Mixerman Quote

"The way I see it, anybody who thinks I should blindy skip through life satisfied with being unproductive so long as I'm being compensated for such activities isn't considering the negative effect that lack of accomplishment can have on the brain.  The act of accomplishing nothing other than wastefulness is both exhuasting and debilitating to the soul.  While in the short term it may be self-serving to my financial well-being to participate in such unproductiveness, the resulting waste only serves to sicken me." - The Daily Adventures of Mixerman

 So I finally got around to reading the book that Jenn got me for Christmas.  (What can I say, there was a waiting list.)  Anyone who has spent any time in a recording studio wuld really enjoy the read of "The Daily Adventures of Mixerman."  Basicly it's the compilation of blogs that a studio engineer made while working on a major project in LA.  The names of players (and software programs) are changed to protect the innocent (or as he says not so innocent).  I can say that almost every turn and complication he's faced I've had to deal with either in the studio or a live show.  I just haven't had to deal with an unlimited budget...still on the to-do list. 

This quote really struck a chord personally.  There are two distinct elements that resonate here.  One is that people think that being paid to do something you enjoy is the be-all end-all.  Yeah, the majority of the time it's the sweetest thing imaginable.  But there are plenty of times where the complication and difficulty of people take away all the enjoyment and frankly even make the financial draw not worth it.  The other is that people don't appreciate the value of creativity and creation.  I'm not saying that I'd rather do something creative for free than be paid to do nothing. (I know there are bands out there that would hold that kind of quote against me!) I think this idea is at the core of why I always explain to clients that you're getting a product and not just paying for my time.  If at the end of the day you see the proverbial "forest for the trees" in the form of the creation, how long the road was to get there becomes nearly irrelevent.