Don't Look Back
Day 2 of the 3 Part Series Miles Davis’ Keys to Success.
2. Never Look Back
On November 14th,1969, a memo was sent from record producer Teo Macero to executives at Columbia Records. This memo stated that: Miles Dewey Davis III has creative carte blanche to do whatever the hell he desires!
This is the real memo:
Miles just called and said he wants this album to be titled:
"BITCHES BREW"
Please advise.
cc
(Signed, 'Teo')
Questions arose like “Can you have the word bitches in the title of your album?”
After much debate, Miles proved that you could use the word bitches in an album title with the release of the jazz classic Bitches Brew.
Today, Bitches Brew is considered one of the most influential jazz albums ever released.
It is considered perpetually influential, not because it’s a great follow-up to his entire discography, but its influence lies in the experimentation of the sound.
Miles knew he had to keep pushing the culture forward, and it sounds like simple advice, but the only way he could foresee the culture was to push it forward.
To go FORWARD is to enter uncharted territories…
Break new ground. To not know the entire game plan and figure it out on the fly.
To some, moving forward sounds fun, but to most, staying in the present where they understand everything is paramount to them feeling secure.
They understand their problems.
Their tax brackets.
Their job descriptions.
Do you ever show resistance to the forward movement of life?
Do new opportunities arise, and you swat them down out of fear of the unknown?
Or are you trying to pitch a tent in the land of “certainty” and “safe bets”?
Miles constantly re-invented himself stating that he quote “I would rather kill myself than play that old shit.”
I asked myself “Why did he feel that way?”
Why was Miles constantly running from the greatest hits, and running towards uncharted territory?
Personally, I think Miles constantly wanted to move the needle. He saw what happens when an artist becomes complacent and sits on the fruits of their labor.
The fruit begins to spoil.
It begins to stink.
He didn’t want to get to a point in his career where the audience threw rocks and said “Look at that hack. I’ve seen this trick before.”
Or every artist’s greatest fear “Play the old hits. This new stuff is washed.”
I think the same can be said of ourselves.
We reach a certain income level or become content with the current one we’re living in.
Even if we are not at the income level we desire.
We become content.
The key is to be grateful and still want more.
All the while knowing that there is still more meat on the bone, there is still more juice to squeeze.
I advise you to just not become content and to please never stop reaching.
I think that was behind Miles’ thought process. He was running from the fear of becoming content.
DON’T LOOK BACK and feel content on your past accomplishments.
You still have more work to do.