Over a decade after their early explorations in sound, The Double Headed Seagulls return with 'Play Artful', a collection that feels both familiar and refreshingly unpredictable. Drawing from forgotten cassette tapes and studio experiments dating back to their 2011 release 'Slimline', producer Dave Wirth has reshaped fragments of the past into a vibrant, forward-looking EP. Where their earlier work leaned into grit and intensity, this offering pulses with an infectious sense of curiosity, blending intricate synth textures with jazz-infused guitar lines that twist and ripple through every track.

'Play Artful' thrives on contrast, where lo-fi electronics sit alongside lush, ambient washes, while melodic improvisation dances atop propulsive rhythms. Each song feels meticulously handcrafted, yet retains the spontaneous energy of discovery, as if he is uncovering new possibilities with every layer. The playful, almost childlike character of the compositions reveals an artist unafraid to embrace experimentation without losing their distinct voice.

'Play Artful' also excels in how it balances the cerebral and the emotive. Moments of sparkling, airy synths evoke wonder, while the interweaving guitar modulations provide a tactile, human touch that grounds the release in feeling. This is an EP looking to transform the sounds of the past, offering us a renewed sense of excitement and imagination.

In an era where much music feels polished and predictable, The Double Headed Seagulls has crafted a collection that is unpredictable, joyful, and utterly alive, confirming his place as an innovator in the indie-electronic landscape.

The title track to The Double Headed Seagulls’ new EP Play Artful (released August 28, 2025) composer Dave Wirth’s keen ear for melding melody with rhythm and texture in a continuous flow that eases and stimulates the mind at once. It sounds like music boxes attained intelligence and learned to communicate with each other via electrical wires in on the process of communication in a collective, harmonious process in which every entity involved contributes to a dynamic sound that reflects a joyful spirit sustained for the track’s two minute and thirty-seven seconds run time. Tones pulse slowly, a background wave of low end comes to the foreground in pleasing pulses and the simple but jaunty percussive sounds buoy the energy of all the other elements for a net effect of a gentle momentum that feels like a completion of some kind of journey at the end and arriving at your destination at ease.

Reading Notes

1-3 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Introducing Elements, a new ambient & experimental record from Evil Gima.

Over the years of working with Jorge Martinez on Evil Gima releases (and many more recordings as well), I've found it’s extraordinarily rewarding and challenging to make experimental music that means something.

The same is true for the opposite.

It’s easy to make experimental music that means absolutely nothing at all and lacks any merit. To make that kind of experimental music, all we really need to do is to make noise and layer it. In other words, find a sound, layer another sound on top, and voila: Mediocre experimental music.

Jorge and I constantly riff off each other to make something a little bit more inviting. There’s intention behind the sounds, a symmetry that pushes us (and hopefully the listener) into a weirder and weirder place.

We long for a consistency and symmetry in good music and we try to bring it into Evil Gima.

Similarly, we long for a piece of music to force us to sit back in our chairs and whistle, if not bristle, at the scope of it, not unlike the pause after getting a much needed punch to the face. I take particular pride in the fact that one person took the time to write of our previous album Alluvion, that “this is music for an emotionally intense fuck.”

For Elements, we hope to offer you songs of that same caliber, or at least in the realm of a comment like that. We reached to create experimental songs that have an underlying symmetry to them. We wanted to tell you a story. We tried very hard to capture a mood that we don’t often hear from music nowadays.

We reached for magical and at the same time intensely perverse and of a full-goblin mode…. at times incredibly unsettling…. at times completely blown out and followed by the sound of a well-deserved silence.

Jorge and I now offer you Elements, the next iteration of Evil Gima. Thank you so much for taking a moment to read this and for your consideration for listening to our challenging music. We love to make it.

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Reading Notes

5-6 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Freelance compensation methods; Creative autonomy and networking; Importance of written agreements

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TL;DR, here's five ways you can get paid as a freelance creative:

1. Money

2. Creative Autonomy

3. Reputation Promotion & Access to a New Network

4. Solidified Working Relationship

5. Future Favors

#1: Money

This is obvious, and money feels awesome to receive. After all, if you do work, you should get paid in moolah, Right? Cold hard cash keeps things extremely simple. Do the work, receive money, be done with it.

Though it never hurts my feelings to receive money straight up for creative work, I don’t get annoyed if it’s not part of the offer. If someone wishes to collaborate with me but doesn't have any money to give, that's when the form of payment gets more interesting (let’s keep it clean, y’all).

#2: Creative Autonomy

If you don't get paid in money, you could negotiate to get paid in creative autonomy.

If you work in film like I do, that would mean a director would give you carte blanche do your work any damned way you please. If you are a director of photography (DP for short), the director will agree to trust what you think is best and won't overly fuss with your choices on set. If you're a visual artist, your employer will receive your work and possibly agree to give you one or two notes of feedback, tops. In other words, creative autonomy is all about doing what you want to do, and the employer getting less of a say about it than if they paid your full price.

In the late ‘90s, Samuel L. Jackson accepted a large pay cut to take the leading role in the movie The Red Violin. He liked the role quite a bit, but the film was independently-financed, meaning that the film didn't have a whole lot of money to offer him. He ended up taking the role in exchange for less money but a ton of creative autonomy. He got the chance to portray the character he loved exactly how he wanted to, and the director of that movie, François Girard, got a Hollywood A-Lister on board.

#3: Reputational Promotion & Access to a New Network

You could also get paid in reputational promotion or access to a new network. This is when your employer agrees to boost your reputational credibility throughout his or her network, and you get access to that new network of people.

Basically, you ask your employer to write about your work, post videos about your work, or even (in my case) submit your work to film festivals on your behalf where it has the opportunity to be seen by hundreds of thousands of people. Perhaps your employer will directly tell you, "Look at my LinkedIn profile. If you want to be introduced to anyone, just give me the word."

My Mom creates incredibly detailed pencil portraits. She always expresses surprise that people find out about her, but it doesn't surprise me at all: Her portraits are so good that her clients automatically post her work, everywhere. Her reputation as a solid choice for pencil portraits has only risen over the decades, and she still receives commissions from people she doesn't know at all. Although she doesn't actively seek work as much as she did in the past, it's clear that all she needs to do is ask for introductions from past clients.

#4: Solidified Working Relationships

You could also get paid with a solidified working relationships. Perhaps you are a film editor looking to work with more film directors. Let’s say you meet one. Instead of pitching your services, perhaps you ask if this director needs anything done that you might be able to help with. If yes, then you have an opportunity for you to distinguish yourself to this director. After finishing the task, you could tell this director, "From here on out, you can expect good work if you employ me."

