The Tree Goes Up!

That's right, we put the Christmas tree up tonight with the kiddos. 'Twas a fun night of ornaments, lights, and sifting through boxes from the move nearly a year ago...

The girlies loved every minute of it: cookies, Christmas music, nativity scenes


It's about a week early (I know), but after seeing all of the pine trees and lights in Colorado last week, we were just in the Christmas mood.

So we indulged.

Peace,
Ross

The Long Haul.

I'm typing this from home in St. Louis. So, we officially made the long haul back from Breckenridge...13 wretched hours of nothing-ness (Kansas), and kid movie soundtracks to serenade me the entire route.

Along the way we made a couple mandatory stops:

biscuits & gravy (nourishment for the soul)
Loveland Pass (the view was incredible & the girls loved it!)

Alas, this mini-tour is over!

Peace,
Ross

The Breck-ness.

I could say a lot about our day, but I'll let the pics tell the stories...


What I will mention is that you know you have seriously manly-facial-hair when you can see it in your peripheral vision.

Peace,
Ross

iEmpathize Event.

Yesterday was the concert at the University of Colorado. An awesome organization, iEmpathize brought me out for its annual awareness week on campus. Here's what they are fighting to end...

iEmpathize - Human Trafficking 101 from Stephen Vidano on Vimeo.

I had a blast hanging out with these guys and performing for them and all of the students! Here's a few pics from the night, enjoy!


Peace,
Ross

We Made It.

Last night we left St. Louis around 7:30PM and rolled into Breckenridge, CO this morning around 8:30AM. It was a long haul, but we made great time (and that's even counting the time I got pulled over in Eastern Kansas).

We're out here enjoying a few days in the snow while I'm playing a show at the University of Colorado on Wednesday. I must say that I LOVE being a touring musician; getting to make these fun trips across the country! So thank you to everyone that's ever come out to a show, bought a CD, or helped me out in any way, shape, or form!

We devoured a hearty breakfast at a diner in Dillon this morning then decided to take a trip on the Breckenridge Peak 8 gondola.

I'll post more tomorrow...

Peace,
Ross

In a Tree.

This weekend, I sat 20 feet above the ground in a tree, and exhaled. I swayed with the wind, watched the forest come to life around me at daybreak, and watched it all fade away at sundown.

From my vantage point (and without distractions) I was able to do lots of thinking and brainstorming. I focused on several themes (each separate - sort of) and will be writing on them in the near future.

Light / Shadows / Economy

Peace,
Ross

p.s. the blog will be mostly pics this week as I'll be in Colorado performing at The University of Colorado

ENNEAGRAM & CREATING CULTURE.

So hopefully you took THIS ENNEAGRAM TEST yesterday. It was very self-revealing to me. This was quite possibly the most revealing personality test i've ever taken.

I scored Type #4.

Fours are unique and create their own distinct culture. They experience the highs and lows of life intensely. They take great pride in their aesthetic tastes...

It's a great descriptor of the creative artist.

What was revealing though, was not the "creating their own distinct culture" part, but the "experiencing the highs and lows with intensity" part.

This is completely me!

This answers my ULCER questions...I'm either WAY up, or WAY down.

I could call this a curse, but instead i'll explain my take...

I hate plateau. I have no interest in status quo. If you look at my music catalogue (the stuff I write, or the stuff I listen to), there's very little mid-tempo, mid-intensity, music in the playlist(s). I either like stuff that's in your face and over the top, or stuff that's extremely minimalist and subdued. I listen to progressive stuff, risky stuff, that people either love or hate.

As I tackle leadership, momentum, change, pace, etc, I try to stay in the poles - either really high, or really low. Let me explain.

Some risks end in failure (the low). Some risks end in home runs (the high).
I'm ok with both of those places. I just love to try new things - to risk new things.

What I'm not ok with, is maintaining. I see plateau as slow death. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that's how I operate.

I cringe at the phrase, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

On a cultural level, you'll never hear me say, "those were the days..." But even more distasteful, is the attitude of trying to be in the current fad. Fads fade. Fads are temporal. And if you focus on the current, you waste a lot of creative time on what might just be a fly-by-night trend.

I'm much more interested in creating future culture (even if that means I misread trends and context, and what I create is discarded and forgotten). At least, I'm looking ahead and working creatively to create newness, richness, and hope. Because nothing in the future-minded creative process is lost. It all sharpens and refines.

I hope you'll take the test if you haven't already, and that it's as meaningful to you, in connecting the dots, as it has been for me.

Peace,
Ross