Busy As A Bee

didja miss me?

greetings, metalheads! I am finally back after a long time away from my website! i hope you didnt miss me too much! ;)

Today I wanted to go over why it is i have been busy lately. the reason why is actually a topic i have been meaning to discuss on this blog. i may write more parts to this at a later time as i keep having the experiences, but i wanted to get a few things off my chest and to also express that a lot is starting to happen on my end that will be coming to you all very soon.

so, arwen? what is it that has your nickers tied in a knot so much that you once again neglect that blog about dead rock stars you were supposed to publish 3 months ago?

well, as you all may be aware, we are almost halfway thru the year at this point. we are at the hilltop of 2019 and from here it all goes downhill. if you want the schpeel straight to the point, scroll past the american horror story gif. :)

"Shrimpyphus"

as you all may be experiencing, you may be looking back at your to do list for the year and you may be wondering why the fuck you have not attempted anything or gotten anything done. you lost that diet kick, missed that goal by an inch, or possibly may have forgotten completely.

that is where i find myself these days. i made myself a specific list of goals for 2019 about november of last year after the release of my single.

-to upgrade my software for video editing
-to create the next ep and the next solo single
-to start a band
-to get to 600 youtube subscribers by the end of 2019.
-to lose weight and keep it off.
-to learn hurdy gurdy and violin a lot better

happy to tell ya, i have been keeping up all of this except a couple, but even then i am trying my best to make sure i at least get a little bit of results... 

As of late i have been making it a point to upgrade all the software i have had, which is coming at a price, but i have a new video editing software that i was suggested by a friend. i release the first video i made with it in a couple of days. :)

time management is an artist's best friend

I AM DRIFTING BETWEEN PROJECTS AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME. I HAVE MY SOLO YOUTUBE CHANNEL THAT I HAVE STILL BEEN MAKING CONTENT FOR AND I ALSO STARTED A BAND CALLED SUN LAY SILENT THAT IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THE FIRST RELEASES AND A COUPLE OF COVER SONGS TO PUT UP ON OUR YOUTUBE. SO WHEN IT COMES TO THE CREATION OF MORE MUSIC AND VIDEOS, THAT IS DEFINITELY HAPPENING, THOUGH IT IS SLOW, AS I AM WORKING, SAVING MONEY, AND UPGRADING MY SETUPS SO THE BAND AND MY SOLO WORK CAN RELEASE TOP QUALITY CONTENT. ALL OUR BAND NEEDS IS THE REST OF OUR MEMBERS, BUT WE ARE WRITING NONETHELESS. :)

AS FAR AS THE WEIGHT LOSS, I HAVE BEEN PRETTY SICK ALL YEAR, SO WORKING OUT IS CHALLENGING. BUT I AM STILL MAKING HEALTHIER CHOICES AS FAR AS FOOD, SO I AM AT LEAST NOT GAINING WEIGHT. BUT I AM GETTING MYSELF TAKEN CARE OF, WHICH IS GREAT. :) I HAVE BEEN FEELING A LOT BETTER LATELY. MAY NEED A SURGERY OR 2, BUT AFTER THAT PAIN, I WILL BE 100%AGAIN!

AS FAR AS MY VIOLIN AND HURDY GURDY ENDEAVOR, MY HURDY GURDY HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR MONTHS AT THIS POINT AND THE TOOLS I NEED TO REPAIR IT ARE STILL BEING WORKED ON. I AM HOPING TO GET IT FIXED SOON BECAUSE THE BAND NEEDS IT FOR SOME OF THE MUSIC WE ARE CURRENTLY WRITING.

BACK TO THE BLOG

so what is my point in writing this rambling today?

​i wanna talk to you guys about living the life of a musician. one that is not some big rockstar. one that does not tour. one that is starting things up, but taking the time to grow...

so, as far as this goes, there is a process to it. as i mentioned above in explaining if i have met some of my goals yet, that is one of the points of creating content. there is a list of steps to take to create and manage your time properly. i am gonna give rough (and not that detailed) instructions on how it is i have been doing my routines to complete the process of content creation.

let me be one of millions of other content creators to tell you that creating content is never easy. it is a hard journey. you will be tired as fuck. you will probably get sick. you will be made fun of, work a shitty job while finding time to continue making your content, face haters and internet trolls, and somehow you will make a masterpiece. so all that in a nutshell:

The Process of Creating
​(will be using music as an example)

get a job. a real day job. you need money to support whatever it is you are creating. those who say they would rather starve than neglect their art are being irrational. every person needs to get a job if they are to survive and if they want to better their art. money makes the art thrive as well as lets you continue to breathe (because it pays your bills, buys you food, and also lets you fund equipment necessary to create.)

