Seeking first with Courage: a recipe for success!

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)


The hardest thing in life sometimes is to bring yourself to that paradoxical place of accepting the uncertainty of life's possibilities, facing your fears head on, and making the decision to follow a non-prescribed path, a path that offers no concrete natural assurance that your heading in the right direction. Bewildered yet? Don't be. Your path is in front of you as you look up to God.

Most young people I know secretly fear becoming a failure, and before they can take the necessary risk of stepping out into unknown territory, they get stymied with the plethora of decisions to be made regarding their future. Then life happens.

The truth is though we all can choose how we handle those moments. We can choose to not step out and end up remaining uncomfortably numb to the prospect of real adventure, often to the jealousy and envy of others, or we can step out and see what we are really made of.

Crisis after crisis reveals the truth of our hearts. It's my personal view that a crisis is always an opportunity for growth, but sometimes our own prejudices and predeterminations get in the way of seizing those opportunities, that is often the reason why we aren't "further down the path" of our own destiny. Just saying.

Therefore In order to move forward down that said path of destiny, we must get a true picture of it spiritually, which is given to us if we seek God first. I also believe it is essential to repair our own vision at times when our vision of our lives gets myopically distorted by the mundane circumstances of the day to day. It is vitally important how we see ourselves and our lives in context to our dreams, desires, and most importantly our calling in life, for any distortions in our vision will result in distorted feelings and reasonings about why we are where we are in life. The key to this repair of vision is honesty, a willingness to be open to listen to our heart, and humility.

That being said, I want to challenge your definition of what you think failure is. Failure is not making mistakes in life and learning from them. Failure is not taking risks and falling flat, and getting back up and trying harder next time. Failure isn't losing the job, not getting the girl, ending up broke, and having nothing to fall back on. Failure is none of those things. Failure only happens when you give up entirely and stop making the effort you know you need to make in order to keep going.

A few years ago I decided to pursue a career in music production, and to be honest I was fighting the creeping notion at that time that music was more of hobby to me rather than an actual pursuit. I wanted to be an artist and had aspirations and ambitions, but it wasn't till my level of discomfort got high enough that I actually decided to do something about it. At the time I was a line cook working in Blowing Rock North Carolina, writing songs in my bedroom studio when I wasn't working. I hated the kitchen, I wanted to be an audio chef instead. Instead of making salads and sauces, I wanted to make beats and melodies in the studio. So I took the plunge and enrolled at a music School 2000 miles away. Success.

The decision to go back to school was predicated upon the realization that I knew I wanted something better, mainly a career where I could focus my time and my energies towards the single pursuit of my craft, instead of what i had been doing, which was squandering my resources on a disgruntled half-life that had me feeling like I was living on the wrong side of the tracks. Needless to say I have had many jobs, some that were tolerable and others that I have abhorred, most of which have left me feeling exhausted, robbed of inspiration, and demotivated. At that time I had reached my breaking point. I had had enough, it was time for a change, and a major shift in the right direction.

By the way, I just want to add that I am not an entitled individual anymore, I have worked hard to get where I am in life, made many sacrifices, and I will continue to do so to get to where I want to be in life, but there is no shame in admitting the honest truth that it's better to choose the prudent path rather than stay in a rut and suffer the effects.

That being said, I think a common struggle amongst creative types is the struggle to come into healthy self-acceptance. After all it's easy to get caught up in the comparison trap of attempting to measure your value or worth as an artist with other artists based on various assessments of "what it really takes" to be an artist. However any artist that knows himself, knows that in order to be a true artist, your yourself must be open up to life and it's vast degrees of experience, which often defies predetermined assessments and half-baked definitions.;-)

For me, my secret struggle and fear has been this nagging thought that I will be condemned to work a crummy job and continue to pine away in a dreary and fruitless lifestyle that offers no substancial hope for a meaningful artistic life in sight. Now I know that seems a bit exaggerated and disproportionate, considering the gifts and musical talents God has given to me, however I think that this is precisely the picture that has been driving me somewhat mad for a while, if I am being honest.

Until I began to search inwardly for God presence,  I could not meaningfully connect with my own sanity, however the answers we seek are only to found in God in Christ, where our true self is to be found.

With God you always get more than you bargain for. In that deeper place I found the reflections of my own convictions offering me an uncommon richness of wisdom that flowed from a deep hearted courage and counsel, and the wisdom that was given to me was "The solution is Courage, which has now come!"

The solution is courage!!!! It has now come!!! The Lion is roaring again!!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." ( Joshua 1:9)

"Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is." ( Amos 5:14)

Do we believe that God will be with us wherever we go? Do we believe we can face anything in life because God is truly with us? Let these truths remind and refresh your spirit and imagination in the fertile potential of what you can become, for when you seek good and exhibit real courage, you become who you are intended to be!"

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

In order to to break the cycle of discouragement, wantonness, and indolence, our hearts must be excited about the rewards we have coming! Remember the prize of the high calling, Paul had a respect for the recompense of the reward! This is a covenantal promise!

“Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” ( Genesis 15:1)

We must not be overcome by fear anymore, for now is the time to cross over from potential to promise, in order to allow the dream to become the destiny! God will work all things for the good for those who love him, and are called according to his purpose, so let us not feign contentment, when we have a possession to possess!

"How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you? ( Joshua 18:3)

Possessing the promised land is never an easy thing, but it's worth contending over, and fighting for, because God is faithful to FULFILL the promise he has made over your life!

The power of an Ideal: reflections on James Allen's "As a man thinketh"

"Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labor; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the arts of refinement. But he dreams of better things. He thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life. The vision of the wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of his latent powers and resources.

Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and with the growth of opportunities which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever."

