#having other motivations (being outside listening to music reading stuff etc) is key

[foulserpent]

Hey kind of a weird question but do u maybe have any tips on like. Being more active? I feel like esp. In covid times it's hard to make a habit out of it. it's pretty epic that u bike and stuff. (Also I love your art and characters btw)

i think the biggest thing is having it be rewarding in some way. so like having music or podcasts or audiobooks or whatever while exercising helps a lot. or like, figure out your own personal motivations.

like i like being out alone in nature, so long bike rides on state trails do that for me. that motivates me to do it. its great bc unlike road or mountain biking, you can really zone out, and the exertion is continuous but never too heavy. (i mountain bike too but not as often). so if you bike at all id recommend looking up trails in your area

having gym access definitely is helpful for building a routine, planet fitness is only 10$ a month for its base membership (which is as cheap as it can get basically) idk if they exist outside of the US tho.

one thing i find helpful is when im just not feeling it (but not enough to take a day off), going a half hour or so on a stationary bike while reading smth or watching smth on my phone makes it very easy. and to add motivation ill like have things that i ONLY read/listen to while exercising, so like if i want to keep reading it has to be at the gym. you could probably play a handheld game or smth too.

and then once you build a habit its important to keep it up more or less. do however many days a week feels good to you, and try to stick to that (not so strictly that it feels like a chore but strictly enough that youll sometimes do it even if you arent totally feeling it). eventually itll get to a point that youll not want to miss a day

its kind of a delicate balance bc its good for you and you want to hold yourself to it, but you dont want to fall into a trap of it affecting your self image or feeling like its a moral failing to miss a day, or even worse get into calorie counting weightloss shit. like, i have a pretty strict ~6 day a week routine that ive made unobtrusive to my life, and that i follow bc i like to be in a good shape for things i do (manual labor job, hiking, etc) and for my overall health (it actually helps my chronic leg issues lol). so you want to keep the mindset of it being like... something ultimately for pleasure, youre gaining something, rather than a punishment or to attempt to control your body.

[radbutsafe]

ALL FUCKIN 35 OF THEM SKLNWESDJFPXO

I SHOULDVE EXPECTED THIS FROM YOU

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

A three! I think I’m mid range cause I ain’t terrible but there is still shit I gotta improve and grow in my writing

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to manifest what canon won’t give me and to write more! (though yes it is mainly about the smooching and the— I’ll stop there LOL)

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hm! My weird research details? I’m that “fun fact, did you know...” in my fics sometimes LOL! I plan on giving a penthouse for erina in a fic and I went through penthouse listings in Japan for floor layouts and locations💀 my research gives me inspo and depth to stuff I think I lack in comparison to others sometimes.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of fellow fic writers, one of them I can’t name here but she’s an inspiration with her exceptional gift for prose period and her lovely skill at comedy! I want to be as funny as her when I write, I love her ironic situational humor. Other fic writers are @takoyakitenchou, @royaldragonsevgisi15 who I always love sharing ideas with and motivate me to create more! For non-fic writers it would be V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Oda, and Horikoshi! The last two may be mangaka, however they are writers as well to create their stories! The depth these creators have given their worlds and interesting characters theyve given life to are all what I aspire to be like!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

so far uh?? hm everything I’m currently writing are wips lol!! im proud of my wip that has been nicknamed ‘soma panics’ that is a multi-chapter fic that spans like probs 20 plus chapters maybe

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

dialogue! it’s so much fun! and character thoughts. I’ve said to people I may be better suited for script writing

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I think it’s description, of like setting and showing action. also an expansion of my vocabulary LOL

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

erina! I think it’s because canon has shown us many of her different faces and range of emotion.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

SOMA!! chill ass mofo whos more carefree compared to the common shonen protagonist! for other shokugeki characters I’m not sure just yet because I haven’t flexed my fingers enough for the rest of them.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

I guess I should say romance cause that’s what I mostly write LOL!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

sorina and I try to get them to smooch eventually KEK and yeah it’s..usually romantic fluff lmao

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

HONESTLY ALL OF THEM but “soma panics” is my brain child

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

pretty sure it’s digimon....

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

currently shokugeki no soma!!!!

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

uhhhh I guess SNS? LMAO fandoms...all have their quirks to them.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

characters cuddling!!!! or getting the urge to smooch!!!!

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

unrequited love GOOD FUCKIN BYEEEEEE

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

I have plot ideas thst can be wild potentially but so far nothing fits this criteria so far that I actually have written.

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

depends on the fandom, but if written well, all of it!

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

shippy 100% like I said I like smoochin

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

romantic is...*drumroll* SORINA! platonic, soutaku and erina and alice!

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Sometimes! There are times songs will be on loop and times I just shuffle a playlist. and if I’m writing in random bursts it’ll be with no music but it really does depend lmao I think music is when I’m forcing myself to write?

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

completely independent ideas, I’ve realized in the past prompts shoot me in the foot often unless I luckily figure something out. but I’m often driven by my own sporadic self interest with shitty ping ponging attention

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

multi-chap I guess cause I can post without being finished LOLLL but tbh can I really answer? I haven’t finished anything.....

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

I can’t answer this question imo because I haven’t finished a fic yet so technically stuff could all fit in the one fic?

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

MYSTERY AND CRIME! I love the genre and I have plot ideas once a blue moon but I can’t dive in because I want to make details that work and reduce plot holes where suspension of disbelief isn’t as needed. I need to study it more (I need to study all the details for any of my fics imo to be confident sometimes LOL)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I can say one comment was the nicest because I’ve gotten comments that have given me quite the smiles to my face many times! I know this is a cop out but it’s true!

IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY UNTIL REINA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING ON DISCORD LIKE TWENTY MINS AGO:

and also rad. i am never this vocal about my emotions like EVER but this needs to be said your fics are obviously far from perfect, as are mine and everyone else's. but the thing about your works is that they're so well-sanded that it's impossible to find any rough edges or faults in them in terms of cohesion to a plot. your cast is never OOC and the amount of effort you devote to developing your takes on the characters as accurately as possible is unimaginably awe-inspiring.

BITCH I WANNA CRY 😭

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I’d like to believe I take it often well to try and improve because that’s always my goal. if someone is rude lol that’s not constructive snd is unhelpful. If I disagree with criticism I’ll explain why !

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Not yet, but I have some plot ideas I think will let me test this.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

F L U F F.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

elliott fuji, a japanese-american award winning photographer who is erina’s boyfriend in ‘soma panics’ which..causes soma’s panic LOL he’s 30 with slightly wavy black hair. I still haven’t pinpointed his personality just yet...he kind of humble brags for sure an artsy fucker and flirts maybe I’ll make him a lil shy though. he teaches sometimes, and becomes an adjunct photography professor in Tokyo so he can be with erina.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

a cook is unfashionably late in realizing his feelings.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I am a slow. so slow. motivation who is she? I also write out of order, unfortunately a bit too often.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

this should be for the fic ‘soma panics’ it’s either megumi or satoshi talkin to him rn, I’m leaning towards satoshi

“You thought she would always wait for you, didn’t you Soma-kun? To always welcome you home.”

Soma drags his palms down his face and groans. He doesn’t like this at all. He doesn’t shy from confrontation but this is a whole different ballgame. Soma doesn’t play any ball.

“I guess..?” Is his reply, because he thinks he isn’t sure how to answer that.

“You guess?”

Just being questioned again is enough to crack Soma’s pathetic facade as if it was dropped chinaware and he lets out the longest sigh.

“No.”

Coming home means coming home to Nakiri Erina too.

Nakiri Erina is his forever.

this is @takoyakitenchou’s excerpt she’s most proud of that I’ve written, which is also from you guessed it, the long fic soma panics

SOMA: I am, I mean I will be, I swear I will always come home to you, not spend as much time abroad, once I’m done with work I’ll come right back. I’ll make sure to message you. Nakiri, I’m in love you with you. Maybe for a really long time. You know how I say I dedicate my food to you? My dad—my dad said that the key to become a good chef is to find someone to dedicate your cooking to. A special someone. For my dad it was my mom, you know? For me it’s...

(this is a good piece of dialogue tbh so I am also proud of this)

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I’ve mentioned it throughout this but the WIP I’ve nicknamed ‘soma panics’ is something I’m super excited to write, but it’s going on slowly...and almost completely out of order. out of all of my writing it showed off that particular habit of mine, along with “what is this, a shoujo manga?!” though the latter is currently being written chronologically now that I’ve posted chapter one and is pretty solid in direction. it was originally supposed to be a one shot but I got impatient and wanted to post at least something for the sorina / soueri fandom.

however, because ‘soma panics’ (I won’t call it that LOL) is my baby I want to keep true to my rule of refusing to post it until I have a draft of the entire fic finished and I’m satisfied with the main points pretty much. due to my writing out of order, I’m worried I’ll change my mind about scenes or want to reflect things in earlier chapters for later ones etc etc

I joined the SnS fandom extremely late, as season five was airing. I was a fan of the manga five years ago and dropped it because I forgot to check for updates when I caught up 😔 I really want to bang out the different fics and aus for sorina that I have before the fandom fizzles out entirely but tbh I’m writing for myself, I’m manifesting what I want to see and I’ll just share it with all my friends to read if no one else will. cause I’m slow broski I dunno what writing fast even is like LMAO I do really want to write faster though, so I can contribute more and let the words free from the discord dms....

[stickystarspectrumtroll-ocs]

AU where my OCs are all ordinary kids in an ordinary school going from 6th to 12th grade

Luna: 8th grade. Always wears blue boots, a rainbow striped scarf, ripped-up baggy worn-out jeans and a gray hoodie. Dyes her long curly hair bright colors. Has a pet turtle named Rupert. Sits in the back of the class. Cheats on tests when she hasn’t studied enough or paid attention in class. Will also sneak a copy of the answer key to somepony else who’s struggling if they’re not a jerk person. Brings lunch from home and smiles at the little notes inside from her parents. Never misses a chance to pull the fire alarm, throw a paper airplane, start a food fight, shoplift something, vandalize something, etc. and somehow almost always manages to get away with it. Is an absolute mastermind when it comes to pranks, and will prank anycreature who messes with her or bullies people. Especially if they make fun of her for the notes from her parents in her lunchbox.

Jewel: 8th grade. Wears a lot of sparkly and colorful clothes, mainly with long flowy skirts, and clips sparkly accessories in her long blonde hair. Has only just moved to this town/city from someplace far out in the country by a forest with very very few people living in the area, and just started at this school. Is autistic. Finds it very hard to adjust to her new school and perhaps even harder to make friends. Is a quick learner but can’t focus much in class. Sits near the window and stares out of it a lot. Is surprisingly sporty. Very outdoorsy. Is in gardening club. Gets targeted by a few bullies within the first day or two, either because she’s the way she is or because she tried to defend another kid from them (probably both). Punches/kicks them hard after they give her a shove, then manages to hold her own in the fight that ensues (surprising everypony).

