Brian Ward. Week 7. July 3rd 2015.
Day 45 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #29 : Unnecessarily Complex
Please note – this daily med was posted in different part of the WordPress site last night at 12:38PM (technically July 4th at 12:38AM). Since the usual login method into my WordPress blog wouldn’t allow me to go into the normal blog post place, i posted somewhere else that wanted me to log in again. Anyhow, i had a feeling something was not right, so i copied/pasted my July 3 Daily Med into the Apple “Notes” section. Really glad i did, as i’ve had to retrieve and repost yesterday’s completed post here. Here ’tis.:
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Dispersion
Female vocal – reversed with reverb/pitch effect
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Unnecessarily Complex
Complexity is very draining, and i honestly try to avoid making things more complex than they might be already, especially in a group/music creation environment. I think, however, that people themselves are very complex, so it never surprises me when i see things become unnecessarily complex. It’s always so very refreshing when a group of mature musicians get together, and there are no egos, and the love flows naturally between everyone. This to me is magic in action, and so much gets done as a result of the natural good vibe. When the approach is taken where the best choice of what “stays” is based on what serves the overall project, everybody wins. And without the good vibe, the brotherly/sisterly love between musicians, the project just seems to take forever with the feeling of diminished joy, and diminished love. Bring on the love. Life is far too short without it.
Brian Ward. Week 7. July 4th 2015.
Day 46 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #30 : You Can Lead a Horse to Water
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Force
Slap of hand against tabletop, l/r channels offset, and effected with pitch and reverb.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: You Can Lead a Horse to Water…
The mention of musicians being stubborn in today’s daily med hits the nail right on the head. In order to reach a level where the music we make sounds acceptable to us, i think we have to be stubborn – otherwise we won’t keep going until we can achieve whatever goal we have in mind. On the other hand however, i can see why (after we reach a certain level) it is important to to let go of the filter and give our creativity a chance.
Brian Ward. Week 7. July 5th 2015.
Day 47 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #31 : Contribute
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Yielding
Gargle and spit with pitch/reverb/panned
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Lollipop
Re: this experiment/’reward’ – Great idea! I’ve found that, with being ‘grown-up’, and having greater means and access to things i ‘want’, the idea of having to wait to reward myself has gone by the wayside……. But, i recall the days when a reward for a mission accomplished was very effective, and so it shall be now. Though i haven’t done the experiment today (as i sadly had no musical interaction today, solo or with others) , I will try to put it into practice. (Another great Daily Med creative experiment that can trigger a positive change in habit).
Daily Dose: Contribute
If it weren’t for other musicians to interact with, and to inspire me, life would be very dull indeed. And as such i always try to have an excellent with every member of the musical ‘team’, including the engineer/producer, and anyone else who may be a part of the team (even if they’re not there to make music). It took me a while to learn this, but it became evident in every aspect of my life (musically, creatively, and otherwise) that the role of karma, and how i treated others, came back to me almost instantly. There are probably more than a few musicians/artists/creative types who have succeeded i their field while being unkind to others frequently along the way, but that’s not the way that will give anyone a fulfilling career. Personally, i don’t believe that old saying that ‘nice guys finish last’. It’s important to be kind to others, and assertive when necessary, while still doing it respectfully. In the long run, i feel that will allow our contributions to be most effective for both oneself, and the others involved in any project. Kindness and ‘love’ is necessary the whole way through, because without it, future opportunities to make music with the same people in the future disappears.
Brian Ward. Week 7. July 6th 2015.
Day 48 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #32 : I Choose Peace
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Create Conflict
This bird, pretty as it sounds, created some major conflict for me early a.m. when i was trying to sleep. Sounded to me like the bird was right next to my ear singing away.
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Random Attachment
The first word that came to me was disarray, as i looked around the room and so a big mess in front of me that i knew had to be cleaned up but didn’t have the ‘get up and go’ to tackle at that moment…….. I attempted to relate this word to the current project, and thought about adding more instruments…….. (i.e.. clutter).
Did this a couple more times with other words, and i can see how this experiment would be useful in getting out of a creative rut, or to put a different kind of ‘spin’ on a song etc. I also see the importance of having the right word to give the right type of inspiration………
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: I Choose Peace
Choosing peace in the musically creative sense when working with others, is another (in my opinion) universal truth that applies to our non-musical world too. When working on a project, though our ego needs to be there enough to have the confidence to play our instrument and have self-respect, it just isn’t worth it to get force an issue or solution to a problem. The right thing will always come out in the wash. As a younger person, without the temperance that being a little older brings, i can recall many occasions where i pushed to be ‘right’ about something, but as most of us find, we learn it just isn’t worth it. The whole group dynamic gets thrown off; sometimes to the point where recovery to the previous positive working vibe is not achievable. In music, creatively, and in life, I’d rather be happy. Bring on the good vibe.
Brian Ward. Week 8. July 7th 2015.
Day 49 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #33 : Creative Frustrations
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Critical Mass
A critical mass of unborn chicken: Coming out if its shell.
Reversed, with pitch effects and reverb.
3.(Emotional Section)– Daily Dose: Creative Frustrations
I’m struggling with the idea that we should let go of any inherent character and performance flaws. I agree with the idea that we do not control the music as it flows through us. However, I’ve always been of the mind that any performance flaws (i.e.. our own performance flaws) can be corrected by practicing /rehearsing/ woodshedding to correct the issues with our own playing. I understand the idea that, if something bothers us, just don’t let it bother us by surrendering to it. But aren’t there times when we shouldn’t surrender to certain things that bother us? Instead of having the ‘bothersome’ part in the project, it can simply not be played/executed until a later time when the part is no longer bothersome. I would say that, for the majority of us instrumentalists (in my case guitar(s), it’s wise in our musical journey to work on parts that are difficult for us rather than just throwing in the towel o those harder parts…… I know i have much, much to learn, and as i continue to learn, i’ll likely continue to struggle with this one. (but i do see the merit in it).
Brian Ward. Week 8. July 8th 2015.
Day 50 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #34 : Not for the Faint of Heart
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Security
Frying bacon, panned, 1 channel reversed, pitch up 8va and down 1 octave, with reverb. Kinda sounds like a rainstorm oddly enough.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Not for the Faint of Heart
Still working on the idea of letting go, and all will be well. I definitely see the merit in it, but it’s the ‘truly letting go’ part that is difficult for me. I’ve always had some genetic stubbornness in me…..and as such it is usually difficult for me to let go completely, hard as i try. I will continue to work on this……
Brian Ward. Week 8. July 9th 2015.
Day 51 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #36 : Face Your Flaws
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Looking Up
Looking up my trachea at my hiccup reflex.
Hiccup. Panned, with the usual Pitch and Reverb……….
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Mundane Work
Today’s creative experiment hits the nail on the head for how taking care of mundane domestic tasks etc can clear our mind and take us to a better place creatively. I first ‘learned’ this in high school, when, before a big exam that i inevitably had to ‘cram’ for (due to my nature of thinking i work best under pressure – even back then), i couldn’t get to work unless my workspace (i.e. teenage bedroom) was completely free of clutter and totally cleaned up. The same applies today for getting down to work on anything. Stuff sure piles up, but i can create so much better when it’s cleaned up and organized. All that junk takes up bandwidth in my brain……. Yet another great Creative Experiment.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Face Your Flaws
Today’s dose is one of the heaviest yet. Truly. Realizing our flaws is the first step, but what a bitch it is to be vigilant and constantly stand up to our flaws in order to not give into them. It’s easy to say “I’m not going to do ‘x’ anymore” (or be a certain way), but when life gets stressful and energy is low, and the reserve needed just isn’t there, it sure feels like a losing battle. But, i totally agree that we need to face our flaws and change that in us which is undesirable to ourselves. Just as our character is bred from habits and choices, if we can make positive habits and have ‘go to’ actions/thoughts when things get stressful, there is a much better chance at faster change, and permanent change.
Brian Ward. Week 8. July 12th 2015.
Day 54 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #37 : The Voice of Authority
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Light
With pitch effect and reverb……./tracks offset.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: The Voice of Authority
Whenever i haven’t listened to my intuition, things have always gone awry. It took me a while, but i learned the hard lessons about listening to my gut/intuition and i try very hard to follow every ‘pang’ of intuition – both musically and in non-musical areas of my life. That’s not to say that i don’t second guess myself frequently about things – life is so full of grey areas that black and white answers are almost always obscured. When it comes to intuition though, for me, it is amazing how much of a strong need i have to follow my intuition, to the point where it may almost appear (to others) that i’m being rebellious and going against the grain sometimes, but in reality i’m simply doing what i know must be done in order to follow my path.
4. (Spiritual Section) – Daily Action: Listening to Intuition
My daily plan today (& yesterday) involved watching and supporting the talents of others in Toronto at the Pan Am games. So there wasn’t a lot of intuition involved creatively today. But some days/weekends we need a break and so it was for me this weekend. There are some amazing athletes from North, Central, and South America that we saw in events yesterday and today……. Just sayin’ ………
Brian Ward. Week 8. July 13th 2015.
Day 55 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #38 : Tune In
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Discover
Car door opening, and alarm with reverb.
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Creative Progress
The setting of small goals is something i try to do as much as possible, but still sometimes feel overwhelmed by what i need to accomplish. I’ll work on continuing to, for every task including creative endeavours, break down the goal into very tiny intervals.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Tune In
Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out……. Oh yeah. (Just kidding – Seeing ‘tune in’ reminded me of that Timothy Leary quote).
