It's already the end of the year

I need to make more effort to write on this blog more. I know I've stated awhile back that I'd take a break on being actively creative, but I think I want to start writing more again. I do miss expressing certain things that I keep in my head waiting to be put down on a post or on paper. I miss trying to achieve some goals throughout the year to make sure that I'm at my game with my work. But you know... I think I have achieved a bit of progress with my creative outlet. I just don't showcase it online very much.




I recently put this up on Bandcamp and some streaming platforms. The title of this track "I'm not Ready for the Cold Winter Blues" was certainly inspired by my dad, but composed in my way of approaching blues style standards. I always thought that the blues could go somewhat deeper if given the right chord voicings and arrangement. I know I could've went more standard on this composition, but in the end my stubborn self wanted to approach it in the style of LST LVS. I can't seem to stray away from my EMO / Indie / Mathrock roots. I usually try to create a body of work with those parameters in mind. Thinking about it now I'm realizing how open I've been about integrating more influences to my music. Over the last few years I've come to take interest in KPop & City Pop styles and allowed more Hip Hop & R&B to be a thing for me as well. I think in the new body of work that's become even more present that usual.

In the photography front there's not that has changed really. Given the circumstances of my days I don't usually photograph outside of my usual schedule, but I'm finding it comforting to be able to do this body of work in my own pace. I'm beginning to see a lot of people ween out of photography like it was a distant memory they've wanted to forget. Somehow people's testament in this medium veers to a negative right with loads of stop signs and ends. In the back of my mind I kinda knew that something was going to change for those photographers. That's when I knew I would just do it for the purpose for myself and not other people. Not to mention that many folks that I follow have this weird relationship with it right now. I'm glad I'm a nobody and no one, but a couple of people, do appreciate the body of work I create.

Right now I'm using my photographs as a starting point on how I want to approach a record. It's been giving me a pretty good set of parameters to go off from when I'm thinking about how I want to compose a song. Writing has been slow, but it's been fun as well. Listening and enjoying some of the moments that I record as well as the images that I edit for the project has been awesome. I'm not sure if this has been a best time of my life being creative, but I do know that it's the best time to be creative. There are so many things I want to do, but I have to save them for later.

I'm definitely happy about my situation. The world is still kinda weird right now, but I'm enjoying this amount of solitude with my loved one. I might be staying inside for another longer period of time, but if that's the case I'm definitely ready for it. I may write another post before the end of the year. Until then thank you all for being around. I miss you all.


-Arthur

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Support your loved ones. Sometimes it could be the clothes you've never wore before

Awhile ago I had the pleasure of purchasing an outfit that my friend Anthony was selling through his former Bob Cut Mag company. He recently had started up And Our and has been forwarding this concept of unisex branded clothing. I've been watching up close and a bit afar to see what I can rock. There's an outfit that was influenced by me and was made specially to my frame. I couldn't believe it, but man it was an honor to actually have someone like Anthony tell me an outfit was influence by me and my personality. Thank you Anthony. You're the best and I'll do my best to help parade the cause you are trying to promote.

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A Letter to My Friends I Haven't Spoken to for Nearly 10 Years Until August 21st, 2021

It was weird seeing all these folks for the first time in nearly 10 years. I haven't kept up with many of them (and even that much with Colby) and have been doing my own thing for a long time. Arriving at the event was a bit anxiety inducing. What was I gonna say? How do I look? Did I have any past beefs?

no. not at all

In fact every single one of them came to me with open arms. I was surprised what changed and what stayed the same. The friendship I made with them years ago sort of picked up where it left off. It was a bit overwhelming. Overwhelming because I don't really have any friends here in Connecticut. And to come back and see everyone that has helped me become the way I am today was realized the moment I stepped through that door with my girlfriend. It's been a long time. A long time not knowing what the fuck is going on.

This is the first time I've felt relieved about something I wasn't sure I was relieved about. Maybe the fact that everyone is doing alright. But at this point I just hope I can make more memories with these folks and keep in touch.





