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Farming, Art, Music, Life, and Fish |
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Four Months Out Of San Francisco |
February 21, 2008 8:42am |
It's still such a strange feeling, the slower pace of life in the country, after the grind to stay ahead of poverty and ruin in San Francisco. I'm very lucky to have someone offering me this room and board until I get on my feet here, and I'm using this excess of free time to make all of the art and music that I possibly can, as these kinds of big blocks of "free" time are not usually bought easily.
I've adjusted more easily than I thought I would to having to give up smoking pot nearly daily, after 27 years and more of regular use. I must say, I was always the most productive pothead that I ever saw. I was afraid that I would lose inspiration to do some of the more tedious and dull art tasks that some of my projects entail; but I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I'm very psyched by the paintings and music pieces that I've been cooking up. And I haven't sunk into deep depression or somesuch, as I feared might occur. I guess life without smokies isn't so very bad. Not that I don't miss 'em sometimes! Particularly when one accidentally plays some kinds of reggae records.
'Have been doing mad amounts of work on the new multi-track recording freeware that I was turned on to by Nick in New York. Basically I have a new album's worth of material already, in barely two months of work. It's been a very happy period, audio-wise. I've also written two new bluegrass/rural style songs since the move, and as usual, rather than writing them in a simple and easy-to-learn way, I made them a bit complex, or at least they have some unconventional changes in them, that are still fun to play, but tricky for me to sing!
Am currently working on my second portrait-commission piece since the big move, and actually, I'm procrastinating on it, considering that it's a black-and-white piece, and color-design problems aren't even part of the issues. It does present some design/layout challenges, though. It will pop up here in the gallery eventually. Speaking of which, I should add the LAST painting done (in January), and not yet picked-up by it's new owner.
I'm probably not spending enough time on the drawing board as I'm too busy working over the hot laptop making crazy new noise/pop songs, one after the other. It is just so much fun to finally be doing fully-digital multitrack after years of making very complex pieces on an eight-track cassette deck, really a jokey piece of gear, and yet, as is typical with me, I can take very modest materials and do very high-quality-seeming work on them. But now the expanded trackspace and quality is allowing a much richer stereo field and deeper, more detailed sound. I had never had the time to master PROTOOLs and other programs while immersed in the hustle of life in the Bay Area, and it's so satisfying now to finally be using a number of complex programs that I hadn't the patience for before.
Not to say, however that I don't still very much value ANALOGUE and very low-tech and dirty styles/sounds/solutions in my music and art. Doing non-linear digital work is great, but it definitely needs to (I think) be balanced with non-computer-based techniques.
Not all terribly fascinating, but an attempt to render what I'm actually doing these days. Too cold still, here in West-Central Missouri, to do a lot of stuff outdoors, so I'm doing a LOT of cooking, and refining my mad pie-making and other skills. Collecting lots old-time recipes and music.
Also doing a TON of mail-art. Sending way too many postcards and packages to people all over the place; in the sense that few of them are going to take the trouble to create cool mails to send back. But I can't help myself, have collected so many awesome antique postcards so far this winter, and have created loads of original cards that beg to be seen by others, so, out they go! The outer envelopes are a chance to utilize my HUGE collection of rubber stamps, many of them antiques and originals, to do excessive stamp art decorating. Sadly, many of my old ink-pads are dried up, and I have to replace/re-ink the darned things. Very glad I kept all of my stamps, though. With a limit of 1000lbs on how much I could move out here, it was doubtful whether they would make the trip. But that collection was too nice to leave behind.
The friend-activity here on Ekawookie has slowed a bit--I guess it's time again to troll through the newer members and see who's coming "in the door" that's interesting, and bother them.
Until next time,
Cheers
Drew |
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