I have a friend who often chooses to get paid in solidified working relationships. He's a master networker who loves meeting new people. Working with him is smooth, easy, and drama-free. He always gets the job done, on time, and under budget. Sometimes, he'll offer to complete a very small task for someone he doesn’t know at all, a task that doesn't cost him too much time or effort. Often, this potential employer is quite pleased! The investment comes back to my friend in the future. Everyone loves to work with him. Needless to say, my friend works a lot.

#5: Future Favors

If money is out of the picture, but it seems like the person you’re working for has a great deal of clout, it might be worth it to ask for a future favor.

This isn’t nearly as tit-for-tat as it seems. A company I recently worked with does this in a gorgeous, giving, abundant way that’s full of love. I’ll call them Company A.

Company A often works for startups and up-and-coming artists who can’t afford their admittedly steeply priced services. When this is the case, Company A asks for favors, but here’s the kicker: They only agree to favors with people they know are highly able to deliver on those in the future.

Recently, this very same company cashed-in on a number of these favors. They were able to get live entertainment after they cashed in a favor they gained from doing work for a band. The band gained access to a whole new network of people (see above) and crushed the event. Company A also secured a venue for the performance after they cashed in a favor they gained from doing work with that venue in the past.

Caveats

There's always caveats to any approach, and I'd like to name four of them.

First, don't automatically assume money is off the table. It’s a bad idea to act as if money isn’t an option for you to receive! There's no substitute for money because, well, we can't eat good intentions or random acts of creative kindness. We all need money to survive as creatives, and there's no reason to shy away from that fact. We should always ask for what we're worth. Besides, money can usually be negotiated, even if it’s less than you normally charge.

Second, if money is out of the question, make sure to be super conscious of exactly how much time, effort, and resources you’ll require to complete that project. A lawyer friend of mine recommended that I turn down any offer that requires deferred monetary compensation but needs more than two or three hours a month of my time.

Let me be more transparent about this second point: Don't be a sucker. Be a giver who’s conscious of what you can give.

Third, get the compensation in writing. If you want to get introductions to a new network of people, say so and put that in your contract. If you want a new working relationship, ask for the employer to strongly consider hiring you the next time she/he has a need for a service like yours. If you want creative autonomy, make sure to state in the contract that you are allowed to explore and try something new, with only one iteration allowed!

Fourth, never accept a favor for payment if it’s offered to you. 99% of the time, that’s a bad idea.

Why you should write your compensation in the contract, even if it’s not money.

Writing the compensation in the contract does two things for you. It shows the employer that you're serious and probably won't accept working for anything less than money in the future.

Second, it makes it super clear exactly what you can, cannot, and will not do for that person. A little clarity goes a long way.

In Conclusion

I often giggle when I think about the film industry, at large. It's full of people who are hustling to get a creative vision on the big screen, to see a story get produced in the most epic way possible. If I wanted to be extraordinarily rich early in my life, I would've studied finance rather than music!

And yet, the creative rewards are so immense that I'm completely addicted to this lifestyle. I think we, the creatives, love to work because of that sense of creative achievement, that flow-state we get into when we're in the throes of the act of doing something important. It doesn’t hurt our feelings to experience success, either!

The final point I want to leave you with is that we need to be super creative in our approach to doing the work we want to do, and in continuing to do great work for the long-term. How and what we receive in return for our hard work matters. We can move forward, even if we’re not entirely well-known enough to demand a million dollars for our services.

I believe that compensation is a form of energy. The energy we put into a project should match the energy we receive from our employer. That energy often comes in the form of money, but not always. Get clarity on that compensation. This seems of the utmost importance to our long term creative happiness.

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The Double Headed Seagulls, the project of Texan artist Dave Wirth, works a subtle kind of magic with "Play Artful". This four-track EP, compact in its duration yet vast in its atmosphere, is not merely a new collection of sounds; it is an exercise in affective archaeology. The raw material consists of sonic seeds planted in the past, echoes from cassette tapes recorded during the sessions for their 2011 album "Slimline", now exhumed and reimagined with a completely new intent.

What emerges from this manipulation of analog fragments is a sonic universe that evokes the unpretentious curiosity of a child and the wisdom of an experienced artist. The jazz-like modulation of guitars converses with the ambient textures of synthesizers, creating a lo-fi IDM that is paradoxically both nostalgic and futuristic. The title track, "Play Artful", is a direct invitation into this state of mind, while pieces like "One Pot Screamer" and "Doss Money" pulse with a propulsive and melodic energy, distancing themselves from the noisy seriousness of the band's earlier work.

The feeling is that of finding an old chest in the attic and discovering that the toys stored inside still work, but now speak a more complex and enchanting language. It is like witnessing creative children scribbling on the walls with crayons – the parents might roll their eyes, but they secretly delight in that pure expression of joy. "Play Artful" is precisely that: a celebration of the creative process in its most playful and, consequently, most artful form.

Pitching their latest record to us, Austin-based sonic alchemist The Double Headed Seagulls mentions the likes of Pat Metheny, Brian Eno, Four Tet, and Radiohead… Cultured listeners out there will probably have a mixed reaction to that, same as we did. How’s that possible? Metheny AND Thom Yorke? Which kind of musical concoction is The Double Headed Seagulls working on? It turns out that the project is one of a kind. 

Led by American composer and producer Dave Wirth, The Double Headed Seagulls moves with intention and purpose, yet with a certain aleatory flair. His sonic choices don’t always make sense, at least not at first. ‘Play Artful’ is the perfect example of that; marking the project’s latest release, the record features leftover material from Wirth’s 2011 album ‘Slimline’. Cassette tape recordings packed with synthetisers, noisy guitars and otherworldly drones, now given a new lease of life on ‘Play Artful’. 

It’s an album that admittedly seeks a certain amount of randomness. It’s an imaginative, cathartic record, one that requires a certain amount of effort and commitment from the listener. At times melancholic, at times calming, otherwise bittersweet: The Double Headed Seagulls has mastered the art of communicating through aural fragments and liminal soundscapes. Despite its instrumental nature, ‘Play Artful’ looks boldly ahead, expanding the narrative of the world as we know it. That’s the most precious gift the album could offer: a space to escape an ever-chaotic reality. 

