James’ Daily Emails

When I scroll through social media, as we all do, I can’t help but notice something. And that is everyone is always way too happy. Okay, Twitter/X shouldn’t be included in this generalization. It seems like all the negative energy on social media congregates there, which is why I don’t really use that particular platform.…

Whether you’re a fan of the National Football League, i.e. “American football” or not, you can’t deny the power of the premier event put on by the league. The “Super Bowl” came into being when two rival football leagues, the AFL and the NFL, merged to form one “super league” in the 1960’s. The main…

The other day when Sana and I went out for lunch after church, I happened to sit next to someone I knew of, but didn’t know that well. After some pleasant chitchat, the conversation shifted to everyone’s favorite topic: the upcoming election. (BTW, the email I sent last week titled “my thoughts on the presidential…

On the most recent episode of the Brass Mastery podcast, we tackle a topic that sends chills down the spines of even the most seasoned professional musicians: mastering auditions. Whether you’re aiming for a spot in an orchestra, prepping for a college jury, or even gearing up for that pivotal job interview, the anxiety and…

Years ago I interviewed the principal trumpet player for one of America’s top symphony orchestras. My goal was to pick his brain about the nuances of success when it comes to being a performing artist. This person has performed at a world-class level longer than I’ve been alive, so I would say he knows a…

This past week, I setup a meeting with a prospective client who is interested in starting a podcast. She and I have gotten along famously, and truth be told I hope she goes through with it because I think she’ll be really good at it and a lot of fun to work with. And trust…

It seems like everything has to be FREE these days. In my chosen profession of digital media, it’s essential to have something of actual value that is given away, no questions asked, with nothing expected in return. But even those things have a catch. You have to give your email address in exchange for this thing that’s…

Success and failure can be a bit deceiving when viewed on the surface, can’t it? Let’s take the illustration of the iceberg, of which you see only a small portion above water. Let’s say 5% is visible above the water. That means that 95% is invisible. It’s kind of that way when it comes to…

Sometimes the biggest credit to our character is the ability to receive criticism and make wise decisions in light of it. We’re more than willing to take credit for favorable outcomes. But what happens when things don’t turn out well? That’s when the criticism is doled out heavily. The San Francisco 49ers lost the Super…

One of the things I like to do with my podcasts is make reference to having “three listeners”. It’s kind of fun to say, even though I know that there are of course more than 3 people who download each episode just by looking at the stats. I got this idea from a conservative radio…