A Musician’s Creative Journey
This post is part of my ongoing Musician’s Creative Journey
A weekly practice of reflection through music, writing, and daily life.
I’m beginning to find a rhythm in my daily writing process and am enjoying the challenges of photography. Developing technical skills takes time, but the true challenge is developing my eye. Much like learning to play the guitar. I built my skills at an early age, but developing my sound took years.
The most important part of any creative journey is the commitment to doing the work.
As for writing—I have so many stories. Teasing out which ones to tell is where the magic happens. A great story carries a universal thread—lessons learned, love, loss, discovery.
This daily project is providing structure for the work I feel called to do. My commitment to getting 1% better each day is bringing new life and depth to my creative work.
Thank you for reading and for being part of this Musician’s Creative Journey.
— k
Day One
February 12, 2026
Not everything with eyes can see.
Flashback — Leadville, CO.
I’ve taken time this week to go through folders of images from my travels over the past several years, and this one stood out.
During the first summer of the COVID lockdown, I had planned to attend a retreat in New Mexico led by peace activist Fr. John Dear, marking the 50th anniversary of Hiroshima. The previous summer, I had traveled on pilgrimage to Assisi in honor of Saint Francis, also led by Fr. John Dear, as part of my Spiritual Direction graduation and my continued transition off the road from constant touring into a deeper exploration of life as an artist and spiritual seeker.
But like all dreams and well-laid plans, life happens.
Instead of heading to New Mexico the following summer, I found myself canceling the trip, renting a car, and driving to Leadville, Colorado, with my dear friend and soul-sister, Tami White.
I chose this picture because it reminded me not to take everything so seriously.
I had invested in cameras for my video studio planning to use them for guitar instruction, video production, and photography. In search of the perfect shot, the perfect lens, the perfect lighting, I found myself walking past a pink house just a few blocks from town. In the yard stood a large tree with two painted eyes, a nose, and matching pink lips.
Each day as I passed it, the eyes seemed to come alive as though the tree were watching me.
Of course, those painted eyes couldn’t actually see. But they offered an invitation for me to see.
They presented the perfect picture eyes that still make me smile and remind me not to take things so seriously.
Day Two
February 13, 2026
Not a single note.
A spectrum of sound
expanding outward.
This summer, I purchased a feisty 32-inch concert gong. I’m fascinated by sound. From vintage guitars, two amps, and pedalboards, to handpans, RAV drums, Native American flutes, singing bowls, and now a concert gong.
Why a concert gong?
I discovered the work of Alexandre Tannous, an ethnomusicologist and sound researcher/therapist with a strong online presence—videos, podcast appearances, and his own site. His academic background includes multiple degrees from Columbia University. I became fascinated by the science behind the gong, especially the concert gong.
It contains all frequencies and offers one of the broadest spectrums of sound available from a single instrument.
It’s been a magnificent journey exploring the sounds and dynamics of this exquisite instrument. It’s intense. But so is my old Fender Strat and a wall of amplifiers.
The gong is a powerful addition to my ongoing exploration of sound design one. I’ve only begun to understand. And yet, after decades of playing guitar, there are still days when I feel I’ve only scratched the surface there, too.
I wanted to share this image and the backstory because it holds significance. It called me to pause, post, and reflect.
Day Three
February 14th, 2026
For Valentine’s Day,
there’s no better picture I could share.I’m grateful for my mother’s love and wisdom.
I’m grateful for my mother’s love and wisdom.
Few things make you realize how truly valuable each day is until you spend time with your parents in the final stages of their lives. As an only child, the journey of these past few years my father’s illness and passing, and now caring for my mother has taught me to take life one day at a time. That phrase carries an entirely new meaning now.
The challenges within our healthcare system could fill an entire series of posts. But they’ve also given me a window into the hard work care providers offer each day—with so little pay and even less thanks.
This Valentine’s Day, I found the perfect gift. My mother loves pink, lavender, and purple, so when I saw a pink rose in a glass sphere filled with water and mounted on a pedestal, I knew it was the one. It was the last one left, sitting on a shelf in the cooler at Kroger in Milford.
Along with two bright-colored shirts with hearts, chocolate chip cookies, and a Valentine’s Day card, it created yet another memory—and another reminder that if we’re lucky, we’ll all grow old. And if we’re really lucky, we’ll be cared for and deeply loved.
The symbol of love on Valentine’s Day like each holiday I’ve experienced over these past few years carries new meaning now. As do my dearest friends.
It’s the little things.
Day Four
February 15th, 2026
Spring Grove Cemetery.