The Double Headed Seagulls’ upcoming album Play Artful is a mesmerizing blend of lo-fi electronica, dreamy synthwave, and jazz guitar, crafted from forgotten cassette fragments recorded during the making of their 2011 record Slimline. Reworking these lost pieces into something entirely new, the duo creates a lush, playful soundscape where digital synths, textured feedback, and intricate guitar modulations collide.

Influences from Brian Eno, Four Tet, Pat Metheny, and Radiohead subtly seep through, but the result feels distinctively their own — both experimental and inviting. Unlike the noisy seriousness of Slimline, this record leans into energy and melody, balancing ambient depth with propulsive grooves and unexpected bursts of color.

At its core, Play Artful celebrates creativity without restraint, capturing a childlike curiosity while maintaining masterful technical control. It’s immersive, inventive, and bound to delight listeners eager for sonic exploration.

The title track to The Double Headed Seagulls’ new EP Play Artful (released August 28, 2025) composer Dave Wirth’s keen ear for melding melody with rhythm and texture in a continuous flow that eases and stimulates the mind at once. It sounds like music boxes attained intelligence and learned to communicate with each other via electrical wires in on the process of communication in a collective, harmonious process in which every entity involved contributes to a dynamic sound that reflects a joyful spirit sustained for the track’s two minute and thirty-seven seconds run time. Tones pulse slowly, a background wave of low end comes to the foreground in pleasing pulses and the simple but jaunty percussive sounds buoy the energy of all the other elements for a net effect of a gentle momentum that feels like a completion of some kind of journey at the end and arriving at your destination at ease. Listen to “Play Artful” on Spotify and follow The Double Headed Seagull at the links below.

WeWriteAboutMusic:

On Play Artful, The Double Headed Seagulls, the project of award-winning film composer and producer Dave Wirth, it’s quite easy to say he’s achieved something rare. This record feels both like a culmination and a fresh beginning. It’s a collection of four tracks, but the experience stretches post-rock, IDM, and jazz for something extremely original and fresh.

From the outset, Wirth’s approach to sound feels tactile. It’s an aesthetic that is at once nostalgic and forward-looking, carrying the warmth of cassette-era experimentation while also embracing meticulous production polish. Listening on headphones (a must!!) reveals the craft at its finest. These sounds flicker and dance across the spectrum where melodies spiral and then dissolve into atmosphere, and the mix never loses its clarity no matter how layered or dense it becomes.

Compared to earlier Seagulls releases, which leaned toward darker and noisier territory, this record thrives on lightness. For us, it sort of felt Radiohead-esque in some ways without ever feeling derivative. Instead, Wirth builds his own universe, one where jazz chords float weightless against buzzing synths and fractured electronics, where propulsive beats can suddenly melt into ambient pools.

On one hand, it’s an intellectual delight. You can dissect the layers of production, trace the genre-bending experiments, and marvel at the intricate sound design. On the other, it’s deeply affecting on a visceral level, as the melodies and tonal choices cut through with warmth and immediacy. Even at its most abstract, Play Artful radiates accessibility and really gives the opportunity for repeated listens and experience what you might have potentially missed.

There’s also a cinematic quality to the work that embodies Wirth’s film composer background. Each piece feels like a scene in an unfolding dream, full of color and texture, each transition handled with an editor’s sense of pacing. Despite that polish, nothing feels too controlled. The music retains a looseness, a spontaneity that makes every detail feel discovered rather than engineered. You never really know where things are going, especially on “One Pot Screamer”, but collectively the whole record gives off the perfect experience.

It’s a masterclass in how to push the boundaries of genre while keeping the listener grounded in melody and mood. Both lush and spacious and classic in its influences, this is a record that rewards an actual close listen while turning off life around you.

For listeners, it’s an invitation into a world that feels strangely familiar yet endlessly surprising. Not only do we recommend you check out the record, but you have to check out the back catalog as well for some serious gems. Go ahead and click those links below to listen in, follow along, and of course to stay tuned for more.

BiographyWeb:

Dave Wirth, an award-winning film composer and soundtrack producer, created The Double-Headed Seagulls. This US artist’s project’s latest EP, “Play Artful”, combines post-rock, lo-fi electronica, IDM, jazz guitar, and experimental ambient to create a beautiful and dreamy sound universe. I am going to be your guide and take you through these four songs

“Full Oxford” is the title track of the EP. The song opens with these ethereal synth sounds. The song then takes a different direction with synth pop sounds that are initially very bright but, a little later, we see a darker side of it. This song to me, is yin and yang. It had a light side and a dark side and, the way they mixed together would not have been able to sound good, but I can vouch for this song that, it sounded amazing. The way the song oscillated from high to low throughout was quite beautiful. This lovely song opens the EP

The next song is the EP’s namesake “play artful”. This song opens with a synth sound but, a unique beat is added to it it giving it such a wonderful flair. This song was not one of those instrumentals that sound the same from beginning to end. We see the development of the sound and it’s exciting to see the genius mind of the artist and feel like we were there when he made it

“One Pot Screamer” is the second-to-last song. This song opens with a mid-tempo melody that is unlike anything I have ever heard. It sounded like a cross between different instruments. As the song builds, so does the excitement and this song was just an incredible song, you won’t regret listening to it

The concluding song on this EP is titled “Doss money”. The song opens with a dramatic synth sound and then the guitar melody sets in. The notes are bold yet lonely. The melody picks up a bit towards the middle of the song before the organ sounds set it. Toward the end of the song, a buzzing sound goes in and out of the guitar melody. This song was an odd but incredible arrangement by the artist. This amazing, yet out-of-this-world song ends the EP

This most recent release of this artist is an example of how old recordings can be altered, edited, and redesigned to make a whole different statement. The final product provides a more fun and youthful flair while maintaining a similarity to the project’s previous work. In contrast to his release “Slimline”, released in 2011, which was loud and solemn, “Play Artful” is more vivacious, upbeat, and melodically inventive. Although the tone and energy are different, the underlying sound is still quite similar. In a lively and engrossing way, Play Artful blends art-rock, jazz guitar modulations, lo-fi IDM, and rich ambient synthesizers. It seeks to astound and excite those who hear it. I vouch for this song but, if you don’t believe me, listen for yourself and see how wonderful it is.

Broken 8 Records:

When an artist with film-scoring credentials steps into the world of independent projects, there’s always a thrill in discovering how their mastery of storytelling through sound translates into personal expression. Enter The Double Headed Seagulls, the boundary-pushing project of Dave Wirth, an award-winning film composer and producer whose latest EP, ‘Play Artful,’ which came out on August 28th redefines the playground of instrumental music.

