Personal Developement

Attention Artists! Success Comes from Within…

Greetings Friends!

It’s been a busy month over here at Adam Rafferty’s humble home / office / studio. This past month we all witnessed the launch of the Stevie Wonder DVD so it’s been BUSY. Things are calming down now that the initial rush is over. Talk about exciting! I am catching my breath.

A bunch of my musician buddies are asking me how I got my stuff out there on youtube and am having this guerilla success in terms of making a whole lotta friends, fans and making noise in general about gigs, tours, DVDs and the like. In fact, my buddy Peter Mazza and I had lunch the other day to discuss this.

I’d love to do a book or course on this stuff. While it reeks of “success guru” crapola, it works. And I vow to never spew info unless I can back it up 100%.

There is a combo of “heaven and earth” in success, I am finding. What I mean is that there has to be a spiritual element. You can’t fool the universe. You can’t bulls–t people, or yourself. Whatever it is you do or offer should hook into your integrity and be intelligent.

Ok, there are guys who sell toilet paper and fill a need, but I am talking about being a musician or an artist. Just look at any musician who has to play music where the soul disconnects – usually that type of musician is miserable. So, I play music that really feels good to me. That’s step 1.

Before I get to step 2 (and I am improvising this step by step method…) let’s go quantum. I listened to a Greg Braden (author, philosopher, and very cool dude) interview, and he mentioned an experiment in which photons in a vaccum “lined” up in the presence of human DNA. Yep, light particles assumed form in the presence of human DNA. This suggests on a quantum level that we create our reality.

This truly fascinates me. And hey, a Stevie Wonder DVD was first a vision, and now it’s real. That’s just lotsa little photons lining up….

So – step 2 would be to retrain the mind to look for, find and create success. Rather than tell my buddy about the step by step actions, I gave him my favorite book titles to learn about the mind.

When you learn that we have 4 billion bits of info available to us at any second, but “see” only 4000 – you learn that we see what we train ourselves to see. Insane. The mind and the universe are more mysterious than we’ll ever know.

In my case, I have truly had to re-program my mind to see and live success. The choices I make – whether it’s song choices, design work, who I hire for my team, what I spend time on – all these choices are now aligned with a deep, subconcious “problem solving” mechanism of achieving success. Each action is merely a metal shaving being pulled by a bigger magnet, which is the subconcious.

Bottom line – I love people. I want to make ’em happy and bring ’em music. The success I speak of is multi dimensional, and has “money” as a sliver of the pie. Jeez, what do I do with money anyway? Put out another CD! Of course it helps survival also. The real joy I get is to brighten people’s lives, for real, yo!

Well, this is just coming attractions of some type of course I hope to teach on day. I find it to be utterly upside down that there are so many gifted talented people out there who can’t “get out there” and figure their business stuff out. Maybe I can turn some people on to the good stuff now that I am finally discovering what works.

Until next time!

– AR

Why Achieve Goals?

By Adam Rafferty 2 Comments

Greetings Friends!

I am writing to you right now on a delightfully quiet, damp Sunday morning at 6:15 am EST. Life is good. I’m huggin coffee and aside from the occasional car alarm or Bollywood Hip Hop drive-by-car-stereo-blast, it’s quiet here in NYC 🙂

Last week I finally shot the video to my Stevie Wonder Instructional Guitar DVD and I edit tomorrow…but this post is not about beating my chest, alpha male style, and getting you to cheer me on. I have an inquiry about the whole nature of achieving goals.

It’s gratifying to knock out goals and see one’s visions take shape in the world. But why? The more one does “winner” type things, the more one (I) become addicted to the elation of achievement.

Is it an addiction? What’s happening here? What’s the point of goals, accomplishments and so on? Will it ever end? Can’t I just relax into the moment and simply “be”?

Don’t get me wrong – accomplishing things is the coolest thing ever. To place an image of an achieved goal in the drop box of my mind – and watch it spring up like a flower is unbelievable. It’s like playing with the mechanics of the universe!

Maybe I’ll never be able to answer the “why”. However – one of my heroes, Lester Levenson explained the following. (You can find audios of him on youtube).

