From Scratch – Adventures in Independent Music Making

I walked out on my job this week… with no back-up plan.

(yikes)

I kept my grandmother’s navy blue sweater in the office (it was always too cold in there) and I would always hang it up on the coat rack before leaving, so that it would be there for me the next day. I decided to wear the sweater home, at the end of what became my last shift, because the weather turned much colder after such an unusually warm morning (I hadn’t brought enough layers).

In the moment of making that decision, a strange feeling came over me: I got the sense that I may not ever be going back to that office again… and I haven’t. It was the same kind of instinctual guidance that also led me to pursue music in Toronto (you can read more about that decision in the first article of my column for WomensRadio , entitled “Learning My Lessons“, which was published last week).

Are my instincts to be trusted?

I wondered for a long time if there was a difference between following one’s heart and following one’s gut. The expressions seem to be used interchangeably. The more I talk with people and the more decisions I make, the more I see that there is a difference to me.

My friend and former neighbour, Justin, used to sit down with me and discuss theories of spirituality. From him I learned that some philosophies suggest the ‘gut‘ is one’s ‘ego center‘ and that the ego is not by nature a bad thing (though we are socialized in Western culture to believe otherwise). It is simply the ego (one’s sense of self).

My other friend, Rory, reminds me that as humans on Earth, we need an ego. If a person didn’t have a sense of their material self, their mortality, they would literally run around like a free-form energy ball until they got hit by a car or ran off a cliff, as lemmings do. So, an ego is a good thing, but a person can become destructive and desperate when that ego is out of balance, leading to poor self-esteem, narcissism, god complexes, and self-centeredness.

Knowing from my background in health sciences, as well as first and second hand experiences, that many chronic conditions of the digestive system are related to stress and unhappiness, I err on the side of caution when consulting my ‘gut’ for guidance. Is it my true nature speaking to me? Or an imbalanced ego? Instead, I view my “gut” as a smoke detector: It tells me when danger is present. My heart, on the other hand, is what guides me on how to resolve the situation and maintain a path that is true to myself.

Justin introduced me to an exercise of asking myself questions that, for a time, totally changed the way I approached problems. Simply put, the practice involves focusing on the heart and asking it an honest question. If I didn’t know what question to ask, I just talked about whatever was coming to my mind and observed how my heart muscles reacted. Feelings of calmness or glowing are signs of encouragement. Cramping or weakness are signs of problems. When I couldn’t make a decision about something, I generally asked “is this the right thing to do?”. If I got a calm or glowing feeling, I would feel the answer as a yes. If I felt cramping or weakness, I knew it was a no.

In reflection of the past weeks’ events, I have come to realize that I have fallen out of this practice and reading a WikiHow article on “How to follow your intuition” (in preparation for this blog today) reminded me of the importance of asking my “self” questions. Not to just think a thought in my head, but to genuinely ask on a deeper level and really listen for the answer.

Now what?

What am I going to do now? I’m not sure. I’ve got a lot of questions to ask myself right now. On a deeper level, though, I’m not worried. I have a feeling it is all going to work out for the best.

Financially, I can start pursuing my button making business more fervently (if you need 1″ promo pins, contact me!) and start seeking official sponsorship for the webcast; there will also be networking opportunities with industry folk at the Canadian Music Week conference later this week; and there is always the option to busk, if I have to (though it’s still a little cold for that).

There is also an opportunity to start scoring for film, professionally, in the near future. It’s still new, though, so I don’t want to put all my eggs in that basket yet. In the end, I like to think of myself as a creative problem solver. That means I can figure it out, right? (a calm, peacefulness exists in me now, so my heart says yes).

‘Til Next Week!

Meghan Morrison

www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison

Tweet Hashtag #aiimm to share your own Adventures In Independent Music Making

Image “Heart” by Leland Francisco. Used with permission: CC-BY-2.0

It has been a week focused on film, culminating in the Oscars … which I did watch last night as I was trying to get my office space organized. Office Space, now there’s a great laugh-out-loud movie :) haha.

Trent Reznor & The Oscars

It was exciting to witness Trent Reznor winning “Best Original Score” last night. Not just because he is an artist and pioneer that I greatly respect and admire, but because it represents yet another shift in the way that independent artists can be perceived by the masses and the entertainment industry (music and film alike). Much like how Arcade Fire winning “Album of the Year” this year at The Grammys was a ground breaking phenomenon, Trent Reznor‘s win represents opportunity outside of the status quo.

