{ "schemaVersion": "v1", "slug": "growing-as-an-artist", "title": "Growing as an Artist", "kind": "solo", "listenUrl": "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Growing-as-an-Artist-e24jppm", "publishedAt": "2026-10-14", "source": { "provider": "whisper", "model": "faster-whisper:base", "normalizedSchema": "v1", "transcribedAt": "2026-06-09T09:08:21.897Z" }, "paragraphs": [ { "startSec": 0.02, "endSec": 25.34, "text": "Music Appreciation. What's good guys, it's Scoobert Doobert art here.So I just released my new record, Moonlight Beach, and I'm gonna do a more deep dive on that." }, { "startSec": 25.34, "endSec": 47.54, "text": "But today I wanted to kind of instead reflect on some of the conversations that I've beenhaving about making music, namely the conversation I had last week with Phil, and how thatplays into my new conception of the next record, of the planning, and the preparationthat goes into that.So for people that kind of know what I do, and have been listening to this podcast," }, { "startSec": 47.54, "endSec": 72.94, "text": "you probably know that I'm all about pace and trying to level up by doing and by producingand exploring artistically, it's more about the things that are revealed as you're makinga record to me at this point, that's my whole thing.And so on to the next one, right?Just dropped one." }, { "startSec": 72.94, "endSec": 97.7, "text": "I'm already actually six songs into this new record cycle, soon to be seven by the endof this week.And some of the stuff that I've been thinking about is about meeting the moment, taking whatI'm doing up to that next level, but what even is that next level, because I've never beenthere before, right?It's not like I have some historical project that's been bigger or more successful or more" }, { "startSec": 97.7, "endSec": 121.7, "text": "reach than where I'm at right now, and it's not like I have a huge, crazy reach, but rightnow, today, across 209,000 monthly listeners, and I'm super, super proud of that.Job enough finished, super, super proud of that.But the place that I'm pointing my ship is, you know, I just want to make music fulltime.I don't want to have to have another job in order to get there." }, { "startSec": 121.7, "endSec": 146.98, "text": "It's going to take quite a bit more growth, if not doubling probably more, like realistically,I think I probably need to be at that 5,600,000 if not more to be able to be at a point thatcollective music income can support my life in San Diego, which is not a cheap place tolive.And I'm not saying like live lavishly, I'm saying like pay rent and eat." }, { "startSec": 146.98, "endSec": 167.14, "text": "But in order to get to that point, it's not just like I need to make more music.It's not just, oh, you need to write a hit song or something like that.I really think that at this stage, I need to make music that is bigger than what I'veever been able to make in terms of like depth.Like, I think I need to grow as a person as an artist." }, { "startSec": 167.14, "endSec": 191.66, "text": "And the conversation that I just had with Phil really kind of solidified some of that.So when he was talking about going to the source of audio, that was resonating with meon an even deeper level than just let's switch out the kick drum beater.Let's choose a different snare drum or a different guitar or a different amplifier." }, { "startSec": 191.66, "endSec": 214.14, "text": "Reminded me of back when I was in college, I was playing just in my own band and I hada great bass player who was doing it because he's an up-and-comber too and he was doingit for free.Just we played, we toured a little bit and his name was Nick Campbell, I used to callhim Thor and he's still a friend, but he's doing big things." }, { "startSec": 214.14, "endSec": 239.7, "text": "He's playing in Vulfpeck and he's done scary pockets and all sorts of cool stuff.I remember though, I was probably 18 when we were doing one of our early practices andmy thing back then was just practice, practice, practice, practice.I was like, you know let's get in and let's play this song a thousand times kind of thing.Let's just brute force our way through and obviously I still have a little bit of that." }, { "startSec": 239.7, "endSec": 263.58, "text": "But at one point he ended up calling the session like we're going to leave now and he toldme that the best thing that we could do is to work on our own individual musicality andwhat he was really saying is like, I got to get better, right?But he was right, I did have to get better because there was no amount of just