Refocusing…

Posted on February 6, 2018 by SusanG

As part of trying to make this blog better I’m also doing some refocusing. Not just the blog but things in general. I’m making a bit of progress with that however, I’m still working on it. It doesn’t happen over night for me. I go in fits and starts and a few stutters too. So some postings are going to fall back to the old update format.

Part of the process involves a clean out of things that I’ve accumulated that I no longer want, need, or have an interest in. This is where my biggest success has been, so far. I managed to clean out a bunch of games. And even a game console. I was able to trade in the games and console for some extra cash. That’s a real bonus. I got rid of stuff, made a bit of space, and got cash to put towards next year’s trip. I’m hoping to have a similar result with a bunch of books I’ve pulled off my shelves to get rid of. I may try to take those in this next weekend so I can finish cleaning that room.

I’m expecting, as part of this refocus, to get back to more art. I have the two paintings I’ve been working on for way too long now. The Ovation painting and the Gretsch painting. I want to finish them. And, I’ve seen some really beautiful and interesting instruments in my Instagram feed lately that would be fun to paint so I want to free up some work space as well as time for them. Also, I’m going to have to track down either the actual guitars to get pictures or good promo photos for reference.

Refocusing is going to involve music as well. I’ve finally gotten back to playing after a few years of not being able to and there are a few things I want to do and learn there so I’m likely to have something to say about it. I might even post some recording of what I’m working on. It might be a while though. I’ve got a piece of gear that will help with that except I still need to learn how to use it. And, I’m still reading the manual for it.

The goal of making my writing and postings better is still there. I had intended that to mean my posts would be more articles than just basic, ‘hey this is what I did this week’ posts. However, I recognize that I still need to provide periodic project updates. After all, that is what got you to stop and have a read to begin with. And with out them you’ll probably get bored with my random ramblings. And, I suspect some articles won’t really be for everyone as not everyone has the same level of interest in the things that I get enthusiastic about.

As an example. A very patient work mate gently informed me, or made me aware, I’m a music geek. Now I wouldn’t have thought that and I’m still not sure I completely agree with it. However, he said this just after he spent five minutes listening to me tell him about the cool part of this book I am reading being that it is written by the recording engineer on the album Rumors and he was discussing the difference in the consoles the song Rhiannon was recorded on versus the console he mixed the radio mix on. So, since that’s the discussion my work mate is basing his assessment on, I’ll accept it.

Now, I recognize that you’re more accustomed to me running on about art projects with lots of pictures so the shift not just in adding article type postings, but also to adding the music postings may be a surprise and not at all what you expected. Fair enough. I think I’ve only really just hinted at my musical leanings over the last few years. If even that. So it probably seems a little out of left field. No worries. Hang in there with me and find out where it does come from. Trust me, it really doesn’t come from left field.

I still have plenty of 3D digital art projects I want to do so there will be more of that.  That’s not going away with the refocus. There will be more of the paintings of guitars. Lots of guitars. And some music stuff.

So art and music. What’d you think? You along for the ride? I’ll try to make it interesting and as fun to read about as I imagine my co-workers think it funny to watch me talk about it, in full animation.

And as a little bonus to close out. Here’s an updated picture of the Ovation Guitar painting. That second pass of the crimson is almost done. 

 

Posted in Weekly Updates | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Refocusing…

Liner Notes!

Posted on January 30, 2018 by SusanG

Ah the joy of a new CD or record. I can’t wait to open it up and read the little booklet inside or the sleeve that the record is in. Those liner notes. Good ones tell the story of the recording. I love liner notes. We won’t discuss bad ones here. But good ones. Oh yeah.

When I was a teen and I would get a new CD or record the first thing I did was open it up and read the liner notes. Usually while I was listening to said CD or record for the first time. I still do this. I love reading the lyrics to the songs. And who wrote them. And even the names of the publishing companies they are under. You can learn things about the writers just through that. And then if they list the musicians, singers, arrangers, producers and such as well, that is always more fun. Oh, and the recording studios. You can see who might have played with whom and maybe where connections were made. There might even be a guest artist who played or sang on a song or two. Like, Joe Walsh on an early Andy Gibb song. Or Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham on the Bob Welch song ‘Sentimental Lady’. Or finding Toni Tennille from The Captain and Tennille in the credits of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’. Yes.

You can even learn bits with the thank yous that are sometimes included. That’s fun because you might get a hint at someone who was involved but maybe not really credited.

I love good liner notes. I especially like the ones that really tell about the recording. Maybe something about each song or the whole idea behind the recording. Like why they wanted to make it. I also like the ones to CD’s that are a compilation, like a retrospective or Greatest Hits, where someone has written a tribute to the artist or even a history of them and their place in music history. I’ve come across a couple of these lately that really shed light on the significance of the groups they reference.