This wasn’t an overnight breakthrough, of course. Both Reznor and Arcade Fire have been building their reputations for being important music makers for many years. Also, for at least a decade now, we’ve seen a shift in commercials and movies where producers are licensing popular music more than (or instead of) hiring songwriters to create brand specific jingles.

There is an element of “cool” to a product or film that uses modern, popular music … or, in this case, recognizable writers. Matching Reznor to The Social Network was a perfect fit. The music he creates is dark, cold and hard sounding… just like the story behind the film. His style also resonates with ‘angsty youth and young adults’… who were the main characters in the film. How could this match up NOT be awesome?! That’s not to say that Reznor is incapable of working outside of his genre, I think he is very capable.

For a number of reasons, I don’t read newspapers, magazines, or surf the net unless there is something specific I am looking for. I don’t even watch tv unless there is a special event (which I hear about from other people). I chose to be totally and completely out of the loop with this stuff and have found that if something is big enough or inspiring enough, it will make it to my ears by word of mouth.

The news that a friend tells me about is generally the news I think is worth listening to.  Same thing with music. As such, it didn’t surprise me that Reznor won the award. Whenever I heard someone talking about “Best Original Score“, I heard them talking about him… noone else. And that is how the entertainment industry works now, especially in music. If you are really, truly great at what you do and put in the work that it takes to create your own buzz (artistically and business mindfully), you will be recognized for it.

Writing Music For Film

I’m not going to be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon, but I did finish my first attempt at writing an original composition for a short film and scoring the trailer this week! At least … I think it’s finished.

Moving forward from Inspiration From Without. Part 1, I have found that working with/for other people in a creative capacity is a logistically, as well as creatively, interesting and challenging experience: One goes through many more rough drafts when there are other peoples’ needs and desires to take into account; It’s also difficult to know when to bend and when to push, as there are 2 or more different visions trying to come to life and different artists have different approaches to creating; And working around multiple peoples’ schedules and deadlines can be a nightmare too.

To me it made sense to start this project by writing an original song for the film (“After She’s Gone” by Graziano Mainolfi) -one that summarizes the underlying emotional problem that the two main characters are experiencing, consciously or subconsciously. In this case: shy lungs (which is the name of the song). I won’t tell you more than that though. I don’t want to give away the story before you’ve seen it :)

I had a lot of fun learning how to score in Pro Tools. Like all of my recording experiences, it was a technical experiement, as the only training I have with recording is what I gathered from watching engineers while we recorded in the studio, asking questions, and sitting in through many long mixing sessions.

I have generally found the Pro Tools user guide to be very helpful, but when it came to setting up MIDI, the directions didn’t get me to  a point where I could record (or, at least, I couldn’t figure it out based on those directions). I tried searching online too, but none of the advice I found ever got me to the point where I could actually start using it.

Then I found a tutorial DVD series by ASKVideo as a reduced to clear item at Long & McQuade. Unsurprisingly, it is called Pro Tools 7 Tutorial. I was using 7 when I got it, but have upgraded to 8 and the lessons are still applicable (there is a series for PT 8/9 as well). After the hours of researching and trying to problem solve my MIDI set up on my own, this video had me ready to go in under 10 minutes. I haven’t gone through the rest of the DVD, just MIDI so far, but look forward to seeing what else I can learn.

P.S. I wasn’t paid to say that and I don’t endorse products/services I don’t use myself.

Would love to hear your critique of the scoring job I did for the trailer. I have a lot to learn and apprecaite ALL feedback, positive or otherwise.

‘Til Next Week!

www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison

Tweet Hashtag #aiimm to share your own Adventures In Independent Music Making

There isn’t enough credit given to the Jack of All Trades.

Taught to believe that one can master nothing if they try to learn many things, we have become blind to the fact that being a Jack of All Trades is also something that can be mastered. In today’s new music industry, being a Jack of All Trades is almost a requirement for self-managed bands and is a defining element to being a truly independent artist.

It requires just as much (if not more) discipline, focus, and commitment to gain enough knowledge and efficacy to excel in multiple domains as it does to achieve mastery or ‘expertise’ in one. As Wikipedia suggests, the Jack of All Trades can be regarded as an interdisciplinarian or “master of integration”, meaning the “individual knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner”… is this not a qualifying description of a great manager? Is this not a birthplace for innovation? Is innovation not what moves science, society and art forward? Is this not the type of person that should be praised, not looked down upon, for their adventurous approach to learning and achieving success?

