Just wanted to share that the latest episode of the Musically Cogitating Podcast is available! It’s the second show in the bookclub series. It’s a long one, but a good one. You can listen and subscribe here.
Until tomorrow!
A Little Musing
Truth be told, I love listening to old podcasts. After listening to an older podcast episode of Focused, I discovered the show’s guest had a podcast several years ago that I didn’t know about! I was elated to find this out. Why? Because it’s fun. There’s something interesting and exciting about listening to someone’s thoughts and opinions change over time. Podcasts are this rarefied form of media that allows you to get to know a person and to hear them think through things. It’s really exciting. I think we all have those people who we follow and are fans of and when we find out they’ve put something into the world we didn’t know about, we get excited.
Though this new to me podcast ended several years ago, I’m looking forward to listening to the hosts go on and on about technology and productivity.
Podcasts also capture moments. In 5 years or so, I can’t imagine what it will be like to go back and listen to podcasts that were recorded during the most stressful time in modern history. I know we’re all working to create evergreen content and I think that’s a lofty goal. It’s not fair though to the audience of now and to the historians of later not to mention those things. I’ll touch on this later I’m convinced.
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Until tomorrow!
Upcoming Streaming Schedule
As promised here is my streaming schedule for the next two weeks! See you there!
Until tomorrow!
A Little Link Sharing
In celebration of Black History Month, today I’m sharing this audio clip about Black women guitarists and how they shaped music as we know it.
Check it out here.
Until tomorrow!
Recommitting to My Language Practice
I have a confession to make. I’ve been terrible at up keeping my language studies and my pursuit of polyglotism. Not only that, but I do have a goal that I’m hoping to reach with a few languages by the end of the year, but if I keep up the pace that I have till now, I won’t get there. Is that a big deal, though? No! I am though trying to keep the promises that I make to myself and since I promised myself that I’d complete this goal, I’m recommitting to it.
I’ll post pictures and updates of course, but I wanted to catch this new inspiration and recommitment to doing my practice regularly.
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
What do you need help with?
Another day, another idea. I have yet another idea for a project that I’d like to embark on. Well, it’s not actually a new idea per say, but as I was going back through some notes of ideas that I had, this particular one reemerged. I’ll spare you the details of that idea, but I wanted to ask you first, what would be helpful? I’d like to write and published a guide or e-book of some sort in the field of music, the creator economy, and creativity. What are your thoughts on this? Is this something relevant to you and your life? Let me know! Either comment on this post or send me an email.
Until tomorrow!
2021 Sphinx Connect Presentation Recording
If you're following along you’d know that last Friday I was part of a panel at Sphinx connect and here is the recording! It was fun to get to talk to all of these wonderful people and hear about all of the work that they’re doing in the world.
That’s all for today!
Until tomorrow!
What I'm Listening to Wednesday: No. 3
Hello there!
I’m convinced that if you’re a musician, you have some sort of live affair with NPR’s Tiny Desk. I’m not sure how long I’ve been watching these things, but they’re just so good. What is not to love about great musicians making great music. And to be honest, I think they have only gotten better since all of the performances have been ‘at home’. The production value is just so high on all of these videos that it is hard not to be obsessed with them.
Today I listened to this gem by Immanuel Wilkins. You can guess what I think about it since I decided to share it with you today. I think they saved the best piece for last in this one.
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Until tomorrow!
Quick Stream Announcement
I’m going to do a better job at announcing when I’ll be streaming! I think I’ll aim to announce two weeks at a time. While I’d like to be able to announce all of my upcoming streams at the beginning of the month, life happens and sometimes flexibility is necessary. So here is this week and then next week’s streaming announcement will include two weeks worth of dates.
I’ve already planned out what I’m going to be doing, because failing to prepare is preparing to fail, and I’m pumped. Visit ciyadh.live to follow and subscribe.
To the wonderful people who have supported me on ko-fi, you’re wonderful and thank you!
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
Black History Month Book Stack
It’s Black History Month and the first of February so, naturally, I am starting a new set of books. I’ll write a January book wrap-up, but I wanted to go ahead and share my book reading plans for Black History Month.
For February and for the rest of the year, I’m committing myself to always be reading at least one book by a Black author or a book about a Black person. I did this last year without much intention, so I thought it would just be easy for me to just continue doing that.
I’m planning to finish one book this month and that is Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight. It’s 800 pages and since the average is about 250 pages I’m going to focus on this. I got a signed copy during a Black Friday sale, and it is a beautiful book.
Other things will catch my interest I’m sure, and I’m skimming and listening to some random things, but my goal for the month is to finish this book.
Have you read it? I’m really enjoying it so far.
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Until tomorrow!
January 2021 Review
Welp it is the end of January which means that this is the thirty-first post to go up on this blog. Somehow, I managed to post everyday which was secretly my goal but not what I had explicitly stated that I would do. I stated that I would create something everyday, but not necessarily that it would always make it to the blog. There were a few days where I definitely did not want to post, but I didn’t want to break the chain and I’m really glad that I did not break that streak.
