I'm bad at being motivated to write words. But I've had a little break and want to get some thoughts down in public as a reference for where I'm generally heading. Some might happen, some might not over the next year.
UPDATE: I just realised I missed a couple of things…
First thing I missed was that I am always thinking about why I do what I do, and two thing cropped up that are relevant. The first is a Marginalian article about E.B. White that made me think of solace: “Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.” And in the Monogram Murders that I was reading during my break: “It is the job of art to replace unhappy true stories with happier inventions”. Happier Inventions would be a good title…
Second thing I forgot to mention was that I'm thinking of expanding my repertoire and learning some more classical pieces, maybe romantic era because I'm drawn to that. On the other hand, theme tunes might be a good one - ambient update on Inspector Morse?
Bandcamp
You'll have seen I've come and gone and then come back to Bandcamp depending on how I feel. I do like it, but have been a bit more interested in owning my own platform/shop/data in the last few years. A lot of people are worried about how it might change under new management. I have the luxury of having this website. Built in shop, streaming capable - all the essentials really except discovery. I had some issues with other people's platforms in the past, I just looked up what I think was my first platform - Andromeda - apparently it must have been in the 1990s. So now I feel old…
My point is, for many, owning your own platform is doable at various price points. I do worry about those who need a free solution. In the event of Bandcamp degenerating, I wonder if there is a way to support those who need it without a corporate overlord. Artist co-op and musician owned label type things. Lots of different ways to do it and of course you can then do discovery and community through federated social media…
The big question: how do I support this?
Podcast highlight albums
I know that most people don't listen to whole podcast episodes. Editing them down and creating albums seems to work and can be fun. I've got all of season 2 and 3 to do, so I might start on that next. Sometimes I find it hard to be motivated to revisit material so it might be a long job with many breaks!
Oh, speaking of the podcast: this week I had my first 3 digit listener episode - hitting 100 plays. I mean, it's tiny really but way more than I ever expected!
Momentary Podcast
I have been thinking of making sure I play enough, and swap more to music as regular communication instead of words. One way of doing that would be a daily short podcast. I'd publish it here and automate a link to my Mastodon account. It would still be performance, not practice or noodling.
But, maybe it would be better to keep it to myself and practice more silence in general. That also has a big appeal for me…
Introvert's Tour
I like the idea of this, to tour but as an introvert avoid crowds (by not having an audience). Of course it's really just finding interesting places to record live, unless a few people did want to come along..? But mainly I'd be recording audio and video in places like this:
https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/hire-a-church.html
https://friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/venue-hire/
Assuming they allow it and I could afford it. Feels like a thing to start asking people about and planning for next spring/summer.
Livestreaming
I like performing live, especially in a band (the band with Steve and Jack is continuing but I'm not putting it on the list yet). For my solo stuff, I haven't found an audience really in one place. SO livestreaming might be the best solution for a number of reasons. I also love the comedy shows that do this - like Dynasty Typewriter (so looking forward to Super Horses next week) because I can't go to Los Angeles to see them!
I think I'd like a dedicated space if I decided to try this, somewhere prepped and ready and changable - like a personal black box theatre. Still, probably best to start small and see if I like it first!
On the other hand I've also become a supprter of the Music Venue Trust - so an alternative might be to create a local space (that can also livestream?).
Many things to think about!
