Music, books, artists, and other things I love.
Hi Mark, Great question. Honestly, after reading your email, I searched “food” in my iPhone photos because only one restaurant immediately came to mind—and I thought, Really? That’s all I can think of? I’ll get to that restaurant in a second. But I also realized that during this trip, I haven’t ordered much for myself. […]
Mark asks, “What’s the best food you’ve had so far on your family adventure?” Read More »
Around 2007, my wife remembered a book she’d read in a college creative writing class called The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. She gave me her copy, and honestly, I’m not sure I would have written many of the songs I’ve written without it. Although it’s about poetry, its lessons apply equally to songwriting and storytelling.
This Book Taught Me to Write Better Read More »
Deep Work This was my introduction to Cal Newport. In March 2024, I changed much of my work behavior based on this book. Learn more. Profit First Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not “profit over people” or anything like that. I took over our finances in September without even knowing our bank account
For Songwriters: Top 3 Books I Read in 2024 Read More »
This Is Happiness I recommended this way back in January (I think). It’s a fictional story about a small village in Ireland when they were first getting electricity installed. Utterly fascinating (e.g., 100-watt bulbs revealing the true nature of a face, a place, and all the missed cobwebs). It’s also about a 17-year-old, coming of
For Fans: Top 3 Books I Read in 2024 Read More »
Allow me to talk to you for a moment about pocketknives because I bet many of you do not carry one, and you’re missing out. I have had one on my person for the past 15 years. First of all, I like it because when you carry a pocket knife, no one can accuse you
The Joy of Carrying a Pocketknife Read More »
As a parent, if you’re like me, you often feel like you’re failing. When you don’t feel like you’re failing you feel like you could be doing a lot better. And then in the blink of an eye, your kids get older. You know you’ve made so many mistakes. Are you too late? Is the damage
“Dad.” “Daad.” “DAAAAD!” The fact that I couldn’t hear my son (he wanted a glass of water) wasn’t because I was engrossed in my phone. I wasn’t even holding my phone. I couldn’t hear him because I was replaying a loop in my brain of something I’d seen on my phone earlier, from social media.
Some Thoughts on Digital Minimalism Read More »
In this week’s issue I share…
1) That time (last Thursday) when my Instagram post about our family’s number one rule went viral.
2)Austin Kleon on parenting as an artist.
3) What are the steps from honing your craft to having a career?
3 on Thursday – 8/10/23 Read More »
In this week’s issue I share…
1) Screenshots I’m Revisiting
2) Songwriter I’m Reading About on Wikipedia
3) RVs/Campers I’m Looking At (For Hauling My Family Around This Summer on a Living Room Tour)
3 on Thursday – 5/4/23 Read More »
In this week’s issue I share…
1) My One-Week Social Media/Email Challenge
2)For the Audio Nerds: “The Amway Years” DAW Session
3) On Songwriting: Disappointment Is Your Friend
3 on Thursday – 4/27/23 Read More »