I Cultivate Dirt

Did i get your attention? It’s a farm metaphor but I promise it will make my point.

My job is to mentor, teach, and inspire songwriters. I help them establish long careers and maintain well-balanced personal lives. My secret: good dirt.

If I was planting a garden and wanted fruits, vegetables, and a big oak tree to grow durable, I would start with the dirt. Only when you pack a soil with nutrients can your plants grow properly.

I’m reminded of the book Goat Song by Brad Kessler. A young couple moves from the big city and buys a farm in an attempt to make goat cheese. While sampling their first batch of cheese, they realize their product is inedible.

Though one might assume the goats were to blame, the problem started much earlier in the cheese’s life cycle. In the end, the dirt they used was not sufficient. Their final product was mired by problems early on in the process.

They upgraded their dirt, which enhanced the quality of the goat’s pasture food, which, in turn, helped the goats make more nutrient rich milk. By fixing an issue at the cheese’s inception, the young couple was able to produce something delicious.

I too like to start with “good dirt” in my line of work. For me, that means that I am engaging with a songwriter who has a solid command of the English language, the ability to create compelling melodies, a strong intention to succeed, a mastery of their own voice, and a connection between their body, mind, and soul. Good dirt is packed full of nutrients.

Most of the time, a songwriter will need to strengthen different parts of their dirt. When I encounter a songwriter without the language to express themselves, I first have to stretch their linguistic capacity. I engage them in conversations and discussions that make them reflect on their own experience. If I’m counseling a songwriter who is lost on the melody front, I’ll teach them the basics of song structure and the theory of R.P.M. (Rhythm, Phrasing, and Melody) in order to create more compelling melodies.

I help my clients build “good dirt” that will help them grow their careers in perpetuity. With a strong foundation, they’ll be like the young couple from Brad Kessler’s Goat Song spinning a heavenly product from a well-prepared dirt.