Aso... The point emerges.
Registration for the U of M is in December
That gives me some time to make some music (the beat assassin project)
Im about to graduate from High school in June. I'll have the whole summer.
I can get recording done in a few places now. I've made some friends.
I'll get a part-time job and save up some money for my life on a college campus.
My biggest fear was always having to cut my hair.
But this'll give me a reason to keep my hair twisted up so I can grow my afro out for the next 6 or 7 months.
My time will be divided into 3 things: school, music, money.
It was silly of me to only depend on my art to make money. I am also quite intelligent and that is worth money as well. So I need not limit myself to just music...
Not that everything revolves around money.
But money will help me to eat. Or, take someone to the movies when I want to go. Or, give someone some gas money when they take me somewhere. Or, tip my barber when she does a good job. So lets shoot for a part-time job in June.
I have access to different tools already for free. I have loving friends and shouldnt be so paranoid that my destiny will be ruined by a part-time job. I dont know who or what planted that idea in my mind. But, nobody is gonna take my artistic integrity or personality from me.
I will always be who I want to be. Getting a part-time job is a "part-time" thing. And its not like I cant write rhymes at work.
Its not like I need 24 hours a day to make a song... I spend most of my time doin chill-stuff anyway. Plus, when I get off of work, I'll have some money to throw little get-togethers for my friends that we can make music at..
So when I get to december I will be in a new world; college. New people, and more of em'. which means new experiences more frequently.
Which will be an energy I can channel into my musical evolutions...
I should be able to afford my own place As a college student by this time. With money saved up.
I should have a decent name around the city by this time. With honorable accomplishments. I believe in a Organic lifestyle, just as I believe in organic music; music with the ability to grow and evolve. HipHop, for one thing, is my soul food. If I do not eat enough of it per month... I will die of starvation... fall back into my bluesy melancholy. I would live on my music alone if I could (and I probably could), away from the world in a way but the thing is... The world exists... And I exist within it.
There's nothing wrong with being a human...There should be a lifestyle though, that will allow me to feed both my physical and spiritual appetites. The only way to see it though is to fuse myself with myself... Im fighting myself too much. I think that if I work with myself I will reach the level I am trying to get to this year.
I think most (aspiring) artists have a paranoia and phobia of a 9-5... I am coming to the realization that we are quite child-like, stubborn and irresponsible at times. And that our fear comes from us being control freaks. But if that is true then that means our sense of control was made out of fear. And fear is weakness. And I do not want to "Control" my fear... I want to kill it. Taking pride in a sense of control (no matter how creatively put) made from our fears is cancer. We'll limit our oppurtunities and tools that will be advantageous to our ultimate goals.
Our natural stubborn attitude will make us put ourselves in unessecary stresses that can be easily avoided if we would only open our minds to the fact that we can use part-time jobs to our advantage. Think about it... If you dont like the damn job, you could just quit it and do all the stuff you were going to do anyway... But with less money. Which is possible sure, because the artists circle is quite crafty and loyal; friends would see that you are not unhappy and off-path.
This brings me back to a scene in one of my favorite anime's (more bad grammar) "Samurai Champloo" that led to my experience of Japanese Super-Producer "Nujabes" music. Nujabes who died unfortunately, not too long ago, was a big influence on me in 2008.
Well, the scene is in one of the very last episodes when a counselor of the Shogunate has arrived to deliver orders to this master swordsman to assasinate a wanted revolutionary and his daughter "fuu", who is one of the main characters. The master swordsman is in his garden attending to his many plants on a sunny afternoon... The Shogunates counselor enters the scene abruptly:
"Kareya.."
"My, what a suprise. To what occasion do I owe the honor, counselor?"
"Do you really need for me to spell out the reason for my visit today?"
"Not at all, I have a pretty good idea."
"We are in a race against time right now. I only know a little bit but I have heard that the felon from the Ryukyu's and the ronin from the Mujushin-dojo are both incredibly gifted swordsmen and should not be treated lightly."
"I have heard that as well"...
And this is funny to hear him say, the master samurai, because he's never been seen in the whole 23 episodes prior to this one... So it insists he's been like this monster waiting to be summoned... But the whole scene he talks with this salty, peaceful voice and keeps this buddha-like face. Sorry if this is too corny by the way; me equating myself to a samurai. But there is a point to this.
So where were we?:
"There is one more thing you should know: I have heard that they are about to make contact with Seizo Kasumi (the revolutionary) any day now. If they manage to meet up with him before we finish rounding up the stragglers from the Shimabara rebellion, it will make things very complicated."
"Counselor, since you made the trip.. do me a favor.. Allow me to show you some of the flowers in my garden.."
"... There is no time for that. Understand?"
"Are you aware of the proper method one should utilize to eliminate weeds?"
"Hm?"
"You see.. weeds, when left unchecked, will rob the flower of its proper nutrients. So what do you do? If you uproot the weed then you disturb the flower. Its roots and soil do not like to be interfered with."
"So, what do you do?"
"You learn to plant flowers that utilize the weeds as a form of nourishment. Take a look, this flower is an example of a beautiful exterior hiding its true intentions. Intentions that are really quite brutal."
Which goes to prove my point of using a part-time job to my advantage...
For the next 4 months, my time will be devoted to my part-time job and my music. The 4 months after that will be the same, except I will have acquired at least $2600 - $3000 and finished 3 Beat Assassin projects. Performed at least 8 shows and also had some involvement with some unforeseen community projects and events. This will be September. In december, Which will be four months later I should have at least doubled my accomplishments. Almost $6000 saved up (minus some expensive dates or unworthy impulse shopping) and almost 20 shows and open mics.
Well, when school starts for me in January, I'll quit that job so that I do not have to compromise the time that I use for music. The time I spent at work will be replaced with time spent studying. At that point, My time will be devoted to my studies and my music and probably some unforeseen community involvment or experience.
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