Dear Colby,
I'm sorry I haven't been there all these years. Maybe ongoing I'll call you / text you just see how things are even for just a bit. Thank you for inviting me to your wedding, home and life again. Thank you for having my girlfriend feel comfortable being part of the whole thing. I just wish I made more time for you back then. Never too late right?

Love you Colby,
Arthur

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Archive Scanning Project

Though that I've been silent for the most part I've encountered a huge project that will set me back awhile. Recently I bought a dedicated 35mm scanner (Plustek 8100) and have vigorously been scanning film almost everyday. It took two weeks to scan one folder so you can tell how slow the project is going to be. The great part of this process is being able to see some of the images I've not seen before. It's a breath of fresh air seeing how many bad images I've taken (lol) and how stylistically my work has changed. I've really slowed down a bit and my subject matter has gotten a lot more tamed. Of course living in the city helps you get more static images, but when you live in a slower space it has you looking for photographs. It's a bit weird, but I've been enjoying this quite a bit.

It's been amazing seeing these images because my new relationship has appeared numerous times, but I also stumbled upon my past life seeing how much change has transitioned from past to present. It's apparent that my depression was certainly a showcase for some of these images. My ex started to appear less and less on film and with the amount of change happening at that time I didn't see her as a beautiful person anymore. I was seeing her as a drive to my depression and a reminder that I've come a long way from self loathing.

Though I'm seeing transitions of my life appearing one by one it's also showcasing approaches of framing and how different it's become. The influences I had back then have somehow stayed with me. Images of emptiness have been a theme and as I scan more of more some of those images become apparent and accepted during the process. It became clear that the majority of the time I've been going through a lot mentally. Seeking out solitude in places that I didn't belong has been and interesting evalutation.

I don't know if I was a little apprehensive taking on such a daunting project, but I guess it's a good time to start looking at these pictures again reminding myself why I still do it. Being able to live back on these images really meant something to me. It meant that I was able to go through things and not give up. Even if it meant letting go something you were so used to. I could've stopped doing all this shit and just let myself rot, but there's something that keeps me doing it. I don't know if its pleasure or its the fact that this is the only thing I'm good at. Whatever the fuck it is I guess I'll just keep doing it until I decide to stop.

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And Now It's Almost the Middle of the Year

Things have been moving at a steady pace as of late. Next week I'll be getting my second vaccination and am kinda stoked to go out and see how much has changed. My mental health (surprisingly) has been balanced and I've been doing my best to keep myself busy with my home life and my art. I'm writing new music, I'm consistenly taking more pictures and I've been enjoying how things are going. I've not yet become that introvert that I've started to recognize, but it's getting there as I start to keep to myself more often. Lol, but here I am writing about my feelings like always. It's doesn't make sense sometimes.

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A post shared by Roarie They/them (@roarie_yum)

Just recently I was interviewed by a friend, Roarie Yum, who was kind enough to let me use her platform to speak about my recent project. It was a blessing to speak with someone who I've admired for years starting from Tumblr. That interview made me realize how unique my situation was as an artist and how I've not expressed my work in such an matter like most people do. I've kept a lot of work in the box for years and little by little I've started to think about what I want to show, but I think I'll just keep it inside before I let it breathe somewhere else. The interview was a success (in my book) as I was able to speak about my beginnings and some of the hardships I had on other projects. And to be honest this project was the first project I've ever created that I was proud of (smaller victories on the previous projects, but they didn't hit as hard as this one).

I'm also getting a new computer in the mail (hahahaha). Just recently my girlfriend built her computer from the ground up and it motivated me to get one myself. I mean I have the money to get some of this stuff and I haven't really treated myself to a lot of things in awhile. This was also in my mind knowing the fact that I'm actually financially stable. It's weird to know that I have a savings and I'm not scrounging for pennies just to make sure I get to eat at 3pm. I keep reflecting on those days. I keep reflecting those days because I couldn't do what I wanted to do as an artist because my situation wasn't in the right spot. I can enjoy what I love to do. I can finally enjoy it. I can also support other artists by buying some of their cartel. I owe them a great one for being inspirations. It's my turn to help them be able to turn the page without being stuck on the last paragraph.

