During my usual morning routine, working out in the basement and The Current songs playing in the background, I caught my favorite hosts interviewing St. Paul musician Jonathan Mann. I had never heard his name before, but the scale of what he does still stopped me, for everyday for 16 years.

According to Wikipedia, Mann has written and posted a new song with a video every day since January 2009 on his “Song a Day” YouTube channel. In November 2014 he reportedly set a world record for the most consecutive days writing a song. A few of those songs traveled well beyond his channel: his “iPhone Antenna Song” was played by Steve Jobs to open the iPhone 4 press conference, and he also reportedly performed a song about the economist Paul Krugman on The Rachel Maddow Show.

He has reportedly been a frequent guest on Minnesota Public Radio over the years, but hearing him describe the daily habit out loud landed differently this time. In the interview he talked about how he keeps the songs coming, along with his interest in NFTs and SongADAO, the co-op he helped build around the project.

I’ve kept a modest daily writing practice for 6 years, mostly short notes and rough drafts in the morning, so I can’t help but admire someone who has kept a creative streak going for thousands of days. What struck me most wasn’t the milestone itself. It was the ordinary days behind it: the mornings when he likely had no inspiration, no momentum, and still sat down to make a song.

That part feels familiar. Most of my own notes won’t be remembered by anyone, including me. But I’ve learned that habits aren’t built by producing something remarkable every day. They’re built by showing up, even when the result is forgettable.

Related Resources

• Jonathan Mann | Bennington College
• Jonathan Mann (musician) | Wikipedia
• Jonathan Mann | YouTube Channel