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.

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.

Recovery

There was a period of my life where I’d run out of steam half way through a sentence.

I’d start speaking and immediately falter because in that moment, I believed I had nothing much of value to say.

And of course this issue wasn’t about the value of my contributions, but a matter of low self-esteem.

And to rebuild this self-esteem, it’s taken a great deal of self examination, honesty and self love.

But when you come through the other side, nothing you talk about really changes.

But how you feel about yourself talking improves dramatically.

And that’s what recovery felt like for me.

Respect

Looking back, I grappled with a problem.

I wanted everyone to like me.

And what I’ve learned in thirty years is, not only is this impossible to achieve, but it also ironically makes you pretty hard to like.

An approach I now prefer is to simply carry myself the way the people I respect like.

At the end of the day, this is way more realistic than pleasing everyone.

And having switched to this mindset for many years now, I can confidently say I respect myself way more for it too.

Gratitude

I’ve just cleared out my wardrobe full of colourful shirts, worn-out jeans, and logo-laden tops.

And although I’ve had an incredible time wearing them, they are choices of a distinct phase of my life. It’s time to say good bye.

These pieces remind me of people who’ve come and gone in my life - many who I’ve had a great times with, learned from and made a difference to who I am today.

The truth is, people come and go from our lives no matter who we are, or what we do.

And as I fold these clothes for the last time, I realize it’s not about mourning an end, but expressing gratitude for the imprints they’ve left on me.

Home

Home is the smell of our washing, the way our pillow feels, the family we live with.

Those things we just know, because we’ve soaked up its essence over time.

And home after travelling feels nice.

Composers and story tellers use this device all the time. We repeat ideas enough for it to become familiar and comforting..

Only to switch things up and take us on a journey, before returning to the main theme.

A compelling exposition is creating a home worth returning to.

And I wish a safe home to all my readers.

Judgement

Avoiding judgment is tough.

It’s easy to spot a flaw in others and jump conclusions that label them as bad people.

But when we readily judge others for their flaws, the moment we do anything less than perfect ourselves, it sets us up for vicious self judgement and loathing.

The truth is, no one is perfect all the time.

Going easy on others is going easy on yourself.

Intention

Most creatives today are multi-disciplined.

We are thinkers, writers, composers, arrangers, engineers, editors, performers, presenters, designers and on and on.

But the artist is a specific role.

The artist primarily brings an intention to the table.

And without an intention, every sound, scene, smell, taste, touch is arbitrary.

If you have many creative skills but you haven’t hit your stride as an artist..

It’s possible you’ve learned a skill without having decided what to say through it yet.

Check in

The detrimental effects of social isolation, both spiritually and physically, are now indisputable.

Numerous systematic reviews have shown an alarming increase in morbidity and mortality from isolation, with one study comparing its life-shortening impact to that of smoking 15 cigarettes daily.

While it’s challenging to engage with others during our most vulnerable moments, these studies emphasize the crucial role human contact plays in our well-being and recovery.

If you ever find yourself overwhelmed by loneliness, always remember: you’re not alone.

Please check in on your loved ones.

Nationality

Today I unexpectedly teared up as I finally gave up my Japanese nationality.

This is because I’ve naturalised as a British citizen, and Japan does not allow for dual citizenship.

I think of the nursery rhymes, the hours spent learning to read, write and speak Japanese which feels like a thing of the past.

But identity transcends borders and documents, and I will always be Japanese by heritage and upbringing.

Nationality is but a narrow spectrum of our identity. A mere sociological construct that is becoming increasingly fluid in meaning.

Our identity is an amalgamation of everything that we’ve lived in our life time.

Gem

When we release a special record that flies under the radar, we produced a gem.

That special, understated and brilliant gem begging to be discovered.

The kind that tastemakers lose their mind over, the rare groove that’s yearned for.

And while it may not shine in the lime light today, it becomes your legacy that future generations will stumble upon and cherish.

The peak of a gem is never around the immediate reception.

Keep going.

Fist bump

Today I looked after a friendly crack head.

He was discovered in his hostel room, skin tinged blue, short of breath and brought in by paramedics.

I saw him shortly after his last hit, uttering incoherent rubbish. I initially had to walk away because of challenging behaviour.

Eventually he came down - surprisingly pleasantly - preoccupying himself with a scratch card and general banter with neighbouring patients.

Concerned he maybe overbearing to the other patients, I walked over when he raised his hand and said “Sorry for being a twat earlier, I wasn’t my self doc“.

Then he looked at me sincerely, poised for a fist bump, and I bumped his fist.

Plastic

Here’s the thing about over polished ideas.

They start to resemble someone who’s had excessive cosmetic surgery.

With shallow ideas over quantised, auto tuned and aggressively EQ’d we’d hope a meaning could be engineered into it.

But true meaning is never engineered into a track, it emerges first from a carefully crafted intention.

When we focus solely on surface-level enhancements, we miss the heart of creation.

Like plastic, superficial charm loses its allure fast.

Self Love

Love for ourself is not the same as arrogant, narcissistic inflated self worth.

Self love is the ability to accept ourselves as a human in progress.

When narcissists see themselves they do not see love.

They see someone unworthy of love.

And so they polish them selves in unhealthy ways so others validate them for them.

But when we practice self love, in the way a loving parent loves their child, we encourage ourselves to become better with grace.

And there is a comforting confidence in those who show up without being shackled to the need for external validation.