NEWS

Archive Page

What can I say? I’m a sucker for an archive page.

When I started this site, I wasn’t planning on doing so much writing to the news feed as I am. Nothing is going quite as planned. But it’s okay. I think I like where this is going. I also swore to myself that I wouldn’t add an archive page to this site.

It’s a little extra work. So what? I’m going to do it anyway.

Although I’m trying to steer clear of the title of blogger since starting this site, I’ve often looked to minimalist bloggers like Leo Babauta and Brian Gardner for website-design inspiration. Most of my favorite bloggers, from a design perspective, include an archive page.

I’ve included archive pages on most of my older websites. There’s just something about that simple organization that appeals to me. It makes it easy to access all of one’s articles from a single place.

I’ve been creating an archive page in the background since I started the site. Keep an eye out for it. – dse

Temporary Art

It’s all temporary, really.

However, I’m referring to something I do with my own work. Sometimes, I create music or writing that I know I’ll just throw away later. Call it temporary art. This is especially true with the small amount of traditional songwriting I still do from time to time.

Here’s the deal with my songwriting. First, I have nowhere to perform currently, with COVID-19. Second, I don’t really have the studio setup to record high-quality vocals. It lowers my motivation. So, I’ve kind of put songwriting on a back burner.

Even when I do write a song, I tend to write mock lyrics, tongue-in-cheek, about something going on in the world, or in my life. I’ll often record the vocals with weird effects and noise because I don’t have the tools or time to record something of a finer quality.

It’s like rot-gut whiskey.

Why am I explaining all of this? Because I just recorded a new song a couple of days ago. And although it’s available for you to listen to, it’s temporary art. I’ll trash it at some point. It’s just a matter of time. Sure, I might save some of the files and resurrect something from the bones, but it’s not going to last in it’s current form.

Sometimes, I post these half-mastered pieces of trash on my second SoundCloud account. Currently, you can find the new song posted there. But like previous temporary art, it might not be there next year, or even next month.

Check out my alternate (Dan Steven Erickson) SoundCloud account for my current temporary art. After all, everything is temporary. – dse

Poetry Balm

Writing poetry isn’t just an act in writing. Poetry is a balm for your soul. Just as neosporin helps to heal cuts and burns more quickly than just leaving a wound untreated, honest writing does the same for the soul.

Recently, I wrote a series of confessional poems about the stupid stuff I did when I was younger. The process of writing those words helped me to release some of the last bits of guilt, shame, and pent-up anger about things that happened more than 30 years ago. That process set me free of a few old demons. Balm.

Writing has also helped me to deal with injustices that were dealt upon me. I’ve learned to have less of a victim mentality, to forgive others, to let the past go. I wound up with a couple of books out of the process. Read my books.

It’s a balm, a healing ointment. Writing can serve as a form of self-therapy. Poetry is the most honest form of writing that I know. Seeing a therapist from time to time never hurts, but a little poetry balm can do wonders. – dse

The New

and so the new begins as withered feathers
decompose, and the pigeon’s spirit flies into
the late august moon.

and so the new begins while the mutant raven
sleeps, branches reaching down to blanket her,
so cold and flightless.

and so the new begins as death knocks
gently, waiting, their souls revive at midnight
for an old-fashioned rendezvous
to celebrate all that is to come.

“come with me, my love,” says the pigeon
to the raven, “to where the trees have all
been burned by fire.”

and so they fly in ghostly form to the ashes
of the resurrection grounds, all their feathers
bright and intermingled.

and so the new begins as life’s relentlessness
shines down from from a cool September sky,
the moon and stars singing ancient hymns
of praise for all that is to come.

The Light Shines Brighter

I’ve been in a lull producing music lately, but yesterday was productive. I composed a few starts and pieces of music, but nothing I’d consider ready to release. Then right before I fell asleep, I sampled a single finger snap. The result: The Light Shines Brighter.

It’s an upbeat piece, and I swear when I reached the midsection of the song, where things change a bit dramatically, the light in the room got a little brighter as if there was a sudden surge of electrical energy.

At this point, The Light Shines Brighter is just a single track, but there’s a possibility that it could be the start of an EP or an album. Time will tell. – dse

No Stock Photos

You may have noticed that I haven’t been using any stock photos on my new website. If you didn’t read the first post, Restart, you might wonder why? There are two simple reasons.

  1. I’m done with stock photos. For years, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with stock photos. You can find some real pretty pictures that will work with almost anything you write, kind of. Yet, as pretty as they are, they’re like cardboard cutouts. They all look the same. Plus, they’re somebody else’s photos.
  2. I’ll spend less time per essay. It’s a simple time-management thing. With shorter posts, less links, and no photos, I can work twice as fast.

In the future, I hope to start using a few of my own photos on occasion. I won’t post a picture with every post. That’s kind of silly when you really think about it. However, as I release new music and new books, I want to design original cover art. I might go back and design some original covers for some of my older works, too.

That’s the story. There will be no photos except my own (or collaborators) on Thoughts, Words & Music. – dse