What Willie Nelson Taught Me This Summer: What does it take to maintain fire and passion for your career over the decades?
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by: Chris Murphy
I saw a Willie Nelson concert this summer, and I can’t get it out of my head. I went in wondering whether Willie, at 81 years old, would still have the goods. I left with the question turned around on me: Do I have the same passion and fire for my craft at 40-something that Willie delivers at 81? Am I striving to get better?
It’s the kind of question that, to me at least, speaks to why the arts are so important for us working in the business world of technology, media, etc. An artist puts himself or herself out there so completely, so bravely, so how can we balk at the chance to do something as unique and creative in our world?
At the concert, Willie’s guitar playing was by far the star of the show. This performance wasn’t about working around the limitations of an aging star. Sure, his voice, while mostly golden, had its moments. But Willie’s riffs and solos on his battered, holed-out guitar, Trigger, revealed a master at work. His focus and passion in those moments — by a performer who’s been on stage since he was 9 and still tours 150 days a year — marked both an artist and a professional.
Read Chris Murphy’s article here.