the creative minimalist

music

Imaginary figments Friday field notes

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screenshot of emerge in Logi Pro X
fig 1

An update, or excerpt, on what I have been creating and doing. Keeping myself accountable, even though I have forgotten to update here for a few weeks. Inspired by my imagination, here are some…

Figments

I am composing ‘emerge’. I think this will form part of a collection, the working title of which is currently ‘music to journal by’ – fig 1 is a screenshot of my work in progress. I’ll do a video update on the progress soon.

I am writing again. I have set myself a monthly word count goal. I had a nagging feeling in my soul that I wanted to write. I have plenty of ideas but wasn’t getting around to writing any. So, I set myself a goal, a little more accountability.

The music grimoire my songwriting journal hasn’t seen much action, but I have been working on a collection of songs. I’ll be back in the songwriting journal over the weekend.

I am reading Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Really enjoying the oral ‘storytelling’ vibe. I always know when I am enjoying a book because I write quotes:

He had done as his dreams had told him, but dreams know more than they reveal, even to the wisest of the gods

Norse mythology by Neil Gaiman

I have been watching Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix. It was good, but I didn’t think it was great. There were some really nice ‘horror’ video effects. I quite liked those.

I am thankful for all of you who read and encourage me on my creative path, and as such, I’d best get going and finish a few things.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

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Your touch on Music Monday

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Many moons ago I had a song called Your Touch. Having just passed a New Moon, it seems fitting that a new version of Your Touch is nearing completion. The draft lyrics have been written. Now I let them simmer while I mull over them, sing along with them and generally hang out with them. I’ll also record some demo vocals and perhaps record a live version of the song to see how it feels.

Your Touch is part of a collection of songs inspired by recent events. I am hoping to release the songs as soon as I can. So I’d best get on writing and recording. But the picture and my words above should give a little insight into my songwriting process. I’ll explain more in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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Summer Solstice Blessings and some music

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solstice by this temple eden

Blessing to you all on this Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. I wrote a piece of music inspired by the Solstice and I am sharing aversion of it with you today. You can listen (and watch) below or click through to watch on YouTube, where you could also subscribe to my channel if you would like.

Creative field notes from the creative minimalist

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The incense fell straight and created these columns as it burned. Little creative accidents are nice when they occur. But creativity can also involve hard work and effort. In a bid to both motivate and make myself accountable, I thought it was time for some creative field notes. What exactly am I creating?

Website(s)

This past week I have been updating and creating websites. You should see a few changes here as I begin to roll out the changes. I have tried various designs over the years but, for this site – and quite rightly too – I find myself returning to a simple minimal feel.

This Temple Eden is also going through a few changes. This is taking a little longer to roll out, but you will be able to find things easier and quicker in the near future.

Waoao (freelance) has partly prompted these changes. I am working on simplifying and creating a couple of websites in a freelance capacity. This has meant going back to basics whilst keeping up with the ever-changing technology of the web. If you’re thinking of setting up a website and don’t know where to start, drop me a comment and I’ll get back to you. I offer a friendly service and tech talk-free solutions.

Music

This past week I finished the first draft of lyrics to a song that is now called ‘The Sun and the Moon’. I’m letting the lyrics settle for a while and will then work on an arrangement and get some recording done.

I have a couple of other tracks in progress and they are going well.

The music I have completed is available on Spotify and Apple Music, and Bandcamp. My Bandcamp site is still offering hours of music for the price of a couple of cups of coffee. And on September 4th Bandcamp are waiving their fees for artists to help during the pandemic. So if you want a little music, feel free to purchase and enjoy.

I still don’t quite feel like I have my song collection organised. I have it all in a database at the moment. However, I feel like I need to go old school with it all and use index cards. Will something tactile help me create more music, or am I just procrastinating again? That’s always possible.

Writing fiction

Well, let’s put it this way, I haven’t been. I could blame the virus but I don’t think it is that. It is more a question of time and priorities. I have been posting the writing prompts here and there will be more writing tips to follow. In conclusion…

‘Not blocked, just not’

darrenrhill

Journal

I have moved into a more visual journey in my journal and planner. I am sharing this process regularly on YouTube and cross-posting here. If you haven’t visited my YouTube channel, here’s the link and if you want, I would appreciate your subscription. And any stickers I use in my journals might be found on my pLAnarchy Etsy store, so do check that out.

So that’s the state of the creative minimalist as August draws to an end. There are plenty of other things I would like to share with you, but they need to wait for a later post. In the meantime, I need to get going with my freelance work, making some music and seeing if my fingers want to type a little fiction.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

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Proto music

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I have moments of lucidity. These moments concern all sorts of things. I once had one such moment concerning this blog. In it, I thought of writing posts that related to the day. Saturday could be about stationery, Sunday spirituality and so on. Monday was to be about music.

Lucidity doesn’t last for long. Plans for this blog don’t tend to last long either. However, I find myself here on a Monday about to talk about music. In particular, some music that I have written and have recorded.

This afternoon I have been mixing and putting some final touches to three new pieces. They will be part of an EP that I’ll soon be sharing. All three tracks are inspired and influenced by three artists who I loved as a young teen… and still enjoy listening to today. John Foxx, Thomas Dolby and Gary Numan are the inspiration. Originally I had planned to record a collection of ten or more tracks. However, that moment of lucidity disappeared as well.

The EP will be called Protomatic Renaissance and all being well will be on all the major streaming platforms. I’ll let you have a sneak peek, or listen, in the next few days but didn’t want to miss the opportunity of actually sharing something on Music Monday.

As long as my lucid moments continue I’ll be sharing what I am creating here with a little more regularity than I have been. But that’s the problem with lucidity, it comes and goes… just like the creative muse.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest