As a former musician, I was always interested in ideas. There was no software involved, no expensive gadgets, or even a single tool needed. One could whistle out a melody and be instantly inspired to see where the invisible thread flew. Perhaps it dropped suddenly, never to be whistled again as life got in the way and the cloud of inspiration burst forever. Other times, the melody could be so strong that one would keep repeating it over and over until it became a song within their mind. The melody would then have counter melodies and multiple layers to form a complete recipe with nothing but an idea and some talent. I was once approached to write a full record- 12 songs for domestic release and 2 songs to be released internationally. It was the chance of a lifetime to have full funding for an album based upon my songwriting abilities and to be flown to a list of multiple locations to record. I took the opportunity seriously and instantly wrote 21 songs in seven days- never seated at a piano. My songs would come with nothing more than my mind and a walk along the piers in Seattle. By the time I’d reach a cafe or a place to sit down, the songs would mostly be written. The guitar parts, the piano, some horns, the drums- they would all be filled within my mind. As someone who didn’t have money, I didn’t need to convince the world of my talent. I just needed to convince others who could see what I could see, (or hear) and when they caught the vision, then that’s all that was needed. We’d take the invisible notes floating in space and simply bring them down to earth by materializing them through sound. Talent recognizes talent in art. In business, it is not the same.

I grew up around jazz. My Grandfather owned a jazz club in Tokyo. I was a jazz piano major at a small arts school in Seattle, and though it ultimately wasn’t for me, my childhood was jazz. By the time I was 12, I playing with professional musicians at the Ballard Bait and Tackle live venue in Seattle. I sometimes ponder what would have happened had I not moved to Tokyo a year later that disrupted all of my lessons. That’s jazz is it not? By the age of 12-13, one might know the basic melody of life and my Tokyo years were playing off the melody. It wasn’t sheet music that was handed to everyone around me. It was a left hand built around scribbled chord progressions and the synergy from the room. Tokyo was “you learned enough about life, now go explore the world solo.” And speaking of solos, there were those too in jazz. Those were prompted by a simple look or nod. Jazz has a lot to do with risks and living in the moment. With music in general, so much is built around the room. If the audience is feeling it, you’re in for a wonderful night. If not, you very well may want to slink off stage to never appear again. There are plenty of articles on UX and startups, but many of them are like sheet music. I’m here to give another angle; that the successful startups are the ones who played off the melody, broke the rules, and were unafraid of experimentation.