Originally Posted by Samuel (joe) Harris
I knew he was enormously successful but I didn't care for the songs he wrote.


I think Sam nailed it here.

When it comes to mentors, advisors, etc. I try to make sure that all of my decisions are based on the fact that the mentor has already accomplished what I wish to accomplish myself.

If I want to be a baseball player, I wouldn't time studying soccer players, even though some are very successful athletes.

Likewise, even though Jason Blume is a successful songwriter, he doesn't write the kinds of songs I'm interested in writing. He has talent to be sure, but the results do not resonate with me. So it's unlikely that I'd find much success following his instruction.

That's not to say there's nothing to learn, but ultimately you still have to be passionate about the results, not just the process. Otherwise you won't have the motivation to produce really great stuff.