This is no ordinary record. It’s an exercise in turning sound into sketches, tones into brushstrokes, and rhythm into unexpected shapes. Wirth folds together post-rock dynamics, lo-fi electronica, IDM patterns, experimental ambient layers, and the fluidity of jazz guitar to create something vibrant and exploratory. The result is an EP that feels like creative kids scribbling on the walls—messy, colorful, imaginative, and ultimately, delightful.

“Full Oxford” –The opening track introduces the us to Wirth’s penchant for atmosphere. Floating synth textures drift like watercolor across a canvas, while carefully placed IDM-style percussion patterns add a sense of motion. Jazz guitar phrases weave in and out, at times contemplative and at times playful, creating a dialogue between order and improvisation. It’s an overture that sets the tone: thoughtful yet unpredictable.

“Play Artful” – The title track embodies the EP’s philosophy most directly. Here, the post-rock influence shines, with guitar modulations rising like waves against lush electronic backdrops. The piece sways between meditative passages and bursts of layered instrumentation, like a mural slowly filling in with bold, colorful shapes. There’s a balance of restraint and abandon, suggesting that art—like childhood creativity—should never fear chaos.

“One Pot Screamer” – As its title suggests, this is the wildest moment of the EP. IDM glitches and stuttering beats collide with experimental ambient soundscapes, forming a controlled cacophony that feels chaotic and hypnotic. Wirth’s jazz guitar licks punctuate the mix, giving it a human anchor amid the digital frenzy. It’s the sound of crayons snapped in half and still scribbling furiously—raw, visceral, and oddly joyful.

“Doss Money” – Closing the collection is perhaps the most introspective of the four. Here, the production leans heavily into dreamy ambient tones, with spacious reverb and shimmering synths that seem to hover in the air. The jazz guitar softens, taking on a reflective quality, while subtle rhythmic textures provide just enough grounding. It’s a gentle exhale, a lull after the bright colors of the previous tracks—a reminder that even play ends in moments of stillness.

As a composer, Wirth’s expertise lies not just in writing melodies but in orchestrating sound worlds. His delivery throughout Play Artful is not about virtuosity in the traditional sense, but about creating immersive experiences. The jazz guitar work never overpowers but instead converses with the electronics, bending and shaping around beats and textures like a painter adjusting hues on a canvas. Each track is sculpted with cinematic precision, yet loose enough to feel organic and free.

The production here deserves special mention. The EP is mixed with a warmth that makes its experimental nature approachable. Lo-fi elements keep the textures grounded, while ambient washes give the EP an expansive, dreamlike quality. The IDM influences—delicate glitches, off-kilter percussion, and electronic pulses—are executed with finesse, never overwhelming the organic guitar timbres. The combination of electronic programming and live instrumentation feels balanced, with no one element stealing the spotlight.

With ‘Play Artful,’ The Double Headed Seagulls mark a fascinating entry into the experimental scene, proving that playfulness and sophistication can coexist beautifully. Dave Wirth uses his filmic instincts to draw us into shifting landscapes—sometimes chaotic, sometimes serene, but always captivating. This is music for the imagination, a reminder that creativity is at its best when boundaries dissolve.

Listen to the ‘Play Artful’ EP on Spotify

Broken 8 Records

Song Web:

Rising from a unique spell of jazz guitar and lo-fi electronica, The Double Headed Seagulls’ EP, ‘Play Artful,’ feels like a rebirth. The seeds for this project were sown years ago, in the discarded cassette recordings from The Double Headed Seagull’s 2011 record, ‘Slimline’. While that album was a serious, often noisy affair, ‘Play Artful’ is a complete departure in tone, a burst of energy and melodic imagination that feels like a playful, joyous statement.

It's a playful, eclectic, and wonderfully textured ode to how old recordings can be manipulated and rearranged to create something completely new. Caught between deft fusions of digital synthesizers, direct-to-interface guitars, and vibrant real-time feedback, it echoes the work of masters like Brian Eno, Radiohead, and Four Tet, creating a world torn between styles. The result is a captivating and whimsical listen, the musical equivalent of a child with a box of crayons, happily drawing on the walls while their parents watch with amused affection.

‘Full Oxford’, the first track on the EP, develops like a well-written narrative. It starts off in an area of serene calm before bringing in a daring, low-end element that strides purposefully forward, slowly creeping into frame and becoming part of the overall sound. With each listen, the music takes you on a beautiful and inquisitive journey that becomes more intricate and captivating over time. 

‘Play Artful’, the EP's title track, is its stylistic centrepiece. It's a happy anthem for getting back in touch with a more carefree era; stripping away life’s noise to reconnect with simpler times. It’s a song that feels like the culmination of Dave’s influences thanks to its deftly woven percussion and expansive style.

In the latter half, ‘One Pot Screamer’, arrives as a brief but potent track that lasts just over a minute. The quality of the music and production is undeniable, and while brief, it’s light shines brightly, bursting into life to deliver a powerful and impactful composition. 

In the closing moments, ‘Doss Money’ delivers a more reflective experience, shifting between changing textures and instrumentals. It’s a song that gets under your skin and lets you imprint your own ideas upon it, building steadily and purposefully, and leading you to a powerful and memorable end.

While just four tracks long, ‘Play Artful’ is undeniably complex, creating a captivating sonic experience that doesn’t lack depth or flavour. In a landscape filled with heavy themes, ‘Play Artful’ stands out as a delightful and surprising artistic statement that is well worth exploring.

For more from The Double Headed Seagulls, be sure to check out the band on Spotify, YouTube, and Bandcamp.

Song Web

Play Artful by The Double Headed Seagulls

Reading Notes

1-2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

A good kick in the ass to inspire more creativity and overcome hesitation; Triggering the artistic process.

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It's time for some tough love: The fastest way to create anything is to create something, right now.

No hesitation. No waiting until the right moment. No waiting for inspiration.

Plain and simple: Just jump in. Do it now.

What are you waiting for? Are you waiting to be good enough to create anything? I dare say you're good enough right now to create. Even if it's minuscule and modest. Even if no one will ever read it, view it, or hear it. You don't have to share what you created with anyone at all. It can be your little secret.

Are you waiting to feel inspired? That sounds like a complete waste of time to me. You lure inspiration by teasing it, by creating something immediately. You jump in. And when inspiration does show up, the whole world stops. You're in the flow. You are creating what you're meant to create. That's inspired action, baby.