Allets: 10th grade. Parents are super rich and spoil her to some degree but mostly pile her down with a ton of extracurriculars, strict rules, and a lot of pressure to get straight A grades. They also restrict a lot of her personal freedom and put down many of her interests. Wears the designer clothes her parents buy her, but really wants to dress more casual and with some fun accessories, like stripy fingerless gloves and toe socks, sparkly sneakers, or a Tacocat t-shirt. Might secretly buy clothes like that but just barely work up the nerve to wear them (and never more than one at a time, and always discreetly). Long dark hair always neatly brushed, wishes she could dye it pink or orange or green or blue. Some people think she’s stuck-up but actually she’s really nice, her parents just don’t let her have much of a social life because of wanting her to focus on other things like grades and extracurriculars. Sits in the front of the class and struggles to force herself to pay attention and take notes, occasionally slipping into daydreams and doodles anyway. Begs her parents to let her go to parties, might eventually work up the nerve to sneak out to one while giving her parents some excuse about where she’s gonna be.

Eliote: 10th grade. Wears beat up sneakers and jeans, gray or black hoodies (NEVER seen without those), baggy grumpy t-shirts, black fingerless gloves, and long messy dirty-blonde hair. Doesn’t care where in the room she sits. Keeps her head down, does her work, doesn’t socialize with anyone. Grumpy and sarcastic as heck. Gives pretty hardcore eye-rolls, glares, or snarky comebacks when people bother her, which is common. Reads a lot. Is really REALLY good at drawing (mainly uses pencils and colored pencils) but doesn’t show her art to anypony. Secretly plays guitar and sings, and is actually very good at both. Parents died in a car crash seven years ago. Still hasn’t fully recovered from it, and really REALLY doesn’t like to talk about it. Has one heck of a sweet tooth. Listens to a lot of emo music. Secretly also a Swiftie.

Maddie T: 9th grade. Short, bouncy, curly hair dyed yellow and red and purple. Wears paint-splattered t-shirts and sometimes purple leather vests, fun-patterned tight under shorts (sometimes overalls), and fingerless gloves. Is a theatre kid ALL the way, doing the actual theatre club productions AND sometimes just being overdramatic for the heck of it and spouting quotes and songs from shows she’s seen. Is also super into art, especially spray-painting street art. Constantly makes book/movie/cartoon/theatre references nopony understands. Likes to sing (and is good at it). Class clown. Gets made fun of a lot, and used to respond by physically attacking her aggressors, but now she always brushes mean comments off with silly ones and never lets it get to her. Is very VERY disorganized, but insists she knows how to find things in her mess.

Finley: 9th grade. Blonde hair dip-dyed pink and green. Wears glasses that actually look really stylish on her. Large wardrobe of various cute outfits. Interested in fashion. Straight-A student. Neat freak. Unhealthy levels of perfectionism. Can get really frazzled about things she can’t quite get right, or activities she’s having trouble balancing at the moment. Absolute favorite class is science. Does a lot of scientific research and experiments outside of class. Plays the flute in band and also sings in choir. Once in awhile she gets a mean comment about being a geek, a teacher’s pet, or “four-eyes,” but always replies with a smart comeback--think Erin’s line in that episode of Camp Camp: “Why don’t YOU make like an overactive sebacious oil gland cell, and get out of my face?”

Penny: 10th grade. Black hair just past her shoulders. Clips different brightly colored hair extensions over it to give herself a different combination of colored streaks each day. Wears a lot of brightly colored clothes and at least one thing on her outfit every day is super glittery. Decorates her locker with motivational quote posters and sparkly stickers. Really into arts and crafts. Sings a LOT (and is good at it). Always cheerful and upbeat, which some people find annoying. Is part of the welcoming committee, art club, and cheerleading club, all of which she’s very dedicated to. Goofy sense of humor. Had a really REALLY rough time transitioning into middle school, especially having been through some traumatic incident (probably assault) AND developing an eating disorder around that time, which had her in a really bad emotional state for a year or two, but learned to look for the positives in life and use humor and optimism to pull her way through the bad times.

Twig: 6th grade. Thick brown shoulder-length hair with a few purple streaks. Freckles. Wears unicorn t-shirts and pikachu hoodies and light-up sneakers. Likes Disney and Pixar and Studio Ghibli movies, pokemon, and MLP. Is a bookworm. Writes fanfiction, including self-insert stuff. Doodles in class. Secretly still brings a stuffed animal to school for comfort and company. Enjoys singing, as well as climbing around on playground equipment, both of which she is good at. Goes ham when playing dodgeball in gym, has deadly aim and is quick at dodging, often getting out lots of people and being one of the last ones standing. Likes to play pretend. Gets bullied a LOT. Misses elementary school.

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

ANN Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

This is all originally from an Anime News Network interview.

Interview: Made in Abyss Composer Kevin Penkin

Interview Info: October 7th, 2014 By Callum May for Anime News Network

As a person who is aspiring to become a score composer (kind of an unrealistic dream that I can’t seem to let go), I found this really, really interesting. I left a lot of stuff in because I feel like there’s so much to unpack, and most of the information is interesting to me.

I did edit a few things out (mostly not music related), and I put in some square brackets for the sake of explanation and context. 

It appears that all of your anime soundtrack work has been with Kinema Citrus. How did you come to work with them?

I met Kinema Citrus when we were attached to the same project called "Under the Dog"[...] Since then, we've enjoyed a wonderful relationship on other projects such as Norn9 and most recently, Made in Abyss.

Do you expect to be working on anime outside of Kinema Citrus in the future?

