Yesterday, I was in a small group of music industry peers and I had the opportunity to introduce myself. I didn’t do a great job of introducing myself. I said maybe one sentence – not the first time this has happened. So like a normal human, I obsessed over the thing that is important to me. Impressions and Opportunities.

Impression: 1. an idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence.

Opportunity: 1. a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something

In the music world, I have lived off of the coupling of impressions and opportunities. With good talent and gifts, those two things are bread and butter. And I care a lot about this because my success thus far has depended on it. With that, I realize that my perception of success is so fragile in the music business that I don’t really give myself a chance to ever really succeed. That’s pressure. Walking a line and expecting that one mistake can lose the game.