Are you waiting for the right moment? Again, what a waste of time. You mean to tell me you'd rather put off the fun of writing a song, creating the next poem, or painting the next painting because the moment isn't right?

Poppycock.

There's always a moment to create. You could create the bare minimum each day. You could write one line of a new poem, plug a couple of cables on your eurorack synth, make up ten seconds of choreography, draw one long beautiful line of a pencil portrait, sing for thirty seconds. There's always a moment.

Quit fucking around.

The fastest way to create anything is to create something, now.

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Reading Notes

2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Mastery defined; Continual engagement; Being realistic with time investments.

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Mastery is continual engagement with your craft.

That’s it.

Mastery is not some exhaulted place you get to. It’s not some destination you arrive at. And, it’s not enlightenment, nirvana, or satori.

It’s just continual engagement. Usually, it’s engagement with something you can’t even fully grasp or comprehend (music, for me). There’s always a beautiful sense of mystery in true mastery.

Mastery is a daily dedication to engage, follow up, come back to, and reengage with your craft every day.

It’s like that saying: “How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time.”

It’s almost too simple, right? But it works, and it’s compassionate to ourselves, too.

Thinking about mastery as a process, rather than a product, has vast implications for learning anything.

For example, I wanted to study orchestration on a super deep level. So, I got a copy of Daphnis et Chloé by Maurice Ravel and studied it for three years. My only job was to continually return to the score and study. I focused on revisiting, on sitting down, on opening the pages. Once I was there, it felt easier to just move forward with my work. Eventually, I finished analyzing the entire score. I learned a great deal. I applied everything I learned to the score for Finding Solace (If you want to hang with me at the premiere, you can grab a ticket here. Scroll down to Finding Solace, and I’ll see you on August 8th, 2025.)

My point: I cared more about continual engagement than completion. I ate that damned whale, one bite at a time.

If something is important enough, I will come back to it every single day, even if I don’t feel like it. I'll do a minimum of work and then walk away.

Mastery Doesn’t Require Hours and Hours of Time Every Day

Mastery doesn’t require an excessive amount of time each day. All it needs is a modest investment to reconnect. I never worry about the amount of time I invest each day, but I prioritize returning to the work. I prioritize the process.

For example, when I practice composing, I have a bare minimum task I do each day: I compose two notes. That’s it. I always have time and energy for two notes. It’s easy. I consistently come back and reengage. On other days, I have more energy to compose. I end up writing an entire page of music. I love those days! But no matter what, I always return the next day.

Mastery is continual engagement with your craft. That’s it.

I expect that whatever I continually return to will become intimately familiar to me over time. My “mastery” of the skill might appear remarkable to anyone who doesn’t see how I got there. They might think I spent far more hours learning it than I actually did. They might think I’m superhuman.

I’m not.

I’m just willing to eat whales one bite at a time.

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Reading Notes

7-9 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Why measuring progress backwards works like gangbusters; Applying to a long-term project and making my life easier.

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When you make a purchase through links found on this site, we may earn commissions from Amazon, Perfect Circuit, and other retailers.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, chances are you read my previous article on measuring progress backwards.

If you haven't, lets just say that there's a great deal of magic that happens when you compare yourself from where you started. It’s easy to do this, too: You first choose a goal, put in the work, and you only compare yourself to where you started. Like, that’s it. Rather than focusing on how much work you have to complete, how far you have to go, measuring progress backwards asks you to compare yourself to where you first began.

There's a wealth of goodness in measuring progress backwards. There's a smoothness that comes to our lives once we embrace this simple mental trick. I’ve noticed a massive spike in my happiness that was directly attributed to celebrating how much further I got each day on a project. This came in handy in the summer of 2024 when I approached a very brain-intensive project that required a lot of energy to complete.

Measuring Progress Backwards in a Long-Term Creative Project

Over the past 25 years, I often woke up from dreams with songs in my head. I often recorded these ideas, as well as any other musical sketch I made in my waking life. All in all, I had about 2,000 audio sketches lying around on my computer, completely disorganized, strewn about like the way my dog leaves her toys on the floor in my home. I needed to organize these sketches so that I could search them by mood, vibe, intrumentation, and genre. I could use them if only they were searchable. After I started this process, it took me two full months of consistent effort to finish. This sketch catalog is now my backup; I have a buffer of musical ideas, just in case a director asks for something brand new and I’m out of fresh ideas. It's a brain I can count on when the pressure is on. I've already used it dozens of times to find better ideas for music I'm working on. It’s more than proved it’s value.

When I shared this story originally, I got some comments to the effect of “Why did you do that? I mean, it’s so much work. It gives me a headache to think about it. Didn’t you get discouraged?”

The only way that I was able to commit to organizing this heavy mess of sketches was because I made damned sure to measure my progress backwards, every single day. Everytime I finished categorizing a sketch, I celebrated the win, verbally, out loud. I also celebrated every five sketches cataloged. I also celebrated my daily goal of 55 sketches cataloged. I also celebrated finishing 275 sketches cataloged every week.

To take the idea even further, I decided to make my celebrating way more fun. I always said something like this, out loud and obnoxiously: “Well, that was five more records than I had 10 minutes ago. Yes!” and “Wow! That was 55 more sketches than when I started this morning. Awesome!” and “Yes! That was 275 more sketches cataloged than when I started this week! I'm crushing it!”

This created momentum for my project. I got into a rhythm, a routine, a habit. I woke up every day excited to celebrate each and every little win. I watched this catalog of sketches go straight up in number, almost without me noticing. I ended up finishing the project with a week to spare, and let me tell you, I smoked a very expensive cigar to celebrate that win!

Remember, before I began the project, I had none of the thousands of sketches catalogued. None. Now, I had all of them done. I grew it from nothing.

Measure. Progress. Backwards.

I used to really fuck this up when I was younger…

This is in huge contrast to my old attitude toward long-term projects. I used to despair at the wide gulf between accomplishing a goal and where I was. It didn’t help I was comparing myself to some insane idealized version of myself. With that ideal rattling around in my head, I always felt behind, no matter how much progress I made toward any goal. I never felt good enough. I kept on thinking how much farther I had to go before I completed a goal. It always felt like the most annoying slog.

Henry David Thoreau truly nailed it when he said:

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

I look at that younger me now with a mixture of embarrassment and wisdom. I want to reach through time and slap the shit outta him, but I'm trying to be a little more self-empathetic. I just didn't know any better.

