Not bad advice for musicians.
Not bad advice for the rest of us either.
While editing my recent conversation with Bruce Soord, I found myself coming back to three moments that had very little to do with music and everything to do with life.
The first was about persistence.
Bruce has spent more than 25 years building an audience. No overnight breakthrough. No talent show. No viral moment. Just showing up, writing songs and continuing to do the work.
The second was about creativity.
The best songs, according to Bruce, aren’t manufactured. They appear. They emerge from experience, observation and moments when you’re not trying to force them into existence.
And the third was about success.
Perhaps the most interesting part of our conversation was Bruce’s admission that things only really started happening when he stopped chasing them.
No obsession with fame.
No obsession with validation.
No obsession with “making it”.
Just the work.
There is something refreshingly unfashionable about that idea in a world that constantly tells us to optimise, scale, hustle and grow.
Whether you’re building a business, writing a book, making music or simply trying to navigate life, the lesson feels remarkably similar:
Keep going.
Do good work.
Let success be a consequence, not the objective.
If this gave you something to think about, the full conversation is worth your time.
We go deeper into 25 years of persistence, what makes a great song, and why Bruce walked away from chasing success, and what happened when he did.
Watch the full episode here: https://www.thethirdhalf.uk/p/he-quit-chasing-fame-700000-fans
Scott
The Third Half
People. Planet. Progress.