Category: Creativity

Writing, music, anything creative

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Down The Rabbit Hole

Looking at my blog traffic stats, I’ve discovered that almost 50% of my traffic was due to Google linking to a single article I had written (about installing Adobe Air in Ubuntu, strangely enough). I know this, because the very day they removed it from search results (due to a wrongly submitted DMCA takedown, I might add), my traffic dropped that much and has remained there.

For me to provide interesting and useful information here, I need to write what people want to read. But I also need to write about what I know. Are there really avant-guard ADD’ers out there who think like me? Are there people interested in what I know, and what I’ve experienced? Does anybody really know what time it is?

I guess I’ll just keep writing about what’s engaging to me, and hope that somebody, somewhere, is getting something out of it. I’ve got some interesting thoughts on this to share for “Outside The Box” tomorrow. Hope you like them.

If you have something you’d like for me to write more on, let me know in the comments section.

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Creativity, and NaNoWriMo

Fall is coming. That means November, a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month is also rapidly approaching.

For the last few years, I’ve been trying to work on drafting another novel- a couple of them, in fact- and I haven’t been able to put enough time into it to really make a dent in it. I’ve discussed it before, in fact.

My friend(s) who are single are writing up a storm, and then asking me “when are you going to have time to edit my book?” to which I have to laugh. (I love you, man, I really do.) I don’t even have time to work on mine, much less edit other people’s. I don’t have time to work on my bikes, fix my car, work on my music projects. I certainly don’t have time to work on other people’s. But they still ask, and I still want to help, because I’m just that kind of guy.

In fact, I’ve gotten so busy, I’ve had to slow down my creative freight train (thank you, ADD brain) just in order to get simple things done. Like cooking dinner, showering, sleeping, and other semi-important stuff.

I’ve been working on outlining my novel plots, which is new territory for me. I generally enjoy writing off the cuff without an outline, but this poses problems for me when I’m trying to bring the story to a close.

I have to be satisfied to just keep thinking about it, taking notes, and when the opportunity presents itself, I’ll pull the 100+ hours it takes to actually write the book (not to mention editing it).

We’ll see how it goes. I have nine weeks to decide whether or not I want to try to “win” NaNoWriMo again this year.

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Music Monday: Software Amps

Here’s Dweezil Zappa endorsing Native Instrument’s Guitar Rig 5. I’ve used this software, it’s actually pretty good, very flexible, awesome sounding, and costs about $200.

There are now several kinds of software amplifier emulators, some of which are 100% free and are just as good. The biggest advantage to using a software guitar setup is that you can not only configure it in ways that a physical setup can’t be, you can pack dozens of amps and effects into a laptop and bring them with you. You can also share those sounds with other players!

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gqCtPcN5NE”]

Zappa hits on a lot of these points, which are true for software setups as a whole. Obviously, some will sound better or have more features than others, but for the most part, they all work the same.

Some things to keep in mind when using a software amp (or any modeler, for that matter):

  • It can be as simple or complex as you want
  • It can do things physical setups can’t
  • Just like an amp, it’s going to have a unique sound
  • It may not “feel” the same, but that’s not bad

Once you get past the idea of it not sounding like you “think” it should sound, you can start playing with the unlimited possibilities, and make something useful with it. Make your own sounds, your own set lists, play with effects and see what you can do. You are free to create!

Is a software amp/effect setup right for you? They’re more flexible and cheaper than vintage/boutique hardware. If nothing else, it’s a good tool to have in your arsenal. I, for one, have no qualms about using a laptop guitar amp simulator live. And if you try a free one, what have you got to lose?

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Caustic 3.1 In Linux

As I previously wrote about Caustic 2 running in Linux with wine emulation, version 3.1 of Caustic has come out with loads of great new features. Simply put, it’s now practically a full-blown electronic music production program. The Android version is $10 (well worth it) and the Windows desktop version remains free.

