SALON SPOTLIGHT

Since first opening its a decade ago in New York City, NeueHouse has been a meeting place for creators, thinkers, and innovators. As we celebrate ten years, meet some of the members shaping shaping our community and keeping us inspired from coast to coast.

Name:
James Beshara

House:
NeueHouse Venice Beach

Briefly describe what you do:
Entrepreneur, Musician, Philosophy Teacher & Student

Path not taken:
After a decade of investing in startups, while building them for the last 15 years, I have nearly wound that part of my life down as I’ve shifted my priorities to teach Advaita Vedanta philosophy here in Venice, creating 528hz music under the moniker OPENSTATE_, and continuing to build companies (Magic Mind, SideDish, and Apt).

A metaphor that describes your creative process:
Surfing. Not only is it the greatest sport humans have come up with, it’s the perfect metaphor for creating. Some of it you can do with brute effort, but if you can combine effort with the waves that are coming your way, during the course of a day or the course of a career, and adapt to what wave is coming, it can feel effortless.

I tend to get my best ideas and breakthroughs by:
Setting boundaries. Momentum is a function of balance, and balance is a function of boundaries. If you can set and live those, and you know the roles you’re naturally wired for, that wiring and those boundaries create immense momentum. It’s inevitable.

Current read or listen:
Vedanta Treatise by Swami Parthasarathy

Something new you’ve discovered in the past year that now you can’t live without:
My OP-1 Field synthesizers are the greatest instruments ever created. My Instagram followers are flooded by this personal viewpoint.

What person or piece of creative work has had an impact on your own?
The book mentioned above, Vedanta Treatise, on the oldest philosophical ideas humans have been discussing has taught me more about myself, designing products, building companies, and working with others than any business book I’ve ever read.

Best part of what I do:
Whether it’s a product, a service, or a space for discussion, if you can hone in on what your community is in need of, it is like a glass of water in the desert (like when giving someone a Magic Mind for the first time, or a live show of 528hz music through OPENSTATE_, or a philosophy class in our backyard). You can see the genuine appreciation of something that exceeds a person’s already high expectations on their face, and it never ceases to satisfy.

Hardest part of what I do:
To nail the product experience above requires thousands of hours of listening, iterating, falling short, re-iterating, again and again. There’s nothing better than exceeding high expectations. But as a creator looking to serve a community, there’s nothing worse than falling short of those expectations.

What are you excited about right now?
The functional side of music right now feels like where the functional side of food and beverage was 10 years ago. Where we’re discovering the science and exceptional usefulness of certain things we can add to our morning routine for example for immense functional benefit. We’re at a similar nascent point with music, where we’re discovering the scientifically-based benefits of music at different frequencies like 528hz for improved mood and decreased stress (versus conventional music at 440hz) an the benefits of binaural beats and isochronic tones for focus and memory. And without side effects, free with the tap of the ‘play’ button on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music. OPENSTATE_ just collaborated with SoulCycle for their studios and classes around the globe, and I’m currently doing a monthly residency at Open Studio in Venice to experience it live along with breath work to kick off the sound experience.

Life hack:
Wake up every morning at the same time, and watch your whole life fall into rhythm.

SALON by NeueHouse