12 Notes: On Life and Creativity

I believe music is the heartbeat of life because it has the ability to speak to all types of people, regardless of color or origin.

Placing too much emphasis on the assumptions of others is the quickest way to fail because expecting validation from external sources will only leave you feeling empty. It’s a meaningless pursuit.

“Youngblood. Wherever you go in the world with Hamp, I want you to learn thirty to forty words in every language of every country you go to. If you learn the language, that’ll take you to the food and the music. Then I want you to listen to the same music they listen to and eat the same food they eat because the soul of a country is identified by i

Most important, being underestimated helps to keep the ego in check.

If people overestimate you, they get in your way, but if they underestimate you, they get out.

Good luck usually follows the collision of opportunity and preparation, so you’ve got to be prepared. Keep developing your skills, and then let whatever might happen, happen.

Beyond the basic importance of building relationships, having the ability to establish a strong personal connection allows for a deeper sense of loyalty and camaraderie within your creative collaborations.

culture is anything but irrelevant. You’ve got to know where you came from in order to get where you want to go. Without that foundation, you won’t know who you are, and you sure can’t expect to create truthfully without knowing the truth.

“Learn to deal with the valleys, because the hills will take care of themselves,” he said. The hills are a metaphor for success. The valleys are a metaphor for when you have to pay your dues and get your butt kicked. That’s the place you really learn about what you’re made of, but you have to start there in order to get to the mountaintop. He made