Tim Ferriss suggests in his article, The Top 5 Reasons to Be  a Jack of All Trades, that “the specialist who imprisons himself in self-inflicted one-dimensionality — pursuing an impossible perfection — spends decades stagnant or making imperceptible incremental improvements while the curious generalist consistently measures improvement in quantum leaps. It is only the latter who enjoys the process of pursuing excellence”.

This is a philosophy that I think has been with me since childhood. I have always been so excited to learn so many things and, with the exception of Calculus, I’ve always done well for myself with the things I have wanted to learn. But isn’t that half the battle? -wanting to learn something. How can you ever master a skill or trade if your heart isn’t in it? You can’t (or it takes a long time), because your mind isn’t open to it. If you are genuinely excited about learning something, you absorb information like a sponge and pick up skills with ease.

I have owned and managed a few small businesses over the last number of years and through all those experiences, this was the most important thing I learned and continue to carry with me in my independent music pursuits:

Your attitude and approach to problem solving is what will determine whether you succeed or fail.

I have come to find that when I have a relaxed, excited, and forward looking mind, my ‘problems’ solve themselves because my mind is more open to integrating what I know to create a solution (instead of dwelling on the problem). Unexpected events do arise, struggles happen, and I’m not always relaxed or excited when I have taken on more than I can handle-my drummer Brad Gulka will attest to that. That’s part of the process of mastering being a Jack of All Trades though.. learning where the balance is.

As an independent artist, it can be daunting to take on the role of marketing manager, booking agent, graphic designer, road manager, webmaster, merch manager, recording engineer, songwriter and live performer, publisher, producer, PR coordinator, show promoter, financial accountant, team leader, etc. I didn’t know how to do half of the things I needed to do as a self-funded indpendent artist with no money, but I want to make it work, so I’m learning. As I learn these new things and expand my project, I can communicate more effectively with the people who are taking over some of these roles for me.

I truly believe that a great manager is someone who can step in and do the work of anyone working under them on the drop of a dime. They are experts at being a Jack of All Trades and can integrate their experiential knowledge into managerial practices that are innovative, explorative, and impactful. That is the kind of manager I want to be for myself and the people who work with me.

I saw the figure of speech listed as being part of a larger couplet, suggesting the term originated in a poem. I didn’t, however, see a reference for the couplet or the poem. As such, I can’t state that this is indeed how the saying was meant to go, but I like to think it is:

Jack of all trades, master of none,

though ofttimes better than master of one

Meghan Morrison

www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison

Tweet Hashtag #aiimm to share your own Adventures In Independent Music Making

First of all, Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today, songwriters who are in love may be inclined to write sweet, sappy songs; others who are going through relationship turmoil may write angry, resentful songs; and those who are turned off by Hallmark Holidays can take this opportunity to write about being jaded and/or indifferent. Feelings are an important and prominent source of inspiration for writing, but what about one’s creative environment? Does it matter?

I’d say, yes and no.

On one hand, inspiration comes to you when it comes to you… it doesn’t matter where you are. I have written entire songs walking down the sidewalk, driving in the car, falling into slumber, and while operating/repairing rope making machines (I worked in a hammock factory one summer). On the other hand, sometimes only part of an idea comes to you and you need to finish it at a later time… likely in a different place and under different circumstances. This is what usually happens for me. I have notebooks upon notebooks filled with meager blips of lyrics and melodic ideas that still haven’t found their way into a formal, performable song.

In acquiring a new housemate, this weekend was the perfect time to rethink the layout of my creative home space so that I can start bringing these song ideas to life more effectively. At present, the rearranging is well under way, but not yet complete. While my general philosophy is that I like to have multiple creative places with different vibes, I still maintain a desire to be able to create anytime/anywhere (like the philosophy on performing I wrote about in my post on stage fright). I don’t want to become reliant on a specific environment in order to create, but I like the idea of immersing myself in an environment that is supportive of the art I am creating. So, I thought I would do a little research into designing creative spaces.

