What is up, everybody? My name is Ian Allison, and I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you very much for listening. I'm doing a solo show again today.

SBL asked me to do another one of these. And, you know, it's so funny, as I was thinking about, God, what do I want to talk about today? I was asking my wife, Emily, I'm like, what should I, what should I talk about in the solo podcast? She was like, well, what did you do last time? I said, I did a Q&A, and I answered a bunch of questions. She said, why don't you talk about your COVID pivot. And I was like, what?

And she was like, you know, and I answered a bunch of questions. She said, why don't you talk about your COVID pivot?

And I was like, what?

And she was like, you know, like how everything changed for you during COVID.

And I sort of like stopped and I wondered to myself, did it?

And she's like, yeah, yeah, it did.

And I thought, God, you know, like I still feel like a bass player.

I'm still like a working bass player.

But I think what she was referring to is just the amount of content that I have started to make and starting to work for SBL and just thinking about

myself maybe as more, more than just a gigging bass player, thinking about myself as having

the ability to be a personal brand.

When I say that, do you want to, like, run screaming?

I remember, like, I remember when I started to think about that, like, oh, I wonder if I should think about myself, Ian Martin Allison as a brand.

And I would, like, throw up in my mouth.

And then the more I thought about it, the less I would throw up. And then the more I thought about it, the less I would throw up.

And then the more I thought about it, I would like start to not throw up.

And this all started before COVID.

And so I wanted to talk to you guys today about the things that I think are so important

about thinking about yourself as something great or something worth doubling down on, right?

Doubling down on you.

And, you know, I could say like, oh, everyone is wonderful and everyone has something to share and yes, yes, yes, all that sentimental crap is fine.

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