The biggest obstacle to my spiritual growth is the day-to-day non-musical things i’m obligated to do, such as own/run a hearing clinic. When able to ‘unplug’ from the hearing clinic, i feel far more creative and able to do what i would like to do creatively, but in order to keep doing this and build momentum, i need more than just a day or two or even a few days. It’s a shame that many of us who want to continue cultivating our musical creative spirit, in order to ‘pay the bills’ etc, have to spend so many hours in the week working at a non-musical job. In a perfect world everything i did would be centred around music one way or another……….. Having said that, i agree that, since our body is an extension of our creative spirit, and when we pay attention to it, our higher creative voice knows what we need and will tell us (but we need to listen for it).
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 14th 2015.
Day 56 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #39 : Serendipity
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Gnawing Sound
2. (Physical Section) – Creative Experiment: Losing Perfection
I have a hard time of letting go of many things in the musical sense, and in the non-musical sense. It may be odd to hear this, but i believe there is a genetic component to this as my brother is the same in this regard. In music, when i’m “finishing” a project, it is very difficult for me to finally let it be done. Probably this is the same for all musicians when it’s time to end a project and release it into the world so to speak………. I’ll continue to work on simply letting it go, and not worry about every little thing.
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Serendipity
I truly believe there are no coincidences in life, including in the creative aspect of our lives. Things seem to happen for a reason. It takes insight and work to prevent things from bothering me and from being over-exaggerated. I’m always searching for a positive experience and outlook, but it’s probably just human nature (or my nature) that it doesn’t take a lot for me to read too much into certain comments or things said to me, and i continue to strive to lessen how much i do this. Most is ‘water off a ducks back’, but some things still eat away at me when i shouldn’t let them. It’s a fine line between how i take things the right way, and how my experiences can be taken the wrong way, and the trick is to have a balance so awareness of whats happening around me and ‘to’ me is tempered with keeping a calm mind and not letting things bother me……..
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 16th 2015.
Day 58 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #41 :
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Congregation
Trees in the wind/multitracked/panned.
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Money
Fantastic daily dose. It would be so good to not have to ‘worry’ about the ‘dirty money stuff’ as one of my past mentors refers to monetary particulars. Quite frankly, the whole rat race of having to ‘go to work’ is very exhausting for me. It’s unfortunate that i’ve become very accustomed to 2 things in life – namely, Eating and Living Indoors. I rather like being able to eat regularly, and sleep under a roof…… I’m not being facetious about this topic though – I’m serious when i say that i wish i didn’t have to think about paying bills, about possibly ‘retiring’ one day, etc etc. When i was a ‘full-time’ musician, i had very little money, but i didn’t care. Didn’t own a car, didn’t really own much, other than my PRS gtr, Marshall stack, and rack gear/pedals. Other than that I didn’t have much to my name in the material sense. Life was much simpler then, and in many ways i yearn for those days. In the music business, as today’s dose states, the measure of success is often how much money one has, and i think that is complete b.s. (in fact, i think it is b.s. in any business to measure success by monetary wealth. Give me a wealth of good people that i have good relationships with, and a sense of fulfillment and i’m as wealthy as i need to be.
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 17th 2015.
Day 59 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #42 : Little by Little
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Enveloping
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Little by Little.
Thinking too much about outcomes and the future is something i need to work on not doing……. Life is a journey, and not a destination, but i suppose the tendency to want to think ahead (and possibly not enjoy the ‘moment’ nearly as much, if at all) is born out of a desire to extrapolate how our current actions will affect the future outcome. When we are young, our underdeveloped frontal cortex leads us to do some silly things, and sometimes damaging things (ie. i’m still paying for (& will until i die) an injury i sustained when i was young and not thinking of consequences) from our past lead us to be hyper vigilant in how we deal with things in the future. I’m not saying it’s a good thing to do this; i’m merely stating why i think many of us have a tendency to do this – ie. we don’t want to have a poor outcome of something…….. In the creative sense, thinking too much of outcomes is a real creativity killer, and that’s the last thing i, or anyone, wants to do. There are so many things discussed in the Daily Meds that i struggle with, and letting things flow little by little is something i need to really work on. I shall do this though. I have a feeling that long after the course is finished, i will be concentrating on the great ideas and suggestions discussed in the Daily Meds. Carpe diem!
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 18th 2015.
Day 60 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #43 :
Daily Dose: Hate
Hate is a complex emotion, especially for anyone who is very “self-aware” and wanting to not let feelings of hate show themselves………. To discuss this further – what i mean is that, even though it is very natural for us as humans and musicians to have these feelings, when we’re aware of our interactions with others and how we fit into the bigger picture, the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our relationship with anyone. The complex part involves how we reconcile not letting these hateful feelings turn into lashing out or outwardly negative actions. We all need to assert ourselves at one point or another, especially when we feel that wrong has been done to us (leading to feelings of hate), but how do we keep our self-esteem while not ‘getting even’ or ‘putting the person in their place’……..
I think that, the majority of people will want to avoid a confrontation or have these negative feelings show themselves, and forgiveness is the most sensible reaction. Easier said than done many times. I shall keep on cultivating, and watering, and weeding, and cultivating. 🙂
A musician’s emotions are the driving force in our creative life. Anytime we feel at peace with the piece of music, our self-esteem and attitude towards music as a whole improves. Unresolved anger can rear up out of nowhere and we can find ourselves caught in a web of obsessive thoughts that block us from any love we have for our own music, musicians and our spiritual nature.
Unchecked hate in time, will totally engulf us. All of our music and relationships with musicians will be affected by this hate, not just the initial thing that prompted it.
We may think we cannot control this emotion, because we fear the power behind our hate is all consuming. Ultimately, he can take charge of it only if we allow ourselves to. We can always do something to change our minds, our attitudes, and (most importantly) our perspectives, even if our anger is justified. Nothing should make us live in hate as it only hurts us in the long run. Eventually, releasing ourselves from hate comes down to a simple decision: choose forgiveness.
Oh shoot, i forgot to delete the Daily Dose section from the Workbook that i reference. Agh.
Apologies Dave. Hopefully it’s obvious where my words end and the Workbook reference begins. So, here is a repost with what i intended to post. Brian Ward. Week 9. July 18th 2015.
Day 60 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #43 :
Daily Dose: Hate
Hate is a complex emotion, especially for anyone who is very “self-aware” and wanting to not let feelings of hate show themselves………. To discuss this further – what i mean is that, even though it is very natural for us as humans and musicians to have these feelings, when we’re aware of our interactions with others and how we fit into the bigger picture, the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our relationship with anyone. The complex part involves how we reconcile not letting these hateful feelings turn into lashing out or outwardly negative actions. We all need to assert ourselves at one point or another, especially when we feel that wrong has been done to us (leading to feelings of hate), but how do we keep our self-esteem while not ‘getting even’ or ‘putting the person in their place’……..
I think that, the majority of people will want to avoid a confrontation or have these negative feelings show themselves, and forgiveness is the most sensible reaction. Easier said than done many times. I shall keep on cultivating, and watering, and weeding, and cultivating. 🙂
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 19th 2015.
Day 61 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #44 : Love Those We Do Not Like
Daily Dose: Love Those We Do Not Like
I see how today’s dose’s subject of loving those we do not like ties in with forgiveness, and choosing to not let our feelings of negativity be our guide. One of the most difficult things we experience in life, and in our creative path, is trying to feel good vibe/love toward those which make us feel the opposite of positive. But, at the same time i understand the importance of recognizing how feel, then moving on and taking the ‘high road’. I wonder if there is some type of ‘method’ that can help each of us to overcome the negative feelings we may have for someone else, or if it is simply up to our own force of will to overcome this negativity. For those inclined to use ‘therapy’ or counselling, this is likely one way to help forgive others and move on with love. For others who are not the ‘therapy’ type, i suppose self-guided research is one way to find a way. For today’s daily dose, i will continue to work on doing the right thing, and feel the love in both directions 🙂
Brian Ward. Week 9. July 20th 2015.
Day 62 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #45 : Disposable Music & Musicians ..
Daily Dose – Disposable Music & Musicians
Today’s disposable society, and how it has affected music creation and ‘consumption’ has been a challenge for me to deal with, and ins some ways adapt to. Being and ‘old’ 43 yrs of age, like most of us in the class, i grew up in an era where it was respected and valued to be able to play an instrument well, and to be able to create music and express oneself in the artistic medium of music. As today’s dose discusses, that has all changed, and everything has the feeling of being disposable.
Like many of the daily doses, reading today’s has helped me to have new insight in dealing with the feelings i sometimes get of ‘what’s the point’ when creating music….. I’ll work on concentrating the ‘love’ and positivity/good vibe that will be a gift as i cultivate and travel on my musical journey. In addition to playing in a band, much of what i do involves creating music solo, but i see there is much to gain by involving others in my own projects as much as possible. Focusing on my own growth, and ‘lack of expiry date’ on my soul i can see will be a constant source of inspiration. To sum things up as i see them right now – the best way for me to grow creatively and spiritually is to let go of all that is negative (including negative feelings about myself/internally, and factors that are externally negative) and my creative spirit will be set free and have a chance to soar as it should. Then there are now worries about anything, and those feelings of being disposable and expiring will diminish and disappear completely.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 21st 2015.
Day 63 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #45 : Serendipity
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Words: Cluster Together
‘2 Stage’ kettle water boiling, with pitch/reverb…….. The end result seems to be kinda creepy – which appears to often be the case…….