Feng Shui For Artists

Naturally, the concept of Feng Shui came up in the results and, though I don’t know anything about Feng Shui, it really got me thinking about the concepts of ‘clutter’ and ‘rhythm’.  As Rodika Tchi describes in her article, “the creative process has both rhythms – the germination/dreaming/planning time and the actual manifestation time”. I had not thought about my songwriting approach in this way before, but realize now that this is why I like having multiple creative spaces with different vibes.

At different times in the songwriting process, I like having a sunny place to sit and think in a comfy chair. I also like having a more sterile space that forces me to  dig deeper inside for answers to my creative problems. Furthermore, I like having a space with tons of tools and options available to me.

Creative Mess vs Clutter

According to Ms Tchi, clutter in Feng Shui is not defined by the amount of stuff occupying space, but rather it is how instrumental the items are to your creative project and/or flow. For example, you could have a desk full of messy, scribbled papers that are all essential to your song, but having a guitar in the room could be considered clutter if you haven’t used it in years or desperately do not want that song to be another guitar tune.

Creating Boundaries

I resist the idea of creating limits and parameters to a creative process, but I do like the idea of not seeing my kitchen while I’m trying to get into my creative zone in the jam room. Food is distracting and so are dirty dishes. “Define the space if possible: maybe with a curtain or even a rug, the way you would define another activity’s zone within the living space” is advice by Molly Boren (of Chicago-based Simplicity Works) which I read in Ashley’s Decorology Blog and now I have a use for the curtains we found in a box yesterday!

I’m actually looking forward to having the option to close myself off from the house, even if only visually. I also look forward to the band’s reaction when they come for rehearsal on Thursday and Matt’s reaction before the webcast tomorrow night. I think everyone is going to be able to function better in this space now.

Please leave a comment with any suggestions you have for creating a more creative space or stories of your own environmental battles with art :)

Meghan Morrison

www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison

Tweet Hashtag #aiimm to share your own Adventures In Independent Music Making

Image by Dino Olivieri – Zentao.org (Zentao symbol from Zentao.org by Dino Olivieri) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

It is easy to become wrapped up in our own artistic inner worlds. We often write “for ourselves” and “only for ourselves”. It is cathartic to work through our psychological and emotional problems in music and it is meaningful to us for other people to connect to the sentiments we share in our songs. But what about writing for other people and finding creative inspiration from without?

I was up until 1am last night recording a rough draft of a song that I wrote for placement in the soundtrack to filmmaker, and friend, Graziano Mainolfi’s next short film (“After She’s Gone”).  I will also be scoring the short and am really excited to take on that challenge. I definitely see myself writing a lot more for film as my career progresses and I think that is because I really enjoy writing for other people… even fictional ones. haha.

This morning, while reflecting on this particular song and being proud of how well it parallels the film, it occurred to me that I’ve been writing for other people a lot this year. I don’t write these songs for other singers to perform, but they are written for purposes other than inclusion on my records or in my live shows.

The song last night, which I am calling “Shy Lungs”, was written specifically for Graz’s film. The lyrics are about the characters of the film and the music is composed in a style that the director asked for.  This is a song I NEVER would have come up with if I was just writing for myself and left to my own devices.  Similarly, I wrote a song as a wedding gift for my friends Kate and BJ last spring. It was a sentimental piece written to honour the unique qualities of their relationship and how free and accepting they are of each other as a couple. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever written and, once again, I NEVER would have thought to write that song if I wasn’t in need of a wedding gift for them.

I also wrote a song for my brother as a graduation gift and 2 Christmas songs for my friend Leeann who ordered a custom song as part of my button maker campaign late last fall. A number of people have submitted music, lyrics, or poems to me to turn into full songs and that really excites me. I’m flattered that anyone would come to me in such a way, especially with poems/lyrics; it’s a very vulnerable experience to share one’s art.

So, as a creative writer (not just a songwriter) and friend, I am really excited to take on the challenges of trying to write from a perspective outside of my own (and in imaginary or real environments) to create something meaningful for people that matter to me. Much like the “object writing” I was talking about in an earlier blog, I see these songs as a great opportunity to get outside of my head and out of the natural groove and songwriting comfort zone I work in when writing music for my albums.

Ah! My alarm just went off and I have to go to the vocal school, but there is so much more to write about … I will have to make a “Part 2″…

Meghan Morrison

www.meghanmorrison.com
@MegsMorrison

Tweet Hashtag #aiimm to share your own Adventures In Independent Music Making