practicelike playing the song over and over and over again." }, { "startSec": 263.58, "endSec": 291.74, "text": "It was going to make up for the lack of my own personal development artistically and musically.I didn't have enough just juice, I didn't have enough pocket awareness, like understandingwhere I'm supposed to be in terms of time and feel.I hadn't developed a lot of that musicality, the stuff that I work on every day now andit always will probably, but I didn't even know what to work on back then." }, { "startSec": 291.74, "endSec": 313.18, "text": "And so what he was saying is like, you need to focus on the source.It's not always about changing the snare drum or the stick, sometimes it's about changingthe arm.And one of the cool things that I liked about that conversation with Phil is that allof us can apply to that to ourselves no matter what we do creatively, professionallyor anything." }, { "startSec": 313.18, "endSec": 341.39, "text": "That the biggest impact that you can make on the output is as close to the input as possible.You want to make a great film, have a great storyboard, or have a great cinematographer.Like you can make up for not having a great camera if you have XYZ, obviously a greatcamera would help, but it's like, if you have great lighting, it's going to be a lot easierto take a nice picture." }, { "startSec": 341.39, "endSec": 368.91, "text": "If you have a great subject, plus great lighting, there you go.It's like, yeah, you could even have a kind of a bad camera.It could be a great shot.It's like those shot on iPhone billboards, perfect lighting, perfect subject, all thiskind of stuff.Shot on iPhone.It's like, yeah, almost like the iPhone is the afterthought.They paid really good people to do that, but that's the beauty of advertising, right?" }, { "startSec": 368.91, "endSec": 385.07, "text": "You can kind of delude not to say that iPhones can't take good pictures, but I'm not goingto take as good of a picture as my wife will on iPhone because she's a better photographerthan I have.She's got more skill.She's got more source.But that was one of the things I was thinking a lot about, just like personal growth and" }, { "startSec": 385.07, "endSec": 408.55, "text": "what I want to push into this new record because fundamentally, I want to grow worthy of success,not just like from a self-doubt perspective, but I want to make really, really good stuff.I want people to listen to my music and feel inspired the rest of their lives to do coolstuff because they heard it from me." }, { "startSec": 408.55, "endSec": 439.11, "text": "I want them to really get my lens, my prism, my vision, and then evaluate it in whateverthe way they want, but I'm trying to almost let go of a certain sense of technical abilityand try to flow it more into an artistic ability because fundamentally, I don't reallycare if they go, wow, man, that guy's got like really good mic placement, that guy reallycompresses audio well.It's like, yes, I want to do that." }, { "startSec": 439.11, "endSec": 464.79, "text": "But you can have like a really boring furniture design and have the best woodwork or make it,but it's like it's kind of boring.So the craft is important, but the idea is even more important.So I'm trying to like refocus my brain on the idea, on the source, on who I am, andit's fun.So after that conversation, of course, I wanted more of that because I was really inspiringwith Phil." }, { "startSec": 464.79, "endSec": 489.47, "text": "So I started to listen to the Creative Act by Rick Rubin to get a little bit of theproduction perspective along with Phil's workshop and craftsmen like perspective.Obviously, they're both very involved in every step of these creative projects, but RickRubin has got that kind of guru sensibility." }, { "startSec": 489.47, "endSec": 509.43, "text": "And it's funny listening to that book because he's like, he's like a presacratic philosopher.He actually quoted somebody named Heraclitus, whether or not he intended to or not, butthe quote of you can't step in the same river twice because it's always moving.And I think that the reason why I dropped that is, I just actually think that kind of" }, { "startSec": 509.43, "endSec": 530.19, "text": "thinking that old mystic kind of thinking is really cool with music because it almosthelps you get out of the technical because we like necessarily have to spend so much timein the technical.I got to learn my scales.I got to learn my pocket.I got to develop.I got to learn all the tricks with EQs and all the things that I cover on this pot.You got to