So … recently, my sweetie and I took a very cool trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And while we were there, we visited a classic spot called “Colter Bay”—which is about 30 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. I say it’s classic because my family went there many times when I was a kid. It’s got all the great outdoorsy kind of stuff … like cabins, a park ranger amphitheater, walking paths, and a little marina on the lake. If you’re into that sort of thing, it’s pretty awesome.

Colter Bay is located right on the edge of some beautiful water called “Jenny Lake.” And seriously, the area is amazing. As we walked along the pebble beach last November, my wife and I were blown away by the view of the Teton Mountains rising up on the other side of the bay. The peaks are so huge that they’re really hard to miss.

And that got me thinking. In all my childhood memories of standing on that beach, I don’t really remember those mountains. Sure, they were obviously there (because mountains are pretty hard to move), but they didn’t show up on my radar at that time.

As a kid, I have vivid memories of talking and playing with other kids on the beach. But the mountains were totally new to me on our recent visit. So apparently, my friends were more important to me back in the day, on those family vacations. When I was younger, it’s like my mind just filtered out anything that didn’t totally interest me. Out of mind … out of sight.

Anyway, my point is this: what you see is what you get. Our lives, experiences, and influences are really just based on the things we notice. So if we don’t pay attention to something, it’s almost like it was never there … or never really happened. That’s why, when I revisited Colter Bay recently, it was a different experience. This time around, my eyes were open to new things.

So what kinds of things are all around us right now—waiting to be discovered? What new influences are just sitting there, staring us in the face? As artists and musicians, we’re surrounded by cool stuff all the time. So what’s about to jump right out and totally blow your mind?