Daily Dose: Serendipity
I really like how today’s dose mentions that moments of creative ‘serendipity’
often come dressed in ordinary clothes. I like how this statement, and how it applies to creative kernels of awesomeness, and how it applies to pretty much everything else that happens in our lives, ie. not just in the creative sense. Since life is full of a vast array of occurrences and highs and lows, it is important to be able to identify how different people fit into our lives as many amazing people are presented to us in the most ordinary of ways. Just the same, many people who are not a positive influence in our life (and can cause real damage if we’re not careful) appear to us in the most ordinary of ways, and i think we’re not aware of what this type of person represents when we first encounter them. That is why i feel it is of huge importance, especially when we’re young, to have a mentor (or parent etc.) explain to us that fantastically amazing people, and very ‘evil’ people will both appear to us i the most ordinary of ways. Personally, i could have benefited in a huge way when i was younger to know about this type of thing. I’d always expected that some kind of ‘fanfare’ would always accompany really great occurrences and interactions with amazing people. Similarly, until i learned ‘better’, I always thought that those who were ‘bad’ for us would be exceptionally obvious and therefore easy to spot and avoid. Nothing could be further from the truth. ‘Evil’ exists in the most common looking people. As such I believe it is very important to surround ourselves as much as possible with people who are positive, and who will ultimately be very good for us, and allow our creative spirit to flourish instead of whither. I feel fortunate at this point in my life to have many people like this in my musical life, and goodness begets goodness. “We become who we spend our time with” is such a good and true saying – one i hold close to my heart. In creativity and in commonality of daily life i try to follow this idea (and many others ideas that help guide me down the right path). I shall continue to cultivate my relationships both musically and otherwise, and keep a watchful eye on the correct ‘path’, and take detours when needed to limit the interactions with the ‘wolfs in sheeps clothing’.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 22nd 2015.
Day 64 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #46: Out with the Old and In With the New
‘State of Flux’ is definitely a great way to describe who we are as people, and who we (and where we’re at) as musicians. It really is remarkable how the tiny, incremental (and sometimes insidious) changes are constantly occurring. We can’t stop the changes in many ways even if we want to. With the saying ‘the only constant in life is change’, it sums up very well what the essence of life is, where we’re going to change in many ways whether we like it or not, so we better consciously make changes for the better as we go along. Every incremental change puts us on a new tangent that has the possibility of leading to much better things, or, if we don’t continue to nurture and cultivate, will lead to a hard lesson learned that we could have avoided and had a different, more productive outcome had we been more watchful of ourselves and our choices. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that, creatively, there are paths that we can choose to take that will lead us along the way to a fruitful creative experience, full of moments that make us go “that is amazing”. On the other hand, there are choices that we can make that will lead us into conflict with others and ourselves if we’re not careful of our choices. Since we have no control over the passage of time, fortunately, as time marches on, when times are darker, things will move eventually into a brighter period simply based on things moving forward. As circumstances change, we are given another chance to do good things with the spirit we’ve been given, and hopefully the lessons learned during the dark period will give us inspiration to create in the light and continue on a positive path.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 23 2015.
Day 65 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #48 – All Alike
As today’s dose states, us musicians really are, for the most part, very similar. The musician’s brain has been proven to be different than ‘non-musician’s’ brains. As such, even before learning how much different us musicians are from those not fortunate enough to be involved in creating music, i’d found that i always naturally get along well with other musicians. They’re attention to detail is always so much greater – to the point where being with non-musicians can sometimes be very challenging for me (especially in a work environment that is not musically related).
There is usually a gentleness that other musicians possess that makes it very easy to bond with other musicians. Again, as today’s dose states, it is always very rewarding to help another musician since we see ourselves in that person, with similar ‘trials and tribulations’.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 24 2015.
Day 66 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #50 – Reach Only to Let Go
Daily Dose.
As i reach to let go, i feel very grateful for being able to have these moments of peace – peace from others, peace from having silence, peace from all movement. I do this as often as i need to and can find the opportunity to do so. With the go go go of this life and society, i think it would be very healthy if everyone could do this on a regular basis, but of course it’s not realistic to think that everyone can do it often. Family obligations, work obligations, domestic obligations etc etc all play a role in turning us into “human doings” rather than allowing us to be “human “beings”. With all that technology has given us, we’re busier than ever, and we all need to let go and chill out. Get back to nature, literally, and get out amongst the greenery and trees and listen to what’s happening out of the urban setting. We didn’t evolve for the majority of human existence in urban settings – we naturally lived “rural’ lives, and the recent (i.e.. the last few hundred years?) shift to living primarily in urban centres is not healthy for us. All we need to do is look at the number of people in therapy, the number of people prescribed and taking antidepressant medications, and the number of suicides. Sure, life is “easier” i so many ways, but in more ways it is harder as we live in an environment that we are slowly adapting to but not necessarily used to. We all need to reach for the natural setting we evolved from, and let go and rejuvenate – it can only do good for us and our creative spirit.
Think about what it is going to be like in 100 years from now or even 500 years now when there is no green anywhere and people are living in ships that move from one point on space to another. They will have to get their green on in digital or some type of clone environment. Digital And analog will be forgotten by then:) how then will that affect humans? Humans will most likely be more technological then organic as well so maybe the organic green will not make since and clone will. The human doing vs human being is a great thought. I am at a lake now and I still find myself doing vs being. But I find my doing more meaningful then in the city. The nature and green inspire my doing more then in a world of doing. The world of doing seems to inspire me to chill out more from the doing because I feel like the doing is happening all around me vs here around green everything is being so I feel like I have to be doing. Environments inspire me to conduct recordings and in the middle of no where I find I want to record and create more then in the city. In the city I find myself feeling like I can to it later when in green I feel like do it now. The big question you have inspired in me is being a human being really a human doing at the core. As I watch life around me they are all doing vs being. So I think maybe being is not the answer because if life just lives in being it dies. Life seems to have to do in order to be or maybe being is only for humans. Self esteem is something that doing creates and by creating self awareness and thus self esteem I am more aware if just being. I wonder if a human can just be without doing. There is something to be said about the green inspiring me be but only after doing. If I was to just be without the do then I lose the meaning of being. The beginning of the process is tough to pin point. Can one be without the other? Can life be without green? Can good be without evil? If life only had one side of the point maybe it wouldn’t be life as we know it. Like bad recording inspire good recordings or non-magical recordings inspire finding the magic in a persons message in a recording. I wish I could stop time and view time from a non-time point of view to see if time inspires time. Non-time would be what I think of as just being. As long as there is time and things move there seems that there will always be doing. Doing seems to be the pure nature if this realm. So at the end if this thought doing really is the only thing I can do that is truly living in is human being realm. Maybe we are incapable of just being like swiming up steam with the true nature of this type if life. Thanks for thought!
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 26 2015.
Day 68 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #51 – Power and Control
Daily Dose – Power and Control
Letting go of control and power ‘over others’ has shown to me that it really is the best way to create with others. No one likes being told what to do, and in a creative situation i’ve been on both the receiving end of being told what to do, and when i was younger and foolish, I’ve been the one to feel my ideas in the particular session were best. It doesn’t take long to learn what works and what doesn’t. I’m grateful that it didn’t take all that long to learn how to keep the ‘love’ in the writing or recording session. As the daily dose states, with love and good vibe to each other in the session, there is no need for power, and things will progress well and with plenty of good feeling. The worst time for everyone in a session happens when one doesn’t feel validated, or isn’t given proper due for their great ideas. On the other hand, similar to any other collaborative situation when everyone respects everyone else from the ‘get go’, everyone feels very ‘present’, and respected when their ideas are validated, and everyone is happy and ready to contribute (and give respect back), and all will be well. Without making an effort to ‘bring the love’, not much gets done, and everyone is happy to just get the heck out of there when the session is over. Life is too short to approach any collaborative situation without lots of good vibe and love to others. In fact, personally, i prefer to not spend any time with anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the approach of ‘bringing the love’. When i was younger, as is the case with most younger people, i was prepared and ok with making music with those who were maybe a little selfish etc, as long as the music being created was kick-ass. At this point in time however, i’d rather not. I don’t feel it’s necessary to make music with others who aren’t mindful of the importance of being kind to each other. Why? Primarily because there are plenty of people around who are great musicians, and create original music that is fantastic, and most importantly , they know how to ‘play well with others’. We become who we spend our time with, and i pick spending my time with people who are self-aware, and aware of others and the importance of having lots of good vibe in their life.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 27 2015.
Day 69 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #52 – One Note at a Time
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word: Small
Hillside festival “Funga Drummers” from yesterday.
Daily Dose: One Note at a Time
Staying positive/thinking positively all of the time is easier said than done. I agree with it completely, but like many of the Daily Meds, it can be a major challenge to implement the action of being/thinking positively all of the time. I tend to gravitate toward more of a ‘realistic’ way of thinking – i suppose it can be called my ‘stasis’ or natural way of being, and there are many things i could feel perpetually negative about and let it get me down. But, i try to offset this way of thinking by connecting with others as much as possible, and by using my sense of humour. I think people sometimes don’t take me as seriously as i actually am because i joke around a great deal, but i am actually very serious about the majority of things. Anyhow, the power of positive thinking (and the power of positive doing) is definitely the way to elevate our own creative spirit and the spirit of others, and i will continue to think positively.