i work for a payroll company when i am not making music. i also get little odd seasonal jobs here and there, do voice acting on the side, and recently sold a few songs of mine to a couple of indie animators and game designers to use in their work. do whatever you have to do to get paid. (except sell your body. please do not resort to that.) 

however, when you have a job, it can get time consuming. and you have to make the time to create your content as well!

make it a mantra

considering the above statement, there is the process of creating your art. with said job above, you need to buy the supplies to create it. this means makin the time to shop. for a musician, it is somewhat easier, since we can skip this step sometimes and go straight to the next step i am about to discuss, which is the process of creating your creation.

each creative process is different. mine personally takes a lot of steps. whatever you to do make your content, it can be tought to make the time to schedule it in if you have a full time job. we will use the process of creating one of my cover videos as an example. here is the process:

1. i begin by going over many albums in my ipod and in my youtube archives. i have a lot of artists i listen to and this process can be tough because i have a ton of covers i wanna do. it all depends on who i feel the need to do or what has been requested of me. i sometimes even go by current trends in the metal scene. for instance, did such and such release a new album? did so and so just announce a release? I THEN FIGURE OUT IF THERE IS AN INSTRUMENTAL FOR IT DONE EITHER BY THE BAND OR BY ANOTHER YOUTUBER, THE LATTER WHICH I EMAIL FOR PERMISSION TO USE THEIR WORK AND CREDIT THEM. THIS CAN TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS. after mulling this over, i begin rehearsing.
2. rehearsal of the piece can take a few days, aS I WANNA KNOW WHERE TO PLACE MY LEAD VOCALS AND BACKING VOCALS IN THE RECORDING. when you record a piece of music, it goes a lot smoother when you show up for a recording session rehearsed... same with doing it at home. when you're recording at home, you want to be rehearsed and well versed with the music before you go and make a recording.
3. when i start the recording process, i test out the acoustics of my room and equipment to be sure feedback is minimal and that the sound is as crisp as possible.
4. the recording process can take anywhere from a day or up to a month depending on how my health is, how my time is, and whether or not my equipment is up to par. not to mention, recording the different types of instruments and vocals and there is a chance for error, which i have to go back and fix. :)
5. before i read up and studied about mixing and mastering (and am currently still learning about it) i used to just move on to the next step, but since the beginning of this year, with what little i know about mixing and mastering, i at least spend a week or 2 relistening to the recording, adding effects, seeing if there are still errors, and making sure that the sound is at least decent to where it will not shatter your ear drums. i know a lot more now and will be making better mixed in the future, but i am still currently experimenting and learning. the creation process is all an experiment for sure and sometimes not all goes to plan.
6. after the audio is complete, i film a video for the song. this can take a couple of days.
7. then it is onto editing the video. this can take up to a week or 2, especially of there is a lot of footage to incorporate. during this time i also have to research for metadata to give to the video: hashtags, tags and making a thumbnail that's good.
8. finally i publish the video. 

altogether the process i take to create my content can depend on whether i work, have other obligations, or on how well my tools for creation work. it can take anywhere from one month to a month and a half sometimes. i had made the new years resolution this year to keep track of my publishing schedule and found my results on my videos fell flat when i rushed to get things done, so i decided to go at my own pace, especially since i joined a band. the scheduling situation can get hectic.

sometimes the creative life can get tough, but you gotta be tougher

no matter you creative process, there is always a way to fit it into your schedule even if you are working a full time job. for the love of your art, there is a way. but either way here are a few tips to make it work if you're having a rough time making the schedule fit!

• try to keep a calendar. a dry erase one on your wall or a pocket one in your bag/ pocket. heck, even a cell phone calendar works. it can help keep track of appointments and events you have going on and track your work schedule.
• keep a memo pad or calendar on your phone as well and turn on notifications. you never know when you have an appointment you set that you completely forgot about. it is good if you're the type of person that always carries a phone.
• try to keep track of your daily activities for awhile to see how your schedule usually falls. there is always time for your content creation. you can use any time you are free from work and from any other obligations.
• if you can track your daily routine, use whatever time you dedicate to your content creation should be used wisely. make sure there are no other distractions when you are working on your creations. keep texting to a minimum, make sure you are working in a quiet environment (or blasting some good music while you work), and be sure you eat and have water at your wok station so you can properly focus.

this also helps

i am hoping you understand where i am coming from with this post. 

being a busy artist is a lot of work. sometimes you have to sacrifice a lot to get anything done. but when you work for the love of your art, then the rewards are well worth it!

stay tuuned for more blogs! i wish you all the best on your creative endeavors!

-ArwenStarsong

sweet nightmares, ghouls