Power is just a by-product
the morning after
Hi! I’m a day late. (Did you miss me?)
In this issue:
a practice play-by-play
a link to a link-fest.
Worthy of the work
This life of creativity (which is all life) is not about freedom.
It's about energy.
Power is just a by-product, and in lucky moments of consciousness we can put aside our worries for the future of the world and just experience music, simply as energy. What precious moments these are.
Lofty enough, Trev?
But in practice, the music emerging from my fingertips has always baffled me. It first comes out in a raw state, but it ripens as I work on it.
The sound starts forming into a song, and shortly I get to an alarming crossroads:
"It's starting to sound pretty good, Trev. Now, will you be worthy of it?"
And then bam.
Seriousness descends over the proceedings and I get frightened.
That's right, frightened of the music. Because it's entirely possible that I will let the music down. It's totally happened before, in fact it’s what usually happens.
Will I be worthy of the work?
Part of me is actually afraid to play well, because my ego can't take the heat!
The music is better than me.
Because here I am, judging. Juggling nostalgia for a more innocent time with concerns about power and freedom while this music just shows up, accidentally excellent and I was too distracted to assemble an audience for it in time.
Worthiness in this case would mean reliability, participation, respect, showing up for others.
Things that don't lend themselves easily to whimsy or nostalgia.
In other words, "freedom" isn't really free in a musical sense either.
So I feed more energy into the sound and it roars back to life.
I listen, and am grateful.
And I promise again to keep showing up.
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Trouble staying in touch with the world?
Me too. This piece from bbc.com has generously assembled a nice long 3D skim so you can briefly feel futuristic (i.e. present) and then get back to what you were doing:
THE WORKLIFE 101
Enjoy!
Thanks for your countenance here. I’m still getting settled here in LA and looking forward to connecting with more my west coast readers - hit reply!
I just LOVE some of the notes I’ve been getting since the move:
“As I'm sure you're aware, life and living is WAY different out here. Public transit is not the common way of getting around, neighbors and neighborhoods are separated by canyons and fences/gates, and the earth below you may move strangely once in a while. But there's also mostly good weather to be had year round, good food (yes, I know, but NYC!), and a variety of vibes to choose from depending on your mood. The first friends you encounter/make will more than likely NOT be native Californians but transplants like me, and you.
I'm looking forward to seeing how your move informs your art, and wish you happy times and prolific creative output.
Welcome!”
Thank you Robert!
See you again next Wednesday.
Love,
Trevor
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If you appreciate my work, it’s in these other places too. Help it spread by sharing it:
Listen to the “Trevor Exter Playlist” on Spotify
Hear 18 episodes of: "Play It Like It's Music"
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Or I can produce your podcast.
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