The Gap and the Gain: Always the Gain.

As I've mentioned elsewhere on this blog, The Gap and The Gain by Benjamin Hardy and Steven Mitchell solidified a change in how I view progress that’s so fundamental that I wanted to write about it twice. I no longer look at how much farther I've got to go in any project, no matter how large or small. I only measure progress backwards, to where I started. That’s it.

The result is one of continual satisfaction. There's a smoothness to working. I feel a satisfying momentum most of the time. I only see progress. I always feel like I'm ahead of the game. No matter what, success always finds me. I don't care how my small my wins appear to others: Every small success is a huge win for me, equally worthy of celebration. I feel happier. It reminds me of this quote from the Buddha:

There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.

I can only imagine what my life would have looked like if I had read The Gap and the Gain earlier, if I had only focused on the gains I made toward a goal. I mean, hindsight is definitely 20/20. If I'm lucky, I'll have the next 50 years to focus only on the gains.

Happiness is the way.

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The Double Headed Seagulls – Play Artful – EP Review

Full disclosure…even though this would technically be my first time reviewing the music of The Double Headed Seagulls, it would be far from the first time I’ve reviewed the music of the man behind it all, Mr. Dave Wirth.  While it’s not something that comes across my desk each and every day, I’ve technically been listening to his music in a variety of forms since sleepingbagstudios was about a year & a half old, and I’ve genuinely cherished it for just as long.  Whether it’s been writing about or playing it on the ol’ SBS Podcast – this dude has been making music that’s been on my personal soundtrack for quite some time now, and I’m grateful for that.  Dave’s also what you’d call a proud, perpetual student of his craft, and one of those folks that’s always looking to be hit where it hurts when it comes to the feedback I provide.  Which, to be fair, you regular readers know that no one directly needs to ask for – I always say what I want to say, however I wanna say…always have, always will.  It just so happens that I tend to enjoy what this dude does for the most part, so he’s generally escaped my wrath throughout the years.  I think it’s basically crazy that this is the third project name I’ve reviewed his music under, which doesn’t count his solo work…so that’s four names you’ve gotta know in order to be able to track him down online and THAT is insane in today’s world for sure…but sound-wise, he’s always created stuff I’ve been interested in and that remains to be true here in the case of The Double Headed Seagulls.  What’s more true than anything else dear readers, dear friends, is that there can be no mistakes when there are no rules.  Sure things will or won’t be accessible based on the decisions someone makes in how they go about creating this or that…but that’s really all there is to comment on when you do your own thing.

So here goes anyway Dave…hope this helps.

With the warm digital glow of “Full Oxford” starting out the EP, I immediately felt like this was going to work out well for The Double Headed Seagulls in its debut.  The low-end that enters into the peaceful serenity is more than noticeable to the point where I suppose a few listeners might find it to be a little jarring when it first shows up, but I think that after you give “Full Oxford” a spin or two, you welcome it.  You’ll spend the opening two minutes in this strange sound-bath of sorts, which essentially serves as the audible amuse-bouche, before The Double Headed Seagulls begins to expand this first idea in the most delightful of ways as you head past the two minute mark into modulating frequencies and malleable sound.  You get the sense that change is coming, which will be welcome for those that were getting a little antsy I suppose.  Honestly, to me, “Full Oxford” felt akin to hearing a great story unfold – I don’t want anyone to rush those situations, so personally I was more than pleased to listen to the opening couple of minutes help build this song’s character and establish its presence.  That being said, hearing how it goes on to morph itself anew was absolutely fantastic…that’s when I guess you’d feel like it was almost difficult to go backwards from there.  Thankfully, that’s not how time, or songs work…we move forward, and the adventure of “Full Oxford” continued to get more and more interesting as it played.  As you trip into its third minute, it’s like you’ve become untethered to float around blissfully in the ether.  When that low-end comes back in minute four, it’s like the warm hug you always wanted to get, and it envelops you entirely as the music supplies a series of enchanting complements along the way.  It all feels new, exploratory, and absolutely beautiful…and by the time it ends, you’ll wish it would never stop.  The amount of work that’s been put in to make this opening song flow so fluidly is absolutely staggering.

What do they call those things in school…when you’re like…supposed to be familiar with something before you dive into something else…or like…at least it helps?  Prerequisites?  Is that the word I’m looking for?  The press release gives you insights into the inspirations for a lot of what you’ll hear on this EP…stuff like Brian Eno, Radiohead, and Four Tet for example…all names I’m intensely familiar with and have celebrated throughout the years on my own playlists over here.  Four Tet alone probably managed to shift my entire musical palette at one point in time long ago.  Anyhow.  I wouldn’t say you NEED to know all those names in order to enjoy what The Double Headed Seagulls is creating – but yes, it helps.  As I listened to the cleverly interlaced percussion of the record’s title track, “Play Artful,” it was like I could hear how each of those influences played a role in paving the way for The Double Headed Seagulls to exist today.  “Play Artful” feels playful…like reconnecting with the joy of discovery and what that’s like to experience when you’re listening to music.  It’s not a moment to take things too seriously, you know what I mean?  Don’t mistake that for a lack of craft…that’s not at all what I’m saying.  What I think I’m getting at more than anything else, is that the music of Mr. Wirth has often come with the weight of heavy emotional elements to it, and there’s something about “Play Artful” that really feels like he was much more focused on just having a moment where he could leave all that behind for a minute or two.  And heck – couldn’t we ALL stand to feel that way for a bit?  When I started to think about it, I wanted to make “Play Artful” my personal anthem for the year…a direct affront to all the bullshit we’ve all been forced to endure through the corruption & erosion of our politics in the modern era.  “Play Artful” gives you the opportunity to close your eyes and reconnect with simpler times, where the joys of finding new music you love, the beauty of the sun above, and the potential of every day was as exciting as it has ever been.  We might not be able to physically go back there anymore, but songs like this can transport you.

