I'm incredibly inspired by the recent news of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard & his family giving away the company to now become a non-profit organization. All profits will now go towards combating climate change & protecting undeveloped land around the world. I believe this is the future and how we start shifting towards a new phase in humanity... it's time that we as individuals, and all our global societies, start to take better care of each other & the planet.
Capitalism to do good, not to do greed.
I will write more about this later, but for now check out these articles from the New York Times & BBC (in case you haven't heard about this yet... it's a very big deal ;)
Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company
Patagonia: Billionaire boss gives fashion firm away to fight climate change
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Maple & Mahogany has by no means been a money making endeavor for me. I've earned way less with the music than I've spent. A lot of personal money went towards traveling to concerts, creating videos, recording the EP, printing cds, and everything else that comes with presenting this musical project to the outside world. I've even played a few free concerts for good causes.
For a long time I was fine just writing songs in my kitchen, for myself, as therapy and as a practice of living in the present moment. Feeling the vibrations of my instruments and my voice vibrations generated from inside my body... it's always been a self care thing and a release of emotions.
To the people who happened to hear my songs online or came out to any of our live performances... thank you. My goal was never to seek attention and prove myself to anybody. If you know me in real life, you know that I'm quite shy in big groups. In small groups, or one-on-one with people, I'm different... somehow the music gets me in a one-on-one mindset with the people who are there listening. It's like a conversation. It is a conversation. I don't know how it works but I'm way more nervous at parties than getting on stage in front of a big room of people, haha.
Maple & Mahogany has cost me much more financially than I've earned. It's a different business than Patagonia, sure. I don't make $100 million a year in profits that can help combat environmental and social injustices. I make negative profit, haha. I never took a business class so I don't know the proper term for a business that loses money. Somebody help me out...
However, I'm feeling inspired. And I have new ideas.Â
There might be more to this whole music thing. We'll see ;) Thanks for reading and be well my friends.
Jason