Yes, I Have Doubts

Daylight and coffee always make things look better.

I woke up at 1 am last night, filled with thoughts of doubt and reasons why I was obviously crazy for deciding to record my songs in a Nashville studio with strangers, no less. I mean, who just decides to go and do something like this? Who am I to think this is necessary? I'm taking time off of work, leaving my family,  and spending a lot of money to make this happen, all in the name of my "art."

In addition, I cut the tip of my pinkie finger yesterday with a big knife, and at the time it seemed like more of an annoyance than anything. But it bled profusely and I had to keep it bandaged pretty tightly all day. At 1 am, while I was assailed with doubts about my upcoming trip, that little sucker was throbbing. I found myself doing mental calculations about how I could fit in a trip to Urgent Care in the morning. A full-blown emergency room visit was definitely out - everyone knows it takes hours, and I would miss my flight. If I didn't have someone look at it, would the tip of my pinkie lose its connection with the rest of the finger and become gangrenous? Is "gangrenous" a word? When was my last tetanus shot? What if I went all the way to Nashville, assembled a studio full of musicians and then came down with lockjaw? Do people still get lockjaw? Is this an omen - a sign that what I am getting ready to do is just nuts?

I'm sporadically reading a book about following your creative path. The author says that doubts like this are just ways we put up blocks because we're afraid to go forward and -- take that leap. I have to say, at 1 am, that wisdom just doesn't fly.

Now it's morning, and this coffee is working magic - giving me the confidence I need to get on with it. The pinkie finger actually still hurts, but I've examined it in the light of day and I see no signs of abdication by the tip, so things are looking great. Onward to Nashville!

Roll Out!

Greetings, Bloglodites!

Today I’m rolling out a new blog.   I wanted to be able to talk about some of the struggles, neuroses, obsessions, rewards, motivations and frustrations of trying to keep that creative flame alive while negotiating the jungle rain forest that is Real Life.  

To start things off in a big way, I will be blogging about my upcoming trip to Nashville to record four songs for my next CD. I will be totally clueless about what I’m doing.  I’ll post pictures, and my thoughts and experiences. I hope you can join me on this trip – it will make it more fun and I welcome your comments. My trip starts tomorrow, November 13, and you can check back at this site for updates.

When you say you’re going to Nashville, it’s kind of like telling people you are on the verge of winning $20 million dollars. It’s a place that evokes just that kind of excitement – especially among fellow songwriters. I do feel that I’m on the verge of something – hopefully a big, fat creative leap. Certainly, this is a bit of a leap of faith to decide to record this way. What I hope to achieve is a finished piece of work that is as good as it can be – for the money.

I gave this a lot of thought and consideration.  I had such a great experience recording my first CD with Steve Phillips. The project was completed in baby steps that added up to a year of work. This time around, I don’t have a year, don’t have the spare time, and I don’t want to wait that long. I want to strike while the iron is hot on these songs.  I want a different kind of energy to come together for this. I want everyone working together at the same time. Everyone in the boat.

But – I’m not really going to have to do this all by myself: I have asked  KC-based songwriter, Gary Beard, to be the producer on this project for me.  Gary lived in Nashville and worked professionally as a songwriter there for many years. I’m counting on him to tell me where I’m going – both literally and figuratively.