Work work work work work. Work is a good thing.
I don’t necessarily mean my day job, but it’s actually solid. No, I mean working on creative things to not only fulfill my artistic needs, but to keep myself occupied as well.
I suspect this whole social distancing thing is easier on me than most. I grew up the only child of a single parent, and a minority in my hometown. I was a smart kid (and I’m a pretty smart man, most of the time), and that further isolated me from my peers. But, I was big enough to avoid being bullied most of time, so that wasn’t too much of an issue.
I’m not saying this to whine about my childhood; it was pretty good, overall. No, I’m saying this because aside from having female company, my life in the midst of COVID-19 is pretty much the same as it was. There are a couple of exceptions; my dojo was ordered to close by the city of Tempe, and the city also closed their dog parks. Besides those three things and working from home, my life hasn’t changed much. I’m not aching to be out with friends, or go to a bar, or a party, or anything else like that. Yes, there were some concerts cancelled I hoped to attend, but that’s about it.
Essentially, I’ve been training for this “shelter in place” thing for most of my life. I’m rarely bored, and never so much so that I feel the need to post notes online saying so. When I’m not working the job that pays my bills, I’m relaxing and watching something on one of the streaming services I use, until I decide it’s time to work on my creative outlets. I created a schedule to help ensure I make reasonable use of my time. I don’t stick to it religiously, but it has helped. I’ve finished 6 chapters of my audio book, and need to edit chapter 7. I’m more than ⅓ of the way through. It’s a pretty big accomplishment, considering I started this...well, I’m not sure how long ago. A few years. I’ve rewritten it at least three times, shopped for an agent, got nothing, and finally decided to self publish. Now I’m pretty close to finishing.
Feels good.
I’m also a few videos ahead on One Man. One Voice. One Year (OMOVOY). That’s good for a few reasons. It allows me to practice on songs that need it, it removes some of the stress associated with any deadline, and it presents the possibility of writing new material. I don’t know that I will, but I can feel the beginnings of at least two lyrical ideas. That’s often where songs start for me. Then it becomes a matter of discipline; working an idea until I have something I like.
That’s it for now. Oh, I posted “The Ballad of Papa Chuck” yesterday morning, and I may post my first cover song for OMOVOY on Wed.
Be good; stay safe and healthy.