On the subject of being a human ‘being’ or a human ‘doing’, i agree completely with the idea that, to be truly alive, we do need to be ‘doing’, so the idea of our species being called “human beings” is directly linked to the doing aspect, which in turns gives us something in return for our actions, including the immediate result of whatever it is we just did, and the boost in self-esteem from knowing that we accomplished whatever it was. I really liked the Comment from the other day (Reach Only to Let Go). I’ve thought a lot for quite a while now about the whole ‘human beings versus human doings’ idea, and it clarified something for me. Namely, the importance of being a human being through doing (for all who are capable of ‘doing’ in the motion sense etc……). There are many in the world whose ‘new normal’ no longer allows them to be ‘doing’ in the traditional sense, but they are no less human being. (I’m referring of course to those who have had an accident and are no longer able to move etc. – this is one of the scariest thoughts health-wise for many of us, and i take my hat off to those who are in this position and keeping on keeping on.) Anyhow, thanks for the Daily doses. I believe this is the 2nd last one.
Hello again Dave. Re: my EP upload to Bandcamp – I’m having issues getting my “Final Project” songs uploaded, so I’m simply including the url for each of the 5 songs below ok? I have a number of original compositions which I’m in the process of recording but are not ready yet, so for now I’ve laid down just these instrumental ‘cover’ songs. Thanks for everything Dave 🙂
Brian Ward. Aug 1 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #53 – Role Models
(please note, and words in BLOCK letters are purely for emphasis (and don’t represent “yelling”). If i had access to italicize words in wordpress, i would be doing that instead. Maybe there is a way, and i just don’t yet know it).
Role Models:
Once again the Daily Dose is giving me a motivation and reminder of what i SHOULD be doing, and encouraging me to do it. In short, it is the kick in the ass that i need. I spend too much time on little details that i THINK are important, when i need to manage time better and work at being the musician that i WANT to be, as today’s dose states.
Also, as the dose states, we pick up habits from other musicians that we admire, some good, some undesirable, and instead of simply mimicking the things we see as desirable in others, we just need to get our shit together and ‘do it’ – there’s a lot of truth in that 3 word corporate Nike logo/moniker “Just Do It”. I also would benefit from actually still being motivated by other’s positive habits, but i have to admit ( and kinda hate to admit) that the ‘competitive edge’, or feelings of competition that i used to have, are no longer there as i’ve gotten older – i mention this because i think that part of being influenced by other musicians is a sense of wanting to be able to do something like they do, or as well as you do, and i no longer see things in that light. This whole idea of ‘competition’ as a motivator for me is a major fatal flaw of mine. I believe this is the case because for the majority of my life i was motivated to do many things because i wanted to be ‘the best’ at it etc., but i no longer see that as being important in the sense that, with age, i’ve come to see the beauty in what others have done and created, and i understand far more of what someone has done to get that place of accomplishment. Also, maybe i’m being influenced by too many non-musical things in my life, and for whatever reason i’m not willing (for some reason) as much to make the sacrifice to accomplish certain musical things. This is not how i want to be at all however. There is a TON that i want to accomplish, and FEEL as i accomplish and create and experience, but other aspects of my life tug at me – from a stress standpoint, from a responsibility standpoint, from a “flow” standpoint, where i have to be mindful of how much energy i expend in one part of my life as it seems to, for me, take away from what i can give to the other parts of my life.
I also keep thinking of the human ‘being’ or human ‘doing’ discussion which i’m very happy to have had with you Dave – without the doing, i 100% agree, we aren’t ‘being’. If we are ‘alive’, we are ‘doing’, and if we are ‘doing’, we are ‘being’. The biggest challenge for me to keep ‘doing’, (as much as i know it is important and i want to do it), is simply having enough energy, and when i have the time, with no clear ‘obligations’, i find myself desiring to be horizontal instead of ‘doing’ (i.e.. upright and doing), and as a result i make it so (ie. i lay down). I know that i need to, even when my energy is low which is the majority of the time (due to my own health issues …), simply push myself to get my mind into something (i.e.. follow the daily dose recommendation of the ‘5 minute start’), and get ‘doing’, and this will allow me to be the musician i want to be. I know i need to do this on a regular basis of course, and not let the combination of mindless television viewing while being horizontal rob me of the time i could be investing in making myself more knowledgeable in a new DAW, or working on a new (or old) piece on guitar (or other instrument)….. yada yada yada…. There are thousands of things i could be doing that are far more worthwhile than regularly zoning out, which i find myself doing as of late. I agree that, as another day’s Dose states, that it’s good to ‘tune out’ for a while when needed, but i think i do it too much right now, and then i feel guilty about having wasted time.
Well, as i often say, i will keep cultivating, and watering, and working on becoming the musician (and person) that i want to be. Thanks for the Dose as always.
Atta boy! Nice dose!! Keeping up with a daily active music life today is going to unfold for you a year or two down the road. You will wake up one day and all this music stuff will be happening and you won’t know how or why or where it is coming from. It will just be. The harder you work today toward the things you want the more in a year from now you will reap the goodies! This is the over key to the daily meds. It’s also about putting aside instant gratification as well and learning to enjoy the process in the now versus “I want it all” now. A tough lesson to learn at any age. You came to these classes because you love music and want to be a part of it again in some type of unknown way, or maybe it’s known but not shared but what this dose says above and beyond the rest is you want it bad enough to stay the path of work. This is huge! Most students say and mean well but never follow though once the class ends. Keep it up. There is a new re-vamp of the meds coming out in a week or so, text me your email addy and I will send over a PDF when ready.
Brian Ward. Aug 2 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #54 – Integration
Daily Dose: Integration
The idea that we are, each and every one of us, an integral part of the project and creative process is an idea that we don’t think about enough – at least not in the objective sense where we can see where we fit into the process as a “cog” or “key” part (as all the parts are key). As with anything in life, when we’re too close to something (i.e.. any kind of project), the reality of what is happening is often clouded by our own “up close and personal” experience. Our position and contribution and even our basic energy isn’t regarded with enough credit and this can cause us to lose sight of how important all of us as individuals are to the project. In my opinion, even a “gopher” or a “coffee-boy” (or, said with political correctness – coffee ‘person’) is just as key to a project as the main songwriter. This may sound strange, but i feel that every ounce of positive energy that goes in the direction of the project is vital to the end result and overall good vibe. When my 90s band was on the road touring with another group (as supporting act), i always made a point of extending the idea of importance to the other band’s roadie or guitar tech by going out of my way to be kind – i.e.. if the tech/roadie liked Jack Daniel’s, I’d hit the liquor store and pick up some J.D. airplane size bottles to give to him to break the ice (i’d also heard that this particular person was a very hard worker and didn’t get a great deal of recognition for his efforts, so this information coupled with the knowledge that he liked J.D. seemed like a good way to show my/our band’s gratitude for giving us a hand with striking the stage for the previous 2 shows, and to hopefully express how much we think he is important to our group on this tour, even though he was in the ’employ’ of the other group – a huge U.K. band). This show of gratitude gave the tech a natural drive to be kind in return, and there was always a great vibe coming my/our way whenever he was around. I cite this example not as an example of the importance of going around kissing ass, but merely to show that even a very minor expression of kindness can show to people how they are very important and key to the overall success of the bigger picture/project.
Sometimes, between musicians, it’s important to follow a different approach to show just how important they are to a project. But less important is the method of showing how integral the person is to the project – it’s far more important to simply do it one way or another, and our spiritual nature always guides us if we are listening and open to the guidance.
Anyhow, i guess what i’m trying to say is that i completely agree with the importance of remembering just how integral each person IN the project is TO the project, and at the same time it is very important to keep egos out of the mix as much as possible. Thanks for the dose Dave.
Brian Ward. Aug 3 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #55 – Human After All
Daily Dose – Human After All
Falling back into old, destructive habits is a pattern (for me) in itself. It is so damn hard sometimes to let go of control, and not go back to the ‘familiar’
and comfortable things. In music creation, and in life, there seem to be so many times where, try as i might i can’t sustain the action i’m trying to accomplish – especially when it’s an attempt at letting go of the habits that i’m desperately trying to change. At the same time, i can see why it is important to not kick ourselves too hard in the ass for not ‘succeeding’. As the dose says, we are human after all, and to ‘err’ is human. It’s just an ass-pain when i do ‘err’. Like the Neil Young lyric goes, ‘why do i keep fucking up?’………
Why i/we do certain things brings to mind the question of ‘nurture vs nature’, or ‘environment vs genes’. I know why, genetically, i have a predisposition to doing certain things – i just have to look at my relatives and immediate family, and the answers are there. There are many good things about the genetic aspects, and there are many not-so-good things about the genetic aspects. I once heard the expression “The prison of our genes”, and it has always stuck with me. Our genes really can be viewed as a prison (the non-desirable part of our genes). There are many things we’re almost programmed to do or think based on the actions/experiences of our parents/ancestors. The upside is there are many good things each of us is predetermined genetically to excel at. We are pretty much walking ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ (ie. the two halves that together complete wholeness). It’s interesting that the yin and yang are also the starting point for change. With the Daily Meds being about cultivating growth, and change within ourselves, i suppose today’s dose has a particular ‘appro-po’ quality to it.
musicaldailymeds.wordpress.com 
Brian Ward. Week 7. July 3rd 2015.
