Marvin Gaye wrote one of the best albums of all time (Here, my dear) because he didn’t want to pay child support.
During divorce proceedings, Marvin was ordered to pay more money than he actually had on hand as alimony, so a deal was arranged - 50% of the royalties from his next album would go to his ex-wife.
Marvin was incensed. He didn’t want her to get a penny, so he decided to just throw out a quick album that critics would hate and no one would buy so the album wouldn’t do well.
He never usually wrote lyrics for his albums but he was never usually consumed by fury.
He wrote and he wrote. He poured more of his heart and soul into this album than any before it. And in doing so he became fascinated with it.
The outpouring of his anger developed a life of its own. He wrote all his own lyrics and penned all the piano chords.
Ironically the album was snubbed at the time as he had originally intended, but it’s been loved by critics since. The Rolling Stone has consistently listed it as one of the best 500 albums ever made.
In the absence of an enemy, every potential hero is just an ordinary and often unremarkable citizen. It’s only when the antagonist enters the scene that the protagonist can step up and become a hero.
But there’s a second lesson here - you had it in you all along. You were always capable of producing something great - you just lacked true motivation.
Find your fire. Raise your expectations.