You want raw honesty Mr. Wirth?  Here’s some for ya – what’s the point of doing ANYTHING for a minute and twenty-six seconds?  Not just music…I’m talking ANYTHING in life, though I’m more than fine with declaring I’ve always been at war with shorter songs.  I certainly understand all too well what their place in today’s society would be with our ever-disappearing attention spans & all…but I kinda feel like it’s our collective job to rebel against that.  Now…do I like what there is to be heard on “One Pot Screamer?”  Sure!  Does that mean I’m in favor of its appearance in this lineup?  No!  Though to be clear, I’m not ever going to be completely opposed to hearing something I enjoy, no matter how short it is.  Plenty of those influential names we pointed out earlier on in this review all have shorter tracks of their own…it’s a thing…don’t get me wrong, I’m just complaining like an old man on the porch yelling at the state of the world.  Even “Play Artful” was like, right on the borderline of what I’d consider to be a worthwhile venture.  I mean…you should SEE some of the effort that folks like Dave pour into the making of “One Pot Screamer!”  You’d likely assume that a shorter song directly equates to having to spend a whole lot less time twisting dials and knobs to get everything where it needs to be, but more often than not, they’ll end up spending more time in pursuit of perfecting something that’s even shorter than the male orgasm…and that ain’t right, is it?  Shouldn’t we want music to be longer than that?  Shouldn’t it have taken you longer to listen to “One Pot Screamer” than it just did to read about it here?  No issues with what I’m hearing…production-wise, it sounds good…but at 1:26 in total length, it’s also really damn hard to argue that there’s anything so significant to be found here that it’d bring you running back for another repeat too.  “One Pot Screamer” is a quality cut for the length it provides I guess – that’s about the most I can say to support it, and even that seems like it’s as positive as I can be.  As I’ve said many times in the past, if song-length is all you’ve left a critic to pick on, you’re doin’ A-OK.

Alright…rant over…I think I got that outta my system…for now.  “Doss Money” is the final track on The Double Headed Seagulls Play Artful EP, and I’d say this is likely more representative of what I assumed the record would have sounded like, long before I pushed play.  “Doss Money” is like a somewhat logical progression from where we left off with Dave Wirth’s solo music…so this kinda makes sense to me and my ears.  That being said, I think “Doss Money” is probably the most mood-dependent track on the EP, as in, it might not always be the track you’re looking to listen to the most in this particular set of songs.  Again, I’m not opposed to it, and I’d argue that after about four minutes of floating around in a bubble, you finally land with a minute & change left to spare that will reveal all the most significant highlights that there are to be found within “Doss Money” – but overall, I enjoyed it.  This is one of those sit up close and listen, textural & sensory types of songs for the most part…bending notes, resonance and such…more based on how the music moves you, as opposed to the music itself moving in a more tangible way, if that makes any sense to ya.  We’re not so far off the deep end that “Doss Money” would play like a Robert Fripp experiment into Frippertronics, whereby he’ll play one note and let it ring for a half hour while he fiddles with the knobs and dials…nothing that extreme here at all.  I’d probably argue that “Doss Money” is more like what it’s like to hear the art of evolution in real time.  I’m not suggesting that it’s not rehearsed or doesn’t move with purpose – I absolutely think it checks both of those boxes.  I suppose what I’m saying is that “Doss Money” feels gradual and organic, once again unfolding like a great story does, without feeling like it needs to gloss over any chapters along the way.  And while like those great stories we know of, this final cut saves its largest doses of potency and impact for its last act, “Doss Money” ends up developing at a pace that takes a surgeon’s precision & patience, and delivers a conclusion to this EP that will certainly stimulate the curiosity required for you to want to spin it again.

Spotify this EP by The Double Headed Seagulls, or check it out at Apple Music by following this link here:  https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/thedoubleheadedseagulls/play-artful

Reading Notes

1-2 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Play Artful, the new record by The Double Headed Seagulls, releases August 28th, 2025.

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When you make a purchase through links found on this site, we may earn commissions from Amazon, Perfect Circuit, and other retailers.

The seeds of the new are planted in the ashes of the old. In the case of Play Artful, the seeds originate from The Double Headed Seagulls' 2011 record Slimline, specifically the numerous, extra cassette tape recordings made during its years-long production process. Digital synthesizers, direct-to-interface guitars, and vibrant real-time feedback were all captured on tape and subsequently forgotten, waiting for the right moment to resurface. They were just begging for a new life beyond their original purpose.

Play Artful's manipulation of cassette fragments, lo-fi electronica, and jazz guitar chord modulation evokes the sounds of Pat Metheny's early self-titled record and Watercolors, as well as Brian Eno's Ambient 4: On Land and Music for Films, Four Tet's Everything Ecstatic, and Radiohead’s landmark 2007 album In Rainbows. This newest album by The Double Headed Seagulls demonstrates how old recordings can be reworked, revamped, and rearranged to create a completely new statement. The result bears a resemblance to the project's earlier work but introduces a more playful and childlike flair. While Slimline was serious and noisy, Play Artful is more propulsive, energetic, and imaginative. It represents a departure in tone and energy, yet remains close to their established core sound.

Play Artful is a fusion of dreamy jazz guitar chords, lo-fi electronica, and lush synthesizers, all combined in a vibrant and captivating manner. It consistently aims to surprise and delight listeners. The vibe evokes the image of creative kids with crayons drawing on the walls, with the parents rolling their eyes but loving every second of it.

Releases August 28th, 2025

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Reading Notes

3-5 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Measuring progress backwards; Celebrating small wins; Shifting our mindsets in a productivity-obsessed economy.

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When you make a purchase through links found on this site, we may earn commissions from Amazon, Perfect Circuit, and other retailers.

The next three paragraphs have something in common. Can you spot it? It’s easy. I promise:

Two months ago, I had no idea how to finish a blog post without expending a great deal of energy. Now, I have pinned down a lighter and easier process. I went from spending up to 7 hours on a single blog post to just 1-3 hours. That wasn’t the case two months ago.

Three months ago, I also didn’t have a reliable car. My car at that time had no AC, old tires, and engine issues. Now, I have a new car that I can drive anywhere in comfort and style. It's much more reliable, and quite a bit safer. That’s a lot better than where I was more than three months ago.

Six months ago, I hadn’t yet written a note that I liked for a major film scoring project. I was still grappling with the direction I was going to take. Today, I can look back and see all the tiny advancements I made until I finished it. I delivered the score, the director was pleased, and I felt fantastic. That wasn't the case more than six months ago.

Did you spot the common theme? In each of these examples, I measured progress backwards.

Measuring progress backwards means comparing ourselves to where we started. From that vantage point, we often (and only) see remarkable progress. By only seeing progress, we tend to build momentum. To me, that's super magical.

In The Gap And The Gain by Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan, they talk extensively about measuring progress backwards. I nabbed the audiobook version to hear Dan Sullivan get interviewed by Ben Hardy in between chapters. In one interview, Dan said,

If there’s only one thing that you do as an entrepreneur, always measure your progress backwards.

Why does he recommend that?

