JAYDENMUSIC.COM

This is something that has been on my mind for a week or two but I didn’t take the time to share it on my blog until now. I guess where I should start is creativity. You can take so much pride in an idea knowing that you gave birth to something. Something that you can bring into the physical realm and share. We all know however that it is never that simple. What stops us? Well for one, we’re always so concerned with how it will be viewed and accepted. Anything you put forth is a reflection of you and that is something we all take very seriously. Secondly, we’re always looking for approval from our peers. It’s almost like, we won’t share pieces of ourselves UNLESS it was pre-approved by a group of people that have valuable opinions, at least to us. Sounds harmless, and it would be if people were perfect. But what often ends up happening is our ideas get pushed under the rug. I’m not talking about guidance… from others who are more experienced guidance is great! But when YOU have an idea that you REALLY believe in, you need to find the courage to step out on that limb alone. Even those closest to you may not understand your vision, and that may just be because it is that unique. My take on it is I would rather make a wrong move doing something that I believe than to be wrong following another persons belief. So… I encourage you to dream unrestrictedly. Find the courage to share yourself with the world however you see fit. When it comes to something you are passionate about… YOU are the best judge.


Jayden

To say the opinions of others do not alter your decisions would be a lie to yourself. What happened to trusting yourself? What happened to trusting your God given abilities and gifts? What happened to following your gut? Up to this point in my music career, I have taken that trust and put it in other people to guide me. Thinking they know better than I do. Truth is, NO ONE knows your gifts better than you do. Granted, you need help to reach your goals, but the direction and route you take should be something you trust and believe. I would rather fail because I made the wrong decisions than to fail because someone else did. I’ve always had a vision… the type of artist I am and the type of music I would make. Somewhere along the years I let people take the steering wheel of my vision and soon enough it felt like no one was driving at all. Well… I can honestly say that chapter is OVER. I have the steering wheel now! I may not take the route they advise me, I am different from the other artists they would like me to mimic. I may not make a good Justin, or  a good Usher. I may not climb to success the route that Ne-Yo took. I might not have that one huge smash hit in the clubs to jump start my career like so many other artists have. But you know what… I MAKE THE BEST “ME”. I write from my experiences, so there cannot be another because I am the only one living MY life. From now on… I’m trusting that. I Make the Best “ME”.

Jayden

Love VS. Fantasy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between the two, understandable. Sometimes when you have one, it makes you want the other one more. Funny how that works, human nature I guess. Sad part is we will never be truly happy until we decide which one  we are going to let guide our lives. Trust, there is a very thin line between the two. Sometimes being in Love IS the fantasy, and it really isn’t Love at all. We create images and scenarios and sometimes a whole life that we hope will come true the way we saw it in our minds. Men see themselves with beautiful women, women see themselves with a successful perfect man… and we hold on to those characteristics as if we KNOW they will make us happy. Fantasy. Anyone who has chased a Fantasy will tell you that the Fantasy was better than the actual thing. Love is knowing and accepting that no one is perfect and life sure isn’t either, but loving anyway. Flaws and all. I think that’s why people are unfaithful. They haven’t fully let go of their Fantasy, or worse, can’t tell the difference. (By the way, none of this is valid if you don’t believe in Love to begin with). Now I’m just talking for me… but I’d rather something real. With your career, with your clothes, even with money you can envision it being a certain way and work to make it a reality. Unfortunately people don’t work that way. You can plan and fantasize all you want, you’ll never get it. But if you’re lucky, you may just find what you NEED over what you WANT. At that time it’s your call, Love vs. Fantasy.


Jayden

I usually forget what I’ve dreamt about once I wake up, but I have this reoccurring dream that I have been having for a few years now. Some people believe that your dreams are a warning for events that are to come. Some believe they’re a reflection of your deepest thoughts you keep from the world. I never really had an opinion about dreams until now, and that opinion is that dreams expose your fears, insecurities, faith, fantasies, and curiosities (even about bad events). I feel like… dreaming is our subconscious exploring the possibilities and how we would feel if those events were to take place. Regardless of how ridiculous a dream may be. Events and feelings we have thought about, but haven’t taken the time to dwell on while we’re awake. You’re probably thinking this is the part where I share my reoccurring dream with you… negative. Sorry. I will say this, the dream clearly exposes a fear of mine. Something I really don’t want to see happen, and I consciously put the thought out of my mind when it comes up. Yet, there’s the dream, surfacing from time to time. Kind of interesting. I’m curious what other people are thinking or their dreams… let me know!




