Saturday morning, I watched The Dark Knight again. It’s an incredible movie.
One of my favorite dialogues takes place when Joker is talking to Two-Face in the hospital.
Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know…I just do things. The mob has plans. The cops have plans. Gordon’s got plans. You know…they’re schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I’m not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are. (Joker, The Dark Knight)
The Joker is demented, but I can’t help but think he has a point. What category am I in?
There’s always a fear in everything we do in this band.
- Will we bring a crowd?
- Will we nail that tough part in a new song?
- Will our fans like the new songs?
- Will our amps and monitors sound even throughout the venue?
- Once we get our shirts and CDs, will we sell them all?
I tend to calculate my odds before pursuing an objective. Unfortunately, that’ll only go so far. After a certain point, I need to jump.
I love this band because there’s a balance. The other guys will push me when needed, and I’ll pull them back when I think they’re nuts.
When we started talking about the EP, the guys placed me in charge of the album art. I put it off due to fear of rejection. It was one of the reasons for the delay. After speaking my mind, someone pointed out that we’d never get anywhere if we didn’t try. If that isn’t a “duh” moment, what is?
As of Saturday, it’s finally done and the guys dig it. Plus, it features my photography. Bonus! For now, you can see the front insert cover art. (Already downloaded the EP? Get the new cover art here. If you use iTunes, see “Adding album art in iTunes.”)
Need more food for thought? Listen to this 33-minute podcast with Merlin Mann interviewing Seth Godin. They give incredible insight about marketing, work and creativity. In a 12-hour period, I’ve listened to it four or five times.
43 Folders – Interview with “Linchpin” author, Seth Godin
P.S. On a related note, thanks to our friend, Mike Kang, for leaving a great comment. In Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of hard work, luck, and timing to achieve success. I plan on reading the book once I get the new theme up. We have our work cut out for us, huh?
Do you have your work cut out for you? More than likely, Yes. But who said it was gonna be easy? Just do whatever makes you happy.
I’m sure as you guys grow, things will get a lot easier. I doubt most “BIG NAME” bands are college students, working a 9 to 5, producing their own music/album art/website themes, and managing normal social life’s.
Good luck my friends!
- JT
Hudson: We knew it wouldn’t be easy. Thanks man.