Tenets for making music

Sorry for another set of tenets but these got in my head this morning. For the sake of honesty I acknowledge that you’ll see some Amazon leadership principle influence in these if you know those. These tenets reflect how I want to make music. They may not be the right set of guiding principles for you. Please let me know if you think I’m getting any of these wrong or if you can think of more.

• Prefer finishing: Putting out product is how you grow and improve. When presented with multiple viable solutions to a musical problem, choose one and keep moving.
• Don’t forget your roots: Don’t forget the struggle, don’t forget the streets… Authenticity, honesty, actual human communication matter. Start with them.
• Create awesome listens: Focus on creating music that is amazing to listen to over music that is indulgent in ways that do not contribute to the listening experience.
• Embrace what moves you: All the standard formulas are maps of common landmarks, not prison walls. Trust the way the music makes you feel.
• Get it right: If any of the big things don’t work then keep working until they do.
• Highlight the Human: Make production choices that elevate the beauty of the human musician with all their messy reality. Don’t edit out the human.