Quartet #31: Avoiding the Sameness Trap, 10 Ways to Be More Unbothered and More!
The time that #2 has the potential to save you, even if you only get one or two keyboard shortcuts out of it, could be enormous. And the quote at the end from Desmond Tutu is a beautiful reminder about the power of mindset.
And without further ado, here are this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. Useful Weirdness (2-min read)
Lean into what makes you weird! Blending in in today's world is bad.
This article is only a 2-minute read but it is worth the click even if just for the Kevin Kelly quote at the very beginning.
2. TEM Tool: Use The Keyboard
Okay this is awesome. This is a list of 85 applications (like Gmail, Dropbox and Slack) with a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for each.
Keyboard shortcuts have become vital to maintaining momentum when I work and I have to admit I'm a little late to the party. I now use them regularly (like Command-F to search any webpage for a term.)
This is a powerful resource and I'm glad I found it and bookmarked it.
3. 10 Ways to Be More Unbothered (2-min read)
Some nuggets of wisdom that will rewire your mindset - along with some incredible visuals. And only a 2-minute read!
4. Avoiding the Sameness Trap (19-min read)
This is long and dense but the subject matter could not be more critical. How many times have I talked about the dangers of blending in? (In my defense this is only the second time I've mentioned it in this Quartet of Ideas!)
I am bookmarking this to one for when I have time to really dig into it because the subject is so important to any musician in 2023.
What's New With TEM
TEM303 features two insightful quotes from Leonard Bernstein and gets into the most common false objection we give ourselves to justify not doing something that's hard. Bernstein was a treasure!
My Final Thought of the Week
Here's a quote to send you on your way:
"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness."
—Desmond Tutu
At first I hesitated to include this quote in this context because I didn't feel right about comparing the inevitable setbacks any artist faces when blazing their own path in this business to the almost indescribable cruelty that Tutu faced as the result of simply trying to exist.
But the way he lived his life certainly implies that he applied this concept not only to the big issues he courageously faced but also to everyday things.
I have been so incredibly lucky in the opportunities I have been given in the music business - one of the luckiest people I know.
And yet there has been some darkness in the form of times when my phone stopped ringing. Or a project I thought would be a success went nowhere. Or a prestigious orchestra I used to sub with stopped asking.
Every musician, even the most famous musicians you can think of, have had stretches of their career where there was more darkness than light. And as Tutu reminds us, hope comes from seeing the little bit of light that is there.
I'll be honest. I am much more wired to focus on the overwhelming darkness than I am on the little bit of light - at least when it is me experiencing it.
Quotes like this, or people who remind me of this type of outlook by simply living it, are quite valuable to me and keep me on the right path. Hope it resonates with you, too.
Here's to having a creative week!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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