What could you be doing while the world snoozes ...
E-Note To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ee cummings You know those quirky days between Boxing Day and New Year's Eve? The time when I first discovered the magic of making music while the world is on hold. Picture this: a bunch of moons ago, my band had blown up, and I was feeling all lost and lonely. All I had was some dodgy demos I had recorded on my trusty 4-track cassette recorder (yeah, that is way before I learned the art of engineering and the era of DAWs). I stumbled into an Xmas party and crossed paths with a cool indie musician/producer from New Zealand. He had an 8-track tape machine and an Allen and Heath analog desk set up in his squat. Next thing I knew, I was booked into his studio/squat, starting December 27th Now, I'd been used to engineers dissing my ideas and making me feel like a musical misfit, but Thom was different. I had this song called "Graffiti Painted Zoo" I had been reading about an elephant who was painting pictures in a Berlin zoo. It was kind of cute and the zoo was selling the paintings but it made me wonder about what kind of art the elephant might really want to be doing.... I had an elephant sample and was using as a subharmonic fat fukoff ele-bass. Thom not only "got it" but pushed every idea further, making me feel brave. It was a blast. Five days later, I emerged with a really well produced EP of six songs. A month later, I had a new band and gigs lined up. Since then, this time of year has become my favorite for making art. So here's my nudge for you: while the world is snoozing on the sofa, at least engage in some "imagineering" for your next year's music. Take a quick look at this year's highlights and aim for even more fun next year. And hey, remember, singing a song on Zoom totally counts as a gig, and a video post of you playing guitar on IG counts as a release. Be your own cheerleader; it's crucial. Think big for the next year! P.S. if you want a free pdf of the review click to download it comes with a boost to be fearless and fabulous, I've got an (also free) 5-day email sequence to keep you arty in this down time - you get an email a day 27th - 31st December with thought experiments, encouragement, and suggestions on structuring your creative output for 2024. Amp It Up: Your 5-Day Musical Power Surge |
The Creative Headspace
THE CREATIVE HEADSPACE Encouraging You to be Bigger Bolder and Max Creative
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