Helpful context, part 1
I grew up in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, the internet felt like an exciting place to be. When I think about how I spent my time with computers and communication devices in those days, I now realize that it was so very…exploratory. Using a computer was a process of actively seeking information. Compare that to today’s experience of forced bombardment from algorithmic content and targeted ads. I want to find a better way forward.
In those days, my time online was generally spent reading Wikipedia and looking up references for my schoolwork, perusing online forums related to the interests I had at the time, and reading blog posts from my friends on MySpace and Xanga. The internet wasn’t a huge part of my everyday life, though. I didn’t have a smart phone until I was in college and the iPhone 4 was released. Notifications and force-fed walls of content were not a part of my experience with technology, like it is now.
It feels strange to look back on that time now. I’m struck by how I didn’t feel a need to be hyper-present in any digital spaces unless it was to dig in to something I really wanted to dig in to. I was always learning and reading.
Helpful context, part 2:
In my professional, non-musical life, I’ve now spent over a decade “managing” various things in global supply chain organizations for big companies: business processes, geopolitical risks, system changes, and the like. It has afforded me a decent paycheck, a healthcare plan, and the opportunity to travel around the world and learn about things I wouldn’t have thought possible as a kid growing up in that less-connected world.
I say this because in my line of work, my days are defined by requests to simplify, standardize, document, consolidate, streamline, and generally improve the way that things are done. It shapes me to a tremendous degree. I’ve been trained to make hard things easier, and communicate complicated things simply - and I love it.
So what?
With those pursuits in mind – simplification, creating a space I want to be in, learning and discovery – I’d like to put forth this little Substack page. I hope that it can grow into a preferred place for me to be, and turn into a better version of my current digital life. It would make me very happy if it could eventually replace some of the things that are beginning to feel like intrusions in my life (mainly, Twitter and all of the other web 2.0 social media conglomerates). These things weigh on me in so many ways…perhaps I’ll detail that later in posts here. It’s a long story.
Most of all, I’d like to make this a place where other people want to be, too. It should be a place where musical ideas are shared, discovered, and discussed. See below…
As you probably know, I am a musician in my “off hours” from work. It’s only one element of my identity…and by the way, this is another thing that bugs me about social media: it encourages us to pick a singular and consistent “brand image” to manage, and stick to its script. I’d like to be a little more transparent about other things in my life that I care about, and this long-form written format allows for that.
But anyway, this piece of my life, music, gives me a huge amount of joy and purpose. It’s surreal to think of all the amazing experiences, places, ideas, and people that it’s introduced to me over the years. I’m so grateful for all of it, and I owe an enormous debt to some amazing friends and teachers who were generous and patient with their time while sharing their knowledge with me. Those early days online come to mind now: communities of friends and strangers provided me all kinds of insight and education as I was making my way into the musical world. I’d like to return the favor and hopefully share some things that others find useful.
What can you expect from me on Substack?
I’m still figuring it out, but I’d like to center the page on new musical ideas I make.
For example: as some of you may know, I have been keeping up a 2023 studio diary on Soundcloud in order to share some of the sounds I’m working on. Substack strikes me as a tool to supplement things like that with much more thoughtful detail about the processes I used to make those sounds.
I’ve also started a Bandcamp subscription to offer exclusive music to the supportive folks who subscribe to me. I see this being an extension of that, too, and a medium to not only detail how those things were made, but perhaps offer some teaching, tutorials, podcasting, and other things in that vein that allow me to share and express myself more fully…who knows. The response to some of the videos I’ve shared on YouTube have given me encouragement to crack open other elements of my music-making process in more detail, and I’d like to explore that here.
We’ll see where this goes, but it does give me a little hope that I can center my music efforts here. It would be great to present my ideas and work in a more personal way from now on. Let’s call it Sound Methods for now.
Thanks for being a part of this and taking the time to read. I look forward to sharing more in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Thank you so much, Andrew, for "creating a space I want to be in". Looking forward for the ride. Cheers!
Thanks Andrew for your time and sharing. Looking forward to it