Wednesday, 25 May 2016
What I'm listening to this week: the sound of me screaming into the void
Sometimes I look at the music community around me, and it's not hard to see why I can leave it behind. I'm astounded by the exclusion and disenfranchisement that I see on an annoyingly regular basis - and it seems like a lot of people just don't see it.
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
What I'm listening to this week: the sound of silence
No, I'm talking about the Simon and Garfunkel song. I'm not talking about the Disturbed cover of it, either (even though it's pretty awesome, click here to have a listen).
Don't worry, I'm not about to make you all listen to John Cage's 4:33. That's not what this is about.
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Tuesday, 10 May 2016
The real reason I stopped singing
I love the weekly @MusoChat discussion because people engage with each other in an open and honest way. This week was no exception.
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Validation as a creative: what does it mean?
I read an interesting article on The Atlantic this morning about how many of us use the "Scarcity tactic" of using social yardsticks to measure our success. Are we getting paid more than our peers? Are we receiving more awards, more acclaim, more positive reviews?
Obviously that tactic is toxic: it uses scarcity as a measuring stick for success, with the mindset that only a few can be successful - and yet, we do it all the time.
Friend and fellow musician Justin Capps and I were talking about this recently, about how he's always truly and genuinely enthusiastic for other musicians' successes. Justin is a better person than me, because I frequently succumb to the Green Eyed Monster. I get jealous when I see my peers succeed, and I beat myself up about it. Why aren't I receiving recognition?
Last week, I got a very enthusiastic email from Listening to Ladies (Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, they are awesome). They really liked my piece Fractal (above) that I wrote over a year ago, and said that I was going to be featured.
I started talking to Justin about how overwhelmed I was, when it struck me:
No one has ever complimented my compositions before (who wasn't a friend or family member). No one. Zip. Zilch. Not even my teachers in university (in fact, one told me my music was boring and "fatiguing to listen to"). So for a total stranger to find merit in my work was unbelievable.
So while I agree with the sentiment that we should aim for an "abundance-oriented approach" that focuses on realizing that there is room for everyone's creativity, it helps to have a little bit of reassurance that we aren't just spending hours, weeks, months (years) on something that no one except your college bff's dad (hi Randy) and your parents (and probably spouse) listen to.
With that in mind, can we all try to be a little more vocal about how awesome we think each other are? This isn't just about me, it's about all of us. Support your friends.
(And on that note, click here to visit Justin's site because he's an amazing lyricist and is writing some seriously awesome tracks lately.)
Obviously that tactic is toxic: it uses scarcity as a measuring stick for success, with the mindset that only a few can be successful - and yet, we do it all the time.
Friend and fellow musician Justin Capps and I were talking about this recently, about how he's always truly and genuinely enthusiastic for other musicians' successes. Justin is a better person than me, because I frequently succumb to the Green Eyed Monster. I get jealous when I see my peers succeed, and I beat myself up about it. Why aren't I receiving recognition?
Last week, I got a very enthusiastic email from Listening to Ladies (Follow them on Facebook and Twitter, they are awesome). They really liked my piece Fractal (above) that I wrote over a year ago, and said that I was going to be featured.
Just got an email from @ListenToLadies that my piece "Fractal" will be featured tomorrow and it was so nice I'm actually crying at my desk.— Angelina Panozzo (@AngelinaPanozzo) April 22, 2016
I started talking to Justin about how overwhelmed I was, when it struck me:
No one has ever complimented my compositions before (who wasn't a friend or family member). No one. Zip. Zilch. Not even my teachers in university (in fact, one told me my music was boring and "fatiguing to listen to"). So for a total stranger to find merit in my work was unbelievable.
So while I agree with the sentiment that we should aim for an "abundance-oriented approach" that focuses on realizing that there is room for everyone's creativity, it helps to have a little bit of reassurance that we aren't just spending hours, weeks, months (years) on something that no one except your college bff's dad (hi Randy) and your parents (and probably spouse) listen to.
With that in mind, can we all try to be a little more vocal about how awesome we think each other are? This isn't just about me, it's about all of us. Support your friends.
(And on that note, click here to visit Justin's site because he's an amazing lyricist and is writing some seriously awesome tracks lately.)
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
What I'm listening to this week: the amazing Unravel score
I finished this game last week, and I've been listening to the soundtrack ever since. Never before was there such a game so quietly nostalgic, a pet project realized by a gifted team of developers and visionaries.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
What I'm listening to this week (AKA always): the official Life is Strange official soundtrack
"I'm going to get better about writing on my music blog again!" Hahahaha good luck, fool.
In January 2016 (a few months ago), Life is Strange released a physical disc version of the game with bonus director's commentary and the official soundtrack. Even though I already owned the game on Steam and had been listening to the Life is Strange official soundtrack since last summer, I bought it. That's the level of fangirl that I am.
In January 2016 (a few months ago), Life is Strange released a physical disc version of the game with bonus director's commentary and the official soundtrack. Even though I already owned the game on Steam and had been listening to the Life is Strange official soundtrack since last summer, I bought it. That's the level of fangirl that I am.
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Career inception: the journey to a new moon
I haven't been posting as much as I should - truth be told, I've been consumed with my new craft blog, GamerCrafting. I've also been busy with my "day job" as the blog editor and multimedia content creator for LoveKnitting and LoveCrochet, as I've mentioned before.
Recently, my two career paths merged in the form of a tutorial video that I made. Take a look (and turn up the volume)!
I made this tutorial from start to finish, including the music. No, it's not Beethoven's 9th - it's about 90 seconds of tutorial music, and I wrote it in about 20 minutes the day I shot the video.
Either way, it's interesting to me the way that two career paths that can feel very separate and different (craft copywriting and music) can still converge and feel fluidly cohesive.
I'm still trying to figure this whole "being a creative" thing out, but sometimes it seems to be making sense. It feels weird to be diversifying from music to including writing, crafting, and photography, but it also feels natural in a way.
After all, I suppose it's good to be a Jack of all Trades.
Recently, my two career paths merged in the form of a tutorial video that I made. Take a look (and turn up the volume)!
I made this tutorial from start to finish, including the music. No, it's not Beethoven's 9th - it's about 90 seconds of tutorial music, and I wrote it in about 20 minutes the day I shot the video.
Either way, it's interesting to me the way that two career paths that can feel very separate and different (craft copywriting and music) can still converge and feel fluidly cohesive.
I'm still trying to figure this whole "being a creative" thing out, but sometimes it seems to be making sense. It feels weird to be diversifying from music to including writing, crafting, and photography, but it also feels natural in a way.
After all, I suppose it's good to be a Jack of all Trades.
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