Alter Egos

The last time I performed live in front of an audience with just myself and an acoustic guitar... I failed miserably. 

According to my own standards, I failed miserably. 

I have no idea if I actually failed miserably, but I know what my head thinks and I know what my memory contains and I know that memories can be unreliable but I also know how I feel about what I remember...

And tonight I picked up my guitar and played some of the acoustic songs I played that night. 

And something clicked. 

I failed because I was grossly unprepared and also because I didn't know what I was trying to accomplish. 

I had no direction, no through line, no confidence. 

And so... I want to create an alter ego. Because I'm not the person who wrote those songs anymore, but I love those songs and I know there are other people who would love them so I need to figure out how to get them out into the world in the best way possible. 

So an alter ego... it would be a great vehicle for these tunes. 

Complicatedly Simple

glynnjammin

I like glynnjammin, but I would rather it not be something so closely related to my actual self. 

I need to think on it...

Identity

It cannot be wrapped up in manufactured content optimized for engagement. 

That's not who you are. 

You are midnight songwriting sessions. 

You are lullabies to your daughters in the middle of the night when they wake up crying. 

You are movie nights with your son with popcorn, flips, skittles, and hav a corn chips. 

You are anniversary photos with your wife holding last year's anniversary photo. 

Don't get it twisted. Identity is one thing and all things. 

Fun is the Point

Not recognition. 

Not followers. 

Not engagement. 

Not monetizing. 

Not attention. 

Fun. 

Fun is the point. 

All that other stuff would be nice, but it's not the point. 

Flawed is Good

Flawed is human.

Flawed is relatable. 

Flawed is a beautiful thing. 

Don't shy away from the flaws. 

Lean into them. 

Mind Blank

So what do you do?

You write anyways. 

If it's good, congrats! You pushed through and created something. 

If it's bad, congrats! You pushed through and created something. 

We find what we're looking for. 

Done is Better than Perfect

Completing the act poorly is better than being paralyzed by the plan of perfection. 

Finishing a flawed attempt is better than reviewing a perfect strategy. 

Execution that falls short in real life is better than perfect plans that die on paper. 

Make the promise. Keep the promise. 

It's Out There

The album I absolutely have to write is out there. 

I haven't found it yet. 

But... it is out there... and I won't be able to NOT write it once I find it. 

OR... you force yourself to do it because it's not actually out there and instead it's in your head and your soul but needs to be caught instead of found. 

Or something like that...

Because it's not that easy. Nothing worth doing ever is. 

Commitment

I made one.

And then I broke it. 

And now I have to make amends with myself for breaking that commitment. 

I'll be okay. And I'm devastated. 

But it's not the end of the world.

It's just the end of the world as it could have been. 

No One Cares

Which is the BEST THING EVER. 

Write the song that you think no one will like, but you like it. 

Make everything for you, and everyone else's opinion of it literally DOES NOT MATTER. 

Be aware that you might not grow a following... but if you like it, that's damn near the only thing that actually matters. 

All for yourself, bro. So the only one you're letting down by not doing it is you. 

Lock in, grandpa.

When You Fail

 Do you keep going? Or do you quit?

And is there a time limit to reverse the quit?

Better to be wise and call it a hiatus. 

You Win Some

You Lose Some

But the important thing is... 

... you picked up your guitar today. 

Life Happens

There's no escaping it. 

Where once ideal circumstances existed...

... now exist challenges and responsibilities. 

Make the time to play guitar. To write. To be creative. 

But not at the expense of the things that are your ultimate priority. 

Family first always. 

Especially when taken out by the norovirus. 

Disinfect every surface, people. 

Or suffer the consequences.......

And then... you feel guilty

For not keeping your promise. 

For failing to pickup your guitar. 

For putting other things, less important things, ahead of the things you want to accomplish. 

Not everything can be pushed aside, but not everything should pull focus either. 

Go play guitar and write a mini song and get back on a creative crawl. 

You'll feel better for it. 

When You Do Things Even If You Don't Want To

 You might end up with something really special by accident...

Missed Days

Missed days are opportunities. 

To re-assess motivation. 

To re-assess discipline. 

To come to terms with how much you really want to make this a positive habit. 

How much do you want it?

Will one day turn into two turn into a week turn into a lost opportunity?

Or will you figure your shit out and get back to one day at a time?

Drums or Guitar

If I had to choose... I think I would pick guitar. 

If only because the guitar is logistically less annoying than the drums. 

Volume-wise, setup-wise, technique-wise. 

But... thankfully I don't have to choose. 

The Bare Minimum

Doing the bare minimum is better than doing nothing at all. 

Keep going. 

You can do it. 

Flow State

It happens every so never. 

I'm playing guitar. 

And I'm singing. 

And it's not something I've played or sung before. 

And I have no idea where it's going to go. 

But it goes somewhere beautiful. 

And I couldn't have done it again if I tried. 

I'm chasing that feeling every... single... time...

Live Shows with a Band

Few things are more fun. 

When you're locked in as a group and things are clicking and the audience is grooving...

It feels like being a rockstar. 

I can only imagine what it would be like to have a packed house screaming along to a song I wrote. 

What a rush that would be...

No Guitar

 This is the first day of 2026 that I will not play guitar. 

Which is fine. I'm slightly bummed, but it also means I will be that much more motivated to get right back at it as soon as I have the chance. 

I miss my guitar, which is a solid feeling. It means I love it, too. 

Almost as much as I miss and love my family. 

But not quite...