2010.06.01

Did you have this much fun in school?  When you find yourself backstage, or rehearsing or performing with a successful musician, someone who’s already made it, you should pay attention to everything they’ve got to say.  It’s time to stop making noise about yourself and your way and start listening.  It’s like attending the University of Making Music for free – why wouldn’t you want to go there?


2010.05.01

There are more sports enthusiasts out there than there are elite athletes but the same can be said of musicians and performers.  Elite entertainers give it everything they’ve got every chance they get. True artistic mastery comes from the desire to succeed, the heart to do positive work – on and off stage – and just the right amount of soul.  

2010.04.01

An Alter Ego…we all have one.

There’s an old story about the fight that takes place inside our hearts each and every day: two wolves battle – one good – one evil.  Cherokee legend tells us that the one we feed is the one that wins the fight.    Your alter ego is the wolf inside you.  Listen when it’s trying to tell you something but don’t always let it lead the way.


2010.03.01

Attaining a goal or pursuing the dream; what’s the best part? It’s very cool to reach the top of your profession, hang your platinum records, and display your awards for everyone to see.  But if you look beyond those typical big hit indicators you’ll find that the real story of you is not how much you have now, but how hard you worked to get it.  To be the best, you have to be at your creative best; do whatever it takes to get to that space and success will follow.


2009.11.01

Be outstanding  

The key to being outstanding is to be outstanding at the big things – those things that are important to you and that move you closer to your goals.  You need to be an outstanding partner because you need the support they give you.  If you’re a parent you should be outstanding at that because they need the support you give them.  But to be an outstanding musician you need to respect your own talent and rehearse…rehearse until you’re the best you can be at what you do….and then rehearse some more.


2009.10.01

If music is individual self-expression then how can expressing yourself make you a loser?

The media – TV, Radio, and print – is full to capacity with contests and reality shows looking to discover the “next big thing”.  The contestants by the very nature of the situation they’ve put themselves in are set up to battle it out; they think “winning” gives them power.  True power as a musician comes from within and is fuelled by support and appreciation of each other’s talents.  You don’t have to get what someone else does, you don’t even have to like it but you do have to give them respect for making some noise the way they want to make it; they’re not taking something away from you – they’re really giving it to you.
                                                                
2009.09.01   

Some of the most celebrated thinkers in the world, past and present, have insisted that to achieve greatness on any platform you need to work with people who are as invested spiritually in your future as you are. If you’re stuck lyrically, musically, or directionally you should look inside first but also reach out beyond the money makers and takers to your own personal creative circle; they understand the power of collective thinking, they get it, and they get you.  


2009.08.01

Wisdom is the ability to understand the consequences of your choices.

You can choose any path at any time and a life fully lived is a life full of choices.  A wise man has more than the ability to make a choice; he knows that real wisdom is the ability to understand the consequences of those choices.  

Thank you LP

Peace
Huff

2009.07.01

Is it possible that one person can give so completely and consistently day after day without thought for self, and without expectation of repayment? It is, and it is within that giving that inspiration lives, and grows:  An inspiration that, no matter where you are, or where they are, is always with you lifting you up to where you need to be.  Your inspiration has always been my blessing and will continue to lift me up each day.

Peace
Huff
 
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  Maya Angelou

2009.06.01
Music Imitates Life

US Olympic Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked recently if it was hard to work with all the big egos on the 2008 Gold Medal winning team.  He said that he loved egos; the bigger the better, as long as no one’s personal ego was bigger than the Team Ego because it’s that collective ego that wins games.  I sat courtside in Beijing last summer and watched LeBron & Kobe & Carmelo do exactly that -- play within and for the Team Ego.  But the same is true on any stage: it doesn’t matter how many musicians are up there, what you’re playing or the size of the venue:  individual egos attract attention but its how the band ego works together that ultimately makes the show.  


2009.05.01
The Theory of the 2 Second Decision

First impression -- You hear a track, you meet a musician, you step out on stage and in an instant you know whether you feel it, you can work with them, or whether the audience is with you already. But in that same instant you can also feel the dark weight of something that’s not good. You might not know why or be able to explain it but you know something’s not right – it just is what it is – it can be that vague. Instead of making something work when you’re really not feeling it, learn to listen to yourself as much as you listen to those that tell you that with a little change here or there everything will be good. Your creative energy knows which way to go all you’ve got to do is pay attention when it’s showing you the path.

Blink -- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking -- Malcolm Gladwell


2009.04.01
“If you’re not standing on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”

I don’t know who said it originally or when it was said but it translates pretty well to life on stage and in the musical and performance fields. Here’s what I think: If you want to improve, expand or even maintain your level of talent, passion and creativity you need to always stand on the edge of what’s inside of you.


2009.03.01

Ever wonder what the difference is between a good musician and a great musician? A good musician plays to the level that the audience and fan base want – what they expect. A great musician plays above the level of expectation; they go out each and every time with the intention that this show will be better than the last and the next one will be better yet. A good musician plays – a great musician performs; you decide how you want to go. When you think about it, it’s really just common sense.

2009.01.01

I have this quote from Martin Luther King Jr. posted on my home page:

"Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better."

Everything you’ve done up to now got you where you are today.

If you want to go further – to succeed on a higher level – you need to do more than keep it up, you need to step it up.  If you’re not where you want to be, the same thing holds true – what you’ve done…or not done has brought you right here.  You decide.  It really is that simple.  

Peace
Huff