Two New Projects: On Music and On Eating

This year, I launched two new projects that see to have little to do with what I normally do.The first, is a daily called podcast - Music Business Hacks (launched today!). Yep, daily means I'll have 365 episodes produced for Season One. This quick-bite podcast focuses on inspiration, information, and application for aspiring artists who don't want to wade through hazy information about following their dreams. I cut through the clutter and focus on content relating to entrepreneurship, marketing, funding, and creating more resources to make better art. The ideas are rooted in my book. I hope you'll consider checking it out, suggesting it to a musician friend in your life, and leaving a review on Google Play or iTunes.The second is a foodie blog that chronicles my adventures in Nashville, TN. To pay homage for my deep love of prehistoric creatures, it's called Dine-O-Saur and I have an accompanying Instagram for it too. The blog focuses on overlooked restaurants in Nashville, especially cuisines from communities of color. Like Portland, most of the hype around food in this city is centrally located and wrapped around hipster culture. I wanted to show some love to people outside of that.These projects come from a place of love. While I'm still focusing on writing my memoir, touring in The Slants, and doing work around marketing/communications, as well as teaching adjunct for groups like Marylhurst University and serving on groups like APANO, I needed a different outlet that was creative in nature and not necessarily business driven. Yet, I also wanted them to challenge me, to incorporate my values (helping artists and food culture are very close to my heart), and force me to develop new skills.So not every side-hustle has to be able making more money. Sometimes, it just allows you to get a mental break from the other work - and in doing so, help everything else that you do. Oh yeah, on the "everything else" front: I've booked a few more speaking engagements and will have my 13th and 14th TEDx talks this Spring too.