The Black Keys Guide to Shattering Excuses

We creative types have so many good ideas: new ways to vocally interpret a lyric, guitar sounds that make a song pop, using unexpected instruments on a recording that bring it to life, etc.

These ideas serve us well.

We also have equally creative ideas that hold us back, such as:

• I don't have enough contacts in the business to be able to get anywhere.
• Everybody else knows more than me, so I'm going to be taken advantage of.
• I'm too old to do much with my music now.
• This music project is doomed because I don't have enough money to promote it.

These are all very creative ideas, in my opinion, because none of them are actually true.

Think about it. Your guitar sound or vocal arrangement isn't actually "cool" or "awesome" until someone decides for themselves that it is. Otherwise, it's just sound vibrations and noise.

Someone has to determine they think it's good for it to be so.

The same goes for the negative beliefs listed above. They're just ideas without substance -- until you decide they are real.

Seriously, do you REALLY need a bunch of music biz connections to make progress? Are you REALLY too old to make an impact with your music? And are you REALLY doomed due to a lack of money?

I don't think so.

Consider the topic of graphic design for your next album. Ideally, you want to hire a professional designer to create a stunning cover. That would be great. But ... you're short on funds. So that means you're destined to be stuck with a crappy looking album cover, right?

That brings me to The Black Keys and the cover art for their CD, called Brothers.

I saw this in a store recently and was struck by the simplicity. I found it both funny and eye-catching at the same time. Very creative indeed.

So let me ask you ... Did they spend a fortune on graphic design for this release?

Could YOU have done something similar, if you had thought of this idea?

Of course, you could.

My advice: Put all of your creative ideas under a microscope. Examine them for what they truly are. Keep the ones that serve you, and discard the rest.

-Bob