That would be lovely. It's not entirely up to me, but that would be lovely. I'm very grateful to get any work in anime, as I'm very, very passionate about this industry. If I do get the opportunity to work on another project from any company, I would consider it to be a great privilege.

What was your first reaction to Made in Abyss when you were approached with the project? How much of it did you get to read?

I was given the first 4 books as source material to read and was immediately taken by the world that Tsukushi Akihito had created. The early stages of production were just me going through the books and finding interesting scenes or artwork to write music to.

Who did you have the most contact with on the Made in Abyss staff? What sort of questions did you ask?

I have a music director named Hiromitsu Iijima, who I would talk to on a daily basis. Every couple of weeks after a large chunk of the soundtrack had been written, we'd set up a meeting with Kojima-san [Director, Storyboard, and Episode Director] and Ogasawara-san [Animation Producer who works with Kinema Citrus] to discuss the current state of the soundtrack. We'd discuss if there were any points of concern or if anything needed to be changed. We essentially repeated that process until we were ready to record, mix, and finalize the music.

What sort of instructions and materials were you given in regards to making tracks for Made in Abyss?

In addition to all the manga books, I got a lot of background and concept art that I could reference. Trying to match the visual colour palette and the musical "colour" palette was really important to me. For example, looking at how the foregrounds and backgrounds were so juxtaposed gave me ideas such as writing for a small ensemble of instruments, but recorded in a large space. This was meant to act as a metaphor for Riko and Reg exploring in this humongous, expansive cave system.

Could you elaborate on the idea of developing a musical "colour" palette? How do colours and music correlate?

It might be best for me to give some examples. Starting more broadly with Reg, he's a character made up of both organic and mechanical body parts. So combining organic and mechanical sound sources when writing for Reg felt perfectly natural.

Talking more specifically about colour correlation, there is a lot of information in colour that allows us to perceive essential things such as relationships and distances between objects. The sound has this as well. Depending on how you combine the essential components of sound (pitch, timbre, harmony, loudness, etc.) and controlling how they either complement or clash against each other is going to result in a specific listening experience.

“Depths of the Abyss” is another example of the musical key slowly “ascending” over time to act as a sonic metaphor for the Abyss rising up to surround and engulf our main characters. There's the flip side to this as well. The title track “Made in Abyss” features descending string passages to represent Riko and Reg's descent into the world of the Abyss. I've personally found that thinking about these sorts of concepts can be very helpful when trying to establish the palette of sounds (colours) that you think will complement and/or enhance what's being displayed on-screen.

How much did you know about how your music would be used? Did you know that Underground River would be used to introduce the world in a montage just six minutes into the first episode?

Syncing music to anime is a slightly different process than what I've experienced [...] In the limited amount of anime that I've done, I've typically been instructed to create music away from the picture, which is then matched to the desired scene(s) at a later stage of production. This might contribute to why a lot of anime music can feel like a music video at times. From what I've experienced and from what I can research, I've seen directors take large chunks of time out of an episode to let the music take over so that the audience can “breathe". Underground River is a good example of this. [In episode one] you're introduced to characters, their motivations, world building, monsters and action all in a very short amount of time. Taking a minute or two to let the viewer digest all this can be very effective, and music can help with that.

You're also known for your work on Necrobarista and Kieru, two Australian indie games. What draws you to working on Aussie games, even after making your debut internationally?

[Being an Aussie], there's a lot of pride in how interesting and unique Australian indie games are. I've always had a connection to games and Australia. So even though I'm currently living in the UK, the fact that I'm still able to work on games with friends who are living back home is something really special.

It's not common to see an Australian in the credits for anime. Do you think musicians from outside of Japan are becoming more common?

I [...] grew up watching Dragon Ball Z on TV. There are actually two scores composed for that series depending on [whether you are watching dub or sub]. So I actually grew up listening to Bruce Faulconer's music for DBZ, not Shunsuke Kikuchi's original score. 

[In regards to other foreign anime score composers] There are also other examples such as Blood+ with Marc Mancina, Gabriele Roberto with Zetman in 2012, and Evan Call has done quite a few things as well [like Violet Evergarden]. So I think while it may be becoming more frequent to see musicians from outside of Japan being attached to anime projects.

How would you say composing for games differs to composing for an anime series like Made in Abyss?

Speaking for myself, composing for games, anime, or whatever typically starts the same. I feel that if you're able to nail the concept and/or tone of the project, that's a big part of the process already completed. Then it's just up to the individual needs of the project. Games are typically approached from an interactive point of view. If it's film or TV, you need to know if you're writing to picture or if you can write with no time contractions like I described before. You sort of go from there really.

How would you describe that concept/tone of Made in Abyss?

Made in Abyss offered the perfect opportunity to get really specific with instrumentation. We had analog synthesizers, field recordings, vocal samples, and much more that were heavily manipulated to create distinct electro-acoustic textures. Deciding where to record was also a really important discussion, and we ended up recording at a studio in Vienna.

[It was] a huge, state of the art recording facility just outside central Vienna. I asked for a custom chamber orchestra comprised of three violins, three violas, two celli, one double bass, two flutes, two clarinets, one bassoon, two french horns, one trumpet, one trombone, and one tuba. Totaling 19 musicians. Each musician had their own “solo" part, meaning that there was up to 19 different “lines” being played at the same time during a piece of music.

The concept behind such a setup was to represent the small company of characters exploring the Abyss. Everyone's in this massive underground cave system, so I felt having a small group of soloists in a space designed to fit over 130 musicians was the perfect sonic metaphor for this. It just so happened that we were also working with some insanely good musicians and an unbelievable technical team as well.

