trabajo

This is my music-writing station. Perhaps it looks a bit strange or inelegant to the untrained eye. But believe it or not, this configuration took me weeks to work out: Good lighting, spaciousness, appropriately flat surfaces in a triangle, a good chair for my back, and an object that's just the right size and height for elevating the keyboard. (It may seem eccentric, but if the height-ratios are wrong, I can end up hurting myself, tiring too quickly, or just feeling unsettled and uninspired.)

Thanks in large part to this new setup, I am having a fantastic time composing. I brought a new notebook of manuscript paper and turn to a fresh page each day, so I can just start playing and scribbling down my ideas.

I had my doubts about whether this puny, light-weight keyboard would cut the mustard. Actually, I barely touched it for the first few weeks here. But this new setup has made all the difference. It's functional, and it's always ready for me. Now I find that instead of being limited by the short range of the keys, the barebones simplicity helps me focus. I don't drift off in aimless playing, lost in pretty sound. The sound isn't pretty - the keyboard is just a tool. Because of that, I also don't feel any pressure to write any particular way or to polish and perfect. I just let my whims carry me and my ears direct me. When I get home, I hope to have a notebook full of ideas to play with and flesh out.

I can't believe what a difference it makes to my life to be writing. (How easy it is to forget.) I feel content and fulfilled but also sort of recharged and excited. It's sort of a simmering energy that follows me around and gives me an unshakeable sense of purpose.

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