Mark H. Maxwell's Blog
May 15, 2022
30 Years Ago ... (By My Spirit)
30 years ago …
Carol and I were thriving newlyweds, living in the hills of Burbank. We had deep friendships and a one-of-a-kind church community (The Church On The Way) where we were growing and serving a diverse youth group. My career as an A&R guy at Word Records was flourishing. I was traveling the world looking for new artists to sign and develop. We spent our evenings soaking in live music at sparkling outdoor venues and historic Hollywood clubs. On weekends, we jetted off in my Alfa Romeo Spyder convertible to shop on Melrose Avenue and relax in Malibu, Santa Barbara or Lake Arrowhead. It was a dream life.
Nirvana's explosive “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the new ubiquitous cultural soundtrack (officially killing the 80’s. Thank goodness). To celebrate my 30th birthday, I cut my hair (2 feet of it) and ditched the earrings. I always say, at age 30 you can no longer deny it, you are really an adult.
Unexpectedly, the rumors began of “corporate” closing down the Los Angeles branch and relocating us all to Nashville. Carol and I had zero interest in living in the South. She was a “big city” girl who had grown up in L.A. working in television and I had found my permanent home.
The rumors of a Nashville transfer increased. I began praying. A lot.
I started looking for a job in A&R at other record labels in Los Angeles to avoid the inevitable. The rumors grew. I hiked and prayed in the mountains. I fasted, prayed and retreated to the cliffs in Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Please God, not Nashville!
I was shocked when, in the middle of a still night in May 1992, the Spirit of God awakened me.
I sat up in bed under the moonlight.
He very clearly said: “The answer you are seeking for your next step is that you will go to law school.”
What!?!?!?
“I am not smart enough to be a lawyer.”
“It will be By My Spirit.” 1
“I am too old for law school.”
“It will be By My Spirit.”
“I can’t afford to go to law school.”
“By My Spirit.”
That was it, as audible and clear as someone whispering softly in the same room. But that was not the answer to my quest for a new job in L.A. ... It seemed like God’s answer to someone’s else’s prayer–not mine.
I had never considered law school and had never thought of being a lawyer. Ever. I mean ever.
This was ludicrous. It was crazy. I was not “lawyer” material. I couldn’t make it through a week of law school. I was a “creative.” I made records.
God might as well have said: “Build an Ark!!!”
God had never spoken to me that clearly or that radically. But, I knew for certain it was real and true.
When I told Carol about God’s late-night law school assignment, fortunately for me, she did not laugh. Just the opposite. She began to passionately pray with me in faith. We began to share this crazy assignment with our pastor and with other close friends whom we knew we could trust to also hear the voice of God on our behalf. This small community of faith strengthened us and assured us, especially when some thought I had lost my marbles and others flat-out discouraged it in light of my current music business career success. A community of faithful Christ-followers surrounding you is a vital key to hearing God’s voice clearly and to confidently step into his various life assignments for you.
That fall, we bit the bullet and moved to Nashville (on a very temporary basis). We began to plot our law school assignment from God (mostly imagining our return to L.A. via Pepperdine Law School in Malibu).
Over the next several years, I secretly studied for and took the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) twice and diligently applied to ten of the top law schools in L.A. and New York City (I assumed if the plan was from God, only the best would do).
My LSAT scores were lackluster and I received harsh rejection letters from every single law school.
I was angry and confused. Did God really speak to me? Or was that bad pizza or an LSD flashback.
And, my beautiful career at the record label began to lose its shine (mostly due to my own pride, ingratitude and impatience).
With time, God began to reveal how I had selfishly taken his law school dream and assignment and fashioned it into my own plan and dream. And, he was calling me into repentance, humility and gratitude concerning the “best” law school choice and my heart toward the record label and its leaders. When I began to do so, God began to “fast-track” this major life transition.
☩☩☩
God sometimes speaks in a whisper that can change the whole course of your life. 2
Three years and three months following that encounter with God in L.A., I was standing wearily in the front yard of our 1920’s rental home in Nashville. Two dozen close friends who helped us stuff the moving truck gathered around as we were about to begin the 22-hour drive to Virginia Beach for law school. We knew no one in Virginia. We were leaving every friend we had, and it felt like we were sacrificing everything. Carol’s young career as a makeup artist and stylist in Nashville was rocketing. What now? I had resigned from my job at the record label a few weeks earlier. We did not know if we would ever return home (yes, surprisingly, Nashville had become “home”). We were afraid. It really hurt.
In those days, I believe God wanted to bring Carol and me to a place where we gave Him everything of our lives. Nothing held back. “The Lord wants to rid us of our fearful desire to protect ourselves, that sense of self-preservation that lurks in our hearts,” says Jack Hayford. 3 “When God calls you to do His will, He may very well wrench you away from that which is familiar to you—that which causes you to build your security upon things you know, rather than upon what you know of Him.” 4
Carol made it very clear to me. This was not her preference. She did not want to go. She was not happy about it. And I was not sure if I really wanted to do it, either. I was scared. But we both confidently knew it was God’s voice and assignment. We were not sure where it would all lead. But somehow, he would use it to serve others. We would obey him. And he would take care of us. In those days, Moses’ negotiation with God came to mind. In Exodus 33, Moses says to God: ‘If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that You’re with (us) in this? Are You traveling with us or not? God replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” 5
We knew God was with us.
And for you, here is a reminder for you on your assigned journey:
God is with you.