If you were given the chance to collaborate on a soundtrack with one composer working in anime today, who would it be?

That's an interesting question. To be honest, I think I'd rather be an understudy of someone really experienced, rather than write side by side with them. If I could be a fly on the wall while Cornelius was writing Ghost in the Shell Arise, or Yoko Kanno while she was writing Terror in Resonance, that would be so, so informative. That said, Flying Lotus just got announced as the Blade Runner 2022 composer so I'd do anything to get in on that, even though it comes out in a few days (laughs).

Made in Abyss is one of the most highly regarded anime of the year. What do you think about the reaction to it?

I can't tell you how happy I am about the reaction to Made in Abyss. Writing the soundtrack was tough. The music is experimental in nature, and it required a lot of time and effort from many, many people. Everyone came together to make this work, and I'm over the moon with how it turned out.

[eldritchsurveys]

o82.

[[ Random Survey Questions // By @x-hallie-x ]] 1. When was the last time you just wanted to be alone? What about the last time you really wanted to be around people? >> I don’t remember the last time I wanted either of these things consciously... like, they might be vague thoughts or feelings floating around in my headspace, but I don’t always focus on them. Also, I’m never alone, technically, so I guess there’s that.

2. Have you ever gone somewhere in your pajamas? What makes this acceptable or unacceptable to you? >> Yeah, sure, I used to walk to bodegas and shit in NYC in pajamas quite often. There’s really no point in changing if I’m just walking down the street to get a 40 or a sandwich, like... Also, the only dress requirement for leaving the house in a casual sense is to just be decent -- bits covered, you know. The idea that one must wear a certain kind of clothing in order to be seen outside of one’s domicile isn’t necessarily true. (Now, if I were going to a specific venue that did have a specific mode of dress -- a certain kind of event, say, or a government office, or something, then yes, I would wear the appropriate clothing. But like, no one in your local corner store cares how the fuck you’re dressed as long as you’re dressed.)

3. Other than the usual things like IDs, etc, what do you always carry with you when you go out? >> The only things that are always present with me when I leave the house, no matter where I’m going, are the standard PKW (phone, keys, wallet) and my lip balm. (If it’s daytime, then also sunglasses.)

4. If you were to go on a picnic, what type of setting would you prefer, what types of food would you bring, and would you bring anyone along with you? >> Honestly, anywhere somewhat nature-y is good as far as location is concerned, even if it’s just a municipal park or a place like Union Square (which isn’t a park so much as it’s a... like, town-square kind of construct). I guess the food I’d bring would just be anything portable and easy to eat without needing a table (sandwiches are always good, of course, but even something like a plate from the hot-food spread at Whole Foods is good, I’ve picnicked with that). A lot of my outdoor eating escapades have been alone, so like, it doesn’t matter who’s with me, I guess. Anyone who wants to come.

5. What is one song you feel as though you sing particularly well, if any? >> Guaranteed by Eddie Vedder. I think Eddie and I have a lot of vocal similarities. Which is good, because I love him and his voice. :p

6. Have you ever kept a mood chart or anything like that? Did it help you pick up any useful patterns in your moods? >> I’ve never tried to keep a chart of them, no, especially since I’m not sure what half of my feelings even are, when I do have them.

7. What was the last lengthy task you completed? >> The survey I took yesterday. :p

8. Do you look toward the future or focus more on the here and now? Are you good at being in the moment, or do you always feel drawn to worrying about other things? >> I do a lot better when I only have the present to focus on. It kinda glitches me to think about the future too much, not because of anxiety or anything, but just because it kind of doesn’t make sense to me. I can think about the future in entirely abstract terms, like for the sake of argument or flights of fancy, but not in any concrete sense. It is the greatest great unknown, and I’ve never had any success trying to manipulate it or understand myself through it. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing (or who I will be) in the next hour, and people want me to think about months and years into the future?! Wild. I also think that the way I’ve lived the past decade-plus before moving here made thinking about the future really difficult for me, because I was really living from day to day. When I’m concerned about where I’m going to sleep from night to night, planning for a future seems like a luxury rather than a fact of life. But also, I guess... I just like to focus on what I’m doing right now. I like to be present here. I have a pretty deep-set confidence that the future will take care of itself as long as I take care of the present, but if I focus too much on the future then I will have missed the plot entirely. I feel more secure when I focus on the present. It is the only point in time in which I truly exist.

9. What does it mean to you to have empathy? Do you think you’re an empathetic person? >> I’m not really sure what empathy means anymore, to be honest. I definitely don’t consider myself an empathetic person, by any of the definitions that I’ve heard. I think I can empathise with fictional characters, because I’m a storyteller and jumping into the heads of characters is kind of integral to telling honest stories... but actual people in front of me, not so much. (Characters are a lot less complex by design, anyway. Kind of like the difference between Sims and people -- Sims’ needs and motivations are pretty obvious and predictable, whereas people are... wild cards, a lot of the time.)

10. What was the last thing you did that was particularly selfish? What about selfLESS? >> I’m really not sure. 

11. What is something about your life that is currently beyond your control? >> The weather, lmao. I’m watching it get real cloudy real fast and I’m like “but... I want the sun... :(” The weather don’t care what I want. ... Annnnnd it just started raining. Pfft.

12. What is one small thing you could do to change about your life for the better? >> Eating healthier is always the top option. I mean, I don’t eat badly or anything, it’s just that there’s always improvement to be made in that area. But I also understand that obsessing over my consumption is actually just as counterproductive, so I try not to make a big deal out of it, and just enjoy what I’m eating. We all gotta die of something anyway, I guess. It might as well taste good, or else what is really even the point.

