Random Thoughts: The Sequel
I have a friend who posts random thoughts every week. I don’t know if that’s necessary, but occasional random thought posts work for me. I did the last one in September, which feels like an eternity ago. So, let’s take another stab at it.
Lowering the Bar And Opening the Floodgates
I borrowed a friend’s Spark2 Amp, and I’m blown away by how far technology has come. How much faster would I have developed as a young guitar player if I had every sound imaginable packed into a compact amp instead of my crappy gorilla amp, overdrive pedal, and knock-off strat? That got me thinking about all the advances. It lowers the bar for entry-level, whether you’re talking about musicians, writers, or clothing makers. Anyone can release a song or album these days. The same goes for authors. Thanks to services such as KDP, Ingraham Spark, and Kubo, you can be your own publishing house. If you want to create your custom clothing, which I’m also dabbling in, all you need is an account with a service such as Printify, and you can produce your custom products, ranging from shirts to phone cases and everything in between. The drawback to all of this, combined with the fact we haven’t had an increase in wages in forever while the cost of living continues to go up, is that all of these industries are getting wholly oversaturated. Now, that’s not to say you can’t still make it work for your unique vision, but it isn’t as easy as it used to be. All the kids are doing it, as a friend would say…
So, where is the light of hope? It’s the same as it’s ever been. Create and share your unique point of view. It is harder to succeed at these art forms now, but it isn’t impossible. You have to be dedicated and show up. This can be pretty hard in a world that seems to grind you down, news cycle by news cycle. But don’t let that discourage you. In fact, it should encourage you to disappear down your own rabbit hole. In the end, whether you’re playing music into the void, writing books, creating shirts, or talking on YouTube, chances are whatever you’re doing is also helping to keep you sane. So, there is that…
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year… For Procrastination
Whoever said that writing is ninety percent procrastination and ten percent writing did not account for the holidays. I could’ve gotten some writing done over the holiday, but it came down to a choice. I could either be a writer and sit alone with my keyboard or be a human and hang out with my friends. I almost chose isolation, but in the end, humanity won out. I can’t always sit in the dark and contemplate the future, can I? I know I run the risk of my WIP falling into the same trap that my last one did, where one thing led to another, and next thing you know, it’s Spring, and I’m in a mad dash to get a book out before the Summer. But choosing friends over a night alone with my keyboard felt like the right call. Now, I just have to make it up to my keyboard.
Hoping You All Have a Wonderful Holiday Season
To all my U.S. friends, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. It’s always a strange time for me as my wife works most holidays, and we have no family nearby. Christmas is mostly the same. It’s a great time of the year, but it always brings a certain melancholy for me. Regardless, I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season. With any luck and time allowing, I’ll send out at least a couple more blogs before the end of the year. Until then, let me know what your holiday plans are. Take care!
– Ryan
