== Austin’s Corner ==
March 6th at 7 PST THE INVISIBLE SUNDIAL will be performing improvised music at
twitch.tv/theinvisiblesundial
We’ll be playing improvised music for the first time live in a couple of
years now. It sure does feel good to get back into it. I look forward
to “seeing” you there.
Did you wonder what I’d “mostly like to” last month? I don’t remember
what I was going to type. There really isn’t much to update on my front.
I’ve been working on the process for the stream on the 6th. I’ll be
implementing samples that Davin will trigger on the drums. I’ve always
liked adding “non-instrument” type things to my music so I’m excited to
rip those things out of the aether (online) and throw them into a
sampler and toss them back at drums. It may seem confusing now but it’ll
make sense on the 6th at 7 PM PST on twitch.tv.
February is a weird month. I’m excited to get back to performing. Here
is my pledge to not worry about the numbers and resist the grind (it is a
lie) while still improving my craft. It is an important thing to hold
on to when everything is so easy to attach a number to. The Numbers do
not equal your value. Uh, but see you Sunday.
== Davin’s Corner ==
What does it mean to be a creative? That’s a question ive always
struggled with. Ive watched my friends and associates grow as artists,
self-titling and all. Developing their styles and tastes, whether it be
music, visual art, or different forms of writing, I admired there sense
of place I seem to have missed. I didnt include myself in the community I
was so strongly connected with for a very long time.
For me, creativity has always been a part of my thinking, I just never
realized. My imagination was very strong, and in my youth, I had an
ability to think outside typical constructs. If i wanted a treehouse, id
build it. If i wanted a garden, Id grow plants and make one. I wanted
to learn and grow, so I’d take the leap of faith that is to risk being
terrible at something, for explorations sake. I never thought to myself,
I can get good at something. I guess thats what was the authentic part
of my identity, and I was able to be honest with myself enough to
improve.
I sought it when i didnt know. Younger, i always loved to play legos and
build. I learned how to color and draw from my parents, but the true
call, and desire i felt with building with legos was unparalleled. I
would spend hours and hours, imaginging and trying to form in 3d my
concepts and ideas. I was so in love with it, i stayed building well
into my adolescent, even showing people at school, despite the teasing.
The problem solving, and adapting to create a connection was the draw,
and I considered it a pleasure and expression of my true self.
During that early time, I also discovered i enjoyed rhythm and movement.
Somehow that translated into drums. I danced far younger, and to be
able to dance and create a sound, others would dance to was fascinating.
I dont remember the exact path, but somewhere in there, i began to play
and took some lessons. The magic was my thoughts and ideas, and
motions, would create and translate into somehting greater than myself,
or anything else. It would be a life of its own.
On and off, I delved into my drumming. Some days id be very motivated,
others id feel the lack of cohesive, consistent rhythm and feel bad. I
dont know why i kept going but it was addicting. Maybe similar to the
work out for a dedicated gym goer, or a person who needs that one aspect
of life they can completely control, I ended up making it my sole
expression, and outlet. The saying you cant see the progress from your
perspective rang true. Despite being blind to where I was, I didnt care.
To create and express felt good. I did it for myself.
At some point, hardship and struggling created by life made me
appreciate drumming, even more. It was there for me. I knew it always
would be, and I can count on it to help me. It soon turned into a pure
expression of me, my identity, the one thing I have and know I can do
well. I played a show at a place in Oakland, and I remember someone
coming up to me, and asking, “when did you get good at drums?”. MY
response was” Ive always been good”. Of course I didnt mean literally,
but I finally was able to take pride and accept myself into a community
ive always been a part of, but felt a stranger. I was always good,
because it felt good, it was one of the first things I was acknowledged
as good at, and it drove me to be better at other things. From there, I
was an artist, a musician, and a drummer. I was a creative.
you having a laugh?