13. What type of photography do you enjoy looking at? Do you take any photos yourself, and if so, what types of things do you prefer to photograph? >> I like urban photography -- not necessarily shiny cityscapes, but more like... street-level urban, like of old abandoned buildings and back alleys and people sitting on stoops and just city life. I like various landscapes, especially deserts/tundras, and marshes and complex ecosystems. And I like photography that evokes certain Moods(tm), whether it be because of the content or because of the lighting or the framing or... whatever. It’s definitely that “I know it when I see it” kind of thing. I don’t really take photos of anything except myself and random things I want to show people, I guess.

14. Have you ever gone out for the black friday shopping rush? Did you enjoy it, or not so much? Or, what’s the busiest shopping day you’ve ever experienced? >> I have never been shopping on Black Friday, but I have been just out and about while it was happening. I don’t really care for that kind of thing -- I like the sales and stuff, but I don’t like the mad rush. It just makes me feel kinda... alienated, like, in a “this is what life is?” kind of way. Just a deeply personal feeling, nothing against the whole concept.

15. Do you enjoy reading diaries or stories you wrote from when you were younger, or does it embarrass you? If you’ve kept them, was there a particular reason for hanging on to them so long? >> I do enjoy reading those things, and I wish I had more of them, but the ones that were on paper have been lost for a long time and a lot of the internet sites I used in the beginning are no longer active and the content has been lost (or I can’t find it anymore). My old deviantART accounts are pretty much the oldest content of mine that still exists on the internet in a form that I can access, and although a lot of that stuff is definitely amusing, I can’t imagine finding it embarrassing. 

16. What would you say was your first true hobby? What about your most recently developed one? >> Drawing, maybe? I don’t know. My most recently developed one is probably MMO gaming.

17. Is there one thing that throws off your mood more than others, whether it be lack of sleep, lack of food, heat // cold, etc? & when was the last time you felt especially cranky? >> I’m not sure, since keeping track of my moods isn’t something I really do with any success or skill. Maybe sensory overload -- that’s always a reliable mood-tanker, and a lot of my inexplicable moodiness/mental exhaustion can probably be attributed to just being overloaded. The last time I felt cranky was last evening, and I’m not sure why, but it probably had something to do with being frustrated about Dragon Age Inquisition being broken and then like... some low-grade dissatisfaction with life or something. Nothing worth making a mountain out of.

18. What are some ways you deal with stress? Are these healthy or helpful to you? >> Distraction is usually my method. Playing video games, watching tv or youtube, slam-dunking myself into a pile of plushies, making origami stars and listening to music, that sort of thing. And yeah, I think distracting myself from stress is pretty healthy for me, since it lowers the cortisol and enables me to approach whatever is stressing me out later on without the heightened emotional response. (Although, also, a fair amount of my stress isn’t based on anything that’s solvable or like... worth even giving attention, so the distraction enables me to refocus my energies onto something actually worth doing, so then later I can just be like “lmao that wasn’t even a big deal” and go on with my life.)

19. What advice, if any, would you give someone else in your situation? >> I’m not sure what situation I’m in, lmao.

20. In general, are you the type to feel comfortable giving advice? Has anyone ever come to you for advice and you had no idea what to tell them? >> I feel comfortable giving it if it’s an area I feel experienced or skilled in. Otherwise I’ll just flat-out say that I don’t have any advice, or point them to someone that might.

21. What is one common area of life in which you feel you have little to no experience (college, children, marriage, etc)? >> Definitely college, I can’t even... like, fathom college. What is college even like??? All I have to go by is movies and shit, lmao. I’ve not been married yet, so that’ll be a new experience (although I strongly suspect it won’t be too much different from being unmarried, aside from getting accustomed to using a different set of words to describe my relationship). I have no experience in not being poor, since I’ve never not been poor. This is the most not-poor I’ve felt, but like, that’s not because of anything that’s changed in my personal finances. I just live in a cooperative household.

22. What kinds of things are you likely to complain about? >> I don’t know, really. I don’t do a whole lot of complaining unless it’s a quick vent and then I move on (or unless someone I’m talking to is bitching about something and I’m like “OMG SAME” and we have a little bitchfest lmao). I don’t really like to focus on stuff like that.

23. Besides money, what is something you would like to have more of in your life? >> Meatspace socialisation.

24. What types of blogs do you like to follow? If you have a tumblr, how has your blogging style changed over the years, if at all? >> I follow over 900 blogs, I don’t even know what my “type” is. I just follow whatever looks good at the time, and then unfollow if I get bored of the content or whatever. I think my blogging style has changed in the sense that I’m not as... talkative? I used to make a lot more text posts on my personal and then I kind of just... stopped. I’m trying to get back into it lately, varying up my content, appearing more like a person instead of just a reblog bot.

25. Do you like to put any extra effort into your food in terms of presentation, or do you prefer to just put it on a plate and eat it as it is, no frills? >> I don’t, because I... I don’t know, executive dysfunction, I guess. Also, like... I don’t have the stuff I want, like the kind of dishes I like, etc, and the kitchen is small and disorganised and usually I just want to get out of it as quickly as possible and yeah, I can’t be bothered with making my food look nice when I can barely be bothered with making food, period. I do like presentation and all of that, I think it’s great and definitely adds to the joy of eating. It’s just... not something I can do right now.

