Updated: May 9, 2023
This week I've been working on setting up/ cleaning up social media accounts.
... Can I be honest? I quite dislike social media. It makes me anxious just thinking about it. I feel much more comfortable in a format where I can iterate and edit and change things till I feel like whatever I'm working on is effectively saying what I want it to say. I know I'm not alone on this. Many of the other artists/ poets/ creative people I've known have felt similarly. Posting constantly to social media can feel antithetical to the task that I want to do professionally, which involves lot of revision and precision. As an artist, I do want to share my thoughts and feelings, but I don't feel like a couple off handed words or photos aren't the way I want to do that. I get uncomfortable with how firm and direct the messaging is in a platform like that. Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong? Maybe I'm taking it too seriously? It just feels weird to me to publish something that I'm not supposed to take seriously...
But for everything I dislike about using social media, it feels like a necessary part of trying to release any big project into the world right now. So follow go ahead and "drop a follow!" lol. https://www.facebook.com/people/Thomas-Marn/100092565421512/
Right now, the plan is to update these social media feeds with similar content to what I'm posting here (if a bit less personal/rambling). But who knows!- as I get better at social media in general, the types of content I post on each might differentiate.
Updated: May 3, 2023
As I wait to get my album back from the mastering engineer, I've had some time this week to work on some side-projects that may someday become elements of a live show! I spent a few months earlier this year working on a way to use CV signals to control a series of motorized devices. The project is going well, and I hope to have more detailed updates available on my Patreon soon! There are a lot of moving parts, and it has involved learning lots of new technical skills and applications.
As a carried my box of parts over to my desk this morning, it dawned on me- A person like me would never be able to work on a project like this in any other place or time. I have no idea where or how I would be able to relatively quickly get very specific electronic components without a resource like Amazon. I've also been frequently using Chat GPT3 to help answer some niche electronics and programming questions as they come up... I know there are probably other ways I could get this information, but it would be nowhere near as fast or convenient for a random artist in the middle of Ohio to work on a project like this without things Amazon or AI research assistant programs like Chat GPT.
Part of me thinks these are the conditions for creating something genuinely new. Ideas don't happen in a vacuum. New things get made when the conditions in the world are right for someone to make them. Everything has to be set up so that someone can connect the dots, see the need- then have access to the tools and information to make it a reality. I'm pretty excited about this project, and I think it has a lot of potential. I have not been able to find anything like this out there, and it's something I really want to see exist in the world of electronic music. If you want to know more, subscribe to my Patreon for access to QUIVER updates! I've been documenting my progress daily, and I'm working on finding better ways to share everything so that it's digestible and interesting to read đ Check it out! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=91562271
Lately I've been sorting through some demos and drafts for tracks on/related to The Queen of Time. Some are actually quite good- I like some of their energy, and a few of the cut songs have a lot of potential. This bonus material isn't quite ready for release, but maybe someday? Keep an eye out đ (possibly on patreon?)
Honestly, I'm just trying to fret my nerves before everything gets finalized for release. My goals for this project are modest. I hope to establish a presence I can build on and maintain professionally. I know I'm not poised to make the billboard top 100, but I do hope the work gets seen.
Building up an online presence is a necessary part of being any kind of artist today, and it's a lot of work... I much prefer writing songs and making paintings and doing other crazy stuff- but if I don't lift my head up long enough to tell someone about what I'm doing, no one will ever know, right? And, obviously, I want to make things that other people can see and experience (that's part of why people make art).
I've been trying to swallow my nerve and actually get back on social media, but I'm really struggling to find motivation. I honestly don't enjoy social media very much, so it's hard to understand what actually makes a good post? It's also difficult to know what kind of audience will be reading whatever I decide to write there... Something about the extremely public/ transactional nature of it really stresses me out. I'm much happier without it, but I understand it's a necessary part of being a creative professional... Sooo keep an eye out for me on social media, I guess! đ