The MPC won't work by Itself!

What up Sleepwalkers? So last weekend I was riding with my wife to good ol’ South Carolina to visit our family. We rented a SUV that happened to have Sirius satellite radio in it. I was listening to “DJ Premier: Live From HeadQCourterz” to try and keep myself awake in the early morning hours. I can’t quite remember the overall topic at hand in specifics, but obviously it dealt with producing. Premier said something that was quite profound to me. It was one of those things that I’ve heard before, but some time later…new situation in life, etc…it stood out to me.

He was talking about making beats on a drum pad with someone and he said “Like I always tell people, you make the machine work for you. The MPC won’t work by itself!” He went on further in discussion to talk about how great producers work with the machine they have and make great music regardless of if it is or isn’t “the best drum pad out”. He said you have to press the pad and work the machine to create. If that scene were a movie though- time slows as the radio becomes ambiguous chatter and we push in on Kevin’s face. “You make the machine work for you.” How true indeed. In life, things don’t just happen. You can’t just think I have to clean my house and “WHALA”…the house is clean. You can’t just think I want to open the door and “WHALA” …the door is opened. No, you have to take action. Just like a producer can’t make the beat he/she hears in his/her head, but instead he/she has to take the keyboard/MPC and slowly build the composition. I can’t just see the film in my head, I have to get a crew, the equipment and execute it. Not only that, I can’t think that a Red camera is going to make my film hot…no, I have to storyboard the shots and let my creative juices flow so that I use the machine and get the most out of it. So I guess the same would stand true for my dreams and your dreams right?

Who ever had a dream and didn’t have to put in work to make it happen? Oprah didn’t become the greatest personal brand overnight. Obama didn’t become the President overnight. Spielberg didn’t start making blockbusters overnight! In fact, I watched his first directing film debut (after he did tv shows) recently. It was a made for TV movie entitled “Duel”. Besides it being an old film, it definitely wasn’t the Spielberg we know now…but the creative shots and good storytelling was there.

My point is that from that moment in the car I decided I was going to do at least one thing every day towards reaching my dreams and achieving my goals using what I have. I can’t put time into making my dreams happen every once and a while. It has to be consistent DAILY effort. Whether it’s writing in my blog, writing pages in a script, writing new music, recording, and you fill in the blank for yourself…I have to do something! I have to work with what I have and make the machine work for me. I have to make beautiful music on the level I’m on so I can take it to the next level. I challenge you to do the same. Every day, do at least one thing to bring you closer to your ultimate goal. The dream isn’t going to come to you or me. We have to go after it. As Diddy says “Lock In!” Tunnel vision, heat seeking missile on that dream! That’s what I’m doing now and that’s my focus. That's what all true Sleepwalkers do. What’s yours? How are you systematically chasing your dream? No for real…comment…tell me…let’s inspire one another!