Always looking ahead

My favorite part of this job is all the planning that goes into it. I'm a big-picture thinker, which means I loved the first half of my engineering education and was bored silly by the second. One of my favorite parts of entrepreneurship is the ability, and the necessity, to plan strategically.

I'll be recording in December, and as I plan the track list I'm thinking about how it will fit into the rest of my catalogue. I didn't have any celtic music on my most recent CD, for example, so I'll be sure to include some on the next. I also want a mix of sounds so that an album of solo instrumental music doesn't get repetitive, and a good way to do that is to include music from every century between 1300 and now (1200 if I work up another Cantigas de Santa Maria set).

As a musician I also have the opportunity to plan future tours. I have a pretty good grip on my plans and hopes for 2015 and I'm already looking ahead to next spring: I have more plans for Europe, but do I want to go back to Mardi Gras first? And what can I do to fill January?

I'm not very good at living in the moment, I confess, but I'm playing to my strengths. The adventures continue!