learn it." }, { "startSec": 530.19, "endSec": 550.63, "text": "It's important that if you want to do, if you want to wear all these different hats, youcan hire other people to wear them too.And then you lose some specificity.So it's cool to be able to wear those hats, but it's easy to get bogged down in thosedetails and bogged down in the technicality and bogged down and just being the craftsmanand lose some of the sense of source or idea." }, { "startSec": 550.63, "endSec": 579.35, "text": "And that's where the guru type kind of guy comes in.But I'm trying to explore that in my own way because there's a easy way to default tothe way that it's been done because it's worked.And when you're at my little stage where I'm going, okay, I've got 209,000 monthly listenerson Spotify.That's pretty cool.That's pretty good reach.It's not enough to pay my bills or do anything like that, but it's not too far." }, { "startSec": 579.35, "endSec": 605.63, "text": "It's like, hey, if you double that, now we're talking.Now it's starting to get in the realm of maybe things can add up and then you can kindof do this full time.So naturally you go, okay, so I want to make a classic record.I want to make something that stands to the test of time and rises up into what I'm fullycapable of and all that good stuff.So then from there you go, okay, how were classic records made?" }, { "startSec": 605.63, "endSec": 627.47, "text": "And that's where I kind of want to let in on my thought process so that hopefully otherpeople don't get necessarily trapped in that old-school style of thinking.Because the stuff that Rick Rubin is even saying in the book, not necessarily to criticizejust to provide an alternate perspective of how another artist is approaching it." }, { "startSec": 627.47, "endSec": 648.87, "text": "He says, you know, open yourself up to like the universe, listen to more things, exposeyourself to more situations, be able to expose yourself to the, you know, the ether, be ableto get ideas.The same way that authors write in coffee shops and they find new characters, it's thatkind of thing." }, { "startSec": 648.87, "endSec": 676.91, "text": "It's out in the world, absorb it, discover an idea, then foster that idea, then explorethat idea, then demo that idea and finalize the idea and then craft and execute the idea.By splitting it up into so many different sections, it actually I think facilitates andnecessitates involving more people." }, { "startSec": 676.91, "endSec": 692.87, "text": "Like if I were to like demo all of my stuff and then hand it over and have session musiciansplay it and then have a producer come in and then record it in a big studio and haveto schedule all this time and get this budget and all this kind of stuff, it adds all ofthis complexity that I know would make it sound technically better, but I don't know if" }, { "startSec": 692.87, "endSec": 718.51, "text": "it would have necessarily more emotional punch because what I'm finding is that I'm ableto shape some of these ideas in the flow of things.So there's like this, there's a John Lennon quote that Rick Rubin has brought up in thisbook.I'm talking about basically once you start a song, finish it.Like in that setting, finish it and I actually don't believe that, I don't, like maybe oldschool, right?" }, { "startSec": 718.51, "endSec": 739.19, "text": "And maybe there are times, there are totally times that I've done this, a bunch of stuffwhere it's like I finish the whole song, top to bottom, maybe edit it a little bit laterbut like that's, get on the flow and get it all out, totally get it.Not criticizing that, but I am saying that there is a, there's something special aboutinstead being like, okay, I have this nugget of an idea." }, { "startSec": 739.19, "endSec": 759.85, "text": "Let me develop it, let me record it, let me record some different takes, let me comp somestuff, maybe edit it a little bit, get it kind of feeling cool and now it's like, ohno, no, no, I was able to polish this and notice that this is actually like half bakedidea that should be in a different section or a different song or realize like, oh," }, { "startSec": 759.85, "endSec": 780.91, "text": "if I layered on harmonies, then this is like way cooler and now I've completely addeda nucleus to this entire song, so say like you're recording a hook, recording a chorus.And I'm, you know, I just wrote it so I'm trying to play it down, I'm literally doingthis right now, like this week, playing it down and I'm realizing that there are a few" }, { "startSec": 780.91, "endSec": 799.95, "text": "words