My New Year’s Resolutions
1. Get more done with that 365 project I started (sigh) 2. Spend 10 minutes each morning free writing 3. Do all that other stuff that I always try to do (i.e., too much) … 4. Profit?
Update on the Musical Project 365
I wrote in a previous post about my new creative adventure: a musical project 365 in which I MUST – WITHOUT FAIL – post one recording of a song or song idea each day. It doesn’t matter how much time I do or don’t have, or how good or bad the posting is. I just have to do it. Unfortunately, I’ve been failing miserably at this project. I have the time to do it, but I have been postponing posting my recordings, wanting to make each song “better” than I am able to make it. One reason I started this project was because I wanted to free myself from the chains of perfectionism, yet that perfectionsm is still holding me back from brainstorming, free-writing, and free-playing. To try to get back into the groove, I’m...
Planning Sparkbox’s New Space
Sparkbox Coworking, the coworking space I work in, is moving to a new room in Innovation Depot. We are planning out the layout and decor of our new space. Incidentally, I’ve found that my new Pinterest board is a useful planning and brainstorming tool for this task. We need a professional space that we can be proud to bring clients and partners into, but we also need a comfortable space that sparks creativity. It’s a fun balance to make. We don’t really want to repaint or damage the white walls, so we are going to work them into the design. To give me some ideas for decorating, I’ve tried to find some other work spaces that embrace white walls. Here are a few images that are inspiring me to plan our new...
Interest in Pinterest Can Be Overwhelming
You may already know about Pinterest, but if not, let me explain. Pinterest is like an online social bulletin board. Users can “pin” images and descriptions of the image to their board. People have used pinterest to plan weddings, brainstorm design ideas, collect recipes, and more. Pinterest reminds of a Tumblr platform that eliminated all other forms of postings except for image posts. I just recently started using it, and I like the idea of being able to collect all my visual inspirations in one place. For example, I collect dogwood-related items, so I started a board that’s just about dogwood-ish things that I find interesting. You can create many different pin boards with different themes or purposes, so I’ll probably develop...
“Santa isn’t Coming” is the best Christmas song EVER
My friend Max wrote and recorded this Christmas song. I’ve been playing and replaying it over and over again, urging him to hurry up and release the final version so I can share it with people. I think it is AWESOME. Santa Isn’t Coming – Single by Max Greene
Asana for Productivity: A Review
I recently started using Asana, a relatively new web application, to manage my tasks, projects, and productivity. I was surprised to discover that its open launch was just in November of 2011, around the same time I started using it. Adding tasks in Asana is REALLY fast and simple. I click a field and BOOM – I can fill in info. I also like the click-and-drag interface. I receive email updates for all my tasks that are scheduled for today, so I have no excuse for forgetting anything. They also recently added calendar syncing capabilities, so soon I’ll be able to see all of my tasks in one place on my phone or Google calendar. Asana seems to work very well so far, but it is definitely not perfect. Other users have complained about the fact...
Project 365: Posting 1 Song Per Day, No Matter What
I recently embarked on a new endeavor. For the next 355 days (I’m already 10 days in), I am going to post at least 1 musical recording per day. My goal is to record a new song each day and post the song within 24 hours of starting, no matter how bad or unfinished the final project sounds. Even with the best of intentions, I’ve been making and breaking the rules as I go along. Some of the songs I’ve posted so far have been old recordings from a year or longer ago. I’ve been digging them up, editing them just a bit, and posting them. I’m working on this Project 365 for several reasons. I am tired of saying that I want to be a musician while failing to ever do anything about it because I don’t have the right equipment,...
About Me
Hi! My name is Martha Jean, but you can call me MJ. I enjoy working on lots of different projects that involve music, web design, community management, event planning, and more. This is where I highlight some of my favorite projects and ideas. Thanks for stopping by.
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