Day 45 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #29 : Unnecessarily Complex
Please note – this daily med was posted in different part of the WordPress site last night at 12:38PM (technically July 4th at 12:38AM). Since the usual login method into my WordPress blog wouldn’t allow me to go into the normal blog post place, i posted somewhere else that wanted me to log in again. Anyhow, i had a feeling something was not right, so i copied/pasted my July 3 Daily Med into the Apple “Notes” section. Really glad i did, as i’ve had to retrieve and repost yesterday’s completed post here. Here ’tis.:
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Dispersion
Female vocal – reversed with reverb/pitch effect
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Unnecessarily Complex
Complexity is very draining, and i honestly try to avoid making things more complex than they might be already, especially in a group/music creation environment. I think, however, that people themselves are very complex, so it never surprises me when i see things become unnecessarily complex. It’s always so very refreshing when a group of mature musicians get together, and there are no egos, and the love flows naturally between everyone. This to me is magic in action, and so much gets done as a result of the natural good vibe. When the approach is taken where the best choice of what “stays” is based on what serves the overall project, everybody wins. And without the good vibe, the brotherly/sisterly love between musicians, the project just seems to take forever with the feeling of diminished joy, and diminished love. Bring on the love. Life is far too short without it.
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Brian Ward. Week 7. July 4th 2015.
Day 46 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #30 : You Can Lead a Horse to Water
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Force
Slap of hand against tabletop, l/r channels offset, and effected with pitch and reverb.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: You Can Lead a Horse to Water…
The mention of musicians being stubborn in today’s daily med hits the nail right on the head. In order to reach a level where the music we make sounds acceptable to us, i think we have to be stubborn – otherwise we won’t keep going until we can achieve whatever goal we have in mind. On the other hand however, i can see why (after we reach a certain level) it is important to to let go of the filter and give our creativity a chance.
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The above Daily Med is for July 4th.
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Brian Ward. Week 7. July 5th 2015.
Day 47 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #31 : Contribute
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Yielding
Gargle and spit with pitch/reverb/panned
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Lollipop
Re: this experiment/’reward’ – Great idea! I’ve found that, with being ‘grown-up’, and having greater means and access to things i ‘want’, the idea of having to wait to reward myself has gone by the wayside……. But, i recall the days when a reward for a mission accomplished was very effective, and so it shall be now. Though i haven’t done the experiment today (as i sadly had no musical interaction today, solo or with others) , I will try to put it into practice. (Another great Daily Med creative experiment that can trigger a positive change in habit).
Daily Dose: Contribute
If it weren’t for other musicians to interact with, and to inspire me, life would be very dull indeed. And as such i always try to have an excellent with every member of the musical ‘team’, including the engineer/producer, and anyone else who may be a part of the team (even if they’re not there to make music). It took me a while to learn this, but it became evident in every aspect of my life (musically, creatively, and otherwise) that the role of karma, and how i treated others, came back to me almost instantly. There are probably more than a few musicians/artists/creative types who have succeeded i their field while being unkind to others frequently along the way, but that’s not the way that will give anyone a fulfilling career. Personally, i don’t believe that old saying that ‘nice guys finish last’. It’s important to be kind to others, and assertive when necessary, while still doing it respectfully. In the long run, i feel that will allow our contributions to be most effective for both oneself, and the others involved in any project. Kindness and ‘love’ is necessary the whole way through, because without it, future opportunities to make music with the same people in the future disappears.
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Brian Ward. Week 7. July 6th 2015.
Day 48 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #32 : I Choose Peace
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Create Conflict
This bird, pretty as it sounds, created some major conflict for me early a.m. when i was trying to sleep. Sounded to me like the bird was right next to my ear singing away.
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Random Attachment
The first word that came to me was disarray, as i looked around the room and so a big mess in front of me that i knew had to be cleaned up but didn’t have the ‘get up and go’ to tackle at that moment…….. I attempted to relate this word to the current project, and thought about adding more instruments…….. (i.e.. clutter).
Did this a couple more times with other words, and i can see how this experiment would be useful in getting out of a creative rut, or to put a different kind of ‘spin’ on a song etc. I also see the importance of having the right word to give the right type of inspiration………
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: I Choose Peace
Choosing peace in the musically creative sense when working with others, is another (in my opinion) universal truth that applies to our non-musical world too. When working on a project, though our ego needs to be there enough to have the confidence to play our instrument and have self-respect, it just isn’t worth it to get force an issue or solution to a problem. The right thing will always come out in the wash. As a younger person, without the temperance that being a little older brings, i can recall many occasions where i pushed to be ‘right’ about something, but as most of us find, we learn it just isn’t worth it. The whole group dynamic gets thrown off; sometimes to the point where recovery to the previous positive working vibe is not achievable. In music, creatively, and in life, I’d rather be happy. Bring on the good vibe.
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Brian Ward. Week 8. July 7th 2015.
Day 49 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #33 : Creative Frustrations
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Critical Mass
A critical mass of unborn chicken: Coming out if its shell.
Reversed, with pitch effects and reverb.
3.(Emotional Section)– Daily Dose: Creative Frustrations
I’m struggling with the idea that we should let go of any inherent character and performance flaws. I agree with the idea that we do not control the music as it flows through us. However, I’ve always been of the mind that any performance flaws (i.e.. our own performance flaws) can be corrected by practicing /rehearsing/ woodshedding to correct the issues with our own playing. I understand the idea that, if something bothers us, just don’t let it bother us by surrendering to it. But aren’t there times when we shouldn’t surrender to certain things that bother us? Instead of having the ‘bothersome’ part in the project, it can simply not be played/executed until a later time when the part is no longer bothersome. I would say that, for the majority of us instrumentalists (in my case guitar(s), it’s wise in our musical journey to work on parts that are difficult for us rather than just throwing in the towel o those harder parts…… I know i have much, much to learn, and as i continue to learn, i’ll likely continue to struggle with this one. (but i do see the merit in it).
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The above post is for July 7th.
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Brian Ward. Week 8. July 8th 2015.
Day 50 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #34 : Not for the Faint of Heart
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Security
Frying bacon, panned, 1 channel reversed, pitch up 8va and down 1 octave, with reverb. Kinda sounds like a rainstorm oddly enough.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Not for the Faint of Heart
Still working on the idea of letting go, and all will be well. I definitely see the merit in it, but it’s the ‘truly letting go’ part that is difficult for me. I’ve always had some genetic stubbornness in me…..and as such it is usually difficult for me to let go completely, hard as i try. I will continue to work on this……
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Brian Ward. Week 8. July 9th 2015.
Day 51 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #36 : Face Your Flaws
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Looking Up
Looking up my trachea at my hiccup reflex.
Hiccup. Panned, with the usual Pitch and Reverb……….
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Mundane Work
Today’s creative experiment hits the nail on the head for how taking care of mundane domestic tasks etc can clear our mind and take us to a better place creatively. I first ‘learned’ this in high school, when, before a big exam that i inevitably had to ‘cram’ for (due to my nature of thinking i work best under pressure – even back then), i couldn’t get to work unless my workspace (i.e. teenage bedroom) was completely free of clutter and totally cleaned up. The same applies today for getting down to work on anything. Stuff sure piles up, but i can create so much better when it’s cleaned up and organized. All that junk takes up bandwidth in my brain……. Yet another great Creative Experiment.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Face Your Flaws
Today’s dose is one of the heaviest yet. Truly. Realizing our flaws is the first step, but what a bitch it is to be vigilant and constantly stand up to our flaws in order to not give into them. It’s easy to say “I’m not going to do ‘x’ anymore” (or be a certain way), but when life gets stressful and energy is low, and the reserve needed just isn’t there, it sure feels like a losing battle. But, i totally agree that we need to face our flaws and change that in us which is undesirable to ourselves. Just as our character is bred from habits and choices, if we can make positive habits and have ‘go to’ actions/thoughts when things get stressful, there is a much better chance at faster change, and permanent change.
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Brian Ward. Week 8. July 12th 2015.
Day 54 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #37 : The Voice of Authority
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Light
With pitch effect and reverb……./tracks offset.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: The Voice of Authority
Whenever i haven’t listened to my intuition, things have always gone awry. It took me a while, but i learned the hard lessons about listening to my gut/intuition and i try very hard to follow every ‘pang’ of intuition – both musically and in non-musical areas of my life. That’s not to say that i don’t second guess myself frequently about things – life is so full of grey areas that black and white answers are almost always obscured. When it comes to intuition though, for me, it is amazing how much of a strong need i have to follow my intuition, to the point where it may almost appear (to others) that i’m being rebellious and going against the grain sometimes, but in reality i’m simply doing what i know must be done in order to follow my path.
4. (Spiritual Section) – Daily Action: Listening to Intuition
My daily plan today (& yesterday) involved watching and supporting the talents of others in Toronto at the Pan Am games. So there wasn’t a lot of intuition involved creatively today. But some days/weekends we need a break and so it was for me this weekend. There are some amazing athletes from North, Central, and South America that we saw in events yesterday and today……. Just sayin’ ………
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Brian Ward. Week 8. July 13th 2015.
Day 55 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #38 : Tune In
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Discover
Car door opening, and alarm with reverb.
2. (Physical Section)–Creative Experiment: Creative Progress
The setting of small goals is something i try to do as much as possible, but still sometimes feel overwhelmed by what i need to accomplish. I’ll work on continuing to, for every task including creative endeavours, break down the goal into very tiny intervals.
3.(Emotional Section)–Daily Dose: Tune In
Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out……. Oh yeah. (Just kidding – Seeing ‘tune in’ reminded me of that Timothy Leary quote).
The biggest obstacle to my spiritual growth is the day-to-day non-musical things i’m obligated to do, such as own/run a hearing clinic. When able to ‘unplug’ from the hearing clinic, i feel far more creative and able to do what i would like to do creatively, but in order to keep doing this and build momentum, i need more than just a day or two or even a few days. It’s a shame that many of us who want to continue cultivating our musical creative spirit, in order to ‘pay the bills’ etc, have to spend so many hours in the week working at a non-musical job. In a perfect world everything i did would be centred around music one way or another……….. Having said that, i agree that, since our body is an extension of our creative spirit, and when we pay attention to it, our higher creative voice knows what we need and will tell us (but we need to listen for it).