that don't quite fit and there's a little melody that's got like kind of a weirdpause because I'm recording it, not if I was just writing it, just like writing it onacoustic guitar, I don't know if I would have noticed because it was good enough, but becauseI was putting it in the context of the feel and the recording and the emotion and like" }, { "startSec": 799.95, "endSec": 823.03, "text": "freezing it into time, like into the recording session, I was able to analyze it in a waythat, oh, is this like living up to the idea I had in my head?And the answer was no, so I made a few tweaks and then it turned into this like differentthing that I thought I couldn't have access, accessed if I was just recording it in the" }, { "startSec": 823.03, "endSec": 839.55, "text": "classic right on acoustic guitar, demo it, give it to a producer, book the studio, doingall those things, I would have lost it and it would have taken me all the way to getinto the studio and be like something's wrong, but by that time you've already spent themoney, you've already hired the musicians, it's already done, you have a limited time," }, { "startSec": 839.55, "endSec": 865.52, "text": "you have a limited budget, and boof, there's that record that doesn't quite sound right.So that's the way that I'm like getting around or at least maybe even justifying, not havingthe big budget because I think that like Phil was saying, it's not necessarily aboutthe gear, it's not necessarily about the microphone, all this kind of stuff that helps, butit's more about the performance, it's more about the source." }, { "startSec": 865.52, "endSec": 893.4, "text": "And by recording something as you're writing it, you're able to access like a deeper levelof intimacy and of familiarity with the idea that just came down from that ether, andyou're laying it down right there.And like I was talking with Okudaxij, you know, frequent collaborator with this schoolproject and he's got awesome music, and we were talking about it because he was saying" }, { "startSec": 893.48, "endSec": 917.4, "text": "like, yeah, the day you write the song is the best time it sounds because there arethese little tiny nuances of how you say that word when you wrote it, or the way thatthese things rhyme in kind of a weird way, and the pronunciation is a little off, andthe rhythm, the nuances are all baked in there.And then when you come back to it in two, three weeks, you might have flattened it out." }, { "startSec": 917.4, "endSec": 941.84, "text": "You might have flattened that performance and gone back to your normal instincts ratherthan what the idea wanted you to do in the beginning, if that makes sense.It's like, I have a certain way of playing guitar, right?But if I take a guitar soul in the moment, I might break out of that mold because I'min the moment, and whatever's going on in the track inspired me to do something different," }, { "startSec": 941.84, "endSec": 965.4, "text": "or whatever I ate that day, you know, like how much sleep I had, all those things canfilter in, and then you just kind of take a left turn where you normally would have takena right turn, but because you had the recording rolling, which we have the ability to do infinitely,you capture it, and then it changes you, and that's the whole premise of this projectis like I'm always improvising, everything." }, { "startSec": 965.4, "endSec": 992.56, "text": "You know, every single song has got that element of play, of fun, of growth, of unexpected,and combining these disparate kind of steps from like songwriting to demoing to production,mixing.But instead combining it also, you're doing it all at once.It creates that room for improv.It allows that craft to bleed into the idea and vice versa." }, { "startSec": 992.56, "endSec": 1018, "text": "And then I think it also allows for more creativity in the craft, and this isn't like throwing shadeon classic producer engineers.I'm super, super impressed by what they do, and it is creative, deeply.But when you connect all of these things at once, you can do way weirder stuff than ifyou had an emotional arm's distance." }, { "startSec": 1018, "endSec": 1036.2, "text": "When you're in that creative flow, you can be like, I'm going to add a phaser here, andit's going to be totally bizarre and totally whacked, and I never ever would have done thatif I was following like a production playbook, or any sort of like, oh, I'm trying to makea hit record, so I'm going to need to act like it's a hit record." }, { "startSec": 1036.2, "endSec": 1057.84, "text": "The things that I'm starting