In a society that values financial success above all else, it's easy to feel a little down about the small amount of money I was able to earn this year. Being a low-earner tends to take a hit on one's self-esteem.
Also, when your life's work doesn't produce something physical, but is instead a time-based experience, it's easy to lose track of what you've done. So for my own piece of mind, I gathered together all the visual evidence of the radio shows I managed to produce this year (at least 46, 34 of which were from my home during the pandemic).
So even though I wasn't a big $$$ earner this year, in reality, I probably worked just as hard (if not harder). It's just that most of my work was unpaid.
When I was no longer able to produce live events, I poured all of my creative energy (and time) into producing my #KMHD radio show from home. This meant investing time into learning how to do audio editing and how to craft a more substantial listening experience.
Since I don't have a studio at home, I'm not able to live-record my shows. I have to actually piece them together. I've found it takes me at least twice the amount of time to create a standard episode of Travlin' the Tracks from home.
However, a few weeks into the pandemic I began to experience a need to FEEL as if I was doing something to help people through this era of crisis. So, I decided to produce sound escapes; something more artful and hopefully more meaningful than just spinning records. This meant investing even more time.
And though I needed to think about producing shows that were not time-sensitive (because my shows needed to be submitted in advance and might need to be re-broadcast if I actually contracted the virus), I also recognized the importance in needing to address the unprecedented crises we faced in #Portland this year. So, I embraced the challenge of producing shows that would be both timely AND timeless. Turns out, that's not an easy thing to do.
I also began designing flyers for many of the shows. Making flyers for the shows and naming the episodes were my way of signaling that I was doing more than spinning records, I was creating sound events.
If you watch this slideshow you'll be able to see the progression of events throughout the year.
I want to thank those of you who joined me on this journey this year. I do realize that most people won't notice the work I put into these shows, and won't care. So, everyone who has taken the time to reach out to me and share your gratitude for what I've tried to contribute, you folks have made me feel "seen" during a time when no one can literally see me, and I'm incredibly grateful to you.
It has been a rough road, and none of this has been easy. We've got a lot of difficult days ahead, but if we stay connected to each other, we can support one another in making it through the storm and into the light.
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