26. When was the last time you were mean or rude to someone else? How about the last time someone acted that way toward you? >> I don’t remember. I don’t think I’m especially rude in general, I’m just straightforward and I think people prefer sweeter tones or whatever. I’d rather put my social energy into saying what I mean rather than saying it in a way that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy, or whatever, I don’t know. It’s just not a priority of mine to sound “nice”. It’s never been. I don’t remember the last time someone was rude to me, mostly because I forget shit like that really easily. It’s low on the importance scale.

27. What kinds of things are most likely to make you lose your temper? Have you ever done something regrettable or embarrassing while angry? >> It’s really hard to get me to lose my temper completely, which is good, because I already give an aggressive impression -- imagine what it’s like when I’m actually feeling aggressive. I’ve definitely done things that I would rather not have done when I’m angry, which is another reason why it’s good I don’t get angry often.

28. What has stood out about this day in particular? Has this day been an average day in terms of what you usually experience? >> Well, it’s still only 11a. That random two-minute rain was interesting (it’s now partly-cloudy again), but that’s it so far, really. This is a pretty average day.

29. How would you describe your current mood? Do you experience a lot of highs and lows or are your moods relatively stable? What is the most your mood has changed in a day? >> My mood is my normal baseline, which is... no mood. Like, I really don’t have a mood most of the day, unless something specific happens to change it. I kind of exist in a comfortable greyness most of the time, with little spikes here and there.

30. Do you remember what it was that got you into taking surveys in the first place, or why you initially decided to stick with them? Where did you originally start out taking surveys? Are there any blogs you recommend (lol, I’m always looking for more surveys!)? >> Man, I have noooo idea. It was over 10 years ago by now, so surveys really just feel like a permanent fixture in my life. I think I first took them on MySpace? That seems likely. And I’m in the same boat as you, I think, lmao -- I just take the ones in the tag or on LJ or whatever the “random” function on Bzoink gives me that isn’t terrible (there are so many bad surveys on that site lmfao).

[char27martin]

10 Ways to Overcome Lonely Writer Syndrome

One of the downsides to becoming a fulltime author or writer is that, by its very nature, writing can be a very lonely business. Typically, it’s just you and a computer, shut off from the rest of the world, all alone with your thoughts.

If you’re someone who is not totally comfortable being a literary hermit like me, you might experience feelings of loneliness and depression, or what I call Lonely Writer Syndrome.

There are things you can do to avoid such feelings. It starts with changing your surroundings and your routine. To that end, here are my Top 10 Tips on how to avoid lonely writer syndrome and become a happy hermit.

2. Create A Positive Workspace

For me, it all begins with the space where I spend most of my day writing, which is my home office. The space must be comfortable and convenient to work in, and conducive to the task of writing. Otherwise, you may spend most of the time being distracted by negative things like a messy desk or rickety chair, or outside distractions like traffic noise or the kid next door banging a ball against the house.

I’m also a bit of a neat freak. If my workspace is a mess, I’m unable to focus on the writing, so my creativity goes to pot. There is nothing on my desk but a computer and the legal pad and pen I use to doodle when my brain needs a break from writing. I don’t buy into the adage that “a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind.” To me, a messy desk is a sign of a person too lazy to clean up their desk.

The same is true of the ergonomics of the profession. Writers sit a lot, usually hunched over a desk or a table at Starbucks. If your chair is uncomfortable or your setup awkward, you could suffer back or wrist pain, or lose feeling in your backside. That’s going to affect your creativity and your mood.

Investing in a chair or desk that is ergonomically-designed for how you work could be the best money you’ll ever spend. Notice that I didn’t advise you to buy a comfy chair. It’s been my experience that getting too comfortable can be just as detrimental to the writing process as being too uncomfortable.

Remember high school typing class from the dark ages, boys and girls: feet flat on the floor, spine straight, shoulders back, arms extended at the elbows, wrists in a relaxed position, fingers on keys. Who knew that old Mrs. Reed the typing teacher really knew what she was talking about?

2. Invest in Modern Technology

Nothing is more frustrating (at least to me) than being in the middle of a thought and having my computer crash, which is why I recommend investing in a good computer that doesn’t freeze up every time you launch Word or Scrivener.

Trying to write on a 10-year-old laptop is like hammering words into a stone with a dull chisel.

Basic, reliable computers are cheap. Buy one. Today. You’re welcome.

[Scrivener 3.0 Update: What’s inside, and is it worth the cost?]

3. Take Frequent Breaks

When I tell people that I make my living as a writer, they say witty things like, “It must be great being a writer. All you do is sit all day long.”

What they don’t understand is that sitting too long at a computer can be mentally and physically exhausting. I’ve found that taking frequent breaks helps refresh my body, mind, and mood.

I write in thirty-minute chunks, which means every thirty-minutes I get up and stretch for a few minutes, or grab a cup of coffee, or just walk around the house. Thirty on, ten off is what works for me. Try it and you’ll soon figure out what works best for you.

4. Get Out of The House

At least once a day I shut down the computer and get out of the house for an hour. I may go out to lunch, take a walk around the neighborhood, go to the gym, or run errands. The point is to disconnect the digital umbilical and come out of your cave for at least an hour every day, even if you have no particular place to go. I find that I’m usually eager to get back to work after such a break, which increases my productivity and satisfaction.

5. Interact with Others in The Same Boat as You

As I said in the beginning, writing can be a lonely business. That’s why I recommend that you find ways to interact with other writers, virtually and in the real world.

Joining online and local writer’s groups is one of the best way to do this—if you can avoid the aspects of such groups that often eat into your writing time (drama, committees, you read mine and I’ll read yours).

Spending time with others in the same boat as you will often keep you from having those feelings that your boat is sinking.

