In one week, I’ll walk into a studio with no songs, no plan -- only my instrument and a hunger to improvise.

I've never approached an album this way: absolutely minimal planning and a full trust that whatever happens in the studio will produce great work.

Booking three days in a studio in DC with no written music, no rehearsal time, and no concept is part of my larger experiment with just showing up. I've been thinking obsessively about a few things:

1. how to increase the volume of artistic work
2. how to get out of my own way
3. how to stop overthinking and lean into a bias of action
4. trusting that, not perfection, completion is good enough (oh hai Pareto Principle)

And I'm way more excited than nervous. As I move closer and closer to the recording date, inspiring musical ideas — ways to prime, frame, and nourish the musical project — pop up. The pressure cooker of the impending recording date spurs me into action—tightening my practice, prompting repairs, tuning up anything that needs attention.”

Here's one of those inspired ideas: since we don't have any written music, I want to invite friends and acquaintances to co-create with us by sharing themes, ideas, or emotions they'd like to see painted by our music. The concept is like this: someone shares a word like "love" or "peacefulness" or "conflicted" or "whale sounds" — and we create a piece of music with that word in mind. One of a kind, propelled by someone else's desire to hear their word turned into art.

As I continue on this path of getting out of my own way, here's what's becoming clear: it’s clearing a path for new vistas—fresh ideas and perspectives—to enter. While it's often appropriate to do a level of planning, the overplanning and overthinking I'm used to is low leverage. A lot of work, not much output—and often no real gain in quality.

Overthinking keeps us stuck more than it moves us forward.

So here's my invitation: if you have a tendency to plan too much, experiment with doing something with minimal to no planning. Invite a friend over with no agenda. Go to a place with no itinerary. Put yourself in a spot where you have to improvise — and exercise that muscle of making the most of it.

You may be surprised at how far a little improvisation can take you.