Possibly because measuring progress backwards gives us a ton of momentum. It also helps us break the habit of looking at the future as a distant place we are so far away from.

I can’t think of a worse way to live my life than to only see how far I've got to go before I reach a goal. That’s similar to when I allowed an ideal to drive me. Comparing myself to that ideal made me miserable. The cliché “Comparison is a thief of joy” is a cliché for a reason. Whenever I compared myself to that ideal, I felt depressed, annoyed, and aggravated that I hadn't accomplished more with my life.

Thankfully, measuring progress backwards guards against using an ideal as motivation. Since I only compare myself from where I started, I always feel good. I always feel like I’m progressing. I always have momentum. I like that feeling! It’s the wind at my back.

When I started that film score, I only focused on my wins. If I wrote a cue that worked for a scene, I celebrated that win. I would simply say, “Wow, I didn’t have that written this morning!” It felt great every single time I saw progress.

Truly, measuring progress backwards means I only compare myself to where I started. I count and celebrate every win, and it feels good. That's a tonic we all could have more of, especially in the hyper productivity-obsessed work environments so many of us feel squelched by, nowadays.

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There are two possible outcomes when asking someone to pay you what you're worth:

1. You gain a collaborator who’s eager to invest in you.

2. You get rejected by someone who isn't ready to invest in you at this moment.

Both outcomes are wins.

Reading Notes

7-9 Minute Read | Laptop or Tablet Recommended

Topics and Themes

Patience in commitment; The "Tepid Yes" concept; A framework for categorizing commitment levels

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When you make a purchase through links found on this site, we may earn commissions from Amazon, Perfect Circuit, and other retailers.

After the success of Titanic, director James Cameron waited years for the right technology to develop so that he could create Avatar. He believed in the idea but didn’t commit to it immediately. He was unconvinced that the visual effects industry could bring his vision to the big screen. Instead, he bided his time, focused on the story, and patiently watched as 3D filmmaking and motion capture advanced enough to realize his vision fully. When the time was right, he pounced.

Cameron's commitment to ensuring that every aspect of Avatar was worthy of the time and resources invested into it paid off. The film became one of the highest-grossing of all time and received critical acclaim for its innovative visual effects.

This story reminds me that it’s okay to be patient. It reminds me that I can wait on an idea until it's time has come. It reminds me that I can have many ideas simmering in the background. We don’t need to commit to everything right away, as James Cameron did with Avatar.

The challenge is knowing which commitments deserve our full attention. Truly, we could all do ourselves a huge solid by being more thoughtful about not only what we say yes to, but also how much to commit to them. Instead of charging forth, giving our full, undivided, honor-is-on-the-line commitment to everything we've said yes to, why not give most of them a tepid-yes and let them simmer?

Most options out there don’t deserve any commitment whatsoever. I believe that 99% of the options that get presented to me are pretty trashy. But when I do find an idea, project, or option that resonates deeply, I don’t have to go all in, right from the start. It’s better to match the commitment to the project’s actual importance, at any one time. It's better to remain flexible and assess how much energy a project truly needs before blindly jumping in, thus expending our time and energy wastefully.

Examples Proving When A Tepid Yes Works In Your Favor

There are tons of examples of well-known companies giving a casual, tepid yes to projects, simply to see if they are worth a more hard-core yes later on. Google is a great role model in this respect. They only invest fully when an idea proves itself in their labs. Google Calendar started as a small project. After a tepid yes, Google escalated their commitment to the project as its potential became clear. The rest is history.

I appreciate the "tepid yes" because it allows me to explore without feeling trapped. This way, I avoid the sunk cost fallacy and can step back if something no longer serves me. Amazon did this with its Fire tablet. The product failed, but Amazon didn’t cling to it. They committed just enough to gauge its success and pulled the plug when it was clear it wouldn’t work.

Rating The Level of Commitment

Some commitments are minimal, like deciding whether or not to grab a cheap salad for lunch. I consider these level one commitments. They are many in number and have the smallest amount of trade-off if you don't do them. Changing one's mind is easy with level-one commitments.

Level five commitments are significant, like marriage, raising children, or a deep commitment to a chosen profession. They are few in number but of outsized importance. They are so intregal to our lives that not honoring them is both unthinkable and painful.

As I mentioned, level one commitments are largest in quantity but smallest in importance. Level five commitments are smallest in quantity but largest in importance.

This undeniably simple graphic (created by the office intern who is a juvenile graphic designer-wannabe, who has a poster of Jan Tschichold in his bedroom, who is a gushing fanboy of Edward Tufte, whose Mom is super proud of his work) shows it best:

A ridiculously stupid-looking graphic that gets the point across… I can only fucking hope.

The Downsides of Misjudging Commitment Levels

Misjudging your level of commitment can lead to several nasty problems. A lack of critical thinking can develop into a habit if we don’t fully consider what we say yes to. That's dangerous! Overcommitting forces you, out of the necessity of saving time, to look past the details. There's a reason why the saying "the devil's in the details" is a cliche.

Burnout is another risk. Committing too quickly or too deeply will drain us, especially if a project demands more time and energy than we expected.

Let's not forget about the dangers of unrealistic expectations, inflexibility, and the pressure we place on others to capitulate to what we committed to. Further, think of all the great opportunities you'd forgo if you just committed to a whole mess of really crappy ideas. Yuck.

A Framework for Judging The Scale of Commitment

To avoid overcommitting, it helps to write down what we’ve said yes to and evaluate it soberly.

Start by writing down your commitment on a piece of paper or text file. Then, rate your answers to these questions on a scale of 1 to 5:

1. How worthy is this person/path/idea/option of your full commitment?

2. How good do you feel when you fully commit?

3. How unthinkable is it to abandon this commitment?

4. How aware are you of the trade-offs and benefits of staying committed?

5. How dire are the consequences of stepping back from your commitment?

The higher the average number, the higher the commitment level you need to give to it.

In Conclusion

Overall, it's best to relish saying no, way before you even get committed in the first place. As I mentioned, most of all the options out there are super trashy and trivial. But when you do say yes, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing declaration. It can be a lukewarm, tepid yes. It can be a "let’s see if this works" kind of yes. It can be a "you’ve got 30 days to prove yourself" kind of yes. It can be a "perhaps, buddy. Perhaps." It can be a long, molasses-slow "maybe."

Opt for the tepid yes, especially when the big commitments (like kids, marriage, family, and our professional aspirations) deserve most of our energy and commitment.

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