Jayden

So on this November evening I happen to be in the middle of a few business ventures. Of course I am not going to spill on my blog what they are until they are official, but my gut is telling me that a few should not even be on the table. See, I started this music thing as a passionate songwriter, but as the business started to intrigue me I saw myself as more than just a musician. I truly believe with every bone inside my body that I am more than capable of controlling my fate in this industry. Some of these new “situations” require me to hand over my dream to “better hands”. Problem is, I believe in my dream. More importantly, I believe in MYSELF and my ability to accomplish my dream. Something inside me tells me that I have the best compass for where I need to go. I have to TRUST my dream. Why? Because there is a reason why I feel so strong about this dream. There is a reason why it is MY dream. There is a point where dreams reach the wall of logic and rationalization. The strength of belief in your ability to turn that dream to reality is the only thing that will get you through that wall. Do you believe? I do. Trust your dream.


Jayden

I heard an interesting record this morning by Beanie Sigel. The track was okay, but what REALLY stuck with me was the very last line he said…

“The richest man is not the one with his first dollar, it’s the one who still has his first friend”.

I couldn’t agree more! How many friends got lost in the shuffle of you chasing the riches and fame? They came up with you and supported you from day one and now they are mere “Where are they now?” thoughts. I’m excluding everyday friends, I’m talking about the ones that were on the same path as you. How do you measure your success honestly without deducting the people that assisted getting you there? It’s easy to get caught up in your own accomplishments and credit them to yourself. What is difficult is remembering to acknowledge the people that put you in a position to accomplish what you have. I challenge you to do just that.

Jayden

This is a subject that I often bring up to my friends and people I work with. In any work environment there are two sides to progression. The WORK that gets put in, and the RESULTS. Problem is, they don’t always work hand-in-hand the way we want them to. I’m sure you all have heard people complain all day about how they work so hard and nothing comes of it. Does the work you put in count for anything if the results don’t match? I can only speak for my experiences, but I find that no… it does not count for much if the results don’t match (excluding the personal satisfaction that you did something). What good comes out of a student in nursing school studying ALL week for a test to end up failing it the next day? Because they studied for so many long hours will the nursing program still advance them for effort? No way. So here is what I’m saying… In MY field there are a lot of artist, producers, engineers, managers, etc., that claim to be putting in all this work. Somehow, the results are still minimal. So would you rather be in a work environment where people continuously tell you how much work they are doing, or a situation where RESULTS tell you what they’ve been doing? I don’t know about you… but I’m ready for some results.

Jayden

I’m in the studio mixing this record and I’m remembering months ago when I wrote it. “One Day” is a song I wrote when I was out west in the beginning of the year. The inspiration for the song came from feeling like the things I wanted in my life were changing. I love making music, I love being an artist, and my happiness at this point in my life depends on being able to express myself through my music. When you’re chasing a dream, sacrifices are always made with or without your approval. At the time when I wrote this song, I was feeling… lonely. Not in a sense that there were not people around me, but in a way that I wanted a greater level of intimacy. I knew I wouldn’t be able to have the type of relationship I wanted so I stopped the growth of any potential situations. So while sitting in the studio feeling extra emo, I wrote “One Day”, a song about knowing what I truly want out of life, but also knowing that I need to be patient and let life present it to me. Life has a certain progression and we can bend and mold it only to an extent. I realized I found myself thinking about my personal life in the future, settled down, a wife, kids, etc. The more I pictured it, the less I wanted the things that were currently in my life. I had to leave that image where it belonged… in the future. You have to live where you are currently, and work towards a future. What you want today, will change as time passes. So that part of me that felt like something was missing was letting me know that there is another source of happiness yet to come. Just not today. As I say in the song…

“Sometimes I wonder to myself, when will this lifestyle get old

Kind of sick of being by myself, funny how you could still feel alone

When you’re out on the scene just ’bout every night

Feeling like I’m a star I’m living the life

So much that I don’t care much about anything else”

AND

“I want to go home to someone who loves me. I’m gonna want to settle down

Enough running around living life in the fast line

I’m gonna want the kids and the house on the hill and a wife who feels how I feel

And though that day is not today… I know Im’a feel that way… One Day.”

One Day.

Jayden