Since I've been able to upgrade some of my equipment I'm currently looking for some gear for recording. I've been working the idea of getting an 4 track cassette recorder to write some music for some 7" releases. It's a process that I want to look into just so that my writing methods don't go stale. It's also a fun way to record and be precise on future projects I want to endure. Think of the approach as if you were playing live. Think of it as if you were recording with a band in the same room. This was the idea I'm hoping to go fourth on just to see if the approach of it works. I also wanted to have something that will help me do some experimentation on some boomier drums. It's these idea that have been swimming on my mind that I want to head fourth on. Let's just see where it will take me

The days are starting to lighten up and the sun is starting to hang out for awhile. Some rains here and there, but it's getting to the point that the summer energy is emerging. During my lunch breaks I'll take a walk around the neighborhood and take some flicks of mundane things. I'll either bring my film or digi just to get some exercise and pracitce. I don't take a lot of photos these days, but it's just nice to know that these things are available to me just so that I can feel for at least 15 minutes.

I'm happy. I'm happy because I'm in a good spot. I intend to make sure that I keep it that way. I also intend to help my loved ones if they need anything. That's all I can do right now.

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Happy New Year after Two Months

Yes, I know I'm very late on this, but my priorities has directed towards work and on my recent release. I finally found the courage to release music and it's a bit weird getting some praise from friends I don't often speak to. There's been a lot of stuff happening around the house as well (we're getting the kitchen renovated) and just yeah... loads of things are just happening. I'm glad that new times are ahead, however, these changes have been giving me some thought about the relevance of this blog and whether or not I should keep the legacy.

The other day I spoke with my youngest sibling in the aspects of legacy. Knowing him and I we don't really think about legacy of things until we actually sit down and ponder what we've done for about 15 minutes. Even then we end up forgetting about it because other things take up our time that are really important. We really don't have time to keep thinking back when you got a lot ahead. I spoke with him about deleting everything and just start from scratch. He gave me some recommendations to consider and we chat and chat and chat and, again, forget about what we talked about and sort of talk about new stuff.

And right there is when it hit me. When we ended our call I started thinking about the failures I've showcased in the years. A lot of the posts did not age well. And you know... it made me realize how much growth was needed because of it. It's humbling to know that these posts have helped me become the way I am today. Though I don't write a lot these days and have seldom posted images on this blog it gave me a chance to express myself (sounds so corny) in ways I'd never been able to do publicly. It's been strange these last few years on trying to keep creating things consistently, but it's what put me out of that space.

So, space has been a primary thing in my life. Space has given me the opportunity to not resent what I love doing. I think a lot more rather than adapt and not have a plan. My mental state has also improved drastically and it's given me some peace of mind that I did not have for the longest time. Photography and music has suddenly become a thing where I need both to be in unison to make projects feel complete. It's weird. It's weird because this particular direction was what I wanted for a long time.

There was this project I did years ago titled "An Evening with the Nurse" (that title did not age well and glad I shelved it). Before presenting this project to a class I was taking I decided to write a song that would play over a slideshow. It came out okay, but the fact that I wrote something for pictures sparked up this idea that I could somehow work with. It took years to figure out, but I finally did it with this newest release. There's an intimacy towards this work that I felt encouraged to release and I'm glad that I didn't keep it shelved.

I don't know if anyone has created a soundtrack for their pictures, but I'm sure this idea isn't original. This project is a diary of thoughts and feelings I'm showing visually and sonically. And I hope that these ideas showcase those things I'm trying to convey. Maybe later on when I start working on new projects I could implement vocals into the mix. I'm no singer, but I can either figure it out or find someone to help me through it. I hate asking people to do things for me, but I think I need to start reaching out when I need it the most.

So, I guess I'll keep these posts alive for as long as I feel it's necessary. I believe in keeping an archive of what I do, because it's something that keeps me humble for as long as I live. Maybe there will be a time that I close everything down completely. I'll make that decision once I cross that bridge.


- Arthur

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