Over Memorial Day weekend I spent some time on the Appalachian Trail (AT) with friends and loved ones. We covered approximately 26 miles in the 2.5 days that we were out. It was one of the best outdoor experiences I have had, and I walked away feeling renewed (mentally and spiritually, because physically I was dead tired) and ready to tackle obstacles that are between me and the goal of moving forward in a music career.

So how does the Appalachian Trail equal the music business? Well I drew a couple of parallels from the AT experience:

1. The right tools: When you walk into an REI or another Outfitter’s store you are confronted with the harsh reality that there is a plethora of options available to you. But there is no way on earth that you can fit everything into a pack that you would lug on your back into the great outdoors. It’s not practical. (Though it is exciting to make a gigantic wish list of all the toys you want in the future)

The same is true of the music industry: there are so many tools that are available for you to use (most free) that can enable you to accomplish your goals, but there is no way that you can carry all those tools effectively. Better to master a few than teeter under the weight of trying to keep up with 50 different profiles, blogs, etc. If you try to carry too many tools you’re more likely to end up on your rear end exhausted from the effort more quickly than if you select a few good tools and run with them.

2. Wisdom of those who know: Had I tried to prepare for this trip on my own, I would have been desperately lost. I would have packed large amounts of unnecessary things and ended up not using more than half of what I packed. But with the guidance of those that have done this many times before, I began to understand what is truly necessary.

The same is true for the music industry. I can learn a lot from the people that are out there doing it now. Those who are in the trenches fighting the battles and learning how to operate in this new music economy. Are you connecting with people who are on the front lines doing this everyday?

3. Pacing: When we started out everyone felt fresh and full of life. We could conquer this Trail and walk away like champs with our heads held high. But our lead would make us stop , take a break, drink water, and grab some food. I was ready to go, but thankful at the same time for the breaks. Without this pacing, the AT would have eaten me for lunch. (And I’m sure it wouldn’t have liked what three days without a proper shower tasted like)

A music career is a long-haul commitment, not a flash-in-the-frying-pan proposition. Are you pacing yourself; taking breaks, refreshing, refueling, and looking at what lies ahead of you?

These may seem like simple, common sense things to you, but it was a privilege for me to see the music industry from a different angle this past weekend.

I just want to put out a quick highlight for a book that has been out for a while now, but one that I have only recently finished reading. That book is Getting Things Done by David Allen. I am a free-spirit at heart, but as I delve more and more into developing my music career I am seeing the need to implement some discipline and structure into what I do.

The idea of creating productivity habits at first screamed “Corporate Sellout” to me, but as I have tested some of the basic principles I can tell you that it’s a beautiful thing to start seeing progress being made on projects that you have talked about doing to several years.

Here are two highlights from the book that I think can really help you start breaking ground on all the incredible ideas that have been quarantined in the recesses of your mind.

Write Down All Your Project Ideas

It’s amazing how much clearer your perspective will be when you are not trying to mentally sort through the list of things that you want to do or need to do. Try it out and I promise you will feel relieved. Well.. first you’ll be a little overwhelmed when you look at the enormous list, but that’s where the next part comes into play.

Look For  Your Next Action Item

Simply put: Next action item is the next thing that you can do on your projects to move them forward. Keep it simple. Make these small, bite-size steps and start working through them (Emails, phone calls, research). It’s the addition of all the small things that form a completed project.

Try it out and see what happens. I have been amazed at what has happened by applying these two simple steps. When you start looking at what the next thing you can do on a project, you’ll start getting excited about the progress that you are making and seeing these ideas become a reality.

So I want to share with you what is going on in my world. As it stands right now I am just beginning to stick my foot into the online world and am sorting my way through the cornucopia of options available. It’s a bit intimidating at times, but I am starting to see how the various components work together to create a beautiful platform to share and learn from each other.

So here are some of the things that I am currently using:

1. For sharing music I have been using Bandcamp and Myspace.

2. I just started using Twitter here recently. I like it but am still fumbling through (smacking my head on the rocks) as I try to scale the learning curve of how to use the platform elegantly.

3. Using Facebook to keep track of friends and give updates here and there for major things that are happening.

I am trying to tie all these things back into here which I am developing as my home base. As you can see I just moved in so there is a lot of renovation that needs to be done. But I can see where I want to go, and the vision in my head is beautiful.

I would love to hear from you all what you have done to integrate all these different tools into a cohesive whole. What has worked and what hasn’t?

Just wanted to say hello and give you a little insight into who you’re reading about. My name is Jeremy Johnson, and I have an addiction to music…
 
I grew up listening to kid songs and gospel on vinyl and was exposed to the Golden Oldies on those classic family trips. Oh, it was a dream hearing the Temptations, Little Richard, The Four Tops, and an endless playlist of summer memories. Warm summer days, driving with the windows down, singing at the top of our lungs, watching Dad drum on the steering wheel, and seeing the excitement in both of my parents as they shared with us the music they loved.
 
It was here that my love for music was born. Mom and dad have recounted stories of me coming home after listening to Michael Jackson at my Aunt’s place… I would stand on the picnic table in the middle of the courtyard and sing “I’m Bad” at the top of my lungs (much to their chagrin).
 
The love of listening soon turned into the love of being immersed in music. I picked up dad’s guitar and learned a few chords, which was followed closely by getting an electric guitar and having aspirations to form a hardcore band. (Hey – I was 14. What did you expect?)  Needless to say it never progressed past my friend’s garage or basement, but I had visions of playing in front of hundreds of people.
 
College put learning instruments on hold; instead I was exposed to hundreds of different bands, new genres, and new ideas. It was a musical awakening for me. I loved talking to other people just so I could ask them who their favorite bands were. Absorbing music became my passion, and I took to it religiously. I was amazed and inspired by the creative process of music and was listening to everything from Drum and Bass, Jazz, Classic Rock, Classical, Trip Hop, Bluegrass, Hip Hop and everything in between.
 
My heart and mind was full of music and I didn’t know what to do about it. The urge to create was overwhelming and my outlet came in an unusual way. It came out through the intensity of my circumstances, and walking with friends through their difficult hours. My life had been altered dramatically by learning about Jesus. And suddenly these musical ideas were flowing on to paper and through my fingers on guitar. My Creator released the creative and an incredible journey had begun.
 
This journey is a beautiful thing. I never know where it will take me, but I’m excited and amazed by it every day. You may or may not agree with me on my beliefs, but I hope that you’ll stick around and see what kind of an adventure we can have together.