(no subject)
I have been really pleased with the effect of the Holly Near workshop on my songwriting. Since March I have begun at least four songs (clowning, Russian orphans, fried matzah, finding the north star) that still need work, have completed the Earth Song, which I started almost 10 years ago and which completes a cycle, have written a brand new gay marriage song to console me for the loss of Marriage Protection Week, and have nearly finished the electric car song I began last summer but only had a chorus and a framework for until about a week ago. And I add to this the shoe song that I started in 2003 and finished in February, plus Many Thanks, from the fall, and that's a lot of new stuff!
What's cool about this is the way it dovetails with my issues about "writing" -- I have trouble getting myself to sit and write, even though I have stories to work on and time to do it...I just have a weird priorities thing about...well, levels of procrastination, I guess. Writing is in an in-between level where I don't believe it's okay if there's anything else time-limited. Then I get discouraged, and then I don't write. Which... Yeah, it's a spiral.
But in the past few weeks, I've been able to set aside time and work on songwriting, after which I can truly feel I've spent good time writing. And I even get things finished! Having a concert deadline helps.
The other effect of the Holly Near workshop was on my performing. Which I hadn't been doing, and suddenly I realised that I worked in a perfectly fine performance venue, and that this summer would be a great time to take advantage of that. (Also SpiralSong wasn't rehearsing this spring.) So now I have this concert coming up on Saturday, and songs to sing, and people coming to it, and some friends singing with me in it, and...well, one song to finish. Nearly there...
What's cool about this is the way it dovetails with my issues about "writing" -- I have trouble getting myself to sit and write, even though I have stories to work on and time to do it...I just have a weird priorities thing about...well, levels of procrastination, I guess. Writing is in an in-between level where I don't believe it's okay if there's anything else time-limited. Then I get discouraged, and then I don't write. Which... Yeah, it's a spiral.
But in the past few weeks, I've been able to set aside time and work on songwriting, after which I can truly feel I've spent good time writing. And I even get things finished! Having a concert deadline helps.
The other effect of the Holly Near workshop was on my performing. Which I hadn't been doing, and suddenly I realised that I worked in a perfectly fine performance venue, and that this summer would be a great time to take advantage of that. (Also SpiralSong wasn't rehearsing this spring.) So now I have this concert coming up on Saturday, and songs to sing, and people coming to it, and some friends singing with me in it, and...well, one song to finish. Nearly there...