NERD ALERT!
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been having an interesting week. Between interviews I didn’t even know would be interviews, contract gigs and other life things… phew. Also, I am pretty confident that I took last night’s dose of melatonin twice because not only did I sleep for 11 straight hours but WHOA. Talk about weird dreams.
So, with nearly half a day’s worth of sleep in my back pocket I took off on today’s soggy, soggy run and had one of the more meta thoughts I’ve had in a while… Where do ideas come from?
How did I even get the idea to think about the thought about where ideas originate and are thought about? (Extra sleep?)
Time of departure: 12:22 pm.
Weather: Very wet. Raindrops that went plop.
Mood: Soggy. See above.
Song on repeat: “Beauty of the Road” Future Islands, The Far Field.
See that^ That was as far as I got yesterday. Ever have a thought that’s just not fully developed and need time to think your thinks?
Take two:
Time of departure: 3:54 pm.
Weather: Partly Sunny. Seattle Nice, around 68 degrees
Mood: Contemplative.
Song on repeat (again): “Beauty of the Road” Future Islands, The Far Field. Yes, this song is just THAT GOOD! Go buy this album, and buy a second copy for a friend. It is the absolute best thing in my ears these days.
I swear to Toledo that I really listened to “Beauty of the Road,” again and on repeat. Today, I thought some more about my thoughts.
Let’s start with what’s going on. So, I’ve started doing some contract work for a start-up. The thing about start-ups- it’s about trying to get an idea off the ground. It’s super interesting because I think the leadership team just brought me on to have an extra person around to take care of things.
Because they don’t know what they need, I’m creating content. Editing LinkedIn pages. Dictating directions to developers (and learning how to use a cool program which will look *very nice* on my resume. I’m getting an ear into how they are approaching VCs for funding and I’m pretty sure next week I’ll be editing some presentations.
It’s kinda fricken awesome.
So these guys have an idea. Where do ideas come from? I have honestly spent the past few days talking about this. Think about your favorite song. To make this easy, let’s pick “Beauty of the Road.” The lyrics are slightly cryptic:
Left out on the road eight years ago
And you left too but I never really thought you would really go
If I knew then—I’d really losing you
I’d change my ways and my mind—fore I lose control
Cuz in a darkened space, we watched our souls replace
And said our ‘goodbyes’
But we didn’t know the shape
And for years now
I been hunting you down
Trying to find out
Your hiding place
But when you dial it in- it’s about a person. I would guestimate that 90% of music, so all these songs that we love (or hate) are about the same thing- a person. (The other 5% about places and the remaining 5% about people+places).
Songs essentially are vocalized (and harmonized) ideas. Thoughts put to tone and rhythm, with ideas articulated as lyrics.
It’s literally poetry. (Sorry Matt. I know how much you love the use of the word literally).
At the end of the day, whether you are writing a song, creating a company or just trying to figure out whether to stay in a place or leave in search of another it boils down to one thing. People.
I have a lot of ideas about what I am supposed to do with my life (or rather where I think I should be).
Oh, at last!
You’re here in my arms again
And I don’t know how long
So I won’t waste a bit
The beauty of the road—is lost in your eyes—I drift
Softly back to when, we were young and in love
But like the best love songs, my ideas are muddled with hidden meaning, and littered with questions and sometimes even acquisitions. I want to start a company someday, yes, but I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do for the people.
Where does it go?
You spend your whole life wishing and working all you gets the end of the rope
Oh what do we know?
You spend your whole life searching and find the thing you’re looking is what you lost so long ago
Todays run was incredible, ironically it was one I almost skipped. Someone tried to pass me around Green Lake and my exact thought was “Oh hell no” and then I sprinted for the remaining 6 miles. And you know, even though I’m not sure what I’m doing or even where I’m going (besides my 8-mile loop) it’s exciting.
Somedays all you can do is pick up where you left off yesterday and see where the road takes you.
Beauty of the Road 