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The above post is for July 13th.
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 14th 2015.
Day 56 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #39 : Serendipity
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Gnawing Sound
2. (Physical Section) – Creative Experiment: Losing Perfection
I have a hard time of letting go of many things in the musical sense, and in the non-musical sense. It may be odd to hear this, but i believe there is a genetic component to this as my brother is the same in this regard. In music, when i’m “finishing” a project, it is very difficult for me to finally let it be done. Probably this is the same for all musicians when it’s time to end a project and release it into the world so to speak………. I’ll continue to work on simply letting it go, and not worry about every little thing.
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Serendipity
I truly believe there are no coincidences in life, including in the creative aspect of our lives. Things seem to happen for a reason. It takes insight and work to prevent things from bothering me and from being over-exaggerated. I’m always searching for a positive experience and outlook, but it’s probably just human nature (or my nature) that it doesn’t take a lot for me to read too much into certain comments or things said to me, and i continue to strive to lessen how much i do this. Most is ‘water off a ducks back’, but some things still eat away at me when i shouldn’t let them. It’s a fine line between how i take things the right way, and how my experiences can be taken the wrong way, and the trick is to have a balance so awareness of whats happening around me and ‘to’ me is tempered with keeping a calm mind and not letting things bother me……..
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The above post is for July 14th.
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 16th 2015.
Day 58 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #41 :
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Congregation
Trees in the wind/multitracked/panned.
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Money
Fantastic daily dose. It would be so good to not have to ‘worry’ about the ‘dirty money stuff’ as one of my past mentors refers to monetary particulars. Quite frankly, the whole rat race of having to ‘go to work’ is very exhausting for me. It’s unfortunate that i’ve become very accustomed to 2 things in life – namely, Eating and Living Indoors. I rather like being able to eat regularly, and sleep under a roof…… I’m not being facetious about this topic though – I’m serious when i say that i wish i didn’t have to think about paying bills, about possibly ‘retiring’ one day, etc etc. When i was a ‘full-time’ musician, i had very little money, but i didn’t care. Didn’t own a car, didn’t really own much, other than my PRS gtr, Marshall stack, and rack gear/pedals. Other than that I didn’t have much to my name in the material sense. Life was much simpler then, and in many ways i yearn for those days. In the music business, as today’s dose states, the measure of success is often how much money one has, and i think that is complete b.s. (in fact, i think it is b.s. in any business to measure success by monetary wealth. Give me a wealth of good people that i have good relationships with, and a sense of fulfillment and i’m as wealthy as i need to be.
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 17th 2015.
Day 59 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #42 : Little by Little
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word : Enveloping
3. (Emotional Section) – Daily Dose: Little by Little.
Thinking too much about outcomes and the future is something i need to work on not doing……. Life is a journey, and not a destination, but i suppose the tendency to want to think ahead (and possibly not enjoy the ‘moment’ nearly as much, if at all) is born out of a desire to extrapolate how our current actions will affect the future outcome. When we are young, our underdeveloped frontal cortex leads us to do some silly things, and sometimes damaging things (ie. i’m still paying for (& will until i die) an injury i sustained when i was young and not thinking of consequences) from our past lead us to be hyper vigilant in how we deal with things in the future. I’m not saying it’s a good thing to do this; i’m merely stating why i think many of us have a tendency to do this – ie. we don’t want to have a poor outcome of something…….. In the creative sense, thinking too much of outcomes is a real creativity killer, and that’s the last thing i, or anyone, wants to do. There are so many things discussed in the Daily Meds that i struggle with, and letting things flow little by little is something i need to really work on. I shall do this though. I have a feeling that long after the course is finished, i will be concentrating on the great ideas and suggestions discussed in the Daily Meds. Carpe diem!
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The above dose is for July 17th.
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 18th 2015.
Day 60 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #43 :
Daily Dose: Hate
Hate is a complex emotion, especially for anyone who is very “self-aware” and wanting to not let feelings of hate show themselves………. To discuss this further – what i mean is that, even though it is very natural for us as humans and musicians to have these feelings, when we’re aware of our interactions with others and how we fit into the bigger picture, the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our relationship with anyone. The complex part involves how we reconcile not letting these hateful feelings turn into lashing out or outwardly negative actions. We all need to assert ourselves at one point or another, especially when we feel that wrong has been done to us (leading to feelings of hate), but how do we keep our self-esteem while not ‘getting even’ or ‘putting the person in their place’……..
I think that, the majority of people will want to avoid a confrontation or have these negative feelings show themselves, and forgiveness is the most sensible reaction. Easier said than done many times. I shall keep on cultivating, and watering, and weeding, and cultivating. 🙂
A musician’s emotions are the driving force in our creative life. Anytime we feel at peace with the piece of music, our self-esteem and attitude towards music as a whole improves. Unresolved anger can rear up out of nowhere and we can find ourselves caught in a web of obsessive thoughts that block us from any love we have for our own music, musicians and our spiritual nature.
Unchecked hate in time, will totally engulf us. All of our music and relationships with musicians will be affected by this hate, not just the initial thing that prompted it.
We may think we cannot control this emotion, because we fear the power behind our hate is all consuming. Ultimately, he can take charge of it only if we allow ourselves to. We can always do something to change our minds, our attitudes, and (most importantly) our perspectives, even if our anger is justified. Nothing should make us live in hate as it only hurts us in the long run. Eventually, releasing ourselves from hate comes down to a simple decision: choose forgiveness.
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Please disregard the above post – i forgot to delete the Workbook section before posting…….
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Oh shoot, i forgot to delete the Daily Dose section from the Workbook that i reference. Agh.
Apologies Dave. Hopefully it’s obvious where my words end and the Workbook reference begins. So, here is a repost with what i intended to post. Brian Ward. Week 9. July 18th 2015.
Day 60 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #43 :
Daily Dose: Hate
Hate is a complex emotion, especially for anyone who is very “self-aware” and wanting to not let feelings of hate show themselves………. To discuss this further – what i mean is that, even though it is very natural for us as humans and musicians to have these feelings, when we’re aware of our interactions with others and how we fit into the bigger picture, the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our relationship with anyone. The complex part involves how we reconcile not letting these hateful feelings turn into lashing out or outwardly negative actions. We all need to assert ourselves at one point or another, especially when we feel that wrong has been done to us (leading to feelings of hate), but how do we keep our self-esteem while not ‘getting even’ or ‘putting the person in their place’……..
I think that, the majority of people will want to avoid a confrontation or have these negative feelings show themselves, and forgiveness is the most sensible reaction. Easier said than done many times. I shall keep on cultivating, and watering, and weeding, and cultivating. 🙂
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Got it. Thanks!
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The above post is for July 18.
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 19th 2015.
Day 61 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #44 : Love Those We Do Not Like
Daily Dose: Love Those We Do Not Like
I see how today’s dose’s subject of loving those we do not like ties in with forgiveness, and choosing to not let our feelings of negativity be our guide. One of the most difficult things we experience in life, and in our creative path, is trying to feel good vibe/love toward those which make us feel the opposite of positive. But, at the same time i understand the importance of recognizing how feel, then moving on and taking the ‘high road’. I wonder if there is some type of ‘method’ that can help each of us to overcome the negative feelings we may have for someone else, or if it is simply up to our own force of will to overcome this negativity. For those inclined to use ‘therapy’ or counselling, this is likely one way to help forgive others and move on with love. For others who are not the ‘therapy’ type, i suppose self-guided research is one way to find a way. For today’s daily dose, i will continue to work on doing the right thing, and feel the love in both directions 🙂
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Brian Ward. Week 9. July 20th 2015.
Day 62 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #45 : Disposable Music & Musicians ..
Daily Dose – Disposable Music & Musicians
Today’s disposable society, and how it has affected music creation and ‘consumption’ has been a challenge for me to deal with, and ins some ways adapt to. Being and ‘old’ 43 yrs of age, like most of us in the class, i grew up in an era where it was respected and valued to be able to play an instrument well, and to be able to create music and express oneself in the artistic medium of music. As today’s dose discusses, that has all changed, and everything has the feeling of being disposable.
Like many of the daily doses, reading today’s has helped me to have new insight in dealing with the feelings i sometimes get of ‘what’s the point’ when creating music….. I’ll work on concentrating the ‘love’ and positivity/good vibe that will be a gift as i cultivate and travel on my musical journey. In addition to playing in a band, much of what i do involves creating music solo, but i see there is much to gain by involving others in my own projects as much as possible. Focusing on my own growth, and ‘lack of expiry date’ on my soul i can see will be a constant source of inspiration. To sum things up as i see them right now – the best way for me to grow creatively and spiritually is to let go of all that is negative (including negative feelings about myself/internally, and factors that are externally negative) and my creative spirit will be set free and have a chance to soar as it should. Then there are now worries about anything, and those feelings of being disposable and expiring will diminish and disappear completely.
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Brian Ward. Week 10. July 21st 2015.
Day 63 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #45 : Serendipity
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Words: Cluster Together
‘2 Stage’ kettle water boiling, with pitch/reverb…….. The end result seems to be kinda creepy – which appears to often be the case…….