to realize, and I'm hoping will bleed into this new set ofmusic that comes after Moonlight Beach, is like finding simplicity and finding chaos andimprovisation and play, and combining those two things to create something that I think" }, { "startSec": 1057.84, "endSec": 1085.04, "text": "eventually could be considered like classic, because it won't be trying too hard.It'll be a fun creative exploration of skills without having to make it about the skills.Like, it will be about the idea, the fun, and that's one of the tricks that I think movingquickly can allow you to do, especially when you've honed your skills a little bit, because" }, { "startSec": 1085.04, "endSec": 1106.11838150289, "text": "then it's like, you get out of your own way just necessarily, you know, you're movingso fast that you can't get in your own way, otherwise you slow down and then you breakthe flow, and you can always come back and edit stuff, and I do, I totally do, and youcan always take breaks and refresh and come back, I do that too." }, { "startSec": 1106.11838150289, "endSec": 1133.08, "text": "But I don't want to wait multiple weeks to finish an idea, because it's here. And the longer I wait, the easier itwill be to slip back into old habits, to overanalyze, to slow down in a way that ends up becomingdestructive. There's a sweet spot, and I won't always hit it, but that's the goal of thisnext cycle is trying to, like, leverage those skills in a way that they don't become overbearing." }, { "startSec": 1133.08, "endSec": 1155.4877628032345, "text": "And I'm excited to talk to more people about that, and develop this more, because like, hopefully,you know, hopefully this project does well, and then this can be something I can talk with moreand more people, and see if it resonates with them. But there's a beauty to the growth.There's a beauty to these cycles." }, { "startSec": 1155.4877628032345, "endSec": 1183.21, "text": "There's also a beauty in not taking too much time between them, even though it's a little hard, like I'm not going to lie, it would be nice to takesome time between these records, but that's, I think that's my self-doubt speaking, whereif I'm, like, really in the moment, then I don't think I need time between records," }, { "startSec": 1183.21, "endSec": 1187.77, "text": "because I'm constantly growing as a person and changing, and so my art should grow with it." }, { "startSec": 1188.57, "endSec": 1205.93, "text": "But it's not a simple, like, light switch to flick, but that's part of what this funof this time is, because I want to get up and meet that moment, just like we were talking aboutsports and stuff, that it's really, really special when you push past your boundaries, and you" }, { "startSec": 1209.21, "endSec": 1214.25, "text": "you can realize that that river keeps flowing, and you're never going to step in the same spot twice." }, { "startSec": 1215.85, "endSec": 1235.37, "text": "And that's how I kind of keep going back to that well, and keep thinking about the next record,is it's necessarily not going to be different than the last one, because it can't be.And not trying to make it like the last one, trying to make it this new version of self,and this new expression of goals that's less and less about look what I can do, and more and more" }, { "startSec": 1235.37, "endSec": 1250.6608333333334, "text": "about look at how I feel and like how it feels like to be in the world at my age and in myspot, and hopefully that resonates and becomes universal. One of the cool things that I read in theRick Rubin thing was the personal is universal." }, { "startSec": 1250.6608333333334, "endSec": 1272.493648255814, "text": "And I think that's interesting, because I was actuallythat was a nice little challenge to me, because sometimes I think that my lyrics get a little bit too detailed, or of the now. And I was getting a little bit worried about that, because I want tomake music that appeals to more people that's bigger." }, { "startSec": 1272.493648255814, "endSec": 1292.2065239266549, "text": "But I also like the idea of if you get to really know me, and if I'm fearless in telling that story, then I think that you'll be able tofind universal truths within it. One of when I was I did acting when I was in high school,I really liked it." }, { "startSec": 1292.2065239266549, "endSec": 1314.01, "text": "And Stanislavski was an acting theorist, acting coach, part of the method acting school kind of comes out of his style of teaching, but I read one of hisbooks. And one of the things he first talked about was how if you are honest