#supercleanthoughts

Kindness matters. A lot of y’all, I feel, aren’t making the moves you really want to make simply because…you’re an a**hole! I know that’s a little crude, but I think a lot of you feel like you need to carry yourself in a way that you’re better than people. But in that, you want to degrade peoples’ values. It’s just not the move; it’s not the best way to do it! This isn’t a “nice people finish last” type of situation. If you’re kind, people will talk about the way you treat them. They’ll talk about the way you interact […]

If you’re trying to get into sync, this misunderstanding might be holding you back from hundreds of sync placements. People come up to me and tell me they want to get into sync licensing. A lot of times they stuff like this: “Well, I’ve got the perfect song for sync licensing I’ve got this song, it’s called ‘Basketball’. It would work really good for a basketball game.” What I want people to understand is that, when it comes to sync, you’re not writing jingles or songs that are specifically narratives to what’s going on in the scene. What you’re trying […]

I’ve really been thinking about this idea of, and I’ve said it multiple times, not making yourself small for the comfort of others. You need to be your biggest self. Don’t worry about what they think. But another perspective that I’m really thinking about is that by making yourself small for the comfort of others, you’re giving them permission to be comfortable with making themselves small too. Making yourself big should make them uncomfortable because they’re probably shrinking themselves in society in order to make them more comfortable. Being your best self can be uncomfortable but it’s the best possible […]

Sometimes I get overwhelmed because I feel like I have a lot that I need to get done and not enough hours to get it done. Or maybe I don’t feel like I’m equipped to do it. What I’ve been trying to practice is just taking a breath and realizing if I’m here, I belong here. And if God put me here, then I have everything I need to make it happen. Or I have all the people to make it happen. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and if you’re here you belong here. Find ways to validate […]

Sometimes I look at people and I’m like, where did they get this confidence from? They haven’t done that much so why are they that confident? Then it makes me think, why is my confidence based on what I’ve accomplished and not based on what I know I’m capable of? Why am I allowing outside forces to evaluate what I should be sure of?” I’m asking y’all, please let me know, how are you building your confidence? What are the practices you do? | By James Gardin James Gardin is a musician who’s been around the block…a few times. With […]

I’ve been really thinking about how I can take everything to a new level. I was listening to a podcast. It talked about if you want to achieve something at a high level of excellency, you have to be willing to make people who are okay with mediocrity uncomfortable. So, I’m realizing going to have to make some people uncomfortable. | By James Gardin James Gardin is a musician who’s been around the block…a few times. With a 20-year career under his belt, this Lansing, Michigan native has seen it all – from playing to empty bars to performing with […]

I know a lot of people thrive by locking in, being by themselves. Then they come out with this beautiful product. At some points I can work like that, but what I’m realizing is where I thrive is in community and collaboration. A challenge that I’m going to challenge myself to do is just to collaborate and be in community as much as possible. If I have the opportunity to work with someone in person, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it because I need people. That’s why I create. Let me know if you’re down. | […]

I used to use the method of I need to be inspired, I need inspiration, I need the art to speak to me. That’s not enough! You’re not always going to be inspired. So, what I’ve realized is it’s five words that can help me whenever I need to create. One, “It. Two, “Has”. Three, “To”. Four, “Be.” Five, “Done.” That’s it. It has to be done. I need to put in the work, find the tools I have in me to finish it. | By James Gardin James Gardin is a musician who’s been around the block…a few times. […]