“Friend, it is the easiest thing in the world to go only as far in the will of God as those around you want you to go. To advance as far as they advance. To stop when they stop. To coast when they coast. To be satisfied when they are satisfied. The Lord’s call is to you. The people around you may or may not feel comfortable and easy about where he’s calling you to go and what he’s calling you to do. But it’s the Lord to whom you must answer, and he is the One who not only knows the end from the beginning, he knows you better than you know yourself.” 6
I turned the key in the moving truck and Jim and Kim Thomas leaned in through the window and handed me a beautiful handmade, painted card. Below are the song lyrics on that card. I could barely read them through my tears as Carol and I pulled away.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
1 Zechariah 4:6-7
2 I Kings 19:11-13
3 Hayford, Jack W. Pursuing The Will Of God: Meditations and Reflections from the Life of Abraham. Multnomah, 1997, p. 151
4 Hayford, p. 18
5 Exodus 33:14-15 MSG NLT
6 Hayford, p. 15
Carol and I were thriving newlyweds, living in the hills of Burbank. We had deep friendships and a one-of-a-kind church community (The Church On The Way) where we were growing and serving a diverse youth group. My career as an A&R guy at Word Records was flourishing. I was traveling the world looking for new artists to sign and develop. We spent our evenings soaking in live music at sparkling outdoor venues and historic Hollywood clubs. On weekends, we jetted off in my Alfa Romeo Spyder convertible to shop on Melrose Avenue and relax in Malibu, Santa Barbara or Lake Arrowhead. It was a dream life.
Nirvana's explosive “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the new ubiquitous cultural soundtrack (officially killing the 80’s. Thank goodness). To celebrate my 30th birthday, I cut my hair (2 feet of it) and ditched the earrings. I always say, at age 30 you can no longer deny it, you are really an adult.
Unexpectedly, the rumors began of “corporate” closing down the Los Angeles branch and relocating us all to Nashville. Carol and I had zero interest in living in the South. She was a “big city” girl who had grown up in L.A. working in television and I had found my permanent home.
The rumors of a Nashville transfer increased. I began praying. A lot.
I started looking for a job in A&R at other record labels in Los Angeles to avoid the inevitable. The rumors grew. I hiked and prayed in the mountains. I fasted, prayed and retreated to the cliffs in Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Please God, not Nashville!
I was shocked when, in the middle of a still night in May 1992, the Spirit of God awakened me.
I sat up in bed under the moonlight.
He very clearly said: “The answer you are seeking for your next step is that you will go to law school.”
What!?!?!?
“I am not smart enough to be a lawyer.”
“It will be By My Spirit.” 1
“I am too old for law school.”
“It will be By My Spirit.”
“I can’t afford to go to law school.”
“By My Spirit.”
That was it, as audible and clear as someone whispering softly in the same room. But that was not the answer to my quest for a new job in L.A. ... It seemed like God’s answer to someone’s else’s prayer–not mine.
I had never considered law school and had never thought of being a lawyer. Ever. I mean ever.
This was ludicrous. It was crazy. I was not “lawyer” material. I couldn’t make it through a week of law school. I was a “creative.” I made records.
God might as well have said: “Build an Ark!!!”
God had never spoken to me that clearly or that radically. But, I knew for certain it was real and true.
When I told Carol about God’s late-night law school assignment, fortunately for me, she did not laugh. Just the opposite. She began to passionately pray with me in faith. We began to share this crazy assignment with our pastor and with other close friends whom we knew we could trust to also hear the voice of God on our behalf. This small community of faith strengthened us and assured us, especially when some thought I had lost my marbles and others flat-out discouraged it in light of my current music business career success. A community of faithful Christ-followers surrounding you is a vital key to hearing God’s voice clearly and to confidently step into his various life assignments for you.
That fall, we bit the bullet and moved to Nashville (on a very temporary basis). We began to plot our law school assignment from God (mostly imagining our return to L.A. via Pepperdine Law School in Malibu).
Over the next several years, I secretly studied for and took the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) twice and diligently applied to ten of the top law schools in L.A. and New York City (I assumed if the plan was from God, only the best would do).
My LSAT scores were lackluster and I received harsh rejection letters from every single law school.
I was angry and confused. Did God really speak to me? Or was that bad pizza or an LSD flashback.
And, my beautiful career at the record label began to lose its shine (mostly due to my own pride, ingratitude and impatience).
With time, God began to reveal how I had selfishly taken his law school dream and assignment and fashioned it into my own plan and dream. And, he was calling me into repentance, humility and gratitude concerning the “best” law school choice and my heart toward the record label and its leaders. When I began to do so, God began to “fast-track” this major life transition.
☩☩☩
God sometimes speaks in a whisper that can change the whole course of your life. 2
Three years and three months following that encounter with God in L.A., I was standing wearily in the front yard of our 1920’s rental home in Nashville. Two dozen close friends who helped us stuff the moving truck gathered around as we were about to begin the 22-hour drive to Virginia Beach for law school. We knew no one in Virginia. We were leaving every friend we had, and it felt like we were sacrificing everything. Carol’s young career as a makeup artist and stylist in Nashville was rocketing. What now? I had resigned from my job at the record label a few weeks earlier. We did not know if we would ever return home (yes, surprisingly, Nashville had become “home”). We were afraid. It really hurt.
In those days, I believe God wanted to bring Carol and me to a place where we gave Him everything of our lives. Nothing held back. “The Lord wants to rid us of our fearful desire to protect ourselves, that sense of self-preservation that lurks in our hearts,” says Jack Hayford. 3 “When God calls you to do His will, He may very well wrench you away from that which is familiar to you—that which causes you to build your security upon things you know, rather than upon what you know of Him.” 4
Carol made it very clear to me. This was not her preference. She did not want to go. She was not happy about it. And I was not sure if I really wanted to do it, either. I was scared. But we both confidently knew it was God’s voice and assignment. We were not sure where it would all lead. But somehow, he would use it to serve others. We would obey him. And he would take care of us. In those days, Moses’ negotiation with God came to mind. In Exodus 33, Moses says to God: ‘If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that You’re with (us) in this? Are You traveling with us or not? God replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” 5
We knew God was with us.
