Top 3 Takeaways:
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Burnout can be a turning point. Feeling overwhelmed isn't the end—it's often the beginning of deeper self-discovery and clarity.
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Narrow your focus to reignite motivation. Instead of chasing every technique or genre, zero in on the styles and players that truly inspire you.
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Break things down and slow down. Mastery starts with intentional practice—analyzing each rhythm, melody, and chord one step at a time.
After finishing music school, I found myself completely burned out and overwhelmed. Despite playing guitar for 15 years—much of it self-taught—I realized I had picked up habits that weren’t serving me in the professional world. Music school gave me a ton of knowledge, but also left me directionless and unsure of how to move forward. I was chasing too many paths at once and ended up stuck.
That all changed when I forced myself to sit down and ask: What do I really love about music and the guitar? I treated it like a mission statement—writing it out and checking back in regularly. That shift helped me narrow my focus and gave my playing real purpose again.
I started focusing exclusively on the kind of music I loved listening to, particularly fingerstyle guitar. Artists like Tommy Emmanuel, Blake Mills, and Brazilian guitarist Ben Powell lit a fire in me. Their ability to blend chords and melody in rich, rhythmic styles inspired me. I studied their performances, analyzed their technique, and funneled everything I had learned into this new focus.
Fingerstyle guitar forced me to slow down and dig deep. I worked through rhythms and melodies one note at a time, learning to hear which tones fit over which chords. It wasn’t easy—but it gave me a clear path forward.
Eventually, the joy returned. I landed a great gig playing fingerstyle guitar, and I’ve never looked back. If you’re feeling stuck, my advice is this: pick a style you love, slow down, and build from there. Let your inspiration lead your progress.