Daily Dose: Serendipity
I really like how today’s dose mentions that moments of creative ‘serendipity’
often come dressed in ordinary clothes. I like how this statement, and how it applies to creative kernels of awesomeness, and how it applies to pretty much everything else that happens in our lives, ie. not just in the creative sense. Since life is full of a vast array of occurrences and highs and lows, it is important to be able to identify how different people fit into our lives as many amazing people are presented to us in the most ordinary of ways. Just the same, many people who are not a positive influence in our life (and can cause real damage if we’re not careful) appear to us in the most ordinary of ways, and i think we’re not aware of what this type of person represents when we first encounter them. That is why i feel it is of huge importance, especially when we’re young, to have a mentor (or parent etc.) explain to us that fantastically amazing people, and very ‘evil’ people will both appear to us i the most ordinary of ways. Personally, i could have benefited in a huge way when i was younger to know about this type of thing. I’d always expected that some kind of ‘fanfare’ would always accompany really great occurrences and interactions with amazing people. Similarly, until i learned ‘better’, I always thought that those who were ‘bad’ for us would be exceptionally obvious and therefore easy to spot and avoid. Nothing could be further from the truth. ‘Evil’ exists in the most common looking people. As such I believe it is very important to surround ourselves as much as possible with people who are positive, and who will ultimately be very good for us, and allow our creative spirit to flourish instead of whither. I feel fortunate at this point in my life to have many people like this in my musical life, and goodness begets goodness. “We become who we spend our time with” is such a good and true saying – one i hold close to my heart. In creativity and in commonality of daily life i try to follow this idea (and many others ideas that help guide me down the right path). I shall continue to cultivate my relationships both musically and otherwise, and keep a watchful eye on the correct ‘path’, and take detours when needed to limit the interactions with the ‘wolfs in sheeps clothing’.
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The above post is for July 21st.
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The above post is actually Daily Med #47…………
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Therefore, I missed #46, so here it is.
Brian Ward. Week 10. July 22nd 2015.
Day 64 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #46: Out with the Old and In With the New
‘State of Flux’ is definitely a great way to describe who we are as people, and who we (and where we’re at) as musicians. It really is remarkable how the tiny, incremental (and sometimes insidious) changes are constantly occurring. We can’t stop the changes in many ways even if we want to. With the saying ‘the only constant in life is change’, it sums up very well what the essence of life is, where we’re going to change in many ways whether we like it or not, so we better consciously make changes for the better as we go along. Every incremental change puts us on a new tangent that has the possibility of leading to much better things, or, if we don’t continue to nurture and cultivate, will lead to a hard lesson learned that we could have avoided and had a different, more productive outcome had we been more watchful of ourselves and our choices. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that, creatively, there are paths that we can choose to take that will lead us along the way to a fruitful creative experience, full of moments that make us go “that is amazing”. On the other hand, there are choices that we can make that will lead us into conflict with others and ourselves if we’re not careful of our choices. Since we have no control over the passage of time, fortunately, as time marches on, when times are darker, things will move eventually into a brighter period simply based on things moving forward. As circumstances change, we are given another chance to do good things with the spirit we’ve been given, and hopefully the lessons learned during the dark period will give us inspiration to create in the light and continue on a positive path.
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The above post is for July 22.
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Brian Ward. Week 10. July 23 2015.
Day 65 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #48 – All Alike
As today’s dose states, us musicians really are, for the most part, very similar. The musician’s brain has been proven to be different than ‘non-musician’s’ brains. As such, even before learning how much different us musicians are from those not fortunate enough to be involved in creating music, i’d found that i always naturally get along well with other musicians. They’re attention to detail is always so much greater – to the point where being with non-musicians can sometimes be very challenging for me (especially in a work environment that is not musically related).
There is usually a gentleness that other musicians possess that makes it very easy to bond with other musicians. Again, as today’s dose states, it is always very rewarding to help another musician since we see ourselves in that person, with similar ‘trials and tribulations’.
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Brian Ward. Week 10. July 24 2015.
Day 66 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #50 – Reach Only to Let Go
Daily Dose.
As i reach to let go, i feel very grateful for being able to have these moments of peace – peace from others, peace from having silence, peace from all movement. I do this as often as i need to and can find the opportunity to do so. With the go go go of this life and society, i think it would be very healthy if everyone could do this on a regular basis, but of course it’s not realistic to think that everyone can do it often. Family obligations, work obligations, domestic obligations etc etc all play a role in turning us into “human doings” rather than allowing us to be “human “beings”. With all that technology has given us, we’re busier than ever, and we all need to let go and chill out. Get back to nature, literally, and get out amongst the greenery and trees and listen to what’s happening out of the urban setting. We didn’t evolve for the majority of human existence in urban settings – we naturally lived “rural’ lives, and the recent (i.e.. the last few hundred years?) shift to living primarily in urban centres is not healthy for us. All we need to do is look at the number of people in therapy, the number of people prescribed and taking antidepressant medications, and the number of suicides. Sure, life is “easier” i so many ways, but in more ways it is harder as we live in an environment that we are slowly adapting to but not necessarily used to. We all need to reach for the natural setting we evolved from, and let go and rejuvenate – it can only do good for us and our creative spirit.
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Think about what it is going to be like in 100 years from now or even 500 years now when there is no green anywhere and people are living in ships that move from one point on space to another. They will have to get their green on in digital or some type of clone environment. Digital And analog will be forgotten by then:) how then will that affect humans? Humans will most likely be more technological then organic as well so maybe the organic green will not make since and clone will. The human doing vs human being is a great thought. I am at a lake now and I still find myself doing vs being. But I find my doing more meaningful then in the city. The nature and green inspire my doing more then in a world of doing. The world of doing seems to inspire me to chill out more from the doing because I feel like the doing is happening all around me vs here around green everything is being so I feel like I have to be doing. Environments inspire me to conduct recordings and in the middle of no where I find I want to record and create more then in the city. In the city I find myself feeling like I can to it later when in green I feel like do it now. The big question you have inspired in me is being a human being really a human doing at the core. As I watch life around me they are all doing vs being. So I think maybe being is not the answer because if life just lives in being it dies. Life seems to have to do in order to be or maybe being is only for humans. Self esteem is something that doing creates and by creating self awareness and thus self esteem I am more aware if just being. I wonder if a human can just be without doing. There is something to be said about the green inspiring me be but only after doing. If I was to just be without the do then I lose the meaning of being. The beginning of the process is tough to pin point. Can one be without the other? Can life be without green? Can good be without evil? If life only had one side of the point maybe it wouldn’t be life as we know it. Like bad recording inspire good recordings or non-magical recordings inspire finding the magic in a persons message in a recording. I wish I could stop time and view time from a non-time point of view to see if time inspires time. Non-time would be what I think of as just being. As long as there is time and things move there seems that there will always be doing. Doing seems to be the pure nature if this realm. So at the end if this thought doing really is the only thing I can do that is truly living in is human being realm. Maybe we are incapable of just being like swiming up steam with the true nature of this type if life. Thanks for thought!
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Brian Ward. Week 10. July 26 2015.
Day 68 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #51 – Power and Control
Daily Dose – Power and Control
Letting go of control and power ‘over others’ has shown to me that it really is the best way to create with others. No one likes being told what to do, and in a creative situation i’ve been on both the receiving end of being told what to do, and when i was younger and foolish, I’ve been the one to feel my ideas in the particular session were best. It doesn’t take long to learn what works and what doesn’t. I’m grateful that it didn’t take all that long to learn how to keep the ‘love’ in the writing or recording session. As the daily dose states, with love and good vibe to each other in the session, there is no need for power, and things will progress well and with plenty of good feeling. The worst time for everyone in a session happens when one doesn’t feel validated, or isn’t given proper due for their great ideas. On the other hand, similar to any other collaborative situation when everyone respects everyone else from the ‘get go’, everyone feels very ‘present’, and respected when their ideas are validated, and everyone is happy and ready to contribute (and give respect back), and all will be well. Without making an effort to ‘bring the love’, not much gets done, and everyone is happy to just get the heck out of there when the session is over. Life is too short to approach any collaborative situation without lots of good vibe and love to others. In fact, personally, i prefer to not spend any time with anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the approach of ‘bringing the love’. When i was younger, as is the case with most younger people, i was prepared and ok with making music with those who were maybe a little selfish etc, as long as the music being created was kick-ass. At this point in time however, i’d rather not. I don’t feel it’s necessary to make music with others who aren’t mindful of the importance of being kind to each other. Why? Primarily because there are plenty of people around who are great musicians, and create original music that is fantastic, and most importantly , they know how to ‘play well with others’. We become who we spend our time with, and i pick spending my time with people who are self-aware, and aware of others and the importance of having lots of good vibe in their life.
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The above post is for July 26.
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Brian Ward. Week 10. July 27 2015.
Day 69 of 70. Daily Page: Daily Dose #52 – One Note at a Time
1. (Mental Section) – Creative Word: Small
Hillside festival “Funga Drummers” from yesterday.
Daily Dose: One Note at a Time
Staying positive/thinking positively all of the time is easier said than done. I agree with it completely, but like many of the Daily Meds, it can be a major challenge to implement the action of being/thinking positively all of the time. I tend to gravitate toward more of a ‘realistic’ way of thinking – i suppose it can be called my ‘stasis’ or natural way of being, and there are many things i could feel perpetually negative about and let it get me down. But, i try to offset this way of thinking by connecting with others as much as possible, and by using my sense of humour. I think people sometimes don’t take me as seriously as i actually am because i joke around a great deal, but i am actually very serious about the majority of things. Anyhow, the power of positive thinking (and the power of positive doing) is definitely the way to elevate our own creative spirit and the spirit of others, and i will continue to think positively.