And for you, here is a reminder for you on your assigned journey:
God is with you.
“Friend, it is the easiest thing in the world to go only as far in the will of God as those around you want you to go. To advance as far as they advance. To stop when they stop. To coast when they coast. To be satisfied when they are satisfied. The Lord’s call is to you. The people around you may or may not feel comfortable and easy about where he’s calling you to go and what he’s calling you to do. But it’s the Lord to whom you must answer, and he is the One who not only knows the end from the beginning, he knows you better than you know yourself.” 6
I turned the key in the moving truck and Jim and Kim Thomas leaned in through the window and handed me a beautiful handmade, painted card. Below are the song lyrics on that card. I could barely read them through my tears as Carol and I pulled away.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
1 Zechariah 4:6-7
2 I Kings 19:11-13
3 Hayford, Jack W. Pursuing The Will Of God: Meditations and Reflections from the Life of Abraham. Multnomah, 1997, p. 151
4 Hayford, p. 18
5 Exodus 33:14-15 MSG NLT
6 Hayford, p. 15
February 9, 2019
Stop Networking! How To Achieve Success Through Serving
☩☩☩
College freshmen are lectured about it on their first day of class. Young professionals race to one more boring party so they can be seen and shake hands with someone that might be able to help them - just like the business books and podcasts have instructed. Young musicians are chronically obsessed and depressed with their number of likes, views and followers on their social media. Today, for almost any definition of success we might identify, there is one common path to achieve it that is being shoved down our throats. That road to success is networking.
There are serious problems with this single path to greatness, and I want to blow up this networking myth right now.
So if it isn’t networking, what is the true path to “success?”
I believe the best place to find the answer is to see what Jesus himself had to say about finding success. The Bible tells us about an intense meeting that Jesus had with a bold “stage mom” and her two teenage wannabe boys - James and John. This mom makes Kris Jenner look like a beginner. She demanded: “Jesus, fix it, so that my two sons will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom - one on your right and the other to your left.” Without mincing words, Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be great (or a leader) must become a servant.”
So Jesus taught us that SERVING is not only the “path” to success, it is SUCCESS.
And that message is for all of us! Do you ever feel like you are not good enough or that you’re too young? Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” Even music business super-manager, Scooter Braun, who works with stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Kanye West says: “Don’t live for yourself. That is too easy. You will gain nothing from that endeavor. Live for others…That is where you will find true riches in life.”
See, the “heart” of networking is rooted in selfishness, taking and using; while the great leaders all teach us that true success comes through serving, giving generously and loving others without reservation.
So what can SERVING actually do for you AND what can SERVING do for others? Here are five key takeaways:
1. Serving Erases Fear of Failure
When your work is focused on others the fear of failure is gone. I teach artists that the key to overcome stage fright, the fear of bombing at a live show, is to understand that the stage is a place where you are honored to present your audience a gift. You are there to love and serve your audience, not just to receive their adoration and affirmation. Your voice and music is a creative gift that you are serving your audience to offer them joy, and hope, and love. Something that can transform them. It’s about the audience. It’s not about you as the artist. See the “power” of that gift and make that your focus - not finding your identity in the applause - then the spotlight becomes a place of love instead of place of fear with the risk of failure.
2. Serving Creates Purpose
When you work is centered on others purpose is found. When my son Harrison turned 16, we handed down to him my Black 1989 Range Rover that we affectionately call “The Beast” - and he and I started talking about potential summer jobs that would help him pay for his gas and other costs. I began naming a few places he could apply: Chic fil-A? “Boring.” How about that new Publix? “That would be really boring.” How about the Juice Bar. “Nah, kind of boring.” Finally, I stopped him. “OK, enough with the “boring.” I want to help you get a fresh vision and purpose for your first job. You must see this first job (and every job) as a place to serve others - not as a place for you to get your emotional needs met.” If you ask the question, where is a place that is filled with people that need me and need my gifts - then step into that place desiring to bring life and joy to customers and co-workers - then you will have true purpose that enables you to get through the tough days at any job. It’s important to remember: There is no dream job, but serving can create purpose and contentment that can make the most difficult job feel like a dream. Oh, by the way, he nailed a job at Starbucks!
3. Serving Creates Value - for you and for others.
We live in a world where you can be famous for being famous. The popularity of social media faces like the Kardashians is misleading us. What have they created? What value have they brought to the world? So, it’s easy to buy into the promise that “If you want to attract new clients, or build something, you have to make yourself visible.” A few years ago I booked a flight to Austin to spend a week at the South By Southwest music festival - hundreds of bands - with my sole purpose on finding new band clients. I spent loads of money, handed out lots of business cards, shook hands and met so many people. I came back to Nashville and never received one single new client from that trip. What happened? On reflection, I realized I missed so many opportunities to love and serve others that week, because my focus was only on me, my needs, my business, not on the needs, brokenness and businesses of those with whom I was rubbing shoulders. You see: "I was trying to make myself visible, but God wants us to make ourselves available." Giving Value Lasts.
4. Serving Creates Provision - for you and for others.
Serving gives and attracts while Networking takes and repels. “The Best Marketing Plan” for your product or business comes through genuine love, generosity and care for others. When you build relationships on those themes - without strings attached - you open up a stream of provision that flows both ways. I have given free legal work to a client who could not afford to pay and then watched him become my highest billing client a few years later. This is a spiritual principle on which you can stake your business, your relationships, your life. It never fails. The world calls it karma, but God calls it planting and harvesting.
5. Serving Changes the World - because it changes others.
We all want to leave a mark. But sometimes our dreams seem so out of reach - they are beyond our education, beyond our age, abilities, resources and our networks. What is the key? Start small. When I start getting frustrated with my impact on the college campus where I teach, my wife Carol always reminds me: “It’s one student at a time.” Find someone who is lonely - someone hurting - shine a light on that person. Just change one. Then do it again. You don’t need a license to change someone, you just need to care.
