Creators have always fascinated me, especially music creators.
There's a line from the movie A Star is Born that blew me away, even the first time I heard it. But then I couldn't get it out of my head and wondered why it stuck.
An aging rock star helps a young singer find fame as his own career begins to fade. If you haven’t seen it, you should. If you don’t cry when you see it, you might want to report that to your primary care physician.
Here's the scene I was talking about - Sam Elliot (that voice!) plays Bobby Maine, the brother of rock star Jack Maine played by Bradley Cooper. In a moment of grief and remembrance, Bobby is recalling something Jack used to say about music.
"Jack talked about how music was essentially 12 notes between any Octave. 12 notes and the Octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over…forever. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes…that’s it."
Huh?? AC/DC "Highway to Hell?" James Taylor "Sweet Baby James?" Mozart's "Requiem?" Nahhh. Could that be right? Just 12 notes?
Yep. All of them, 12 notes and the octave repeats. The same story told over and over...forever. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.
So what are YOUR 12 notes?
If you are a real estate broker maybe it's Location, Age, Price, Square Footage, Lot Size, Mechanicals, Schools, Comps, Curb Appeal, Landscaping, Driveway and Garage.
But whatever they are, they are the same for EVERY broker and agent.
If you are a founder of a start-up and you are pitching VC, it's Purpose, Problem, Solution, Product, Market Size, Why Now, Team, Business Model, Traction, Financials, Competition, Ask.
Pretty much every start-up has to have those 12 slides.
What's the point: In a ChatGPT-homogenized world, all you can offer the world is how YOU see your 12 notes. How YOU see the story.
So finding YOUR story (and telling it in a way that the audience will hear) has never been more important than it is right now.
It's the same story told over and over...forever. Have a great week!