Nope, this post isn’t about a relationship with another person. It’s about ideas and my own alter egos in music and art.
We’re quickly moving toward 2024. I sometimes write those end-of-the-year posts on December 31. I look back at what I did in the previous year and then make resolutions for what I’m going to do in the coming year. The truth is that the change of a calendar year has little to do with how I work.
I start thinking about the coming year months before it starts. I work on a project basis. I usually have a few projects going on at once.
If you’ve followed me as an artist for any amount of time, you know that I work in multiple disciplines. I write books and poetry. I write fiction and non-fiction. I write songs. I compose ambient music. I hope to do more with photography as I get closer to retirement. I play a number of different musical instruments.
I’m not saying all of this to brag. In fact, I’m sometimes my own worst critic. I’m often disappointed with myself because I am so scattered and don’t focus on a single art. That’s where marriage comes in.
I’d love to find a way to bring all of the work I do into a single format. I don’t think that’s very practical. However, there is one specific marriage I’m considering in 2024: one between Dan Steven Erickson and Anderhill.
Dan Steven Erickson is the traditional singer-songwriter, the poet, the writer. Anderhill is the abstract music composer, the abstract writer, and perhaps more of the photographer. Musically, I’m considering bringing the two together.
Before Anderhill, I used to create electronic music with lyrics and vocals. I was new to digital recording and didn’t like the final product. Most of that work either got thrown away or is on some external hard drive in storage. Once you bring vocals into the mix, it’s a much more challenging process, especially with limited equipment.
But in 2024, I think I might be ready to create that kind of marriage. I don’t know whether I’ll call it Anderhill or Dan Steven Erickson. Stay tuned. – dse
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