AND, please recognize that telling others His redemption story is the ultimate act of serving. It is a marker of our true love for others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls it “the most charitable and merciful act we can perform.”
And in the words of that “great” philosopher, Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast.” God calls us to redeem the time and make every conversation count.
Do not limit your serving to your future career or ministry opportunity, it must start today with the classmate sitting next to you or the co-worker in the next cubicle.
In a world filled with hate, division and disconnection, serving astounds the world.
Who in your world needs the life-saving knowledge and power of Christ right now?
Who are you supposed to serve today?
☩☩☩
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
College freshmen are lectured about it on their first day of class. Young professionals race to one more boring party so they can be seen and shake hands with someone that might be able to help them - just like the business books and podcasts have instructed. Young musicians are chronically obsessed and depressed with their number of likes, views and followers on their social media. Today, for almost any definition of success we might identify, there is one common path to achieve it that is being shoved down our throats. That road to success is networking.
There are serious problems with this single path to greatness, and I want to blow up this networking myth right now.
So if it isn’t networking, what is the true path to “success?”
I believe the best place to find the answer is to see what Jesus himself had to say about finding success. The Bible tells us about an intense meeting that Jesus had with a bold “stage mom” and her two teenage wannabe boys - James and John. This mom makes Kris Jenner look like a beginner. She demanded: “Jesus, fix it, so that my two sons will be awarded the highest places of honor in your kingdom - one on your right and the other to your left.” Without mincing words, Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be great (or a leader) must become a servant.”
So Jesus taught us that SERVING is not only the “path” to success, it is SUCCESS.
And that message is for all of us! Do you ever feel like you are not good enough or that you’re too young? Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve.” Even music business super-manager, Scooter Braun, who works with stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Kanye West says: “Don’t live for yourself. That is too easy. You will gain nothing from that endeavor. Live for others…That is where you will find true riches in life.”
See, the “heart” of networking is rooted in selfishness, taking and using; while the great leaders all teach us that true success comes through serving, giving generously and loving others without reservation.
So what can SERVING actually do for you AND what can SERVING do for others? Here are five key takeaways:
1. Serving Erases Fear of Failure
When your work is focused on others the fear of failure is gone. I teach artists that the key to overcome stage fright, the fear of bombing at a live show, is to understand that the stage is a place where you are honored to present your audience a gift. You are there to love and serve your audience, not just to receive their adoration and affirmation. Your voice and music is a creative gift that you are serving your audience to offer them joy, and hope, and love. Something that can transform them. It’s about the audience. It’s not about you as the artist. See the “power” of that gift and make that your focus - not finding your identity in the applause - then the spotlight becomes a place of love instead of place of fear with the risk of failure.
2. Serving Creates Purpose
When you work is centered on others purpose is found. When my son Harrison turned 16, we handed down to him my Black 1989 Range Rover that we affectionately call “The Beast” - and he and I started talking about potential summer jobs that would help him pay for his gas and other costs. I began naming a few places he could apply: Chic fil-A? “Boring.” How about that new Publix? “That would be really boring.” How about the Juice Bar. “Nah, kind of boring.” Finally, I stopped him. “OK, enough with the “boring.” I want to help you get a fresh vision and purpose for your first job. You must see this first job (and every job) as a place to serve others - not as a place for you to get your emotional needs met.” If you ask the question, where is a place that is filled with people that need me and need my gifts - then step into that place desiring to bring life and joy to customers and co-workers - then you will have true purpose that enables you to get through the tough days at any job. It’s important to remember: There is no dream job, but serving can create purpose and contentment that can make the most difficult job feel like a dream. Oh, by the way, he nailed a job at Starbucks!
3. Serving Creates Value - for you and for others.
We live in a world where you can be famous for being famous. The popularity of social media faces like the Kardashians is misleading us. What have they created? What value have they brought to the world? So, it’s easy to buy into the promise that “If you want to attract new clients, or build something, you have to make yourself visible.” A few years ago I booked a flight to Austin to spend a week at the South By Southwest music festival - hundreds of bands - with my sole purpose on finding new band clients. I spent loads of money, handed out lots of business cards, shook hands and met so many people. I came back to Nashville and never received one single new client from that trip. What happened? On reflection, I realized I missed so many opportunities to love and serve others that week, because my focus was only on me, my needs, my business, not on the needs, brokenness and businesses of those with whom I was rubbing shoulders. You see: "I was trying to make myself visible, but God wants us to make ourselves available." Giving Value Lasts.
4. Serving Creates Provision - for you and for others.
Serving gives and attracts while Networking takes and repels. “The Best Marketing Plan” for your product or business comes through genuine love, generosity and care for others. When you build relationships on those themes - without strings attached - you open up a stream of provision that flows both ways. I have given free legal work to a client who could not afford to pay and then watched him become my highest billing client a few years later. This is a spiritual principle on which you can stake your business, your relationships, your life. It never fails. The world calls it karma, but God calls it planting and harvesting.
5. Serving Changes the World - because it changes others.
We all want to leave a mark. But sometimes our dreams seem so out of reach - they are beyond our education, beyond our age, abilities, resources and our networks. What is the key? Start small. When I start getting frustrated with my impact on the college campus where I teach, my wife Carol always reminds me: “It’s one student at a time.” Find someone who is lonely - someone hurting - shine a light on that person. Just change one. Then do it again. You don’t need a license to change someone, you just need to care.
AND, please recognize that telling others His redemption story is the ultimate act of serving. It is a marker of our true love for others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls it “the most charitable and merciful act we can perform.”
And in the words of that “great” philosopher, Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast.” God calls us to redeem the time and make every conversation count.
