A songwriter can learn a lot from running a restaurant 

My restaurant changes its night menu every week.  Every. Single. Week.  We've cooked more than 150 different menus.  So for 150 weeks, we've had to create an entirely new round of dishes for our guests, without much to go on.   

Most moments of most days, we have no idea what we're doing.  Just reading a lot of recipes and figuring them out as we go. 

Sometimes that process makes us tired.  Sometimes we flat-out fail. Sometimes we're just MAD.  But the one thing that it really makes us? 

Fearless.  And in damned good fighting shape. 

Reader, I've learned these past few years at my restaurant that creativity is a muscle that you can exercise until you get good at it, or at least until you're no longer afraid of making something bad. I've been applying the same logic to songwriting for the past few months, and I can feel myself getting better at creating tunes without fear of them not being great.  Just like they always say: in the end, it's not about the finished product, but the process.  

Whatever you're up to this week, I hope your maker muscles are getting a work-out. Wishing you strength and confidence.I leave you with a picture of my restaurant team going zip-lining this week.  I learn more from this team than I ever thought possible.  Truly grateful for all the different aspects of my life lately. -Em