One of the beautiful things about modern technology is the ability to capture impromptu moments, as they unfold, on film. We carry a video camera with us everywhere we go now, resulting in weekly webisodes. Not only are we inviting viewers into our world, but more importantly, we are featuring stories from the people we meet and shedding light on our community of listeners.

I like to look at life like a canvas; each person makes their own unique mark with their own custom color. Each person has a story to tell and brings a wealth of experiences to the table. We look for those who have risen above adversity, created a better mouse trap and/or offered the world something that makes it a better place to live. We are always on the lookout for inspiration.

We have a wide variety of listeners that attend our shows, as all businesses have a wide variety of customers. But there are common threads that weave through them all. One interesting characteristic that many of ours seem to have is a longing to connect with others on a deeper level.

As we’ve been traveling and listening to feedback, it’s being brought to the forefront how disconnected so many people are feeling from one another. We have so many options and we enjoy so many conveniences that, although there are positives, we are becoming somewhat desensitized to life. People tell us that one of the things they love most about coming to our show is that they feel like they were a part of something special and they feel like we care. They are right . . . we do!

In our industry, and many other industries I am sure, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do. Jack & I started making music because of the connection we felt to it and our desire to contribute our custom color to the canvas. But the risk in any industry is to get caught up in head counts, advertising and pressures like making the rent. Soon, if we aren’t careful, we can easily lose our purpose and our passion. We can start to look at people like a $ sign instead of a human being with their own story and their own mark to make.

I would encourage any musician, artist, business owner or entrepreneur reading this to get back in touch with the “Why?” behind what you do and begin to look deeper at your audience, customer or client. We are learning so much from ours as we gather their stories on film. We see the gifts and talents that each person has and it gives us a much broader appreciation for them when we perform. How cool would it be if we had more of a “servant mentality” with our audience or clientele? What would happen if we slowed down a little and listened closer? What if we focused on quality instead of quantity?

It is my belief that people are longing for personal connection and to feel that they matter to someone in the world. The human spirit is remarkable and there is nothing more amazing then to see people united. The big buzzword these days in the internet world is “tribe,” which is basically an online community of people who share a common interest. These tribes are a great way for people to share a virtual connection, but what if we could replace that with real world experiences? At the end of our lives, our life stories and experiences are really all that we have, aren’t they?