Do not limit your serving to your future career or ministry opportunity, it must start today with the classmate sitting next to you or the co-worker in the next cubicle.
In a world filled with hate, division and disconnection, serving astounds the world.
Who in your world needs the life-saving knowledge and power of Christ right now?
Who are you supposed to serve today?
☩☩☩
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
October 8, 2018
The Death of the Artist: Bowie, Petty, Prince, Aretha and the Future of Lasting Art
☩☩☩
“We can be heroes, just for one day.” ~ David Bowie1
As summer slipped away, my daughter, Sophia and I sat down for a movie night to watch the emotional coming-of-age film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. We were moved by the late-night tunnel driving scenes where the discovery of David Bowie’s “’Heroes,’” pumped hope and adrenaline into that small circle of teenage friends. Bowie’s classic blasted from the radio as they triumphantly abandoned the chains and pain of childhood and launched themselves into the dreams that lay on the road ahead. Perfection. One of the best music moments in a film I can remember.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of Tom Petty’s passing. Johnny Cash once told Petty, “You’re a good man to ride the river with.” Petty has been a welcome traveling companion for me too—from 8-tracks and riding shotgun in my friend, Wes Ferris’s Dodge Charger—through road trips, beach vacations, glassy waterskiing sunsets and so many difficult changes in life. He never failed. Petty and his music made our world a better place.
On what would have been Prince’s 60th birthday this year, I introduced Sophia to his live concert film, Sign ‘O’ The Times. It was revelatory. She recognized that most of what she loves about Bruno Mars was inspired by the unrelenting genius of Prince. I was excited to surprise she and my wife, Carol, with tickets to see Bruno perform live tonight in Nashville! Prince lives on.
Bowie, Petty, Prince—and now, Aretha. All huge losses. Originals. Mighty voices, timeless songs and lasting art.
Lately, I am concerned about the creation of “new” lasting art—the future of beautiful works that change you from the inside out, that build hope, that never leave you—the songs that this generation will proudly share with their children and grandchildren. The creation of music and the development of art is changing rapidly. Social media networking has lowered the cost of music introduction and promotion, which is great. But we also live in a world where you can be famous for…being famous. Not so great. Celebrities, and all of us commoners as well, validate our success through social media by the number of friends, followers, likes and views we receive, whether or not those relationships are real or authentic.
A recent Atlantic Magazine article titled, “The Death of the Artist – and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur” claimed that success as a young creative is no longer about technique or expertise. Instead of the 10,000 hours of experience it takes to birth genius that Malcolm Gladwell espoused in his book Outliers, it is now about having 10,000 contacts, a customer-focused approach to art instead of one built on innovation, craft and beauty.2 3
Social networking has become a deceptive and broken substitute for time-honoring, often isolated, passionate work in developing artistic expertise. Young creatives can now be prematurely lulled into a false sense of creative identity and success by the number of likes and followers on their social media networks.
John Mayer went through a period where he suddenly closed his Twitter social media account and confessed on his blog his own creative downfalls experienced from networking: “You can’t create lasting art if you are heavily involved in social media. It occurred to me that since the invocation of Twitter, nobody who has participated in it has created any lasting art. And yes! Yours truly is included in that roundup as well. Those who decide to remain offline will make better work than those online. Why? Because great ideas have to gather. They have to pass the test of withstanding thirteen different moods, four different months and sixty different edits. Anything less is day trading. You can either get a bunch of mentions now or change someone’s life next year [italics mine].”4
I wholeheartedly believe “changing lives” should be the goal of every great technological or artistic endeavor. Steve Jobs asked Pepsi’s John Sculley the question: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” Bono once said: “Music can change the world because it can change people.” But if we are more focused on how many followers we have or likes we can get—will we ever get to that point?
Social media has become a distraction and an inhibitor in the creative development process. Becoming a creative who can generate works with lasting cultural impact requires what Cal Newport calls “deep work,” which is a combination of working for extended periods of time with full concentration on a single task free from distraction or interruption followed by intermittent rounds of feedback. A process where one wrings every last drop of value out of his current intellectual capacities. Newport asserts that our creative abilities are improved by the mental strain that accompanies this “deep work.”5
Sadly, I am afraid our cultural addiction to social media networking is killing songs and artists before we ever get to hear their voices, melodies and ideas. Have we entered a new world where we will no longer see the lasting work and creative imagination of great artists like the Beatles, Dr. Dre, Spielberg or Miles Davis?
As a lover of great art, music and entertainment, that is a terrifying thought. Could we be moving toward the graveside of world-changing art and creative ingenuity? In the apocalyptic voice of music critic, Lester Bangs to William Miller in the film, Almost Famous, (citing the death of rock and roll): “It’s over, you got here just in time for the death rattle …”6
But, in that first meeting with his writing hero, the optimism and determination in William Miller’s eyes tells a different story—one without that doomed ending. As a music business and songwriting professor at Belmont University, I know that look. I see it in the faces of my students every night.
There is hope.
☩☩☩
1. Bowie, David. “Heroes.” By Bowie, David and Eno, Brian. Heroes. Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tintoretto Music, 1977.
2. Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist - and the Birth of The Creative Entrepreneur.” Atlantic Magazine. January/February 2015.
3. Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Baker and Taylor, 2008. pp. 35-68.
