I haven't written anything for this blog in over a year.
Needless to say, plenty has happened in that time. Speaking solely in relation to this blog: I changed its name, and removed irrelevant posts (things that weren't even fun to read for nostalgia's sake), but decided to keep it anyway, moving forward with a less uptight attitude concerning its content instead of creating an entirely new blog. For instance, I used to write these entries during landmarks in my life - birthdays, and the like. I also used to only title the entries with song lyrics (save for the Prague-related posts), which I may still do sometimes, but I'm not binding myself by it any longer. I suppose you could say July 31 is a landmark, considering it's a new month tomorrow and all, but I actually just had a thought the other day -- it's not about months. It's about getting water and sunshine today, so we can grow into tomorrow. Months are a human construct, and although it can be positive to have a mental fresh start at the beginning of a new month, I've learned that such a mindset can also prove dangerous if you let it determine your actions. We each have more control over our lives than we allow ourselves (though some people allow themselves too much control, which can result in selfishness and, in my experience, an utter trainwreck of human relationships), which means we don't have to write an entire month off as tainted or impure because of a negative experience in the middle of it.
So why do the minor changes I mentioned matter? I mean, this is just a casual internet blog, used for my own decompression and not for anything particularly profound. In fact, this entry is going to be a meandering spill of words from a water glass in my head. It may seem disjointed and all over the place, but it's all coming from the same source, so I guess that counts as a connection. The point is: it matters because it's still change and growth, no matter how small.
As I type this, I almost want to change the title to "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains," which would continue the contradiction already begun by the fact that I'm posting this right before the first of a new month, because those would be song lyrics, and song lyrics and landmarks are two things I'm claiming no longer have constricting influence over what I decide to post in this blog. I'm overthinking it.
Beyond the changes to this blog, there have been quite a few personal changes in the past year and a half. Bullet-point time!
- I'm still living in Grand Rapids, but it's an indefinite thing now. Adam from 2013 would be upset with present Adam for that, and if that's not a sign of growth, I don't know what is. I just know that LA was not the place I should set my sights on for the next move. I'm letting life unfold here, and boy is it ever.
- I got a new tattoo this past June. It's on my chest, and I love it. That ink circle holds so much meaning to me. Let's get coffee and talk about it.
- A script I wrote was filmed last April. It's short, but everyone involved was amazing and talented, and I can't wait to see the final product. This project also prepared us (a little bit) for this next bullet point.
- If you've been on my Facebook at all, you've seen a slew of promotion for a short film I wrote called Garden Party. We're shooting it in a couple weeks, but for the past two months, it's been a beast all its own. We have a website (gardenpartyinvite.com), an Instagram and Twitter, a Facebook, and a mini-series based on the character I'm playing (go to YouTube and search "Just A Sip With Stan." Trust me.), which is surreal in itself since I created this character and now he has his own mini-series. This whole project has been one of the best things to ever happen to me, and I cannot wait to film it.
- Last year on my birthday, I released 25, which is an EP by my lo-fi music project called Up n Adam. It's just me playing all of the instruments and mixing it and doing everything myself (except the album cover, which was shot by my friend Chloë, and the mastering, which was done by my brother Nick), and I'm still proud of it. But it's nothing compared to this next bullet point.
- Tomorrow, I'm going to announce the title and release date for the debut album from Up n Adam. It's going to be 12 songs of pure Summer and sugar, falling under the only genre that properly describes my music: ukulelectropop. I just listened to the final master mix of the album, and I can say without any doubt that this is how I've been trying to make Up n Adam sound since its creation. I'm so proud of this album. I can't wait for you to hear it. This album will also have original artwork by Chloë Malmquist (chloemalmquist.tumblr.com) that looks exactly how the album sounds: warm, fun, and sweet. Listen on bandcamp (upnadam.bandcamp.com) or follow me on Twitter (@upnadammusic). And thus completes the shameless plug for my music.
- As far as current in-progress work goes, I'm working on like four short scripts for comedy sketches and mini-series, a new feature-length screenplay, a few new songs in the works already, and those usual novels, novellas, etc. I always have something I'm working on, and I'm very much alright with that. Life is good.
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From here on out, my plan for this blog is to...well...write in it. I was asked to do a track-by-track explanation for my album, so that will be coming soon, and I'll probably post some music reviews, book reviews, life updates, and other such readables. But as for now, this reintroduction comes to a close.
Be kind. Hug people.
lovelovelove,
Adam
