done

Four and one-half years...
408 posts...

...in the last month the creative efforts have soaked through and become movements of long toil with no immediate piecemeal element to be included on this artifact log.  The daily accounting missing the waves accumulating and gaining sea change dimensions.  Who charts tidal shifts with handfuls of bathwater?

Today, in beginning unabridged audio version of The Pale King by David Foster Wallace, a correlating exchange from the Editor's note at the start of it all.  The Editor trying to have some progress reports on David Foster Wallace's new novel (that will become the Pale King) and his attendance at anniversary celebrations of Infinite Jest in the coming months.

David Foster Wallace will kill himself soon enough, the novel will be assembled by the Editor, and this trajectory entails noncommittal attitude towards the Editor.  But at this moment, he is working.

"You know I'll come if you insist, but please don't.  I'm deep into something long and it's hard for me to get back into it when I'm pulled away."

A perfect quote for me as I trail out along the fence posts, cloud hidden, whereabouts unknown...

1) identification, 2) creation, 3) community, 4) housekeeping

(last few weeks) Significant amount of creative efforts.  Filming four video projects with kids and moderate film editing sessions.  Tracking dreams, conversations, and applicable solutions to writing.  New Mac computer and transferring studio computer first from basement now migrating artifacts, programs, and skills to new computer.  Reading How NOT to Make a Film.  Journal entries and breakthrough on conclusion to The Great Falling Away.  Extensive outline and sorting of teacher book.  Some editing of Jones conversation on beating his mom in accordance to vision of grandmother prompting him to do so.  Also, jail house collect call from Jones for bail money.  I feign bad connection to allow the 1 minute of free connection to expire before he could fully communicate request.  These are old routines.

1) identification, 2) creation, 3) community, 4) housekeeping

(Last few days) photographing journals to archive source materials. Two journals completed, three more to go.  Backing up writing took almost two days, backing up sound files took over three days; labeling my studio computer as a legacy machine is a kind understatement. Attempting to install scanner software on laptop computer but no success.  Refining outline of teaching book and filling in some material.

1) identification, 2) creation, 3) community, 4) houskeeping

(last few days) streamlining studio to bare essentials and moving upstairs to armoire that can be closed up and hidden completely.  Some recognition the effort to turn large portion of basement into studio was a disservice to creative process and more about the image of having the space than actually usability.  Now the setup is similar to other times when I have been more productive with music.  Some hope here.  Discovering external hard drive had gone unstable and no backups of artifacts now existed.  Bought a new one, began backing up studio computer today, writing laptop tonight or tomorrow.  Watching Dexter (season 6) and American Horror Show (season 2).  Some success on Twitter posts, building community.  Naquin sending me new methods and efforts in images he will apply to cover for ...fence posts rotting in the acreage... book cover and musical accompaniment album (http://timcoalman.bandcamp.com/).  Tracking dreams in smartphone.

1) identification, 2) creation

(last two days) Tedious and incremental progress on full scripting of...fence posts rotting in the acreage... chapter 13.  Contact with Naquin with breakthrough on his work for covers to book and album cover.  Watching American Horror Story season 2 - the opening title sequence soundtrack vivid electricity.

1) identification

(today) Photographing exceptional pages of Carl Jung's The Red Book for reference.

2) creation

(last two days) Finished proofing copied journal pages, then crumpled and burned original pages, photographing both.  Tracked dream and various floating ideas.

2) creation, 4) housekeeping

(today) Quote from the boys written.  Website maintenance.  Trimming and modifying protective case for smartphone to remove filter screen, remove cross-brace, trim speaker edging, and create unified/larger opening from stock grouping of sound holes.  Finished rough scripting of ...fence posts rotting in the acreage... chapter 13.

2) creation

(last two days) Tracked conversation with mom.  Reading transcribed journal pages from steno pad for accuracy.  Filming various student projects.

2) creation, 3) community

(last two days) Filming music video project with students.  Checking accuracy of transcribed steno pad section of journal.  Enjoying social media efforts, though primarily adjacent lines of communication.  Creating framing structure for teacher book.

2) creation, 3) community

(last few days) Finished transcribing steno notebook into journal proper.  Tracked conversation with mom.  Twitter activity feeling mildly natural.  Trade-in of old phone for new provides much higher quality built-in camera than I had been using.

2) creation, 3) community

(today) Part of Naquin's agreement to collaborate on new covers for ...fence posts rotting in the acreage... book and soundtrack was for me to begin utilizing social media.  Twitter account now established, though I suspect Naquin will insist I use it.  Also continuing work on transcribing steno notebook.

2) creation

(last few days) Most of the steno pad notebook now transcribed.

1) identification, 2) creation

(last few days) Hours transcribing steno notebook in university class.  Reading several books, Eats, Shoots Leaves; The Information; A History, A Theory, A Flood; Jung's The Red Book (Liber Novus).

1) identification, 2) creation, 3) community

(Last few days)  Hours at the poolside, transcribing the steno pad journal. Communication with Naquin on covers for book and soundtrack for ... fence posts rotting in the acreage....  Hooked on television show Awake.

3) community

(yesterday)  Drinks with Naquin and his lady - planning out the cover he will do for ...fence posts rotting in the acreage... book and cover for book soundtrack.  Hours of fevered shop talk and orientations on current art efforts and passions.  Naquin insists on repercussions to his involvement - an actual printed version, revised website, social media, and payment.  Agreed.

2) creation

(last two days) Another horrid university class begun tonight and after 15 minutes of eye contact I was able to work on copying an old journal into a new one, preserving a notebook format I happened into and would like to preserve.  Three hours of copying, running four pens down to the last of their ink reserve.  Will need to buy new ones soon.  Continuing work on The Great Falling Away.

1) identification, 2) creation

(last few days) Significant progress on a relatively short section of The Great Falling Away, chapter 13.  Nearing the end of the piece has become slow and dense but purposeful.  Also reading The Information, A History, A Theory, A Flood, by James Gleick.

2) creation

(last few days) Resuming work on The Great Falling Away , having plotted out the end for years and now facing the climb down.  Months of various treatments, notebook entries, and voice memos to work out the structure and overall placement in ...fence posts rotting in the acreage...

2) creation, 3) community

(last few weeks)  Contact with Naquin and setting plans for him to create new cover for ...fence posts rotting in the acreage... - creating shared on-line dropbox and selecting illustrations and photos as a reference pool. Some illustration work for children and copying old notebook.