I always used to wonder why there weren’t more musicians and artists that blogged, and now I’m beginning to see why. They’re so darn busy all the time.

For those that are counting, this is my first blog in about 5 months. A couple reasons why I haven’t been blogging.

1. in the time that I’ve been blogging (holy cow- 7 years now) the amount of music business advice on the internet has gone from a few blogs here and there to a fire-hydrant gush of information. A lot of it is really good stuff by people that are way smarter than me.

2. Most of what I believe about music now comes down to some incredibly basic principles that I feel aren’t super exciting to read about. They basically boil down to:

• Hang out in the right places with the right people to be seen and picked

• Work really hard at your craft every day

• Hold yourself to high standards morally and creatively

• Show your work as much as you can

• Get gear that is reliable and inspires you

• Be financially responsible

• Use basic productivity/management techniques to keep your life in order

• Keep your word, even when it hurts

3. From personal experience, nobody really wants to hear this advice. Before you disagree, think of the last 3 people that you gave advice to. My guess is they weren’t looking for advice at all. They were looking for encouragement, reassurance, kindness, inspiration, or affirmation of what they’re already doing. That’s pretty hard to do via a blog (not impossible, just tricky to pull off).

It’s much more effective to encourage people in person in close community, which is why I’ve devoted so much of my energy into in-person groups like Balanced Breakfast where it’s possible to make real relationships with others and encourage each other to keep creating.

Rather than read a lot of blogs like this, I would encourage you to join or create a group that can give you this same level of interaction. I’ll keep posting details about what I’m up to professionally, but I think every musician or artist needs community, and you won’t get it from this blog. Check out Balanced Breakfast and join or make a group, or make your own offshoot. There’s no fees, and creating rich artist community is the most important thing I can think for you to do for long term creative output and personal growth.

In the meantime, I’ll keep you updated on the stuff I’m up to when I can. Thanks for being patient, and here’s to building community.

Eric