Liner notes are why I still have CD’s and records. Liner notes are what we don’t get with our digital music. Liner notes help to tell the story of musical history. They tell us that George A. Nevermind wrote the song ‘Sugar Walls’ on Sheena Easton’s ‘Private Heaven’ album, and, well, we all know George as Prince. Or that Phil Collins played drums and produced a track on Frida’s (from ABBA fame) record that included the ‘80’s hit ‘I Know There’s Something Going On’. Liner notes tell us that Diane Warren who wrote Cher’s hit ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ co-wrote songs with Desmond Child and even Michael Bolton. And, if you didn’t already know, you would learn from the liner notes that ‘Islands in the Stream’ is a Gibb brothers song. Liner notes are how we find out all these sorts of things.

And liner notes are why I don’t really purchase my music digitally if I can avoid it. I would rather have the physical copy of the recording, even as I run out out of self space. I’d rather have the liner notes and then have to rip the music to my computer to get it on my phone, than to not have all the great information and story there in those liner notes.

Posted in Music, Weekly Updates | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Liner Notes!

Watching Day Break

Posted on January 23, 2018 by SusanG

How many of us really do this, take a little time to sit and watch the day come to life.

I don’t mean just watching the sunrise. That’s only part of it. There is so much more happening at that time. As the sky starts to lighten and change colors so does everything else. The trees, the buildings, the sidewalks, and grass. And the birds start to sing, announcing a new day has begun.

During warmer times of the year you can smell and feel the dew that touches everything. And it all feels and smells fresh and full of promise. Like the new opportunity and fresh start that each new day can be.

That new day that breaks with the sliver of sun on the horizon isn’t written yet. Unlike the day we experience when we sit and enjoy a beautiful sunset. That’s a day done and we reflect on what it was. A day at daybreak has so much to offer. So many possibilities. What will it bring? How will you spend that day? Will you find joy in the things around you? Cherish your friends and family? Be kind to a stranger? Dance like the world depends on it? Sing with all your heart at the top of you voice? Or will you go about the day just barely noticing it and having chance encounters. Rushing along trying desperately to get to those few moments of peace that we hope to have at the end.

You can have that. Peace at the end of the day. You can also have peace to start. Just a few minutes as the day breaks with all that it has to offer. Before the craziness that most of us find ourselves involved in.

I know, most of us lead lives that make it difficult to really enjoy a day break. I know I do. I really only get to enjoy and appreciate it when I have a day off from the day job. So when I do have that chance I will sacrifice sleeping late. Instead of a nice lie in, I get up, make a cup of tea, and watch. I watch the sky turn from black to a deep blue and then lighter shades of blue with tinges of orange, yellow, pinks, corals, and glow. I watch as the trees go from being shadowy figures in the dark to silhouettes and then something amazing as the sun kisses the edges with gold and glow.

It’s a little cold here right now so I watch from inside with the curtains wide and the blinds all open so I can see as much as I can. I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so I can sit on my balcony to watch the show.

And you know, even if there are clouds, the changes are no less beautiful as a deep dark sky shifts in shades of grey and grey-blue into what is going to be a day that still holds the promise of a new beginning. A little softer in it’s approach perhaps. Not nearly as vibrant and invigorating, it’s a new day none the less. And sometimes, even more peaceful.

I confess, I like the days with sun best. That point when the sun has finally made it far enough up from the horizon that you can start to feel its warmth and it casts a big beautiful glow. I think this might be the most beautiful and exciting time of day.

If you can, try it some time. Even if you live in a big city with lots of buildings. It all still happens. It takes a little while for it to unfold so pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea to go with the show.

 

Posted in Just Thoughts, Weekly Updates | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Watching Day Break

I Want to Make This Better

Posted on January 16, 2018 by SusanG

I’ve come across a few things recently that have made me think that it might be time for a little change up. For some time now this blog has been mostly about projects that I have been working on, and weekly updates as to the progress of them with the occasional whimsy. My goal is to always write a good post, of the best quality I can, but I know there are times when, really, the post is not much more than an obligatory weekly post without a lot of real substance so it probably wasn’t worth the time you took to click on the link. Though I thank you for clicking on that link, I’d like to fix that.

While I don’t really make New Year’s Resolutions, a new year, or the changing of a season, is always a good time to make changes. There’s an underlying sense of fresh start. I think that makes change seem natural, less scary, and hopefully easier.

What I would like to do this year is to work on improving the quality of my posts. It won’t happen overnight and probably won’t be easy. I think it will be worth it. I’ll try to stick to my regular posting schedule. However, in the interest of publishing a good post, I may not make that post every Tuesday. I will still make a post every week. I know that may be a challenge to keep up with so to assist with that, I invite you to follow me on Twitter @susangasong or G+ (Goodgle +) also @susangasong. Each new post is automatically announced on both of those feeds. In addition you can click the subscribe button to receive notifications of new posts. If there is another feed you use and you would like me to post there, let me know what it is and I’ll look into it.