In the achievement of goals our inner resistance comes up. The “can I do it?”, the doubts, the anger, the impatience, the feeling that something is too big, too small – or even that “this is easy”, “I’m the best / the worst” (ego), “I’ll show them”, “I’ll never be able to”…the point being – our deep emotions get unearthed.

The overcoming, releasing and understanding of these emotions ultimately are the lessons we need to learn. We come up against our own resistance and ego. Goals help us shine the light on our inner junk and see it for what it is worth.

Food for thought.

Have a wonderful day y’all. Love you.

Adam

Causless Happiness

By Adam Rafferty 1 Comment

Greetings Friends.

I am writing you from my little home in Jackson Heights, New York. I have been home for about a month and in case you didn’t know – it is always quite a whirldwind of “settling down” after touring for 6 weeks. It’s so exciting to travel, meet new people and play so much music that well….coming home – at least at first – kinda sucks.

However, there is hope. 🙂

It’s funny, the barometer the world and language puts on things. Since I got to play with Tommy Emmanuel on the tour, I got many compliments, many supportive happy emails from friends and fans happy for my successes and ever evolving career and adventures in music. And, I can beat my chest and tell em all that I sold a bunch of CD’s too 🙂

Here’s the part that is funny: no single event makes me happy, really. I found the video below and realized when I heard it, that yes – happiness inside me springs up without a cause.

I know, it is counter intuitive. But – the gigs, the success, is not where real happiness comes from. In fact, it can lead to suffering if I don’t deal with it properly.

In retrospect, quite often I have found myself walking down the street. Or on a set break on a gig, I am just simply, happy. Clinging to “events” like articles, tours, performances, money – can actually lead to unhappiness if one develops a “clingyness” to them.

It’s easy and typically human to think that “when I have this great stuff happen, I am happy – which must mean that when I don’t have it I’m not”. I.e. – we tend to think the causes of happiness are outside ourselves, rather than inside.

The subtlety of this ego trip can be much like a child after opening the last present on Christmas morning; the gifts didn’t really make the kid (you) happy if he feels disappointed that there are no more gifts! It can actually be very disappointing on Christmas morning to hear “that’s all there is” when you want more.

On tours as people shower me with praise after a gig I must ask myself in that moment, and often do – “what about this is making me so happy? Is this an addiction?” – not to blow it off, but just to watch myself, my reactions and my compulsions.

It might looks like my “gig” is guitar playing but the real “gig” in life is to see reality clearly without an ego distortion.

Adyashanti on Causless Happiness:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpHBgWqchxM]

I find that my true joy, the true pleasure , happiness, and upliftment comes from simply listening, watching, breathing – whether I am on a gig or not. It sneaks up on me when I least expect it. It is not really based on outer things. Bliss can happen in the checkout aisle at the grocery store for cryin’ out loud!

Confused? Don’t be. Go for a walk in nature and just let happiness sneak up on you!

Tour Greetings From Helsinki, April 6 2009.

By Adam Rafferty 9 Comments

Friday was a real highlight and milestone for me, musically, career wise and personally. I got to perform with maybe the most beloved and incredible guitarist alive, Tommy Emmanuel. But performing with him was but one final moment in a day where we got to know each other and become friends. I got to absolutely re-live the thrill of being a kid and taking guitar lessons! A true friendship and mentor/protege relationship was set into motion. Most guitarists would give anything for this rare wonderful opportunity that I have had.

At 9:30 am, Tommy jumped into the hotel lobby and just embraced me with a big bear hug. “How ya doin’ brotha!!!” he said with his Aussie twang. We had a few laughs and I was cautious to let him unwind, but no…he asked me immediately up to his room. In a matter of seconds he showed me his guitar and played for me. It was like youtube came to life 12 inches away from my face. My jaw hung open. And, it was interesting to see what he packed, how he packed…after all he is THE road dog.

We went downstairs and had lunch and talked about more…relationships, road strain, but most importantly – communicating to an audience through music. He’s so passionate about this stuff! I bounced ideas off of him, and over lunch he gave me lots of great advice, especially this – “what other people think of you is none of your business!”. He’s describing the strength to forge ahead with one’s mission and not even think about others approval.

