Hard Like Algebra

“Loss” (2009)

Write a song.

Record it.

Copy it to some sort of recordable media.

Put this address on it:
Hard Like Algebra, PO Box 40161, Portland, OR 97240-0161

Lose the item.

image via http://yacht.tumblr.com

I can’t believe that it’s seriously been 15 years since Cobain shot himself.
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I was cleaning the kitchen tonight, which all good Buddhist writers will tell you really helps you focus on being mindful, opens ideas up in a way quite similar to meditation, and a whole bunch of other great things (which probably include repairing that ouchy hangnail and finally figuring out a cheap way to hang those art posters you have had in tubes for years, left hiding for no one to see).

Growing up in the Midwest–and maybe elsewhere, though I feel like this is part of being Midwestern–a lot of “Clean Plate Club” style rules are commonly ingrained into belief systems. A good example of these was something I learned from my mom–essentially, if you’re doing the dishes, you’re also cleaning the kitchen, so don’t just start it, finish it up.

Sound logic, really. It meant that the kitchen counters were always clean enough that you wouldn’t have to think twice about setting food directly on the counter, and it also means that I practically have the entire meal prep cleaned up by the time i am done cooking a scramble or other simple meals.

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Working with digital loops to create music is a really odd form of creativity. Odd because it feels a bit like cheating, and a bit like MAN THIS IS SO AWESOME I MADE A SONG.

Anyway, enjoy some more Garageband tuneage.  I might do something odd involving weird Keynote presentations next. 

Yes, seriously.

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I really like trying to take good photos with camera phones. I feel like it’s just another way of dealing with the shortcomings of the tech you have at hand, like taking Holga photos or using children’s instruments.

Portland was so gorgeous today.

We had a party on day three.  Well, it was taco night.  Essentially a party, yes?

And parties can be art right? I’m going to write five reasons why this works, and have that qualify as the day three project, okay? Okay.

1. The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends is the Highest Form of Art.
2. Like any performance, you have to prepare, know your audience, and essentially design sound, lighting, and even your “character” for the night.
3. Performance art is art in which the actions of an individual or a group at a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work.
4. I am thinking of how creating something daily is an act of creating meaningful experiences.  This was a great one! 
5. Happenings. ‘Nuff said.

Thanks to all the people who helped create this project for Day 3!  :-)

The fountain cascaded with promise. She focused her attention on the water, only glancing at him long enough to say, “It’s all too much.”

And then she was gone.

For the first 30 days post, I started learning just how much Garageband has changed since the first version.

It’s me running my guitar through my new iMac and making something.

It’s got two built-in loops tweaked in there, too.

It’s rough around the edges.

It’s  a start.

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Hey folks!

I’ve gotten more and more interested in using this space for writing about things other than music, in posting online more, and in sharing creative work that I create myself.

In the spirit of such things, I started a tumblr site a few months back, but that wasn’t enough. 

At this point, I’m going to take HLA in more of a generalist direction.  Separating the arts too much has never suited me, really. I still really want this name to be something that I only use for the highest quality stuff I can do–or at least, the posts with the most thought behind them.  I want to write about the things in culture that strike me, and I also want to post things that I make.  I can use my livejournal, my personal twitter, or my tumblr for the rest.

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Now, an announcement is in order:

I am starting a new project this April, and I’m calling it 30 Days in April.

During this month, I’ll be posting something, daily, that I’ve created.  I’m tired of looking back on the seven (seven!) years since I went to art school, or the months since I started renting art space, and wondering why I haven’t been creating.  I’m so crazy about changing this ingrained, habitual pattern that I’ve gotten a daily writing prompts book and even, dare I say it, The Artist’s Way. 

I have been stagnant too long, and so has Hard Like Algebra. This changes today.

I want to thank ya’ll in advance for the support. It should be fun.