Getting back to this/Thinking about the details
Let's get this show on the road!
Thanks for bearing with me as I get Art In All Its Forms up and running again! Let me skip past all the cursory apologies — yes, I’m sorry you didn’t get more content from me! I genuinely can’t wait to restart all of this. Let me start with some life updates because WOW have things changed:
For the last three months, I’ve been working full-time as a host-in-training at Classical KUSC, a classical music radio station in Los Angeles! It’s the largest non-profit classical music station in the country and one of the largest in the world. I’m thrilled to be in a job where I learn about classical music, the stories behind the music, and how to best communicate those stories to the general public. For more info on the station, you can visit the KUSC website. For the easiest way to listen, a quick tip: DOWNLOAD THE APP on iOS or Android.
In that vein, I will be making my radio debut at KDFC in San Francisco on Sunday, February 13th at 9pm (TOMORROW!). My shift is from 9-11pm (a post-Super Bowl relaxation playlist). How to listen:
Easiest is to download the KDFC app on iOS or Android and press play!
KDFC broadcasts on 90.3 FM San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland; 89.9 FM Napa/Sonoma; 92.5 FM Ukiah-Lakeport; 104.9 FM in Silicon Valley and the South Bay; and 103.9 FM Monterey/Carmel. 104.9 FM is broadcast in digital HD.
Find KDFC on iHeart Radio or TuneIn
Listen on the KDFC website
I also recently booked two great acting jobs! One of them I’ve already shot (!!), but neither of them I can publicly discuss yet. More info to come soon. I’m over the moon about this!
These are the major developments that have taken up most of my time in the past three months — along with the need sometimes to relax and rest. But I can’t wait to share stories from these various projects on Art In All Its Forms.
The major changes in my life recently have prompted me to make adjustments to AIAIF as a project. Fundamentally, Art In All Its Forms is always going to reflect where I am presently. So, for now, I’m going to go slow and steady. I’ll talk to people I care about on the podcast and write about what interests me in the newsletter: for 100 people first and without the pressure of a growth mindset. I’m always open to growing AIAIF, but there’s a lot going on right now!
Other projects will pop up that demand my attention, but I’ll keep finding my way back here — to process everything and deliver my perspective on what art means to all of us.
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Changes to the Website
With that being said, I’m re-organizing the website. There are a few new sections which, if you’re impatient, you can check out at artinallitsforms.substack.com. However, I’ll give you the lowdown on everything over the next few weeks in the newsletters.
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Changes to my release schedule
Because I have gotten a little busier, I’m returning to a once-a-week release schedule. Every Friday, expect something in your inbox — either a podcast or a newsletter. I’ll tease whatever it will be on social media and in the previous week’s newsletter/podcast post.
As time permits, I will occasionally release some bonus content during the weeks. More to come.
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What happened to 25 Bad Songs?
Yeah, this went by the wayside for a little. Six and a half songs came out of it, though! I’m gonna finish the rest over the next few months, but I can’t promise a weekly song. My other artistic obligations just don’t make that schedule possible anymore. But, a song or two a month is definitely within the realm of possibility!
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A thought to leave you with
When I left music school, I spent a long time detoxing from it (insert disclaimers here about how much I loved and appreciate school overall, which I genuinely did). All the judgment I felt from people, all of the confidence I lost, all of the nights with little sleep. And, when I finally felt the school-related toxins leave my veins — somewhere in the middle of the pandemic — I realized something. It’s an odd thought, but it was helpful.
“Literally no one gives a f— about jazz…”
Obviously, that’s not actually true. Nor is it a particularly artful statement. What I meant was: outside of an insular group of maybe a million people, no one else really understood or cared about all the little details I did. If I made a mess of a certain drum solo, only a few people could really give me shit about it. The rest of the seven billion people on Earth don’t care AT ALL about some technical drum skills that my whole world revolves around. The same is true about acting. Some tiny detail in the craft that I obsess over makes almost no difference to the average viewer.
When you really think about it, who actually knows anything about what you do? Basically, most mistakes you make at your job — even ones that feel huge and life-defining — can be totally insignificant to the vast majority of people. They have their own problems to deal with and their own mistakes to make. They don’t have time to deal with your situation. But, that begs the question: why be detail-oriented at all?
What’s the point of learning the intricate drumming needed to play an Elvin Jones solo? Why try to be perfect at anything when you could go to your job, give 50% effort, and most people will clap and say, “THAT WAS AMAZING”? My answer to that used to be that it was about pride. Or respecting the tradition of jazz musicians before me. Or some kind of internal drive to be great.
There’s some truth to all of those reasons. Pride, tradition, and a drive to be great can all be valuable motivators at some point or another. Tradition especially, because I do respect the history and lineage of artists who make it possible for me to learn music in the first place. That being said, it seems like there’s a much simpler reason to care about the details; it took me some time to rediscover it.
I care about the details simply because I love making art and want to share it. I love music. I love acting. I love writing. I share it with you because the art might convey some common humanity that is meaningful to us both. The rest of it… the judgment, the feeling like I need to live up to something or someone, the grades, the career goals… I do my best to put it to the side when I’m in a creative headspace. I can’t control the career or the judgment others have about me. I can use my love for what I do to care about every last word, note, and movement. The love and care for what I do translate to the audience, not necessarily the details in and of themselves.
What do you think? Write me a note at aiaifpod@gmail.com or leave a comment on the website! Cheers.