Front & Center

Music massages the mind.
Live music brings the body in-tune.

As the mind and body respond to a beat, a pulsing pattern guides us to euphoria. In this state, we access elevated areas of the mind. Music anywhere can provide a version of this, but the loudest line is when we’re front and center.

Extra Shot

Listen to EDM when reading this.

Watch this when you’re done.

Showing up for live music is half the battle. Once you’ve arrived, grab bottled water and float around the venue to expose a variety of views. This takes practice as wading in a crowd is an art form. As we trap time with content, these pit stops are also a chance to capture angles that set the scene for storytelling later. Securing drinks at a busy bar, spotting an odd perspective, finding a way into VIP areas, and vibing with strangers is all part of the performance.

With the venue properly scouted, it may be time to push. Your destination is the madness that is front and center.

Find an entry point and wiggle in. There’s no rush. Be considerate, but you will need to get physical, so don’t be surprised when you’re thrown a frustrated look. Before anyone can get angry, dance with these strangers. Share space and give anyone a reason to smile with conspicuous kindness. With that position fully admired, keep moving.

As we maneuver toward front and center, the mob tightens. Once the main act arrives, it’ll be harder to achieve front and center. Time bravery wisely. Arriving early is easier, but you’ll have to survive longer. Wait if you want, but then you’ll have to push harder. As we cut through the crowd, look for party people shorter than you, creases between groups, or wait until someone expires and take their place.

When you’ve landed front and center, there’s no room to move within this nucleus of humanity, but there’s nowhere else we’d rather be! Stay strong. Feed into the flow that surrounds you, trap time with stable content, meditate for teleportation later, and ride this euphoria to a full escape.

Push to feel the front gate if you must and always stay here longer than you should. When you’ve sensed absolutely everything, begin your decent. Shimmy straight back to remain centered as you politely let others move forward.

Extra Shot

Music decorates time.

It’s impossible to sleep after experiencing front and center. At home, use the earned insomnia to stitch a story together. The faster you tell this story, the wider it will spread when everyone wakes up looking to relive their own euphoria.

There’s nothing that compares to being the artist onstage, but this is a very active way to spectate. Extra gears and resources are required to arrive, find, and hold down the front and center, but that’s obvious. Two less apparent attributes help fans feel this dazzling splendor. First, a certainty in knowing you belong. This boldness may need to be faked at first, but with repetition, pure confidence comes from grasping the radical effort required to get here. Along with knowing we belong, honest self-awareness ensures we know our own limits. Push beyond the limit, but there’s no time for short-term mistakes that leave a long-term burden.

Extra Shot

Break one rule, but avoid breaking another.

How wild can we live when it’s so easy to conform? As we age, co-pilots are harder to find, so test yourself with solo missions. The lightness is liberating, but beware. When you consistently create content, you may land a media pass or even onstage. If you manifest this heaven on earth, poise is tested. Remain affable, make all feel appreciated, and know you are not the show. Be a daring shadow, embrace every single second, and ship the art to feel it all over again.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Trapping Time

Chris Lo is a film maker who captures mesmerizing magic. He’s the camera guy in the pit, behind the DJ, and flying drones at your favorite concerts. Ben and Chris are both Time Trappers who have collaborated in the nightclub and on the golf course, so we had to record this relic. We talk about videography, leveraging A/V equipment, organizing mountains of media, and how to effectively collaborate with artists.

After another reading from the Roasted Reflections library, we hear a crazy story and jam on how full-time creatives can sequence paid gigs with portfolio-building efforts that maintain a runway to stay creative. Let’s get loud.

LISTEN on APPLE PODCASTS
LISTEN on SPOTIFY

BONUS MATERIALS

Situasian Films on YouTube

https://instagram.com/the_situasian01

http://Trapping-Time.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://BenMcDougal.com/content-creation-videography

Reading Break from Roasted Reflections: Uncharted

YDNTP on YouTube

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago

Inextinguishable Light

Recorded at the largest sound stage in Minnesota, Ben McDougal and Jim Morgan compose a symphony of sound and share BIG news to tie a beautiful bow on Season 1 of You Don’t Need This Podcast!

Together, we jam on producing new music every day, sleeping in a kick drum, and being a part of other artist’s creative process. We hear the story of Conduit Sound, then celebrate pure wonder and serendipity by talking about inspired leadership within creative, inclusive, and open environments. In a special break, you’ll be first to taste the Collector Hardback Edition of You Don’t Need This Book: Entrepreneurship in the Connected Era! After the break, we put hands on the Collector Hardback Edition, then click on AI within music and transitioning from behind the camera to in front of an audience. We close by appreciating the support of family, invite you to ship your own art as inextinguishable light, and stick around as BEN BOT articulates a transmission from the future. Cheers to Season 1 and hit YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com for more timeless insight brewed to keep us building.

LISTEN on APPLE PODCASTS
LISTEN on SPOTIFY

BONUS MATERIALS

https://ConduitSound.com

https://instagram.com/jim_morgan_artist

https://imdb.com/name/nm2725683/

http://Inextinguishable-Light.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP44 – Do What You Love 🎙️ Scotty Russell

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, ago

The Art of Connection

Jessica Pfohl Paisley is a creative community builder who is fascinated by the diversity of life. Whether it’s enjoying time with family, building on the frontiers of fashion, or making others feel their best through AMIDST Magizine, Jessica connects community through photography, print, music, and events. Together, we talk about curating resources, event management, and balancing a diversified career portfolio.

Enjoy this Episode
YDNTP on APPLE PODCASTS
YDNTP on SPOTIFY

By Ben McDougal, ago

Professor X

Andre Wright is a genuine father, designer, visionary, activist, and community builder. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame in 2021, with work featured at New York Fashion Week, and collaborations with Politico, NPR, Target, Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Facebook.

Whether it’s Wright House, Humanize My Hoodie, or having dinner with Banksy, Andre has dedicated his life to the underrepresented. Listen as we jam on the hope for our youth, telling the story of a project to expand trust, and uniting a movement.

LISTEN on APPLE PODCASTS
LISTEN on SPOTIFY

By Ben McDougal, ago