4. Oldenburg, Ann. “John Mayer: Nobody on Twitter Creates ‘Lasting Art,’” USA Today, October 5, 2010.
5. Newport, Cal. Deep Work. Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group, 2016. Introduction and Chapter 1.
6. Almost Famous, ©2000, Dreamworks LLC and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
“We can be heroes, just for one day.” ~ David Bowie1
As summer slipped away, my daughter, Sophia and I sat down for a movie night to watch the emotional coming-of-age film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. We were moved by the late-night tunnel driving scenes where the discovery of David Bowie’s “’Heroes,’” pumped hope and adrenaline into that small circle of teenage friends. Bowie’s classic blasted from the radio as they triumphantly abandoned the chains and pain of childhood and launched themselves into the dreams that lay on the road ahead. Perfection. One of the best music moments in a film I can remember.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of Tom Petty’s passing. Johnny Cash once told Petty, “You’re a good man to ride the river with.” Petty has been a welcome traveling companion for me too—from 8-tracks and riding shotgun in my friend, Wes Ferris’s Dodge Charger—through road trips, beach vacations, glassy waterskiing sunsets and so many difficult changes in life. He never failed. Petty and his music made our world a better place.
On what would have been Prince’s 60th birthday this year, I introduced Sophia to his live concert film, Sign ‘O’ The Times. It was revelatory. She recognized that most of what she loves about Bruno Mars was inspired by the unrelenting genius of Prince. I was excited to surprise she and my wife, Carol, with tickets to see Bruno perform live tonight in Nashville! Prince lives on.
Bowie, Petty, Prince—and now, Aretha. All huge losses. Originals. Mighty voices, timeless songs and lasting art.
Lately, I am concerned about the creation of “new” lasting art—the future of beautiful works that change you from the inside out, that build hope, that never leave you—the songs that this generation will proudly share with their children and grandchildren. The creation of music and the development of art is changing rapidly. Social media networking has lowered the cost of music introduction and promotion, which is great. But we also live in a world where you can be famous for…being famous. Not so great. Celebrities, and all of us commoners as well, validate our success through social media by the number of friends, followers, likes and views we receive, whether or not those relationships are real or authentic.
A recent Atlantic Magazine article titled, “The Death of the Artist – and the Birth of the Creative Entrepreneur” claimed that success as a young creative is no longer about technique or expertise. Instead of the 10,000 hours of experience it takes to birth genius that Malcolm Gladwell espoused in his book Outliers, it is now about having 10,000 contacts, a customer-focused approach to art instead of one built on innovation, craft and beauty.2 3
Social networking has become a deceptive and broken substitute for time-honoring, often isolated, passionate work in developing artistic expertise. Young creatives can now be prematurely lulled into a false sense of creative identity and success by the number of likes and followers on their social media networks.
John Mayer went through a period where he suddenly closed his Twitter social media account and confessed on his blog his own creative downfalls experienced from networking: “You can’t create lasting art if you are heavily involved in social media. It occurred to me that since the invocation of Twitter, nobody who has participated in it has created any lasting art. And yes! Yours truly is included in that roundup as well. Those who decide to remain offline will make better work than those online. Why? Because great ideas have to gather. They have to pass the test of withstanding thirteen different moods, four different months and sixty different edits. Anything less is day trading. You can either get a bunch of mentions now or change someone’s life next year [italics mine].”4
I wholeheartedly believe “changing lives” should be the goal of every great technological or artistic endeavor. Steve Jobs asked Pepsi’s John Sculley the question: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” Bono once said: “Music can change the world because it can change people.” But if we are more focused on how many followers we have or likes we can get—will we ever get to that point?
Social media has become a distraction and an inhibitor in the creative development process. Becoming a creative who can generate works with lasting cultural impact requires what Cal Newport calls “deep work,” which is a combination of working for extended periods of time with full concentration on a single task free from distraction or interruption followed by intermittent rounds of feedback. A process where one wrings every last drop of value out of his current intellectual capacities. Newport asserts that our creative abilities are improved by the mental strain that accompanies this “deep work.”5
Sadly, I am afraid our cultural addiction to social media networking is killing songs and artists before we ever get to hear their voices, melodies and ideas. Have we entered a new world where we will no longer see the lasting work and creative imagination of great artists like the Beatles, Dr. Dre, Spielberg or Miles Davis?
As a lover of great art, music and entertainment, that is a terrifying thought. Could we be moving toward the graveside of world-changing art and creative ingenuity? In the apocalyptic voice of music critic, Lester Bangs to William Miller in the film, Almost Famous, (citing the death of rock and roll): “It’s over, you got here just in time for the death rattle …”6
But, in that first meeting with his writing hero, the optimism and determination in William Miller’s eyes tells a different story—one without that doomed ending. As a music business and songwriting professor at Belmont University, I know that look. I see it in the faces of my students every night.
There is hope.
☩☩☩
1. Bowie, David. “Heroes.” By Bowie, David and Eno, Brian. Heroes. Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tintoretto Music, 1977.
2. Deresiewicz, William. “The Death of the Artist - and the Birth of The Creative Entrepreneur.” Atlantic Magazine. January/February 2015.
3. Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Baker and Taylor, 2008. pp. 35-68.
4. Oldenburg, Ann. “John Mayer: Nobody on Twitter Creates ‘Lasting Art,’” USA Today, October 5, 2010.
5. Newport, Cal. Deep Work. Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group, 2016. Introduction and Chapter 1.
6. Almost Famous, ©2000, Dreamworks LLC and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Adapted from: Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 Mark H. Maxwell
September 10, 2018
The Spiritual Lessons we can all learn from Bruce Springsteen
☩☩☩
“Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night...”1 - Bruce Springsteen
When Sophia and Harrison each turned sixteen, I took them out individually on a special night to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform live. Neither one knows his albums like I do, but they both recognize his reputation for giving an audience way more than their money’s worth and much more than any other live performer. They were each very excited to be there with me.