enough," }, { "startSec": 1315.05, "endSec": 1336.9923498694518, "text": "any performance is interesting. And he showed that by going in front of the class and just watchingTV, fake TV, but he gave such an honest, unabashed performance. Some of it was unflattering the waythat he's scratching his belly and slouching and watching TV, drooping his mouth and droolinga little bit and laughing and scoffing and falling asleep." }, { "startSec": 1336.9923498694518, "endSec": 1353.0439522890551, "text": "But he was able to enthrall those students because he was so honest and so real. That's the that's the unique energy that I'd liketo capture all still within a pop, you know, fun, catchy framework because I love that music." }, { "startSec": 1353.0439522890551, "endSec": 1365.85, "text": "Buthow can I how can I show more of myself and be less afraid to do it and be willing to be cringy or kitschy or cliche because some of those things are just inherent in who I am too." }, { "startSec": 1366.81, "endSec": 1392.722749244713, "text": "So these are some of the stuff, this is some of the stuff that I'm thinking about going intothis next cycle. I just want to share it because this kind of like artistic introspectionis a huge, huge part of the process of next for an artist. And this is mine.I'm not trying to be like to self a, I don't know, a grandizing." }, { "startSec": 1392.722749244713, "endSec": 1414.420257029979, "text": "It's more it's almost the opposite. It's like trying to be like, okay, I'm going to go climb another mountain.Can I do it? I'm going to try. It's more of that kind of feeling. That's part of the reason whylike climbing mountains just feels the same. And sometimes I get my vest musical ideas when I'mout there. So I'm really excited for this summer to go out into the wilderness." }, { "startSec": 1414.420257029979, "endSec": 1431.69, "text": "But that's that's the idea of the next record, the next thing making more. It's not necessarily just to bemore successful. It's more like this is the way I feel happiest is to keep making, keep expressing," }, { "startSec": 1432.41, "endSec": 1453.21, "text": "keep exploring. And I think that the path forward is to become more honest, less afraid,less technical and simpler, but with a certain nuanced, um, I don't nakedness," }, { "startSec": 1454.57, "endSec": 1469.4684143222507, "text": "like being very personal, like getting in there. So that that's what I'm going to try to do.Even if it's a little fun little pop song, I hope that the lyrics and that the way that they'repersonal and the way that the melodies and stuff hit, I hope that you can, you can go on that journeywith me." }, { "startSec": 1469.4684143222507, "endSec": 1489.77, "text": "And in the meantime, I hope you listen to Moonlight Beach because I should probably talk about that album and hype that up more, which I am hyped about. I do like that album. It's not to,not to blow that off at all. It's just, you know, that race was, was run. It's time to run another,it's time to climb another mountain. And I'm gear enough to do it." }, { "startSec": 1489.77, "endSec": 1510.9011392405064, "text": "So wish me luck. And I wish you luck in any of your artistic adventures. Hopefully thissparked something or at least changed, changed the way that, um, maybe you'll hear my music or thinkabout my next, my next cycle. Anyway, I am scoobertdoobert. You can check out my music at scoobertdoobert.pizza.That's www, that's scoobertdoobert.pizza. And I'd be sure to like and subscribe to this pod." }, { "startSec": 1510.9011392405064, "endSec": 1520.73, "text": "If you're into it, um, we'll be getting more guests and things like that coming in. But I also like doing thesesolo pods every once in a while just so I can rant and rave and let you in on some of my," }, { "startSec": 1521.69, "endSec": 1542.73, "text": "my journey. This is way longer than I thought it was going to be. I actually tried to recordthis podcast earlier and it didn't come out very well. I'm hoping that this came out okay. Soanyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Be sure to share the pod with people. If you think it would bebeneficial to their artistic growth. And I look forward to talking to you next week. See you. Bye." } ], "correctionsApplied": [ { "id": "fuzzy-host-name", "count": 1, "note": "Fuzzy host name + glued suffix (rapidfuzz) (100.0%): 'Scoobert Doobertart' -> 'Scoobert Doobert art'" }, { "id": "scoobart-doob", "count": 1, "note": "Host intro name ASR typo" }, { "id": "scubaord-url", "count": 3, "note": "Outro URL ASR typo" } ] }