Are You Enjoying The Journey?

Not the band Journey, who we can all agree are awesome, but your own personal artistic journey.  

It's Not The Destination, But The Journey That Matters Most

You don't read statements much more cliched than that, but cliches become cliches for a reason.  

"And so, does the destination matter?  Or is it the path we take?  I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it.  We are not creatures of destinations.  It is the journey that shapes us.  Our callused feet, our backs strong carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived."  -From The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I came across this passage while reading this week and it knocked me on my ass. We focus too much on accomplishments.  We set goals and work hard at achieving them.  The downside to this mindset is that we rarely feel satisfied or happy when we accomplish a goal.  We're always looking ahead to the next thing that is supposed to make us feel fulfilled, but we never get there. 

I've been recording a fan favorite song that folks have been bugging me to record for months.  I haven't been enjoying the process.  I've been afraid that I'm not doing the song justice, or that people aren't going to like it.  I've been too focused on the destination, not the journey.  

Coming across that Brandon Sanderson passage has helped me to change my mindset and focus on the joy of creating, not on the product.  

Tell me about your own journey by replying in the comments below.  

Now I'm off to form a new band called Destination.  We're going to sing songs about small town girls and city boys.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

5 Reasons Why Every Dork Plays The Guitar

The guitar is the most popular instrument by far.  Yeah, the guitar is synonymous with cool, but why?  What are the reasons behind the guitar's prominence?  The piano is pretty dope too, but there are far more guitarists than pianists* these days.  Let's get to the bottom of this.

1.  Chords

When two or more notes are sounded simultaneously, a chord is created.  Chords and chord progressions form the backbone of most music that we listen to.  Most songs you hear will have someone singing over an instrument(s) playing a series of chords.  You can't play chords on a single flute or clarinet, but you can on the guitar.

2.  Singing

You create sound on the guitar with your hands, therefore your mouth parts are free to sing.  Unless you go all Hendrix on it and pick with your teeth.  Sometimes, I just don't understand the 60's.  

3.  Portability

Now, a piano can play chords too.  Pianos sound beautiful, but try carrying one to the park, or band rehearsal, or that cute girl/boy's house. 

4.  Affordability 

You can get a fairly decent, low-end acoustic guitar for as little as $100.  The guitar is simply available to many more people than a lot of other instruments.  

5.  Expression

John Mayer's orgasm-ing guitar face aside, the electric guitar grew into the expressive instrument that it is today because you can put your hands directly on the strings and bend the shit out of them.  When channeled through a raging Marshall amp, the resulting howl makes the hair on the back of our neck stick up.  Coincidentally, most John Mayer fans have really hairy necks.

Well, there you have it.   Turns out the guitar really isn't that cool at all.  It just happens to be the one instrument that cheap dudes and dude-ettes can carry to their crush's house so they can impress them by playing chords while they sing John Mayer songs.

* this is an unfortunate word

Download "Zombinista"... For Free!

I've got a brand new instrumental to share with you this week that's part surf rock, part rockabilly and part horror movie soundtrack .  It's called "Zombinista."  

You can click here to listen and download it for free:

Zombinista

This piece was commissioned by Kim Price of the Ladies of Leet Podcast for her Zombinista blog and video series.  Check it out!

Do you make indie films, documentaries or web shows?  If you or someone you know needs a score for a project, contact me via e-mail at 27summers@gmail.com or by messaging me on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

What Are You Creating This Week?

It's all about you this week!  I want you to tell me what you're working on, even if it isn't part of the "23 in '13" Challenge.  So...

What are you creating this week? 

Are you writing short stories or songs?  Are you painting landscapes or drawing comics?  Are you blogging or podcasting?  I want to know!

Tell me what you're creating by replying in the comments below.

Have a great week!

John Anealio

BTW: The fantastic artwork above is by the amazing Natalie Metzger.  

Download "Hoptimus Prime"... For Free!

I've got a brand new instrumental to share with you this week.  It's a folky piece that features Irish Bouzouki, Lap Steel and Piano.  It's called "Hoptimus Prime."  

You can click here to listen and download it for free:

Hoptimus Prime

This piece was commissioned by the producers of Hopstories, a great webseries about small breweries.  You can view the episode that features my score here.

Do you make indie films or documentaries?  If you or someone you know needs a score for a project, contact me by replying to this e-mail (27summers@gmail.com) or by messaging me on Twitter or Facebook.

Have a great week!

John Anealio