“You should think about selling these.”

She looks up from the notebook at her son, a brooding 16-year-old.

He’s been playing guitar for a little over a year now—barely puts the thing down. He writes his own songs, too, lyrics and all.

His latest lyrics lay in front of her. “He has a way with words,” she thinks to herself.

“Sell them?” 

The question hangs in the air.

“They’re really good,” she reassures. “And a lot of successful musicians sell their songs for a living.”

A blank stare.

She tries to explain, “Some singers have lyrics written for them. Some songs are even used in commercials, like jingles, or even in the movies.”

“Jingles?”

Pure disdain.

Can she blame him? What teenager dreams about writing jingles?

What he dreams about is being a rockstar.

~

I was offended back then. 

I was hurt. Like she was saying I wasn’t talented enough to be a professional musician.

All these years later, I have a different perspective.

Maybe she was preparing me for reality—the odds of becoming a rockstar are slim at best. Maybe she was trying to protect me.

Maybe my mom said I could sell my songs because she believed I could be a writer.

It turns out she was right.

~

Hey, I’m Cory, owner of Cory B.D. Copy & Consulting. I offer strategic thinking and copywriting for businesses that put craft (and the human) first.

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