Melting snow.A woman carved in stone
sits above a single word:
Love.Even in winter,
it remains.
While walking through Spring Grove Cemetery, I came across this statue. I remember photographing it several years ago—I was fascinated by its detail and its beauty. After wandering for a few hours, I found this remarkable piece and spent time trying to capture even a fraction of its presence with my camera.
Beneath each of the three female figures is a single engraved word—Truth, Friendship, and Love. I chose the angle where Love is carved in stone.
Why love?
It’s the glue that holds all things together and makes all things possible.
In the world we’re living in today, love feels like the only path forward through the noise and confusion. And when it stands beside truth and friendship, it speaks volumes. It puts into simple terms what really matters.
Day Five
February 16th, 2026
Spring Grove Cemetery.
Gothic Revival architecture.
Some places hold silence
like a cathedral.
For anyone who has never visited Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, it’s difficult to convey the majestic nature of many of its structures. This one didn’t just catch my eye—as I made my way through the grounds, it stood overlooking the pond, still partially frozen, with ducks gliding across the water, bare trees reaching upward, and snow covering the earth.
This structure at Spring Grove Cemetery is a classic example of Gothic Revival funerary architecture, a style that became popular in the mid- to late 19th century.
As I read more about it, I learned that Gothic Revival architecture was inspired by medieval European cathedrals and was often used in cemeteries to evoke reverence, eternity, and spiritual transcendence.
This building has withstood many snowstorms, scorching summer days, and the blooming of countless springs—all of which have come and gone. Yet it still stands.
It made me think about the pillars in my own life—those steady presences that have remained through every stage.
This image serves as a reminder and a touchstone, as life continues moving on… and on.
Day Six
February 17th, 2026
Some guardians stand quietly.
Unnoticed.
Unmoving.
Faithful.
This image blends elements from two photographs I took at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. One is a large angel statue, captured from behind, highlighting its majestic wings and flowing robe. The other is a private family mausoleum. These mausoleums were built as above-ground burial vaults for prominent Cincinnati families and were designed to symbolize permanence, reverence, and spiritual continuity. Many of these chapel-style structures were built between the 1870s and early 1900s, during the height of the Rural Cemetery Movement, when cemeteries were designed as landscaped parks with elaborate memorial architecture. Architecturally, this reflects Gothic Revival design.
Together, these two images spoke to me, a mausoleum with an angel standing watch.
I’ve been drawn to mixed-media art for many years. I remember cutting out words and images to create flyers for shows, going to Kinko’s with my taped-together art projects, printing as many copies as I could afford, and using thumbtacks to post them on telephone poles all over campus in Lexington, Kentucky, to promote concerts. This was before computers, cell phones, and the internet—back when you needed magazines to find letters and words to copy, cut, and paste.
Sometimes I miss those days. It was harder but it was worth it. Every aspect of each show felt like a work of art, and people still went out to see live music every night. The question wasn’t, “Are you going out tonight?” It was, “Where are you going?” and “Who are you going to see play?”
Times have changed and that’s okay. Life is the ultimate art project. It’s important to remember that.
Whether you play or whether you listen, we’re all in this together.
Day Seven
February 18th, 2026
What would happen
if we broke the chains that hold us back?We hold the key.
What would life look like without the chains that restrain us? Boundaries are necessary, but chains stifle creativity, shatter dreams, and separate us from what inspires us to live fully.
This image captured my attention, the chain links were thick, the lock was heavy, and the bars they wrapped around felt frozen in time.
The cemetery was silent. The day was cold. The air was crisp. Large patches of snow still covered the ground. Spring Grove feels different in the springtime beautiful, filled with flowers and life. It’s where wedding photos are taken, where photographers can spend all day and never run out of things to capture.
I suppose there is a season for everything life, death, and, if we can break the chains that bind us, rebirth.
Week Seven Wrap-Up – A Musician’s Creative Journey
This wraps up week six of my Musician’s Creative Journey. I continue one day at a time. Each image serves as a reminder to pause, reflect, and stay the course.
This Musician’s Creative Journey continues to evolve, one week and one reflection at a time.
You can read Week Six of Musicians Creative Journey as well to continue the reflection, Week Eight is Coming Soon
— k
P.S. I invite you to subscribe to my Substack , a place to go deeper and build community through connection.
An Invitation to Write
Set a timer for ten minutes. Write without stopping.
Writing prompts:
- Write about what life could look like without the chains that restrain you?
- What does creative freedom look like?
Resources
Recently, I’ve been listening .to Rilke – Select Poems, translated and read by Stephen Mitchell. Getting ready to start Rilke’s Book of Hours.
Bye for now…
