Part prose, part album, and part photographic essay, Western Skies is singer-songwriter Darden Smith's stunning homage to the mythologies of Texas and companion to his music release of the same name.Amid a series of road trips across West Texas, Darden Smith-Austin-based musician, author, and creative-found himself writing songs at the wheel and taking Polaroid photographs of the stark and ghostly terrain. Inspired by the spirit of the landscape, Smith scr...

The Habit of Noticing is a personal manifesto on the value of art and creativity, written by singer-songwriter Darden Smith to serve as a guidebook for those seeking to bring more creativity into their daily life. "I’ve learned a lot about the creative life — or rather, how and why to make a creative life –– from more than three decades of earning a living as a musician and songwriter. The “how” is a mix of vision, talent, desire, drive, luck and perseverance. As for “why,” it com...

The concept of work-life balance is anything but foreign in today's hyperconnected society, but what if finding the elusive balance lies not in tuning out, but instead bringing one more key element into our lives? In his new book The Habit of Noticing: Using Creativity to Make a Life (and a Living), slated for release on Thursday, September 13 at the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Summit in Providence, R.I., Austin-based singer-songwriter Darden Smith says the secret lies in em...

Part prose, part album, and part photographic essay, Western Skies is singer-songwriter Darden Smith’s stunning homage to the mythologies of Texas and companion to his music release of the same name.Amid a series of road trips across West Texas, Darden Smith―Austin-based musician, author, and creative―found himself writing songs at the wheel and taking Polaroid photographs of the stark and ghostly terrain. Inspired by the spirit of the landscape, Smith scr...