It happens all the time that I’ll be speaking, writing, or teaching on a concept, and a person will connect it to something they’ve already seen or read.

This process of making connections is a very important aspect of learning.

And it’s no surprise that I’m sharing ideas that are cropping up elsewhere. That’s a positive sign.

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It’s pretty hard not to care what people think.

For deep, evolutionary reasons, we humans associate rejection with death. No one wants to be abandoned by the tribe and left cold, hungry, and alone in the forest.

But caring how many people are paying attention -- that’s a modern phenomenon. Our ancestors, living in small groups, probably wouldn’t have been able to conceptualize metrics like Amazon sales rankings, subscriber count, or ticket sales.

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Among Aimee Mann’s many beautifully poignant songs, there’s one called “Save Me,” that includes the lyric, “Can you save me from the ranks of the freaks who suspect they could never love anyone?”

And there’s a similar sentiment expressed in “Ray,” from her 1995 album “I’m with Stupid”: “I think I know another lonely exile when I see one/And you appear to be one.”

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For so long, I didn’t create things on a consistent basis.

All I did was look at other stuff and get frustrated with how bad it was.

Bad music, bad Instagram posts, bad YouTube videos. You name it, I judged it.

I even judged other people for liking it. “Why does this person have so many followers?”

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Long before the pandemic ruined my musical and social life along with everyone else's, I decided on a Thursday to invite some people over that Saturday to play music.

With so many musical friends, there was sure to be someone available. I even reached out to some of the families who took lessons at my music school, including some that I didn't know very well. I figured it would be an opportunity to build relationships and have fun. You know, a party.

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