Moving forward, I’m going to keep doing the same thing! I don’t really have any reason to stop and this has really fueled my creativity here and otherwise.
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
My First Vlog is Out!
I’m super excited to share my first ever vlog! I have been wanting to make vlogs for the longest time. I enjoy watching them so much and have for so long that I felt that it was time for me to make my own. Let me know what you think. I’ll have a schedule once I know more about how I want them to go, but I’m excited about this journey.
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
Top Podcast Recommendations (Early 2021)
I currently produce one podcast, have one in the research and development phase, and have plans for a few more. Clearly, I love podcasts, and they are a big part of my life. I’m often asked what are my favorite posts and what do I recommend people listen to besides my own. Below I’ve listed my top current podcast recommendations. You might be surprised at the topics represented here, but I think that speaks to my divergent interests.
1. Cortex
I’m obsessed with this show and that’s probably putting it lightly. I’m not sure what it is about this show, but it’s just so good. It’s the perfect mix of talking about life, productivity, and creativity. So, it’s just all of my favorite things rolled into one.
2. RSVP
This is a show that’s often about stationary, but it’s about so much more too! I absolutely love the hosts of this show too.
3. The Read
I’ll be honest that I don’t listen to every episode of The Read, but it’s the first podcast I ever started to listen to and their commentary on culture and the world gives me life.
4. Bookworm
Bookworm was the inspiration for the bookclub series that’s on the Musically Cogitating podcast. In each episode the hosts read through a productivity or self-development type book.
5. Focused
This is just a great show. Though largely about productivity, can you see a theme here, their knowledge and continued pursuit of living a more focused life is very inspiring and entertaining?
Those are my top podcast recommendations for right now. I’ll add to these later, but here’s what I’m listening to right now.
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
Presentation Tomorrow!
I have a presentation tomorrow at Sphinx Connect! I’m super excited. I’ll be part of a presentation discussing a Sphinx Venture Fund awarded project that I’m working on as the Associate Director of the Institute for Composer Diversity.
Check it out here.
What to do about Black History Month Podcast
It’s new podcast day! I get a lot of questions about how to approach Black History month as an artist or as a non-Black person so I did a podcast about it. Check it out here.
Until tomorrow!
Forthcoming Lists of Recommendations & Favorites
This wouldn’t be a real blog on the internet without some sort of aggregate list of things. I have to admit that I do find lists or recommendations of things on various websites very helpful. For me, these are often evergreen posts that should be updated regularly as things change. I think people often do these posts to drive traffic to their websites, which is cool! These posts for me though are about me sharing things with you. Here are somethings the lists that you can expect to see sometime soon.
1. Top Podcast Recommendations
2. Top Music Recommendations
3. Favorite YouTubers
4. Favorite Blogs
5. Favorite Apps for Creativity and Productivity
6. Favorite Tools
7. Top Book Recommendations
What are some of your favorite things that you’d like for me to recommend?
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
Margins Guitar Collective Concert Video
Thank you to everyone who came to our concert the other night! It was a resounding success and we are excited to do even more. I’m not sure how long the video will be available so sharing here for now. You can watch below. Enjoy!
Adults Should Play Too
I saw a tweet this morning of something to the effect saying that once you become an adult you’re taught that you should no longer like playful things and I could not agree with this tweet more. In the last year or so as I’ve transitioned from full-time to part-time student, I’ve begun to realize that I want to play. I’m not sure exactly what I want to play or how I will play, but I’m an adult and adults should play too.
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!
Online Concerts are here to Stay
The title of this post is a declarative statement. Online concerts are here to stay. Prior to 2020, it was very uncommon for a concert to take place online only. Livestreams videos of in-person concerts were common, but those were less engaging and not widely marketed. Often the camera would be at the back of the hall and someone would turn it on and off without ever acknowledging an entire audience of people watching from a more distance space. No thought was put into the programming for online concerts because we had in-person experiences. I’m not implying that online concerts are a new normal, but that they are here to stay.
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Until tomorrow!
What is this blog about?
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what exactly I want this blog to be about. Is this blog about music, writing, productivity, racial justice? If someone asks me what I write about on my blog, how do I answer them? If you told someone to check out my blog, what would you tell them that I write about? I can’t answer for you, but I’d love to know what you would say.
One of my favorite content creators, Curtis McHale, talked about this in one of his more recent newsletters. He has a YouTube channel and blog where he talks about books, productivity, technology, and whatever else interests him at the time. In that newsletter he asks a very similar question about his content. He asks what it is that he creates and why he creates the things that he does. Ultimately, he says to, “Forget the niche and worry about your passion” and for me, I think that’s what this blog is about.
This blog as a whole is less about any one particular subject but about the many passions that I have at any given time. While you could say that my overall niche is music, I think it’s music and…everything else. Which is exactly the way that I like it to be. This blog is broadly specific and that is okay. I’m going to continue to do what I do which is focus on my passions and interests. Here’s to many more posts about whatever I decide!
If you’d like to support the blog you can always share or visit my Ko-fi page.
Until tomorrow!