So for a final “regular” weekly update.

I’m still working on the VR class. I have stuff to finish up for that but still no art to share. I have to say I have a great mentor for this who has been helpful, and encouraging, and provided me inspiration to do better.

I got a chance to work on the Ovation painting again. As is the case with the style it’s slow going. I have some thoughts on this to share in another post. For now, though it’s a little slow, I’m still making progress. Here’s where it’s at now. I will share more updates on it as I get even farther along.

I also went to the Blues Jam this week. Once again, I had a great time and like last time, I can’t wait for the next one. They gave me the opportunity to play twice which is exciting for me. It is not lost on me the generosity and patience of the musicians I have opportunity to play with. Often we play songs that I have vague familiarity with and yet we manage to get through them usually sounding pretty good and once in a while sounding great. I always do my best to pull my weight and really add to the experience, however, I know I can do better. So I am ever grateful for their patience and shared knowledge.

I could write more on this topic too but I’ll save it for another post as well.

That’s it. Please visit again. And, if you’d like to have further discussion on something I post, you can always email, or catch me on my social media feeds. Thanks for reading.

Posted in Weekly Updates | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on I Want to Make This Better

Just a Few Things on Deck

Posted on January 9, 2018 by SusanG

How’s your year shaping up? Got stuff planned? Resolutions made? Just trying to get through the rest of winter?

I realized as I was looking for art for this week that while I worked on stuff, I don’t have a lot of pics of it to share. I was busy working on the VR project that, while important for the class, it really didn’t offer much of my own work to look at. The whole point was to optimize an already created application that was performing poorly. Think lag. Big time. That’s done and now I’m on to a production project. I’m not very far into it so I don’t have news on how that’s going to work out yet. Once that’s done then it’s on to the final project.

I took advantage of some of the early daylight over the weekend and worked on the Ovation painting. I’m still working on the second round of the crimson. I’m not near done with it. But I did finally get a good angled view of the painting when taking this photo of it so that it’s a little easier to see it in general.

I might have mentioned that I was adding some Yoga to my exercise regime. It’s in between/after the Taekwondo days. This week it bore the fruit I was hoping for. We did back kick practice on Saturday. Back kick practice usually results in my lower back complaining. So Yoga, on Sunday, helped that a lot and by the end, it was all stretched out and loosened up.

Of course there was also the guitar practice. I’m still working on my basic skills and trying to expand my knowledge of rhythms and techniques. That’s an on going thing I think. As long as you play there is always more to learn. And when you have as eclectic tastes as I do it’s very difficult to stay focused on one type of thing. So I’m working on my basic blues stuff as well as basic rhythm keeping. That entails a lot of work with a metronome. Click-click-click-click. I’ve also got some songs that I just really like that I’m working on. One with a really nice picking pattern that is proving to be a good challenge for me. And a couple of really nice finger-picking versions of some songs. I’m also working on the riff from “Stayin’ Alive” because, I like to have little bits to mess with while I’m waiting for others. It’s my version of being fidgety when I have a guitar in my hand.

Along with all that, I did find a song that I think I can handle the vocals for. So I’ve been working on that. It took a few days to get the chords down and a little longer than that to start to get a handle on the vocals. Words and melody. I’m still fine tuning the melody. I have a tendency to drop the ends of phrases. So I go lower even if it should go higher. That’s something for me to work on. Since I don’t have a lot of ready feedback for how things are sounding I’ve taken to using my phone to record myself so I can listen to the play back. This is a weird thing to get over. Hearing your own voice outside of your head. It has turned out to be helpful so I’ll be continuing to make use of that, even as awkward as I feel doing it.

And that’s my week past. Not too much to share. Just hard at work at things. The next week up has me working on the VR class to get the next project done so I can get started on the last part. I’ll likely take advantage of some early light again and work on the Ovation painting more. I’ll also be practicing music more. The next Blues Jam is all set for this Sunday. Which means, working on the song to sing as well as anything else I thought I wanted to learn to play for that. I’m excited to get to go out an play again. It’s always a lot of fun.

As I finish up the VR class and the last of those projects, I’ll start thinking about the what next stuff. I’m suspicious that if I start looking too far into that at the moment that I’ll get too impatient to get started on those things and not finish some of what I’m currently working on. So, I don’t have much to tell for the what’s coming up, at least not for sure. But I’ll try to get more pictures of the painting and maybe even the Jam. Oh! And pictures of the last VR project when I get going on that.

Posted in Weekly Updates | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Just a Few Things on Deck