Starting Out

Song story & origins

Introduction

In 2020 I released Being Human: Instrumentals, a 20-song collection of instrumental pieces composed and recorded over the last two decades and then remastered into one set. The album is part of a wider project on self-care and mindfulness that I’m developing with a colleague; it’s paired with a free downloadable journal that offers a short note on each composition and an invitational prompt for reflection or journaling. The timing felt right in a season of social distancing—a way to give people a gentle structure for listening and noticing. On release, the album appeared first on CD Baby and then quickly on iTunes/Apple Music (with Spotify following shortly). From the album, I highlight three pieces here—Starting Out, Grindstone, and Unmarked Trail—along with the spirit and exact wording of the journal invitations that accompany them.

How to use the journal (and why there are “so many questions”)

The journal pages begin with a brief context for the piece and then a cluster of questions. Those questions aren’t a checklist; they’re invitations—an approach drawn from Lectio Divina (“sacred reading”), where you read or listen and then notice which single word or phrase rises up for you. With the music, try this rhythm: listen once, skim the questions, then listen again and let one question or phrase choose you. Journal from that starting point. When you return to the piece another day, a different word may rise and take you down a new path. The point is to cultivate an open, beginner’s mind—to see what connections appear and follow one where it leads. In quiet, isolated weeks, that kind of reflective experience can be steadying and fruitful.

Origin & shape. Starting Out first appeared on No Standing (2011), a collection written to companion running, hiking, or walking the Black Hills trails where I live. The music begins simply, builds and shifts into greater complexity, and then, toward the end, the added layers drop away again. It’s a small map of a day on the trail: the first steps, the long middle, the return.

Journal invitation. Under the heading Perseverance, the page asks: “What trail am I traveling now? How has that journey grown or changed as I’ve progressed? Do I know where this trail is leading, or is this simply an adventure into the unknown? What am I noticing along the way? Are there things I want to hold on to? Are there stretches I’d like to just move on past?” Read them as prompts, not problems to solve—let one question keep you company while you listen.

Closing note

The album and journal were made to work together: music that leaves room for your story, and questions that invite rather than assign. You can stream the music on the usual platforms and download the journal to keep on a device or print for handwriting; use it here, then try the same approach with any art that meets you on a given day.

Source: New Music Memoir (1).docx