Before the Nashville show a few years ago, Sophia and I waited in line outside the concert arena to get into the coveted general admission floor area. We struck up a conversation with a doctor who flew in from Chicago. This was his 273rd Springsteen show. Another fan claimed 176 shows. The couple beside us had flown in from Pennsylvania. This would be the 89th time they had seen Bruce live. Crazy! Sophia suddenly realized there were bigger music geeks in the world than her fanatic father! There are no current musical artists who evoke this kind of loyalty and repeat business like Bruce. Plus, there are no artists who consistently give their fans a generous three-and-a-half-hour-plus show with no break. In 2016, Bruce broke his previous record for his longest show in the United States by playing four hours and three minutes in Philadelphia. At age 66 (and 69 this month). Super-human! He makes young men look and feel old. I know how tired I am after one of his shows. I can’t imagine how he and the band physically recover night after night.
Harrison and I planned our night out seeing Bruce’s The River Tour in Louisville. We had our floor tickets in-hand and waited through the afternoon lottery process to see if we would be among the lucky few picked to be in the area closest to the stage. Bruce consciously plays to every single person in the arena or coliseum, including the cheap seat rafters and obstructed view seats, but everyone knows there is something magical in those first few rows where you can actually trade eye contact with the Boss and the members of the E Street Band. We made it into the pit! Right in front of the stage! Amazing!
Springsteen kicked off the night by shouting, "Are you ready to be transformed?”
"YEEEAHH!"
Bruce and the band blew Harrison’s mind for 3 hours and 22 minutes while he and I were floating two inches off the ground 15 feet from the stage.
During one of his shows, Springsteen is constantly dancing, screaming, imploring, mugging, kicking, wind-milling, crowd-surfing, climbing a drum riser, jumping on an amp, and leaping off the piano. In return, the crowd participates in a display of communal adoration. Like pilgrims at a gigantic outdoor Mass—think John Paul II at Gdansk—they know their role: when to raise their hands, when to sway, when to sing, when to scream his name, when to bear his body, hand over hand, from the rear of the orchestra to the stage. “I want an extreme experience,” he says. He wants his audience to leave the arena, as he commands them, “With your hands hurting, your feet hurting, your back hurting, and your voice sore!” So, the display of exuberance is critical.2
When Springsteen is asked “How do you do it?” he describes those supernatural breakthrough moments between him and a giant concert audience as a magic trick. “Eighty thousand rock ‘n’ roll fans waiting for you to pull something out of your hat, out of thin air, out of this world, something that before the faithful were gathered here today, was just a song-fueled rumor.3 I am here to provide proof-of-life to that ever elusive, never completely believable ‘us.’ And then suddenly,”—he snapped his fingers— “you catch it, and then, once you do, you may not want to stop. You have to create the show anew, and find it anew, on a nightly basis. And sometimes,” he concluded, laughing, “it takes me longer than I thought it would.4 I tend to try and move to that place every night, to that moment where suddenly it’s just you and the audience; everything else has kind of fallen away...time...space.”5
“Thank you, Louisville! The “E” Street Band LOVES you!” As if we needed to be reminded. We slowly strolled to the parking lot with huge smiles and ringing ears. We HAD been transformed.
Why is Springsteen driven to go through all that hard work night after night? “For an adult, the world is constantly trying to clamp down on itself,” he says. “Routine, responsibility, decay of institutions, corruption: this is all the world closing in. Music, when it’s really great, pries that @#$% back open and lets people back in, it lets light in, and air in, and energy in, and sends people home with that and sends me back to the hotel with it. People carry that with them sometimes for a very long period of time."6
Bruce's faithful fans experience:
Supernatural Hope, Community and Light.
Each one of these elusive elements, Hope, Community and Light, are spiritually birthed when others are sacrificially and generously served. Boy, we all desperately need those today.
In his recent autobiography, Springsteen refers to his boyhood Catholic church as “the world where I found the beginning of my song.”7 Now, five decades later, Bruce is modeling (perhaps, unknowingly, perhaps not) God’s great generosity to mankind, because God not only promises to provide, he promises to do so generously. Bruce is beautifully mirroring the power and story of God. By taking the power of the E Street Band’s musical excellence and creativity (God’s beautiful gift) and serving his fans with passion, abandon and extreme generosity, the atmosphere mysteriously changes. Paul says, "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes!"8 Our God meets and explosively surpasses our human needs.
AND God asks us to sacrificially serve others with that same extraordinary generosity. Paul instructed Timothy; “Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extremely generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last—gaining life that is truly life.”9
How can we give more generously of our time, our talents and our resources?
Where can I start to give more extravagantly to my clients, family and friends? To my fellow students, my co-workers, my neighbors? To those in great need?
First, we must expect God to provide for us just like he promised.
As we do, let’s embrace the freedom and motivation to serve others generously like God serves us.
Then, through our God-like generosity, let’s believe we will see and experience hope, community and light “magically” born in the atmosphere of our world and in our relationships with those around us, that we may all experience and give "life that is truly life.”
Eternal treasure.
SERVING PRODUCES HOPE.
Generosity Creates Supernatural Results.
☩☩☩
1. Springsteen, Bruce. “Thunder Road,” By Springsteen, Bruce. Born to Run. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, 1975.
2. Remnick, David. “We Are Alive.” The New Yorker; July 30, 2013.
3. Springsteen, Bruce. Born to Run. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Foreword pp. Xii.
4. Kamp, David. “The Book of Bruce Springsteen.” Vanity Fair, September 2016.
5. Hiatt, Brian. “True Bruce.” Rolling Stone, October 20, 2016, p. 36.
6. Remnick
7. Springsteen p.17.
8. Philippians 4:19 MSG
9. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 MSG
Taken from Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 by Mark H. Maxwell
“Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night...”1 - Bruce Springsteen
When Sophia and Harrison each turned sixteen, I took them out individually on a special night to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band perform live. Neither one knows his albums like I do, but they both recognize his reputation for giving an audience way more than their money’s worth and much more than any other live performer. They were each very excited to be there with me.
