#Newsletter 139

🔊 Intention

“How can you expect someone to follow you if you don't know where you're going?”— Jeff Diggs Jr

I've been thinking a lot about what the music industry will look like in the years to come. Will artificial intelligence replace artists? Will people care if the music they listen to is created by humans or machines? What if everything we're working for ultimately becomes irrelevant? These are genuine concerns for a craft I’ve dedicated more than half my life to. These moments of worry arise only when I lose sight of art's original purpose: therapy and unity. Something 1's and 0's can't replicate, no matter how much data they are given.

While brainstorming a new content idea with one of my artist friends, I expressed my belief that over saturation is not the cause of the artist community's lack of progress today, nor is technological advancement to blame. I think it's a lack of self-awareness, intention, and neglect for proper storytelling.

We admire creatives like Tyler, the Creator, Donald Glover, and Kendrick Lamar for their ability to create immersive worlds revolving around some sort of life lesson or moral, but we don't take the same approach to our art. Before you begin creating something intended for release, it's essential to have a clear direction, a guiding principle, or an end goal for your work to reach. While it would be rash of me to expect the same standard of quality that someone like Donald Glover achieves at this stage of his career, if you truly want it as bad as you say you do, you’ll need to make the most of what you have.

Begin with a self-audit. Reflect on how you are feeling and what caused that feeling. Consider whether your life is better or worse when you experience this emotion, and decide on a plan to either change the feeling or leave it as it is. Once you have addressed these four questions, the rest will become easier. The production, songwriting, mixing, rollout, merchandise, and performances will all be influenced by the answers you uncover. The world you build involves discovering these answers and inviting the audience who resonates to join you in this exploration. Then, you rinse and repeat: reflect, create, invite, connect, close, and do it all again.

No artist of the week this week, just an optimistic stream of consciousness. Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram at @‌jeffdiggsjr to ask any questions or discuss this week's newsletter topic: intention.

Lastly, starting August 1st, Double M will use our own booking app. This will make it easier and quicker for you to schedule sessions and appointments with less hassle. We will also be introducing a new membership model that focuses on education and application. This will help our community grow by providing a clear career structure in addition to a professional space to record. Please stay tuned for more updates about the studio's changes!

— Jeff Diggs, Jr.

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