Read time: ~ 3 min. of your LIFE

[Issue #20240111]

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On October 12, 2023, it was announced that composer Sean Shepherd was selected to receive the 2024 "Charles Ives Living Award."

This is among the most prestigious awards/opportunities for composers.

For the next two years, Shepherd will make $100k so that he can devote his time fully to music composition without reliance on any other means of employment.

Now that's an award alright.

Not one of your average "spend all this time writing a piece of music for this application you might not be selected for to win $300" call-for-scores.

Last week, I got to meet the man.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a recording session of his Concerto for Ensemble.

Better yet, I got the chance to look at his score.

All I can say is...I see why we won.

It's so well deserved.

He's a master of his craft.

Hope to do something like that one day.

And last night, I spent three hours talking to AI.

Don't judge me, Reader.

Some of you know, but for those who don't, a big dream of mine (cuz we only dream big, right?) is to write an epic fantasy book series.

I'm talking something on par with Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, complete with its own history and languages and maps/landmarks and cultures/races and power/magic systems.

The whole shebang.

I already have tons of ideas for it, and last night I got caught up clarifying, outlining, and fleshing out some parts of the plot I had with a damn chatbot.

(AI is here to stay. Might as well use it to our advantage, right?)

But in the grand scheme of things, whatever I "achieved" with the AI doesn't even make a dent in how large I'm imagining this thing to be.

This is one of my life projects, and it'll take time.

I'll be doing things in the meantime as well, while focusing on plotting and worldbuilding before really getting into the writing.

All along I'll be honing my writing craft with blogs, this newsletter, short stories, and likely even other books before I dare tackle this thing.

This thing has to be good. It needs to be a bestseller.

It needs to get rights for a film franchise or a TV series.

They need to pick me to write the screenplay (or some episodes).

And they especially need to let me score the film.

That's the goal.

I won't stifle my ambition by trying to rationalize why this needs to happen, as if there's a problem in dreaming big.

True self-care starts here:

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"But Ephraim, what the hell does the Ives Award and an epic fantasy book series have to do with today's newsletter?"

Great question.

So this is the way my brain works:

• I'm thinking about the space that the Charles Ives Living Award provides to composers to devote their time to the craft. Space, as in, allowing the composer to make space for their artistry, to free up their obligations, creating space in their busy schedule because they're no longer busy (having to work some day job...).

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• I'm also thinking about why I spent so much time talking with a chatbot, heart filled with joy, feeling like a kid again as I dived back into the sandbox of the world I was creating before "life happened." It's as though my time or space away from the work is what fueled my excitement to return to it.

You see where I'm going with this, don't you?

That's two things dealing with space:

1) Making space for your artistry and

2) Taking space away from your artistry

(Big shoutout to Ives and ChatGPT for the lessons, right?)

They're both important to creativity.

Tomorrow we're gonna talk all about it.

Yes, Reader, you heard that right.

Tomorrow.

We're going biweekly with this thing (at least this week).

Plus, I don't want this thing to get too long.

And tomorrow's issue will have some exciting things in it, including:

• A word that, for some reason, I'm just now hearing about (at least regarding its role in the creative process).
  • I think it describes a phenomenon all of us creatives have felt at some point in our work (and continue to feel) that I'm only just now discovering has a name. Hint: it has to do with space away from creative work. Can any of you guess?
• A short audio file of a current WIP (music composition) that I'll talk all about tomorrow.
  • I know I lied to you in the subject line of this newsletter, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. Can you do that? (if not, reply and let me know you want it NOW...but also don't do that because I don't feel like sending it now. But I will...if you insist...and I won't hate you for doing so)
  • I want to share more of the "behind-the-scenes" here in my newsletter. You all deserve that. And, it relates to our topic of space.
• Some exciting recent/upcoming news going on with me (for those who care :)
  • Check out tomorrow's "My Creative Corner" section of the newsletter for more.

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If you're excited about tomorrow's issue, reply to this email and tell me, "I'm excited!"

(only because I love you and I'm dying to hear from you, Reader)

Also, do you guys want to see more of me in your inbox?

No, seriously.

If it's a bad idea please tell me so.

Honestly, I'm torn.

TRUE SELF-CARE STARTS HERE.

*(tell your friends)*

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