He took me back to the hotel room after lunch for rehearsal. I suggested “Tenderly” which we played together on the concert. Tommy was very specific about how I should accompany him, and showed me ways to get the melody to sing more. As he got the melody to sing he says “brother, that’s the difference between 80 or 800 in your audience!” We fooled around playing “On Broadway” and then, I just had to ask him about his tunes. We played “The Hunt” together and he was cracking up as we did it! Then we played “Tall Fiddler” and on both tunes he showed me spots I did not quite have 100% right.

We left for soundcheck and here is where I got to see his sheer mastery. He brought me over to his stage setup, which was so much simpler than one could imagine, and plugged in. I stood 2 feet away in the empty theater. From the first note, BOOM it sounded stellar and he just looked at me and said “no time to screw around, I want a sound and I want it NOW!” and cackled with laughter. I got a mini concert right there, just him playing for me and it was ridiculously…well, Tommy, right there 2 feet away, kickin ass, just like in concert.

Backstage, he said I’d come up after “Mombasa” his guitar percussion feature. Here’s where it turns into the guitarists hilarious LSD nightmare. You are backstage listening to Tommy play in front of 1400 people, just the most incredible stuff you’ve heard in your life….and then you realize that you have to follow up and play after him. I sat backstage and laughed at the sheer madness of it. Thank God for all the gigs in my life where I actually was nervous, because this was so ridiculous, all I could think was “well you wanted it, now you got it. Time to make music!”

As he called me out, there was nothing short of love, support and a grand introduction. Once I got on stage, all was cool…I performed “Superstition” and “Chameleon” and rocked out as hard as I could. I think the people really dug it.

Tommy then joined me for “Tenderly” which I heard the playback of about an hour ago – and it was MAGIC.

It could not have gone better! To have the opportunity, visibility and recognition of playing for and with Tommy is a real “name booster” in the guitar scene, but add to the mix that I got yet another music master to take me under his wing….that makes it a double whammy! Thank you God, Universe, Source!!! And thank you Tommy!

Pictures, videos and audio clips will be posted as soon as they are processed by the concert promoter, but thankfully it was all captured in HD and great digital audio as well.

I am smiling right now! Until next time…

– Adam

Are You Thinking Big Enough? Am I?

By Adam Rafferty 2 Comments

Greets friends! I finally have a quiet peaceful moment here in Cologne, Germany. The past 2 weeks have been loaded up with a combination of solo concerts, festival gigs with award winning vocalist Sabine Kuehlich, and 3 recording sessions for our upcoming duo album, tentatively titled “Girl Meets Guitar”.

If you have read any of my posts, you’ll know by now that I am fascinated by the mind & spirit. And while it has become quite “pop” to mention the movie “The Secret” I have spent time investigating the individuals interviewed in the movie.

Since discovering affirmation & visualization techniques I have literally watched my own life unfold in amazement as the visions of my mind pour out into the material world and become “real”. (Actually the vision is just as real, but this way others can see it, and hey it’s fun to materialize stuff!)

Now one of my big questions is “am I thinking big enough?” Why do I ask this? Because I watch in amazement at some of the achievements of others – and no, this is not a “keeping up with the Jones’ ” type thing – it is an inquiry to see how much better I could do.

A few days ago I met a man named Peter Finger. (He’s a guitar player – great name, huh?). Peter not only a fabulous player but he runs the record label “Acoustic Music” which will be putting out the new duo CD.

Peter gave us the tour of the “Acoustic Music” building in Osnabruck, Germany. I eyeballed the building, and thought silently to myself about the vision and imagination required for what he was about to present.

So, in short – he runs a successful record company, plays about 15 concerts a month himself, has a world class recording studio in the building, runs a guitar magazine, organizes the “Open Strings” festival, has a concert stage & series throughout the year, has a guitar shop in the building – and oh by the way, he builds his own guitars too.

WHEW!!!! The lesson I received was – THINK BIG! How much bigger can I think? Are my limits real or imagined?

I was literally in shock for a day wondering how one person could do all this – but all of these accomplishments start as visions or ideas. This was an inspiration of what is possible with a big broad vision!!

So are you shooting for the moon, or are you just shooting for “down the street”? Are you going for it or just getting by? It’s time for all of us to think bigger and bigger, and set fulfilling goals.

Until next time…