Blog

Video killed the radio star

by MAÔ, posted in Radio

I’ve been doing my radio program on musicals and the arts for about a year now. I think it’ll be a year next month. For it, I’m always playing around with different recording techniques, looking at new equipment such as microphones and audio interface. I’m not optimized for recording.

And yet, I get it done. It may not be perfect, but it’s complete. And every week I ship a new episode – because it’s airing on the radio. So it’s likely been one of the most important teaching tools for creating my art that I’ve been a part of recently.

After the video game broadcasts gets off the ground, my next goal is a podcast with another recording friend of mine. But since I usually lay out my laundry on this blog, I’ve not a clue what we’ll be talking about yet.

Out of balance

by MAÔ, posted in Advice

When the alignment is off, even the smallest misstep can throw the system out of whack. Specifically I’m meaning my back which I tweaked just doing a bend to move something on the floor. But, it applies to all things if you think about it. When the system is working, we tend to ignore it. The car that starts at the turn of the key. The laptop that effortlessly connects to the wi-fi. Everything that flows in seamless connectivity.

But when something is off – a spark plug is dirty, the signal is shoddy – it just takes one moment to shut down the system. Now you’re left diagnosing the problem that, had you tended to some preventative task before hand, may never had occurred. It’s important to know how things work, especially the things that we take for granted.

You don’t need to be an expert, but a general working knowledge (or even regular visits for service at the mechanic’s) and you can save yourself a lot of headaches. And back aches, as it were.

Week’s highlights

by MAÔ, posted in Social, Writing

Inspired by Tim Ferris’s five-bullet Friday, and having a little time at many points during the week to browse and peruse, here are things that I across which you may like:

Be More Chill original cast recording. Check out the animatic version, which rocketed the failing musical to new popularity.

Alex Strohl’s methods for defeating burnout. As a creative and recovering busy-person, I’ve experienced burnout more than a handful of times. Leading a board, raising money, and creating original work all left me feeling spent from time to time. Strohl’s routines may not be for everybody, but I like to take suggestions from those I new face the same challenges I do.

Fundrise. For a minimum deposit of $500, get into the real estate business with this Real Estate Investment Trust. Great dashboard and communication with their DC headquarters makes this an appealing addition to my portfolio.

Japan’s Sea of Trees, Aokigahara. It’s on my list for visiting in 2020, along with other areas of Japan. Following my friend’s wedding in the Philippines, I’m planning on visiting Japan, India, and Thailand.

Seneca on time

by MAÔ, posted in Advice

“Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius – set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which till lately has been forced from you, or filched away, or has merely slipped from your hands. Make yourself believe the truth of my words, – that certain moments are torn from us, that some are gently removed, and that others glide beyond our reach.”

Being mindful of our time is the first key to freedom, to success, and to many other attributes we aspire to. It is a component of Zen, of meditation, of prayer, and of business. Being present.

Seneca’s assertion to gather and save your time is the fundamental principle of mindfulness.

“…if you will pay close heed to the problem, you will find that the largest portion of our life passes while we are doing ill, a goodly share while we are doing nothing, and the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose. “

He continues on asking Lucilius to pay close heed to the problem of time slippage. Stick to the purpose! Which means knowing the purpose.

And what is your purpose? How can you know if you’re wasting time not chasing it, if you’re not really sure what it is?

Or maybe the problem isn’t that you don’t know your one purpose – rather, your purpose is so complex and multi-faceted that you must proceed down several avenues at once to achieve it. And if that is the case, then your attention to time must be even more strict.

The Amy apologist

by MAÔ, posted in Ego, Theatre

Last year I was in a production of Little Women, the musical with book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland, adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Admittedly, Alcott is an author I’ve never read (with Senior year English Lit possibly being an exception – I don’t recall), though her contemporaries and acquaintances I’m quite fond of – Emerson, Thoreau, and Longfellow. In the show I was Professor Bhaer.

There is a scene in the show where, after feeling left out by her sisters, Amy burns a story that Jo has been working on. Most people feel revulsion at the act, and Amy’s excuse that Jo has everything and she has nothing comes across as spoiled and bratty.

From my view, though, Amy is nearly a middle child, and shows very little talent of her own. The youngest (who later dies from illness) is loved by all and a budding pianist. Jo writes, and Meg is a proclaimed beauty. Amy therefor feels out-of-place in her own family and thus acts out. It isn’t right for her to do so, but it can be understood.

So, I was labelled an Amy apologist and have been trying to defend my stance for nearly a year. Then I saw a production of Little Women: The Musical just last month, and I thought Amy was a complete brat.

Start with Empathy

by MAÔ, posted in Advice

All human interaction comes down to two fundamental principles: listening and responding. Listening in this case can mean the receiving and interpretation of any stimuli coming from the other person and the environment around you. Responding is any method of reaction (or non-reaction) you have to that situation.

When we argue, we are missing a key component of one (or both) of the two fundamental principles – we are lacking empathy.

  • The empathetic listener understands that we all want to be heard, and believe our opinions to be correct, even if they are merely opinions.
  • The empathetic responder, who will know that sometimes what we say and how we act can be misinterpreted, will carefully select the method in which a response is given.

It isn’t that empathy means neglecting your own viewpoint – it’s only accepting that someone else may have a different one and acknowledging its value.

Hide your stash

by MAÔ, posted in Money

Focusing on personal money is a stressful prospect. Seeing the rises and falls, the balance changing, seemingly out of your control, can imbue a feeling of powerlessness. That’s why the best investors and gamblers view their pools of available money as resource, not expendable cash.

The adage among drug dealers is to never use your own stash. The same can be said for the money that you pay yourself first – savings, retirement, major expense fund… Be careful that you’re not using the resource that you set aside for your self – for your future.

That’s your stash. Don’t use it.

Becoming Gamer

by MAÔ, posted in Growing up

Playing games has been favorite pastime for young people since the advent of the Nintendo Entertainment System. My first game was Super Mario Bros., and I would play it with my Dad on the weekends. I’d also watch my brother play Final Fantasy II (the Japanese IV) on the Super NES well into the night (rather than sleeping before school).

I’ll go through phases now, and play a game for a while before not picking up a controller for months. However, my friend Greg and I have partnered on a video game streaming endeavor, and now I’ll be expected to play weekly. Two Dudes, One Console. It’s also a chance to work on video and audio editing, which I’ve been neglecting for too long.

It’ll be important to maintain proper time management in the nascent stages of this endeavor, especially to keep up with all other projects. So this afternoon, recording session two!

Finding time to be creative

by MAÔ, posted in Art

You want to do this, be it paint that canvas, write that book, make that movie, or learn that instrument. You want to do that so you can feel the accomplishment you’ve known you longed to feel from the time you first had that thought, probably so long ago.

What no one told you is that it’s very rare indeed to find time to make the art that we long to make. Time isn’t a commodity we just have in abundance. Time is finite, and we have more and more ways to fill it. Five centuries ago it was work, sleep, and family. One century ago it was work, sleep, and family. Even fifty years ago, it could have been work, sleep, and family. Now, the possibilities are endless.

So, no. Don’t find time to be creative. Make time. Schedule it in, and guard it as you would anything else important. It’s the only way to get it done.