An Indie Musician's Diary VOL. 1

Intro

Hi there!

This book is for two types of people

For my community/fans

These are the people who wonder why on earth this first project (Change My Mind album with 12 songs and a book) is taking so darn long. I hope that by sharing my day to day life with music making story, I'll be able to help them understand the costs involved (why I appreciate their financial support through Patreon etc.) and why music takes a long time to make the first time around. When I sit down with one of them and explain the production, promotion etc process, they usually say, I had no idea it was so much work. It is and this book describes the process in an honest yet sporadic way. I hope that those who support me and are following this project get a sense of what I am doing, because I am doing it for them. 

For indie musicians and indie music producers

I don't know about you, but I have seen tons of videos on YouTube by professional music engineers and wondered if I ever could get a grip on mixing and mastering and produce my music. For a while I got swamped by all the information about the new music business, and there are still days where I think this is so crazy and against us all that I want to throw in the towel for good. But I have held my head above the water and hope to be able to combine everything I'm learning and create more music faster and better than ever before. I hope that you who make music will be inspired and encouraged by the videos I pick and the quick tips you can find here and there. 

Above all it is about doing something we are passionate about. Let's not get bogged down by all the "musts". Rome wasn't built in a day and you can't go from zero to 300 mph in a blink. Be patient with yourself. You'll get there...it just takes commitment and hard work.

About the project this book follows

I have been working on the Change My Mind project since late 2015 and it has been a tough road to go from knowing nothing about audio engineering to becoming somewhat comfortable at it. Also, I had no structure for songwriting or arrangements but now I am very aware of the elements of good music. I began my music making journey in my teens but chickened out after high school and after many years of soul searching I am happy to say I consider myself a music producer. After all, I write and produce music and on the Change My Mind album (my debut album), I have brought together ten musicians in many different genres to create a musical explanation of my journey from stress to rest. Somehow, I feel that all those years of aimlessly wandering the planet have come to an end and I am finally who I should have been (was deep inside) all along. 

I started writing down what lessons I was learning privately for reference, but decided to share this part of the process with you to encourage you not to give up on your dream of making music. Maybe you are a singer/songwriter who needs to see an example of what to do in order to register, record, publish and promote your work. Maybe you are just starting to learn audio engineering/mixing. In any case you will be able to get some valuable tips. And Wattpad is totally free to read. So enjoy!

Maybe you are doing EVERYTHING (see the video above by Graham Cochrane) to get your music out - playing multiple instruments, learning mixing, mastering, practicing, networking, recording and marketing - just like me. It is really hard to navigate in the new music business and it is easy to feel overwhelmed by all the information and expectations around you isn't it?  It is a lot of hard work, but, if you keep on keeping on, just around the corner there will be a light at the end of your tunnel. I'm starting to see the way out of my tunnel now. 

In this book, I am going to be brutally honest about my ups and downs, the criticism I receive and the encouragement I am blessed with. Both come as part and parcel with any creative process. This book will encourage you to continue though the days and seasons when everything seems lonely, difficult and meaningless.