Perfectly Human

Over the past few weeks things have been moving along in the background. I have not made much progress that is public-facing. However, what is in development will mostly be shared, eventually. Here’s progress updates on the following topics/projects:

Malydaar’s Whisper

In spare time I’ve been traversing dark waters by reading/re-reading a few books and smaller texts. They span from the 1300’s to the current literary period. Oh gosh, some were quite unsettling. The goal was to go WAAAAYYYY UPSTREAM to infuse my lyrics with tales of age-old public health issues. (Ya know, the stuff that never seems to get fixed). The themes are not being presented as preachy, political, or divisive but rather as simple, human, relatable.

Melodies, sounds, and rhythms are still being recorded daily, with the exception of yesterday. As the lyrics are being reworked, I’ve been developing a project proposal and outline of every album and track. With that, I’m creating a spread sheet to organize the assets and docs with links.

Assets are organized by album and track, that way future me will be able to focus on each, individually and know exactly where to find the materials. The goal is to retain the “Vision” so I don’t veer too far off course. Also, having it organized will help with communication if I need assistance or to work with others.

As the sound develops, it’s interesting because it’s familiar yet so unfamiliar. I haven’t heard anything quite like it before. I’m sure it exists somewhere? I haven’t found it yet though. Nothing is presentable for you at this time. Not, sorry. 🤭

After the last few atmospheric sounds are recorded and stored, the next phase will begin. In that phase, the goal will be to fully compose a cover song. Then, practice with a few more. After, it will be time to give my originals a try. Nothing will be released until I’m finished with demos. For the proposal, I’ll need at least a few tracks from each album to communicate the energy, atmosphere, and narrative plot points.

Vocal Training

Vocal practice is always a non-negotiable. No matter how lousy I feel, at least 60 minutes a day is spent practicing. Most days it is between 3 to 5 hours. I’m working on getting more control over rapid tone adjustments, volume and pitch, pronunciation (based on genre,) picking notes out of thin air to vocalize, RUNS, and jumping octaves without locking myself out of my lower register. I’m happy with the results, thus far.

One thing that I need to work on is adding cardio & gentle strength training back into vocal training. (My tummy’s turning rather doughy and my lung capacity needs improved. I love long notes. It would be nice to hold them with better ease.)

Music & Words

At this time, there’s no rush to open the doors of the Skool Community Music & Words. I’m not done with my test run yet. Once that is complete, I’ll consider it. 😁 There are a few buttheads that need to be spoken with first though. I may not even want to operate the darn thing… we’ll see? (It’s time consuming and sometimes frickin’ annoying to run an online community.) I enjoy having my own library of materials and classes for private use. I may be willing to share the self-led classes and mini lessons with other communities. But, like I said… we’ll see. I feel pretty darn selfish right now.

Homeschooling

The number one reason the album project is being organized and Music & Words is being structured the way it is, is because we need to finish up the school year. The kids need to make it through a majority of their classes before we move.

Weekly I spend a good amount of time “preparing” the lessons, worksheets, and supportive activities. It’s been a learning process and many adjustments have been made due to my own failures. Progress is being made though. We’re finally busting through these to-do lists and achieving better results.

Instruction and planning consume most of my time. It’s nice to have my hobby projects well organized and structured so what limited time I have available, progress can still be made.

Oh, we also had to travel to pick up my son’s glasses so we spent a few hours exploring the State Capitol. He played in a rich neighborhood’s public park. Because… why not? People were actually nice there, it was a lot fun.

Moving

The clock is ticking down to the move. I’m a bit stressed. Well, super stressed. The apartment is being decluttered, organized, and sorted. It’s a messy process.

Everything that is needed on this end of the move is being put into motion. Other things will need completed during and after the arrival. I have a lot of lists going and am trying to stay organized with binders and backpacks. Each day I slowly try to work my way though what needs to be done. The logistics of money and time do have my head spinning a bit though. But… there’s no turning back, things were set into motion.

Health

Today I woke up with a terrible stomach ache. I didn’t get sick but I was in so much pain that I texted my ex-husband to ask if he’d text back in a few hours. I was worried about being able to get around today and thought he may need to take our son early. Eventually, I began to feel better after I rested more. Because of the stomach issue earlier, today is a 24 hour fast. I need to reset my digestive system. If I do not, I’ll end up very sick. (With an autoimmune disease, my body attacks whatever is inflamed. So it is crucial to “rest” whatever is acting up.)

My son and I spent the day outside in the sun with Doc McPiggie. We also assessed what was garbage, what could be sold, and what could be donated from our side of the garage. I was impressed with my old self for how well I organized before winter hit. Old me, 6-months ago, was pretty determined to get the heck outta here. She prepared things well for present me. I’ve been anticipating self-destruction but keep trying to use that urge to prepare and build instead. It’s finally paying off… slowly.

*sorry, posted before editing… 😱 it will probably stay this way for a minute.

Hope all is well in your spheres. Remember to take time to take care of yourselves when life’s busy. There’s always a way forward, but not if you fall apart at the seams along the way. Thanks for reading this.

🙏Blessings,

-Tansy