A strange lesson from rock legends

Last weekend, my husband was telling me about the Keith Richards biography he’s been listening to.

I usually tune him out.

Music, bands, vinyl pressings, the obscure history of who played what on which record – I’ve heard it all. We’ve been together a verrry looong tiiime 😂

But then he said something that stopped me.

When Keith Richards was a kid, one of his fingers was crushed by a paving stone.

Jerry Garcia lost part of a finger in a childhood accident.
Tony Iommi lost the tips of his fingers working in a factory.

Three legendary guitarists.
Three hands shaped by circumstance.

“And because of that,” my husband said, “they all developed completely unique ways of playing that shaped their signature sound.”

Huh.

Lately, I’ve been noticing something about myself.

There are parts of me – you might call them flaws, or skeletons in the closet, or things I don’t love saying out loud – that I’ve quietly tried to smooth over for years.

But I’m starting to realize they’re not liabilities.

They’re trophies.

The very things I once felt self-conscious about are the things that make my work unmistakably mine.

So now, I’ll leave you with this thought:

The thing you’re most tempted to hide…
might be the thing your work needs most.

More to come,

Cat

PS: My clients often tell me I have an uncanny ability to spot the thing they assumed wasn’t important – or was too risky to include – and show them why it’s actually the gold. That’s editorial instinct, not coaching. If you ever want help uncovering that layer in your work, you know where to find me.