Step1: Write good songs. Step 2: Everything else.

Whether you were old enough to watch MTV Unplugged or not, you surely know what it is, right? Back in the 90s, MTV had the brilliant idea of taking popular bands and setting them up to play one small, intimate show in an acoustic setting. No over-production. No crazy lights and smoke machines. No wardrobe changes. Just musicians, their instruments, and the songs — with nothing to hide behind.

Amazing, right? Yeah…well MTV thought so, too, because they recently kicked it back into production with a whole new batch of new artists.

It was — and now is again — a great way to hear acoustic versions of your favorite songs. It is also a way for artists to reach audiences that may have not found them — or their studio versions — very appealing or approachable.

There were so many great ones

The LL Cool J one was actually pretty rad (there was actually a drummer…you know…playing drums). The Eric Clapton one has been heard by pretty much everyone everywhere and that take on Layla still gives me chills. The Nirvana one…oh man, the Nirvana one. Legendary. If you haven’t heard (or seen) it, you have my permission to stop reading this blog post right now and go find it. Actually, I insist. Go do it. I’ll wait right here.

Back in the day, when these shows were running, I was pretty much addicted. I couldn’t get enough. It was like nachos — even when it was bad, it was great.

I didn’t know it then, but thinking about it now, I see why I loved those sessions so much. The processes of reinvention, creatively doing more with less, and having the courage to break something apart and put it back together again in a new way are still, to this day, things with which I am captivated. Enough so, that they play a role in my everyday life as a husband, father, musician, and entrepreneur.

It’s often tempting to over-produce things

Whether it be a song in the studio, your role in the family dynamic, or your business model for your latest entrepreneurial venture, a lot of “noise” can mask some of the imperfections and gaps. You can kind of get away with mediocrity, at least for a little while.

But not with the Unplugged versions. Here, it’s less about the sound and more about the song.

You don’t have the 15 guitar parts, 8 vocal tracks, or drum samples anymore. You don’t have all the busy life distractions, many of which are manufactured, to be excuses for anything. You don’t have all marketing mumbo-jumbo that a faulty business model could hide behind.

In the Unplugged version of life, it’s just you and the song

Totally exposed. If the song — at its core — is no good, then it’ll be evidently clear.

So, start at the beginning and write a good song. Don’t build on it unless it can hold up on its own. That might mean an actual, literal song, but the idea can also be applied to personal relationships, professional experience, or building a business from scratch.

You never know when you’ll need (or want) to reinvent yourself, so make sure the foundation of whatever you’re building is strong enough to always be a good place to start.

#bewhatyoumake