Jacob Waid: Meanderings

Jacob Waid: Meanderings

I really admire people that intuitively have a passion for something. I always had to nurture these impulses and I think a lot of people feel a similar way. But then again, that might just be professionalism: to do something not out of some internal urge but just because it is the thing that one does. So where does play come in?

What is the relationship between the output and the process?

I often have the feeling that when I’m making beats or writing lyrics, I just kinda start playing and fiddling around and then some time later I wake up to something. In the best-case-scenario, I even like it. But I don’t have to, necessarily. Hopefully I like my stuff just enough to keep going. I try not to dwell on the stuff too much because I definitely have a knack for demo-fever: liking a draft so much that any change feels wrong, even though it might actually be good. Hug your demons, kill your darlings.

I love making mistakes while playing.

Mistakes have led me down unimaginable alleys and unexpected twists and turns. I’ve idolised making mistakes so much by now that I often consider them to be the most “authentic” things one can do. I think that probably a lot of really cool music just sort of happened in a Bob Ross type of “happy accident” type way. That’s why learning about people’s creative processes often seems more helpful than it actually is. It’s all just vibes.

Okay, okay, okay, maybe not ALL just vibes. But creativity is super chaotic and one has to go with that flow I think. Maybe that means building structures around that to give it space or completely lose yourself in it.

One shouldn’t romanticize oneself too much.

Taking oneself seriously is super important but also we’re all just spaced out flower children at heart.

Also, don’t believe the people that tell you to just publish all of your stuff without thinking about it too much. It’s important to give yourself time to nurture a vibe to bring to the table. It also just feels super special to have that for yourself for a while.

For what it’s worth, don’t believe me either. I’m also just figuring this stuff out and I’m also not you.

Anyway, here’s a little poem:

Wrapping yourself in cellophane won’t make you translucent 

But taking a breath might 

Just because two people see each other naked 

doesn’t mean they are close

But a hug in puffy down jackets might

Trying to fall asleep while laughter breaks the kitchen door down the hallway

Could be loud enough for you to be at peace

The voice of god can brush past you while you squeeze through a street fest 

Simply concentrating to not spill your drink

Every drop could be an argument pro going back

Just hope you arrive at the conclusion

To never let awareness transcend yourself

Since it is only a Pursuit in its own right

When it possesses you