No Envy, No Fear

I've been going to open mics quite a bit lately to take in the local scene. Last week, I came across a songwriter named Brandon Zahursky at the Finnegan's Marin open mic hosted by KC Turner. Brandon, an incredibly seasoned performer at just twenty-years-old, performed a song by Josh Radin called "No Envy, No Fear". The song is based on a piece of advice given to Bob Dylan by Irish folk-singer Liam Clancy: "Have no fear, no envy, no meanness". 

The quote resonated with me. I often have conversations with other musician friends of mine about how we endlessly compare ourselves to other artists, covet their success, and feel like no matter what we accomplish, that there is always one more brass ring to be attained. Even watching Brandon perform this song, I found my mind jumping to, 'Man, he's good. I wish I was that good when I was his age.'

Likewise, the high volume of music that I've created and played over the last couple of years has definitely put me in the presence of fear, whether it be with the music that I've created, the music that I feel like I should create, and what parts of myself I'll allow to be exposed in music. One of the mantras that I always try and keep in the front of my mind when writing and performing is Let Go, referring to the fear that gets in the way of taking chances. I suppose it would be just as accurate to say Go on, despite because though destroying fear may not be possible, it doesn't have to prevent progress or expression.

As for the meanness bit, I'm not one to carry much malice in my heart but I relate it to both fear and envy. Whether it be the negativity that results from envy or even the devaluing of one's self that comes from fear, meanness takes many forms.

These reflections parallel work that I've been doing in my own life with mindfulness meditation. Each time these respective thoughts pop-up, I try and notice them, not judge, not change, just allow them to be there. Over time, they don't bite as hard when they bare their teeth. Over time, you can learn to let them go.

During this blog, I was listening to Brandon's new singles from "Sink or Swim", which he released just last Friday, on his 20th birthday. A big thank you to him for exposing me to the quote.