Learning to pivot (and pass the ball.)

Shoot, Pass, or Stagnate. - U.B.C.S. Vol 22

Hello and welcome to vol. 22 of The Underground Binder-Clip Society.

The pivot foot in basketball is the foot that remains in contact with the floor once a player has stopped and put both hands on the ball.

From this position, the player may spin or change positions so long as their pivot foot does not move from its initial position or lose contact with the floor.

Once the pivot foot is established, there are three legal ways to free it without committing an illegal “travel.”

1. Shooting

2. Passing

3. Dribbling¹”

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Lately it’s felt as if i’m stopped in place with the ball in my hands. I only have a few options: shoot, pass or pivot. This season has been full of all three. I have been taking shots. I have been handing the ball off when i’m not the right person to take the shot. I have been pivoting, or changing directions, while keeping one foot firmly planted.

I didn’t expect i’d ever be using a basketball analogy to describe my creative personal life, but here we are. It’s springtime here in Nashville and quite beautiful outside. I got to take two nice walks last week at Shelby Bottoms park. Had two recording sessions with clients. Received a piece of mail. Made biscuits from scratch. I am allowing myself to rest more and am trying to focus on whats directly in front of me. I am back on my flip phone — I wanna check out this book called digital minimalism.

I started booking another DIY tour for the summer with a friend. I have been doing email and taking short phone calls at my chill new part-time job in east nashville selling t-shirts. I have said a lot recently that I am in both a reaping season and a sowing season. I can see the fruit of my labor, and the fruit still to come. I am enjoying the process, and perfecting my recipes and my to-do lists. Praise God. The springtime breeze brings life, and peace, despite all unknowns. I do not know what exactly it is that I hope in all the time, but I know that hope is being restored.

I still complain and gripe at times to the right people. I am grateful for those who empathize with me while peppering in an alternative perspective. I am also grateful for those who pick me up by my feet and hold me upside down for a moment. My slowing down hasn’t been scaring me as much as it used to. I can look back at a few solid years now of artistry and the ups and downs that have come and gone. Seasons of drought and seasons of plenty. Seasons where I’ve had my focus in the right places, and seasons where I was chasing acclaim and attention. Now I am just being, mostly. Thank God, my fellow artists and those who I meet along the way encourage me to keep going. General upkeep of the soul seems to be reason enough to remain an artist. You can tell when someone has worked some things out in their morning pages.

Categorizing and streamlining my music business tasks has been a focus for me lately. In seeing some smaller indie labels put out great work, i’ve found a second wind with trying to do my due diligence and get my music in front of new people. This is whats led me to booking another DIY tour, and sending more emails to publications and labels. I am building some “networking” into my daily routine and calling it what it is. It doesn’t feel so superficial when you actually believe in the art you are promoting. I also think I am becoming much less emotional about it. It’s not that hard to send a few emails a day, and see if they turn into a relationship or a show or a bit of press coverage. And hey, if it doesn’t pay off, we all just need a little task from time to time. Right?

Thats all i’ve got for now folks. Hope you can get outside this week and eat something good.

Yours Truly,

Jake Smith

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Here are this week’s “Quick Clips”:

• Below the paywall this week is a demo of a song called “Just For a Minute.” I really enjoy this one and have started recording it recently. I attach unreleased songs in every newsletter for my paid subscribers.

• I watched this hour long documentary on YouTube of the band “Flyte” making their new self-titled record. You should check it out.

• I heard the song “Waters of March” by Art Garfunkel in the credits of the film “The Worst Person in The World.” Both the song and the movie touched me.

• I am booking now for April and May if you’d like to record some music.

• If you have info on booking a show or know of a band we could play with in your town, let me know! Also let me know if we could crash at your house! Or play a house show in your backyard!

• T-shirts, stickers, pins, and CDs are available at holymolyrecords.com. Go check em out.

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I.L.Y.H.M.L.Y.M.,

N.I.L.O.M.

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