Hi, Gentle Reader
I’m Cecil Charles McCumber. Some people call me “Chuck.”
If I had to describe myself in one word, it would probably be “interested.” In many, often juxtaposed, things.
Born and raised in Reno, NV, I now live in Nasvhille, TN as a professional singer / songwriter.
Here’s a little taste of my songs (releasing one per month for all of 2019) – all are available on iTunes / Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and more – just search “Cecil Charles.”
From a young age I liked to draw, studied karate, foreign languages, and read Tolkien. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was electing to take both AP Calculus and AP Art and I chose to attend the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. My degree from the academy was a Bachelors of Science in English Literature and a minor in Japanese. Don’t worry – even I was confused.
After achieving my Masters in Business Administration, I went on to be the Director of Marketing for ACCESSTM Event Solutions – an inspiring company that put me smack-dab in a little-known niche of the music industry.
Which was good, because while I enjoyed acting the professional by day, I was also the lead singer, guitarist, and chief songwriter of The Pretty Unknown – my all-original band of the last 4 years, and the most exciting musical project with which I’ve ever had a chance to work.
I’ve since moved to Nashville, TN to pursue the arts (music, writing, acting). I have a solo project under the name “Cecil Charles” and still perform with The Pretty Unknown when I’m back on the west coast.
I’m using this website (chuckslamp.com) to explore my own thoughts on the world, and create a place where people can discuss things we don’t often all talk about.
I’m very aware that with any creative art form, there is the underlying battle between technique and inspiration. We, as a species, know a lot about teaching technique.
We don’t know much about inspiration.
Even the most inspired artists, musicians, writers, and yes, business people in our world had to learn the very logical fundamentals of their craft. But that mysterious element of inspiration is both a requirement for great art, and perhaps what makes it so much fun.
This juxtaposition between learned technique and the intangible is a great example of the duality that I am interested in and which, in many ways, defines me. I’d bet it defines you, my gentle reader, as well.
I have to hope that even though my varied pursuits tend to make a professional focus more difficult, they keep me open to, and appreciative of, life and its countless opportunities.
Finally, I’m incredibly thankful to everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on articles in this website. It’s become a community and a conversation that I never expected, and it means the world to be a part of people thinking and talking about how they view themselves and the world.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
~ Chuck
Here’s the list of websites I manage and for which I write content.
CecilCharles.com – this is my artist page. I’m a songwriter, actor, artist, and essayist. On this page you can hear my music, purchase merchandise, and support me in my goals to live an artistic life creating work that will hopefully enrich your life in some way! Thank you in advance for your support!
SleepingBuddha.Me – offering my insights into, and learnings about, life, as from the perspective of my mixed religious and educational background.
WhyIHatePolitics.com – discussions of current political issues and rhetoric, with the aim to get people talking more about core assumptions, and less about partisan strategy.
ChucksLamp.com – This website – my first blog, with essays on thought processes, sentimentality, travel, relationships, and pursuing your dreams.
Funny, I was looking up anything on non-linear thinking and pop goes the weasel there you were! Ahh yes, was just writing someone about this very subject that you wrote about here. I am a middle-brain so I can be very analytical/logical and creative/intuitive at the same time.
Sometimes my brain is like a messy room with so much information scattered everywhere that even I get confused and god bless those around me. LOL! But I do organize extremely well.
I think maybe we are evolving…. into this. It’s kinda important that we do actually. So much of our brain we don’t use so it’s like being in a candy store and only eating the chocolate drops. Duh….
I also think we try too hard to do some things. It has been my experience with myself and others that when we just “be” there is a natural order to things that occurs almost like magic. It doesn’t mean we have to hold our breath, or squint or worry or wish or pray harder or beat ourselves up, etc. There is something about relaxing and letting our power work for us instead of against us.
Flow is a nice word………like a river. I am quite intuitive and reading people is something I do quite often. I think we are capable of telepathy. Verbal language is bulky. Words are like squares going into round holes to me. When I commune with animals there is none of that for example. There is just a “knowing” and a very true and precise communication. No clutter or misunderstandings.
And we think WE are the species that is “aware” of ourselves! Pardon, had to LMAO for a moment. Okay I’m back. Anyways, you are quite refreshing my friend! I used to live in Annapolis. Worked on the Hill, blah, blah. Grew up in TN as well. Live on the west coast now. You are bookmarked that’s for sure. Love your music! Check out Lonerwolf.com. Amazing people down under.
Apparently I don’t have my notifications set up regarding comments, or else I just plain missed this. Thank you so much for the kind words and your in-depth thoughts, and for checking out my music! Really appreciate the support and very much agree with what you wrote about flow 🙂 And hey – new song just released yesterday (all my songs are on Spotify and iTunes, etc, under “Cecil Charles”) so I’d love your thoughts. Thank you Pamela!
I am a non-linear thinker as you are, and I studied and concluded a Theory of Mind which will solve the major problems of neuroscience. Mind is objective, it’s not bind by the space of our brain. It is a kind of coupling which space is not its basic index for coupling.
I have known so many amazing non-linear thinker from their stories, their books, its also called Jump thinking, or Jump Minded people. I can email you details of my article.
Would love to read those articles – please email or feel free to post links in the comments 🙂 Thank you for the thoughtful reply!
H-h-h-oly crraap!! Do we all need to be shamed and blinded by the quantum evolution and most recent incarnation of Archetype Man in this redhead upstart? He has beaten the fractal cast of said hero’s possible egos by at least two centuries. That’s assuming most reading this understand the fractal nature of power’s evolution. I digress for fear of sounding envious. I’ve never met this man and probably never will. But what keeps me distracted from my deliverable, at 1:11 am, and stuck in his Patanjalic precinct, is his innate fluidity.
Life can be uncomfortable and many of us won’t find ourselves centered in relation to the dis-ease. But Chuck is like the fortuitous pancake that’s flung on the pan (him as flinger too) at just the right speed, followed by a uniform expansion in all directions, augmented by an equally remarkable cooling compression, making him most catching to the human eye which relishes perfect circles as a matter of course. The fortuity in such a parallell is consumption by a good number, because he’s got the flavor of right. I am grateful, sir. Perhaps I could get you to interview and play a song of yours if I had a show to feature you on. Ha ha.
Happy to go on a show, sir! And apologies for the late reply – I just plain missed this in the comments notifications! Thanks for the kind words, though I’m not sure I live up to them all. Tell me more about this show you have! And thanks again for reading/commenting.