It's Not About Your Kit

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I love guitars.

I especially love guitars that are handcrafted and expertly finished. Guitars that are works of art, that use the best materials, the best pickups, the best strings. When I play guitars like these, I feel as if they improve my dexterity, my creativity and my tone. I feel as if the music I produce immediately improves. They make me a better musician.

Of course, none of this is strictly true.

It isn’t the instrument that does it. I may feel more inspired playing a ‘59 Les Paul, but my ability doesn’t take a magic leap forward. It’s all in my head.

Similarly, if Eddie Van Halen got hold of the Knock-off Maroon Flying V guitar I bought off my buddy Kenn’s brother back in 1984 for $30, he wouldn’t sound like shit. He would still sound incredible. He’d display exactly the same emotion, speed and skill in his playing as he always has.

Because it’s not about the kit. It’s not about the gear.

It’s about you. It’s about your commitment. It’s about your passion.

It’s about your willingness to do the work and learn your trade. To take risks and try new things. To push the boundaries in whatever craft or line of work you choose to pursue.

Too often, though, we get caught up in the messages we’re sold. Messages that seem to be speaking to you but are really angling for your wallet. Messages that suggest that that extra piece of gear will transform you, that it’ll be the last remaining piece of the puzzle that will take you to the pinnacle of your craft.

Don’t believe the hype.

You don’t need a top of the line Hasselblad to shoot pictures like Annie Liebovitz. You need her eye, her brain, her ideas. (And why are you trying to shoot like her anyway? Be you!)

To be original, to make a difference, it’s what’s in your head that matters. That and the commitment you make to realizing what’s in your head. That’s all.

So, it’s not about the kit. It’s about you.

Go make a difference.