Welcome back this week everyone, and thanks for reading. Going to start off this week’s posting with a new Rosary song I’ve been working on, tentatively titled “Snapshot”.
I’m continuing to surprise myself with my creative output this year and how much I’ve been working on and releasing. Having just put out a Rosary EP (stream Flexible Dreams) while also making weekly postings here and continuing to write new music at a reasonably consistent clip, it feels like a well that hasn’t dried up yet.
I’ve been spending time recently reading Rick Rubin’s new book on creativity (more on that in next month’s Status Check), and one of the main points that have stuck with me is the idea of just being utterly attuned to the present moment so that you can capture the creativity that comes your way. That the seeds of what you will make are always around you and just being present enough to notice them can be the first step in starting your process. I think for myself, engaging in consistent practice has kept me open to different types of possibilities, and it’s on me to capture that moment, work with it, and then release it.
With so much of my creative practice nowadays, the emphasis is not just on creating but on releasing it into the world once it’s made. Sitting on a vault of unreleased work is tantamount to useless in my opinion. Again with me getting all woo-woo on here, but the process is akin to fishing. You catch it, you marvel at the fact that you were lucky enough to catch anything at all, and then you let it go. And then you do it again, and again, and again, and eventually you don’t get morose that you let the work go into the world and it didn’t get the reaction you want, because you’re just grateful the work came to you at all.
So maybe that’s what this Substack has taught me. That my creativity is vital but not remotely sacred enough to hoard, and that keeping it close to the vest doesn’t complete the process. To continue the circle and to keep the well full, you have to continue releasing what you watch. No sacred cows here, no waiting for reactions from an audience. Just engaging with the work and keeping it moving.
Thanks again, and talk next week.