the studio, I burn an incense stick each time.

I take out a sandal wood incense, break it in two, light one half and place it in a holder.

And as the scent rises, I take a moment to feel gratitude that I get to do this again.

Hopefully, the muse will visit me today.

Rumination

Whatever your fuck up is today, just do better tomorrow.

End of rumination.

Enough

Somedays I still can’t believe my son is real.

Yet here he is, squiggling, giggling and babbling with joy.

And as I stare into his eyes and he smiles back, my chest fills with a flood of wholeness I can’t put into words.

And perhaps - I wonder - if this is what ‘enough’ feels like.

Weird

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who’s outwardly perfect and thought - oh I really like you because you’re perfect.

I think the people I like are all people who seem to have their shit together, but then suddenly make me realise..

Oh you’re also a little weird too.

And since normal is an illusion, I also know everyone is secretly a bit weird in some way.

It’s just a matter of finding out who’s embracing it.

Shoshin

When Jigoro Kano - the founder of Judo - passed away, he had left an unusual request.

He asked his students to bury his body wearing a beginner’s white belt.

Shoshin is the Zen philosophy of maintaining a beginner’s mind regardless of what we’ve already achieved.

To forever learn, forever be curious, and feel the magic in every moment like the first time.

And with another new year ahead of us, I find there is no better time to fasten my white belt again.

Tortoise

Yes, the modern world built on achievement is remarkable. It’s actually mind blowing.

But the achievements of others has no bearing on our own achievements.

When we downplay our own progress through comparison, we destroy the joy in our own hard earned wins.

Conversely, there is magic in spurring on those ahead, those behind and especially our own progress, however big or small.

And as Aesop teaches us, it’s the slow but consistent tortoise that won the race.

Keep going.

Exclamation!

I’ve had a difficult relationship with exclamation marks.

Whilst a lack of them made me come across dry and unenthusiastic..

The moment I employed them, I felt like whatever I had to say felt cheap.

But when people recognise you speak from your heart anyway, it doesn’t matter whether you add them or not.

And I feel the same way about adding unnecessary flourishes to my tracks.

Boom

Oooooh!

Ahhhhh..

Owwww.

It’s quite nice that people come together to watch things explode in the air for a bit.

Which said like that, feels like a weird thing for humans to do..

But actually, a well presented firework is a masterclass in capturing attention.

The suspense, sudden bursts of colour, mixture of patterns, all happening live, holding our collective gaze.

And I’m all for things that bring people together.

Yoyo

Yes, you only live once.

But using YOLO as an excuse to make short term decisions you’re guaranteed to regret later makes little sense.

So a better excuse is..

You’re only young once.

In which case, you smash that ninth jäger bomb you spring chicken.

But…

You’re only as good as the excuses you let yourself be stopped by.

Flattery

When our ideas are imitated, we hit a milestone, where two things have happened.

1. We produced an idea desirable enough to want to imitate.

2. The idea is clear enough that it is obvious when it is imitated.

And the opportunity here, is to own this flattery and encourage others to iterate on your work, instead of shutting it down.

The truth is, nothing is truly original, and every one of our works lies on a trajectory of ideas that keep evolving.

The most profound artists all set the stage for the next generation to come.

Keep going.

Sunshine

Our emotions have a filter.

And how we experience reality depends on how it functions.

What was that look from that person?

Are they judging your outfit?

Or maybe, they’re wondering where they can buy it from.

When we choose the most negative interpretation possible, everything always feels grey and overcast.

But the most radiant people I know strive for positive interpretations where possible, promoting good vibes like sunshine.

We have a choice.

Content

Don’t share something because you think that’s what you have to do.

Share something because you feel joy in it.

Me vs Us

“Hi I’ve made a new song. I made it for myself, absolutely no one else, especially not for you because I couldn’t give a fuck what you think about me.

But please listen to it, then like, comment and share it with your friends - thanks! p.s. I don’t care what they think of me either because I make music just for me”.

Vs.

“Hi I’ve made a new song. I made it for people like us, who feel like us. I know how you feel, and I know this track will help you feel better.

And if you know someone else who feels the same way because they’re one of us, send it their way because it’ll probably help them feel better too. Thanks”.

Understand

At every new stage of my life, I continue to appreciate new palettes of ideas that never made sense before.

Minimalism, slam poetry, systems thinking and even midcentury furniture.

And of course, everything makes more sense as we understand more about ourselves and the universe at large.

Similarly, so much of music that I didn’t like before turns out to be music that I simply didn’t understand.

And today, if I don’t like something, I remind myself I probably don’t understand it.. yet.

EQ

No, not the kind with knobs and sliders.

I’m talking about your Emotional Quotient.

Have you obsessed over it as much as you obsess over the passive circuitry in your hardware equaliser?

Because I guarantee that if you are an artist, obsessing over your emotions yield far better results than obsessing over technical aspects of your gear.

Your most critical tool is how you feel.