Start Where You Are

Four weeks ago I wrote about eight things that helped me produce music. I must confess, that post sometimes feels like a joke. At the least, it would give away my inexperience to any professional looking on. So I'm comforted by the advice I'm hearing time and again from successful people: start where you are. But do start. Here are some of those words. Perhaps they're what you need to hear for your own aspirations.

"Everybody starts from point zero." Robby Davis, pianist

"If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late." Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn

"One of the excuses we use is, 'Well, I'm not good enough...' and it's really because we'd rather quit than lose." Cathy Heller, songwriter

"Make great stuff.... Work to publish.... Publishing is deciding to stop when you want to keep working.... When you work to publish, it's selfless, it's outward-focused, it's about results and giving back to the world and contributing." Jack Conte, founder of Patreon

"Write a lot of songs. Learn how to finish songs. Just barrel through. At that beginning point it's not about quality, it's actually more about quantity." Jess Cates, songwriter

"'Is it quality or quantity?' I'm like, it's always quantity. Just get it out, because over time...your craft is getting better just by the practice of doing." Kabir Sehgal, Grammy-winning producer

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach

Leave a comment