On the subject of being a human ‘being’ or a human ‘doing’, i agree completely with the idea that, to be truly alive, we do need to be ‘doing’, so the idea of our species being called “human beings” is directly linked to the doing aspect, which in turns gives us something in return for our actions, including the immediate result of whatever it is we just did, and the boost in self-esteem from knowing that we accomplished whatever it was. I really liked the Comment from the other day (Reach Only to Let Go). I’ve thought a lot for quite a while now about the whole ‘human beings versus human doings’ idea, and it clarified something for me. Namely, the importance of being a human being through doing (for all who are capable of ‘doing’ in the motion sense etc……). There are many in the world whose ‘new normal’ no longer allows them to be ‘doing’ in the traditional sense, but they are no less human being. (I’m referring of course to those who have had an accident and are no longer able to move etc. – this is one of the scariest thoughts health-wise for many of us, and i take my hat off to those who are in this position and keeping on keeping on.) Anyhow, thanks for the Daily doses. I believe this is the 2nd last one.
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The above post is for July 27
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Hello again Dave. Re: my EP upload to Bandcamp – I’m having issues getting my “Final Project” songs uploaded, so I’m simply including the url for each of the 5 songs below ok? I have a number of original compositions which I’m in the process of recording but are not ready yet, so for now I’ve laid down just these instrumental ‘cover’ songs. Thanks for everything Dave 🙂
https://soundcloud.com/bee-dub-5/midsummers-daydream
https://soundcloud.com/bee-dub-5/bouree-in-em
https://soundcloud.com/bee-dub-5/spanish-romance-romanza
https://soundcloud.com/bee-dub-5/lagrima-adelita
https://soundcloud.com/bee-dub-5/jesu-joy-of-mans-desiring
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Brian Ward. Aug 1 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #53 – Role Models
(please note, and words in BLOCK letters are purely for emphasis (and don’t represent “yelling”). If i had access to italicize words in wordpress, i would be doing that instead. Maybe there is a way, and i just don’t yet know it).
Role Models:
Once again the Daily Dose is giving me a motivation and reminder of what i SHOULD be doing, and encouraging me to do it. In short, it is the kick in the ass that i need. I spend too much time on little details that i THINK are important, when i need to manage time better and work at being the musician that i WANT to be, as today’s dose states.
Also, as the dose states, we pick up habits from other musicians that we admire, some good, some undesirable, and instead of simply mimicking the things we see as desirable in others, we just need to get our shit together and ‘do it’ – there’s a lot of truth in that 3 word corporate Nike logo/moniker “Just Do It”. I also would benefit from actually still being motivated by other’s positive habits, but i have to admit ( and kinda hate to admit) that the ‘competitive edge’, or feelings of competition that i used to have, are no longer there as i’ve gotten older – i mention this because i think that part of being influenced by other musicians is a sense of wanting to be able to do something like they do, or as well as you do, and i no longer see things in that light. This whole idea of ‘competition’ as a motivator for me is a major fatal flaw of mine. I believe this is the case because for the majority of my life i was motivated to do many things because i wanted to be ‘the best’ at it etc., but i no longer see that as being important in the sense that, with age, i’ve come to see the beauty in what others have done and created, and i understand far more of what someone has done to get that place of accomplishment. Also, maybe i’m being influenced by too many non-musical things in my life, and for whatever reason i’m not willing (for some reason) as much to make the sacrifice to accomplish certain musical things. This is not how i want to be at all however. There is a TON that i want to accomplish, and FEEL as i accomplish and create and experience, but other aspects of my life tug at me – from a stress standpoint, from a responsibility standpoint, from a “flow” standpoint, where i have to be mindful of how much energy i expend in one part of my life as it seems to, for me, take away from what i can give to the other parts of my life.
I also keep thinking of the human ‘being’ or human ‘doing’ discussion which i’m very happy to have had with you Dave – without the doing, i 100% agree, we aren’t ‘being’. If we are ‘alive’, we are ‘doing’, and if we are ‘doing’, we are ‘being’. The biggest challenge for me to keep ‘doing’, (as much as i know it is important and i want to do it), is simply having enough energy, and when i have the time, with no clear ‘obligations’, i find myself desiring to be horizontal instead of ‘doing’ (i.e.. upright and doing), and as a result i make it so (ie. i lay down). I know that i need to, even when my energy is low which is the majority of the time (due to my own health issues …), simply push myself to get my mind into something (i.e.. follow the daily dose recommendation of the ‘5 minute start’), and get ‘doing’, and this will allow me to be the musician i want to be. I know i need to do this on a regular basis of course, and not let the combination of mindless television viewing while being horizontal rob me of the time i could be investing in making myself more knowledgeable in a new DAW, or working on a new (or old) piece on guitar (or other instrument)….. yada yada yada…. There are thousands of things i could be doing that are far more worthwhile than regularly zoning out, which i find myself doing as of late. I agree that, as another day’s Dose states, that it’s good to ‘tune out’ for a while when needed, but i think i do it too much right now, and then i feel guilty about having wasted time.
Well, as i often say, i will keep cultivating, and watering, and working on becoming the musician (and person) that i want to be. Thanks for the Dose as always.
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Atta boy! Nice dose!! Keeping up with a daily active music life today is going to unfold for you a year or two down the road. You will wake up one day and all this music stuff will be happening and you won’t know how or why or where it is coming from. It will just be. The harder you work today toward the things you want the more in a year from now you will reap the goodies! This is the over key to the daily meds. It’s also about putting aside instant gratification as well and learning to enjoy the process in the now versus “I want it all” now. A tough lesson to learn at any age. You came to these classes because you love music and want to be a part of it again in some type of unknown way, or maybe it’s known but not shared but what this dose says above and beyond the rest is you want it bad enough to stay the path of work. This is huge! Most students say and mean well but never follow though once the class ends. Keep it up. There is a new re-vamp of the meds coming out in a week or so, text me your email addy and I will send over a PDF when ready.
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Brian Ward. Aug 2 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #54 – Integration
Daily Dose: Integration
The idea that we are, each and every one of us, an integral part of the project and creative process is an idea that we don’t think about enough – at least not in the objective sense where we can see where we fit into the process as a “cog” or “key” part (as all the parts are key). As with anything in life, when we’re too close to something (i.e.. any kind of project), the reality of what is happening is often clouded by our own “up close and personal” experience. Our position and contribution and even our basic energy isn’t regarded with enough credit and this can cause us to lose sight of how important all of us as individuals are to the project. In my opinion, even a “gopher” or a “coffee-boy” (or, said with political correctness – coffee ‘person’) is just as key to a project as the main songwriter. This may sound strange, but i feel that every ounce of positive energy that goes in the direction of the project is vital to the end result and overall good vibe. When my 90s band was on the road touring with another group (as supporting act), i always made a point of extending the idea of importance to the other band’s roadie or guitar tech by going out of my way to be kind – i.e.. if the tech/roadie liked Jack Daniel’s, I’d hit the liquor store and pick up some J.D. airplane size bottles to give to him to break the ice (i’d also heard that this particular person was a very hard worker and didn’t get a great deal of recognition for his efforts, so this information coupled with the knowledge that he liked J.D. seemed like a good way to show my/our band’s gratitude for giving us a hand with striking the stage for the previous 2 shows, and to hopefully express how much we think he is important to our group on this tour, even though he was in the ’employ’ of the other group – a huge U.K. band). This show of gratitude gave the tech a natural drive to be kind in return, and there was always a great vibe coming my/our way whenever he was around. I cite this example not as an example of the importance of going around kissing ass, but merely to show that even a very minor expression of kindness can show to people how they are very important and key to the overall success of the bigger picture/project.
Sometimes, between musicians, it’s important to follow a different approach to show just how important they are to a project. But less important is the method of showing how integral the person is to the project – it’s far more important to simply do it one way or another, and our spiritual nature always guides us if we are listening and open to the guidance.
Anyhow, i guess what i’m trying to say is that i completely agree with the importance of remembering just how integral each person IN the project is TO the project, and at the same time it is very important to keep egos out of the mix as much as possible. Thanks for the dose Dave.
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Brian Ward. Aug 3 2015.
Daily Page: Daily Dose #55 – Human After All
Daily Dose – Human After All
Falling back into old, destructive habits is a pattern (for me) in itself. It is so damn hard sometimes to let go of control, and not go back to the ‘familiar’
and comfortable things. In music creation, and in life, there seem to be so many times where, try as i might i can’t sustain the action i’m trying to accomplish – especially when it’s an attempt at letting go of the habits that i’m desperately trying to change. At the same time, i can see why it is important to not kick ourselves too hard in the ass for not ‘succeeding’. As the dose says, we are human after all, and to ‘err’ is human. It’s just an ass-pain when i do ‘err’. Like the Neil Young lyric goes, ‘why do i keep fucking up?’………
Why i/we do certain things brings to mind the question of ‘nurture vs nature’, or ‘environment vs genes’. I know why, genetically, i have a predisposition to doing certain things – i just have to look at my relatives and immediate family, and the answers are there. There are many good things about the genetic aspects, and there are many not-so-good things about the genetic aspects. I once heard the expression “The prison of our genes”, and it has always stuck with me. Our genes really can be viewed as a prison (the non-desirable part of our genes). There are many things we’re almost programmed to do or think based on the actions/experiences of our parents/ancestors. The upside is there are many good things each of us is predetermined genetically to excel at. We are pretty much walking ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ (ie. the two halves that together complete wholeness). It’s interesting that the yin and yang are also the starting point for change. With the Daily Meds being about cultivating growth, and change within ourselves, i suppose today’s dose has a particular ‘appro-po’ quality to it.
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