Before the Nashville show a few years ago, Sophia and I waited in line outside the concert arena to get into the coveted general admission floor area. We struck up a conversation with a doctor who flew in from Chicago. This was his 273rd Springsteen show. Another fan claimed 176 shows. The couple beside us had flown in from Pennsylvania. This would be the 89th time they had seen Bruce live. Crazy! Sophia suddenly realized there were bigger music geeks in the world than her fanatic father! There are no current musical artists who evoke this kind of loyalty and repeat business like Bruce. Plus, there are no artists who consistently give their fans a generous three-and-a-half-hour-plus show with no break. In 2016, Bruce broke his previous record for his longest show in the United States by playing four hours and three minutes in Philadelphia. At age 66 (and 69 this month). Super-human! He makes young men look and feel old. I know how tired I am after one of his shows. I can’t imagine how he and the band physically recover night after night.
Harrison and I planned our night out seeing Bruce’s The River Tour in Louisville. We had our floor tickets in-hand and waited through the afternoon lottery process to see if we would be among the lucky few picked to be in the area closest to the stage. Bruce consciously plays to every single person in the arena or coliseum, including the cheap seat rafters and obstructed view seats, but everyone knows there is something magical in those first few rows where you can actually trade eye contact with the Boss and the members of the E Street Band. We made it into the pit! Right in front of the stage! Amazing!
Springsteen kicked off the night by shouting, "Are you ready to be transformed?”
"YEEEAHH!"
Bruce and the band blew Harrison’s mind for 3 hours and 22 minutes while he and I were floating two inches off the ground 15 feet from the stage.
During one of his shows, Springsteen is constantly dancing, screaming, imploring, mugging, kicking, wind-milling, crowd-surfing, climbing a drum riser, jumping on an amp, and leaping off the piano. In return, the crowd participates in a display of communal adoration. Like pilgrims at a gigantic outdoor Mass—think John Paul II at Gdansk—they know their role: when to raise their hands, when to sway, when to sing, when to scream his name, when to bear his body, hand over hand, from the rear of the orchestra to the stage. “I want an extreme experience,” he says. He wants his audience to leave the arena, as he commands them, “With your hands hurting, your feet hurting, your back hurting, and your voice sore!” So, the display of exuberance is critical.2
When Springsteen is asked “How do you do it?” he describes those supernatural breakthrough moments between him and a giant concert audience as a magic trick. “Eighty thousand rock ‘n’ roll fans waiting for you to pull something out of your hat, out of thin air, out of this world, something that before the faithful were gathered here today, was just a song-fueled rumor.3 I am here to provide proof-of-life to that ever elusive, never completely believable ‘us.’ And then suddenly,”—he snapped his fingers— “you catch it, and then, once you do, you may not want to stop. You have to create the show anew, and find it anew, on a nightly basis. And sometimes,” he concluded, laughing, “it takes me longer than I thought it would.4 I tend to try and move to that place every night, to that moment where suddenly it’s just you and the audience; everything else has kind of fallen away...time...space.”5
“Thank you, Louisville! The “E” Street Band LOVES you!” As if we needed to be reminded. We slowly strolled to the parking lot with huge smiles and ringing ears. We HAD been transformed.
Why is Springsteen driven to go through all that hard work night after night? “For an adult, the world is constantly trying to clamp down on itself,” he says. “Routine, responsibility, decay of institutions, corruption: this is all the world closing in. Music, when it’s really great, pries that @#$% back open and lets people back in, it lets light in, and air in, and energy in, and sends people home with that and sends me back to the hotel with it. People carry that with them sometimes for a very long period of time."6
Bruce's faithful fans experience:
Supernatural Hope, Community and Light.
Each one of these elusive elements, Hope, Community and Light, are spiritually birthed when others are sacrificially and generously served. Boy, we all desperately need those today.
In his recent autobiography, Springsteen refers to his boyhood Catholic church as “the world where I found the beginning of my song.”7 Now, five decades later, Bruce is modeling (perhaps, unknowingly, perhaps not) God’s great generosity to mankind, because God not only promises to provide, he promises to do so generously. Bruce is beautifully mirroring the power and story of God. By taking the power of the E Street Band’s musical excellence and creativity (God’s beautiful gift) and serving his fans with passion, abandon and extreme generosity, the atmosphere mysteriously changes. Paul says, "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes!"8 Our God meets and explosively surpasses our human needs.
AND God asks us to sacrificially serve others with that same extraordinary generosity. Paul instructed Timothy; “Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extremely generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last—gaining life that is truly life.”9
How can we give more generously of our time, our talents and our resources?
Where can I start to give more extravagantly to my clients, family and friends? To my fellow students, my co-workers, my neighbors? To those in great need?
First, we must expect God to provide for us just like he promised.
As we do, let’s embrace the freedom and motivation to serve others generously like God serves us.
Then, through our God-like generosity, let’s believe we will see and experience hope, community and light “magically” born in the atmosphere of our world and in our relationships with those around us, that we may all experience and give "life that is truly life.”
Eternal treasure.
SERVING PRODUCES HOPE.
Generosity Creates Supernatural Results.
☩☩☩
1. Springsteen, Bruce. “Thunder Road,” By Springsteen, Bruce. Born to Run. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, 1975.
2. Remnick, David. “We Are Alive.” The New Yorker; July 30, 2013.
3. Springsteen, Bruce. Born to Run. Simon & Schuster, 2016. Foreword pp. Xii.
4. Kamp, David. “The Book of Bruce Springsteen.” Vanity Fair, September 2016.
5. Hiatt, Brian. “True Bruce.” Rolling Stone, October 20, 2016, p. 36.
6. Remnick
7. Springsteen p.17.
8. Philippians 4:19 MSG
9. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 MSG
Taken from Networking Kills: Success Through Serving ©2018 by Mark H. Maxwell
