“Once upon a time I was a kid in the audience at a Grateful Dead show. Now I’m the guy onstage photographing the band.” Jay Blakesberg
I have led a mentorship program for live music fans for years called Rock Your Life Mentorship. During that time I picked many mentors from the music scene to connect over the phone with the people participating. Some mentors included Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers and Dead & Company), Matt Bulter (Everyone Orchestra), Mike Rempel (Lotus), Al Smith (American Babies), Zach Deputy, Ryan Montbleau, Eric Gould (Pink Talking Fish) and Eli Winderman (Dopapod).
We also had the pleasure of hearing the expertise of photographer legend Jay Blakesberg shortly after his experience shooting at Fare Thee Well.
The key lessons that kept on coming up on the call were:
Do what you love
Do it everyday
Make connections
Allow it to happen
No risk=no reward
Create your own experiences
Dreams come true
AND it’s never too late to start right now
It was an incredibly inspiring call that led to many beautiful changes in people’s lives. Sometimes you just need to hear it from someone who’s been there and done it. Jay has incredible story of being a Dead head and getting arrested and going to jail when he was young to being the head photographer for the Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well shows and creating an amazing book of photography from it.
He taught us that when you have a dream, hard work and persistence really does pay off. If you have a gift, it benefits the world when you are brave enough to share it. When obstacles knock you down, get up, dust yourself off and keep going. It’s all worth it.
Oteil Burbridge and I are hosting Rock Your Life Virtual Retreat this fall and it’s going to be epic. We will be teaching workshops. There will be master classes like Jay’s from our rock star friends. You will have the opportunity to do some yoga. Recipes will be given to you so you can eat delicious healthy good while on retreat.
If this sounds interesting to you get yourself on the free VIP wait list by following this LINK. You will receive backstage exclusives from me and Oteil, seats at some amazing virtual house concerts this summer and early access to retreat registration.
“See” you in September!
The awesome in me sees and bows to the awesome in you,