The list of improvements is substantial:

  • More instruments per project
  • New instruments
  • New features in old instruments
  • more effects
  • more MIDI functions (yay!)
  • Export features
  • UI improvements

I can’t say enough good things about this app. The fact that it runs under Linux is even more exciting, as that wasn’t done intentionally, but it works anyway. I highly recommend it. Continue reading “Caustic 3.1 In Linux”

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My Thoughts On the 2015 Hugo Awards

As a (admittedly lacking) science fiction reader/author, I’ve been following the rumpus surrounding the 2015 Hugo Awards for Science Fiction. Simply put, they’re fan-based awards, given to works of science fiction* that exemplify the best talent in the industry.

* Or at least, that’s what it used to be. In the last 2 years, we’ve discovered it was a thinly disguised club who used it to promote works that were neither science fiction, nor the best that the industry had to offer.

Naturally, people were upset about this and pressed back, and so the Hugo Awards ended up burning themselves to the ground instead of letting “unapproved” authors and editors get their coveted awards.

Honestly, Larry Corriea explains it perfectly here.

I’ve noticed over the last year or so, with GamerGate and now the Hugo Awards, that being a moderate in these areas is ineffective and counterproductive. Not wanting to hurt people’s feelings ends up backfiring 99% of the time, because the people you’re trying not to offend don’t care if they offend you.

So as believers, do we simply smile and back away? Do we take our toys and go play in another sandbox? Or do we put our foot down, insist on playing by the same rules, and beat them at their own game? Continue reading “My Thoughts On the 2015 Hugo Awards”

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Monday Motivation

As of yesterday, I weighed 165 pounds, which means I’ve lost approximately 10 pounds in the last 6 weeks. I think I’m going to focus on nutrition and building muscle mass at this point. Even though I could probably lose a bit more weight, I think I would be better served by increasing my strength and endurance, now that I’m within a few pounds of my ideal weight.

Here’s some music to get you moving on this Monday morning.

[youtube_sc url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbVZJEeq2Ms”]

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Perfection Is The Enemy Of Creativity

For a lot of people, the desire to be creative has been stamped out of their daily thinking. It never crosses their mind that they have the time or the ability to create something.

For me, the realization of this happened when I wrote my first book, during NaNoWriMo. One of the tips they give is to “lock away your inner editor” and just write whatever comes to your mind. And for people like me who have high standards of quality, that works, surprisingly.

Why is this? It’s because of the fear of our output being “not good enough” from only the first draft. We look at our incomplete musical or graphical or literary first drafts, and think “this really sucks.” But if you stop there, that’s the end of the story (pun intended), and nothing gets created.

Freedom to create comes when you lock away your inner editor long enough to get past the initial aversion. Even if it’s bad, a written book is closer to publication than an incomplete one. A song with all the parts there is closer to being “finished” than one with a well-mixed intro and nothing else.

You can’t edit or polish something that isn’t there. Worry about perfection after you’ve actually completed something. In some cases, you’ll realize that the end result probably doesn’t need that much fixing anyway. You get better with it over time.

So quit double-guessing yourself, put aside the fear, and finish something. Anything, even if it’s bad, is better than not creating at all.

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Corporate Emo Poetry

There comes a time in every man’s life
When he grows tired of all the strife
But soldiers on, despite the pain
To keep the paychecks flowing like rain

The mental fog occludes the will
And quenches man’s desire to fill
His mind with passionate joys of love
With corporate idiocy from above

But one day, friend, he will be free
Retirement ends the misery
Only to find there’s no more drive
He sits resolutely;
American Idol’s on at five.

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New Laptop Considerations

I’m getting close to replacing my aging (but still perfectly functional) HP 625 laptop. The kids have been using it heavily for school, along with the handful of other laptops (two Dells and an HP). My requirements for a laptop are a bit different than most people’s, though… I need mine to be Linux compatible.

I’m looking at getting an HP laptop/tablet with a rotating screen, for a couple of reasons. First, the tablet function would be very handy for using it on a music stand, or as an e-reader. Second, I write a lot, so it needs to have a decent keyboard. Third, I don’t like devices that separate the screen from the keyboard.

Possible candidates are the HP Elitebook 2760p, or the HP Elitebook Revolve 810 G1. Both come with an Intel i5/i7 and comparable hardware, but the Revolve is thinner, lighter, and more expensive. The only thing that doesn’t work with Ubuntu is the fingerprint scanner (yet).

One thing I want to be able to do with it is use it as a mobile recording studio/performance laptop with Ubuntu Studio.