Have you ever felt like you've been pushing and striving for opportunities in your creative career, only to find that your biggest breakthroughs came when you weren't actively chasing them? Do you sometimes struggle to recognize your own accomplishments because you're so focused on what you haven't achieved yet?

Perhaps you've wondered why some artists seem to effortlessly attract the right opportunities while others work tirelessly with little to show for it.

In this deeply reflective episode of Creativity Excitement Emotion, David shares how music is unexpectedly making a comeback in his life, not through force or relentless pursuit, but by choosing him when the conditions were finally right.

Drawing from his journey of building financial stability through his tech contract and growing Spark Infinity to nearly 2,000 members, he explores the crucial difference between opportunities you chase and those that find you when you're ready.

Through honest reassessment of his previous music career and practical insights about finding mentors who've already achieved what you want, David offers both validations for non-linear creative paths and actionable guidance for recognizing success when it's staring you in the face.
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Highlights:
00:17 – Documenting the journey
00:53 – Hard lesson learned
03:19 – Being chosen
04:41 – Reflecting on a music career that was buried in a shallow grave
08:47 – The revival of a music career
14:24 – Tying up loose ends
16:54 – Excited for what’s to come
18:10 – Recognizing your successes
21:23 – One step you can take to shortcut years of anguish
Summary:
In this reflective episode, David shares how music is unexpectedly making a comeback in his life, arriving not through force or planning but by choosing him.

Through candid self-assessment, he explores the lessons learned from his previous music career, the importance of recognizing actual accomplishments amid failures, and why finding mentors who've already achieved what you want is crucial for avoiding years of guessing and reverse-engineering.
Key Themes & Takeaways

The difference between forcing projects and allowing opportunities to choose you
How financial stability and having a home base enable better decision-making about creative opportunities
The importance of taking a "sober" view of past accomplishments rather than dwelling on perceived failures
Why skipping the step of finding mentors or proven methods leads to years of inefficient guessing
The reality that success comes from what you do with failures, not from avoiding them entirely

The Foundation Lesson
David begins by reinforcing a crucial life lesson learned through a difficult experience:

The necessity of having both a home base and financial stability for life to function well
How his current big tech contract and Spark Infinity success provide the foundation for better choices
The distinction between people who can thrive as nomads (with family safety nets) versus those who need more stability
Why some people require different structural supports to be creative and productive

"If I don't have a place to call home, and if I don't have some kind of financial stability... my life tends to spiral out of control. And for some people, I'm telling you, that's not the case... But I think what I've learned for myself... is if there's no home to go back to and my financial life is variable at best, things do tend to spiral out of control."

This foundational insight provides context for understanding how different people require different conditions to thrive creatively.
Things Choosing You vs. You Choosing Things
David explores a fascinating shift in how opportunities have been presenting themselves:

The contrast between actively choosing projects that didn't work out and being chosen by opportunities that flourished
How the big tech contract and Spark Infinity both "chose" him rather than being pursued
The growth of Spark Infinity from 4-5 members to over 1,900 in seven months
Why sometimes the best opportunities come when you're not actively seeking them

"In the last year and a half or so, really what I've noticed is instead of me choosing things, things are choosing me... the things I've chosen didn't necessarily go anywhere or didn't do that well... what I can say about things that have chosen me that have worked well is, of course, the big tech contract and Spark Infinity."

This observation challenges the conventional wisdom about always being proactive in pursuit of opportunities.
The Music Career Perspective Shift
David offers a remarkably honest reassessment of his previous music career:

Playing over 300 shows and becoming an award-winning composer
The tendency to belittle past accomplishments while focusing on unmet goals
Recognition that the career was "humble" and "not glamorous" but still substantial
What he would have done differently, particularly regarding recording and releasing more music

"Looking back, like having played over 300 shows and having become an award-winning composer and some of the other accomplishments that I've been able to cultivate to this point, I realize it is just altogether too easy to not see things for what they are and not look at it from... a sober point of view."

This honest assessment demonstrates the importance of recognizing actual achievements rather than measuring everything against unrealistic expectations.
The Unexpected Musical Revival
Music is now re-entering David's life in unexpected ways:

Multiple people asking about his current musical activities
New project opportunities involving music composition with good compensation
The natural evolution from "maybe I'll try this" to concrete opportunities appearing
How this arrival feels timely despite being unplanned

"What has been popping up in my life is some good opportunities... I began work on a project involving writing and music... I think the compensation is very good. And especially based on a lot of other projects I've worked on along the way... I'm clearly at a different time or different space in my career, a different season in my career right now."

This section illustrates how careers can have multiple chapters and how opportunities often arrive when foundation and readiness align.
The Success Recognition Challenge
David identifies a crucial pattern in how people relate to their own accomplishments:

The tendency to focus on failures while overlooking actual successes
His own community-building track record: contributing to a 22,000-member Facebook page, co-founding another with 1,900+ likes, and growing Spark Infinity to 1,900+ members in seven months
How this pattern of dwelling on failures while ignoring successes create unnecessary discouragement
The importance of taking inventory of what has actually worked

"I am continually amazed by the things that I've actually accomplished when I take a sobering look at it... one of the things I can see from that is I actually am a good community builder. Although again, there were some experiments and there were some failures... And it's so easy to dwell on those versus recognizing the successes you actually have."

This insight provides valuable perspective for creators who may be undervaluing their own track records.
The Method-Finding Imperative
Perhaps the most actionable insight in the episode concerns the importance of finding proven methods:

Why trying to reverse-engineer successful people's strategies leads to years of inefficient guessing
The crucial step of finding mentors, courses, or coaches who have already achieved what you want
How this applies across all areas: marriage, artistic careers, business development
The distinction between building foundations (2-5 years) and achieving long-term success (10-30 years)

"Don't skip that step. Really, truly, because if you do that, you can be guided in the right direction, gain momentum, find success in a way that you might not otherwise... without the method, you're just guessing, you're trying to reverse engineer what someone else has done."

This practical advice addresses one of the most common mistakes creative entrepreneurs make.
Action Steps for Creators
For artists navigating their own career development:

Take an honest inventory of your actual accomplishments rather than focusing solely on unmet goals
Create stability in basic life areas (home, finances) to enable better creative decision-making
Remain open to opportunities that choose you rather than only pursuing what you think you want
Find mentors or proven methods before attempting to reverse-engineer success
Recognize that success often comes from how you handle failures, not from avoiding them
Be prepared to recognize and act on opportunities when they arrive

Looking Forward
David concludes with practical considerations about managing current commitments while embracing new opportunities:

The need to complete or pass on existing projects to make room for music opportunities
The excitement of discovering that there are still things left to accomplish in music
The better reward-to-effort ratio that comes with experience and timing
Preparation for recognizing and acting on success when it arrives

Additional Context