"But he dreams of better things." When I read this statement, I saw myself standing in the uncongenial circumstances of a job I had a few years ago, a menial kitchen job, to which my talents, skills, and aesthetic abilities had absolutely no room to grow, but rather than disdainfully look at the job as a source of contempt, I began to dream of a better job, a better life, a better version of myself.

A funny thing happened. I began to "feel" more attuned to my true self, my true desires, my true ambitions, which energized me and made me feel empowered to aspire to these dreams. Now mind you I still had to work that crummy job in the soil of sacrifice, but the seeds of those dreams were being planted into my soul, and at every chance I got, I would water them.

The accumulation of energy and focus starts in the mind, but we also must allow action to correspond in direct alignment with our thoughts. Years ago when I was a young prodigal I would waste my time pursuing frivolity. I did not realize that I was wasting my life, till I realized my creative potential wasn't blossoming. The teenage years of sleeping in, smoking weed, and irresponsibility definitely took it's toll on my psychological an emotional health, but that's where redemption comes in.

In Jesus I am regaining my sanity and sense of purpose. Through His life I am rediscovering the energizing dreams and ideals to which prompt me to be more self-controlled and disciplined. He calls us upward towards the high calling, and the path worth attaining to.

The humility of sacrifice is astounding. The more I work towards my true dreams ( recording music, making art, fostering community) the the more energized I feel. I do not believe in false humility anymore. I have an ideal, and a dream, and I am willing to sacrifice for it, and work towards it's purposeful aim. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he...."

Producing music as an artist- the subconscious mind and it's pathways

I have been reading Michael Beinhorn's new book, "Unlocking Creativity- a producer's guide to making music and art" and I must say it is really speaking my language. Michael's language is short and to the point, however he does a great job as expressing his inner quirks and tells you how he thinks, which is something that I find to be relatable and quite insightful. His approach to music and producing stems form his passionate thinking of the process and after reading two chapters, I am starting to see and discover my own process a little bit clearer, and take note of some really game changing ideas.

One of the reason's I started Tap N Tune productions, was that I felt that I both heard and felt music different than anybody else, and to me that elicited a calling. Within that calling I realize an innate enjoyment of the music production world, especially the minutia which I found to be especially fascinating.  However before studying Audio engineering  and going to school, I didn't know the first place to start when approaching or tackling such a large desire!

For me I have always just wanted to create and make records that sound great. Engineering was a means to an end of sorts, a way of understanding the science and philosophy behind what sounds good and how to make that happen in the studio or in the live arena.  I now have a deeper appreciation for Audio engineering, and it's a aspect of continual growth and learning as I am continually applying new things I have learned and seeing pleasing results.


As an artist, I continually search for new and inspiring tones. As a producer I continually envision music that embraces new and inspiring tones. Music is more than just great musical ideas, it is the tone of those ideas, that sets the mood.

As I started to think about this, I thought about the use of imagination in discovery of new tones, and new contexts in which those tones can be set into.

It is amazing how our brains can be trained to store a minutia of details. Things that surrounds other things often slip past us, especially in music. The intangible emotional elements of music, as fleeting as they may seem, are actually quite ascertainable to that of our faculties, especially the imagination and the subconscious. What is forgotten about in the conscious mind, is often retained in the subconscious mind.

Lately, I am realizing the power of mindfulness as it relates to observation of the subconscious. In my contemplative world of meditation I have tapped the 'well" recently of my the imagination and my subconscious and it is delightfully bearing good gifts! In my mindfulness I am learning how to transfer the feelings associated with particular sounds, into the bank of conscious memory. Here I am discovering my invisible palate as it were.

As an artist/ music producer I am attempting to represent my subconscious feeling associated with a sound to a subjective experience in the real world through the means of manipulating a sound in order to accurately "re-experience" what I initially felt. I do this through applied knowledge of capturing and representing that sound through a recorded medium. (Audio Engineering)

The "art" of engineering/ music production however is much more intriguing, for it is the creative interpretation of what that sound should "sound" like. This is where creativity and imagination come into play.

Think about it for a minute. Imagination plays a vital role in art, especially visual art. Visual artists are recognized by their imaginative style or approach that distinguishes them. For example, Vincent Van Gouge is known for his landscapes and portrait paintings comprised of granular paint daubs that recreate the larger image when viewed from afar. His technique was uncommon in his day, yet proved to become the signature of his work as an imaginative artist. In the same way sound/audio can be granular like vincent's paint, or smooth like a brush stroke. It's all about the interpretation of the "image", and the expression of that image as sound.

Sound the way it relates to imagery is fascinating. One can imagine a sound in the same way one can imagine an image. If as a Producer I can image sounds in different/ new contexts, and apply what I know (science) in order to re-present that image through a recorded medium, then I will have made a piece of art. My continued efforts at attempting to represent those feelings/ impressions make me more familiarized with the process of the craft, and also help me find my pathways of creativity.

 I find that creative focus is essential to making good art. I am not so much concerned with the conscious realization of my tools, or techniques, as it relates to my craft, for it is the application of such tools and techniques that compel me to be creative. Often I will abandon traditional or routine applications of my tools, in order to arrive at new discovery of what is possible. That keeps the mind, open and fresh and waiting for the next "aha" moment.

Since the imagination plays a vital role in this freshness, I find that the key to staying lucid as artists is to stay in a fixed relaxed focus upon the result, and not get so concerned so much with the process employed that produces the result. If I can faithfully and accurately representing an image through the craft, then I have succeeded. The image is what is important, and the intial grasping of that image in your mind is sometimes the most pure moment of inspiration.

Art is about experiencing the invisible elements of life. The imagination is the bridge between the head and the heart, and is the key to unlocking the creativity of the subconscious mind that knows the deeper things.