One additional word of warning: don’t waste time writing long Facebook posts or getting into philosophical arguments in forums to prove how well you can write or how smart you are. These groups can have positive and negative effects, so participate and contribute wisely.

Upcoming Online Courses:

Advanced Novel Writing with Mark Spencer Writing Nonfiction with Carolyn Walker Short Story Fundamentals with John DeChancie Query Letter in 14 Days with Jack Adler Writing the Picture Book with Terri Valentine

6. Attend Writer’s Conferences

This takes No. 5 to the next level. If you can afford to travel, check out the various writers and publishing conferences that are held around the country every year. Choose the one or two that you feel are best for you and plan to attend. Some writers prefer small regional conferences while others enjoy the big nationals.

My advice would be to choose a conference that fits your niche and needs (romance, sci-fi, etc.) rather than a large general conference that may not focus on things you’re most interested in.

Either way, conferences are a great way to meet other writers, agents, editors, and publishers. I always come away from conferences with a renewed energy and list of new contacts. Since attending conferences can be expensive, do your research and attend only those that you feel will give you the biggest bang for your buck.

7. Coauthor with Other Writers

This is one of my favorite ways to shake off those feelings of loneliness and depression because it forces you to communicate with others on a regular basis.

Coauthoring simply means that you write a book (and share credit) with a writing partner, or someone who can provide complimentary skills to your own.

For example, I coauthor with several writers in the science fiction and space opera genres. Sometimes, we both contribute to the writing equally while other times I might do the lion’s share of the writing while they handle most of the editorial and marketing tasks.

Coauthoring is a great way to build your brand and reach a wider audience. And while the project is in full swing, you will have frequent chats with your writing partner. You may find coauthoring so appealing that you never want to work alone again.

8. Ignore the Bad Stuff

There’s nothing more depressing to some writers than getting a bad review or receiving yet another rejection letter. Those things used to bother me, too, but now, not so much. If I get a bad review, I determine whether it’s just some jack wagon who didn’t even read the book or a serious reader with something genuinely worthwhile to say.

Genuine reviews, negative or not, should be considered valuable feedback from readers, and can give you great insight into what you may need to do differently next time.

Don’t let the bad reviews get you down. Garner what lessons you can from them and move on.

The same is true with rejection, typically from agents or publishers. I have enough agent rejection letters to wallpaper my master bathroom.

Every author, from King to Grisham to Rowling has been rejected dozens of times. Consider yourself part of the elite club: authors who are not afraid to try.

9. Learn to Meditate

One of my favorite ways to recharge my mental batteries and shake off feelings of loneliness and depression is through meditation. The thing I love most about meditation is that I can do it anywhere, anytime, all I need is ten minutes and a quiet place to sit.

You don’t have to take classes or read books to learn how to meditate. I simply go into my den or office where there’s no noise or distractions, sit in a comfy chair, close my eyes, focus on my breathing, and let my mind wander for a few minutes.

At first, you may find turning off your thoughts to be difficult, but over time you will learn to shut out the world. In the meantime, you can wear noise-cancelling headphones or listen to soothing music to block out noise.

The key is to keep at it until you are meditating for at least ten minutes a day. Or ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon. Or whenever you feel stressed or alone. Meditation is a tool you can use at will. I highly recommend doing so. I think you’ll find it to be a great way to keep the writing process positive and productive.

10. Listen to Upbeat Music

When I write, I prefer a quiet environment, but many writers believe that listening to upbeat or inspirational music helps them stay motivated and in a creative mood. The key is to listen to music that inspires rather than interrupts the thought patterns, which is why many prefer instrumentals. If you find yourself singing along rather than writing, you might want to change your playlist.

[Want some music recommendations? Check out Robert Lee Brewer’s 20 Best Songs for Writers and About Writing.]

…

Once more, writing can be a lonely business, but there are ways to help battle those feelings of loneliness and depression.

Give these tips a try to see if you find them helpful. And feel free to share other tips you might have in the comments below!

The post 10 Ways to Overcome Lonely Writer Syndrome appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/writers-perspective/the-writing-life/how-to-avoid-lonely-writer-syndrome

[rockrevoltmagazine]

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Home Above, "Shouldn't Try"

If you’re not hip to Austin, Texas’s own Home Above, now is the time to change that. With their latest album, Indecision to Move, released last month, the genre-bending quartet are placing themselves alongside some of the current greats in pop rock (with a sweet dash of punk). They have shared the stage with favorites such as Hawthorne Heights and Turnover, and their star is on the rise. 

We have the extreme honor to premiere the video for their latest single, out today, “Shouldn’t Try.” Void of anything flashy to take your attention off of their pure talent, this video showcases them doing what they do best – singing the songs that get the feels a’moving. 

After you give the video a solid view (or two), feast your peepers on an exclusive interview with Cameron of Home Above below! Chatting with them about anything from writing process to pecan pie (yep, you read that right), we learned that this band is versatile in all kinds of fun ways we didn’t even expect! Check it out, and let us know what you think! 

Without further fanfare, we present: Home Above, “Shouldn’t Try.”

First of all, thanks for picking us for your premiere of “Shouldn’t Try.” I am absolutely hooked on this song, so I want to know what inspired it?? Where did the idea for the video come from? The energy is amazing, and I think people are really going to love it, too!

Thank you so much for the love! We are really excited as well. So, this song is a culmination of all of our issues in the band. I can honestly say I have indeed paid for ‘tattoos over paying the bills’ (sorry not sorry). I thought the idea of that line in the song stands out as the idea that we are young and dumb and just want to have some fun before we get old or whatever. “Shouldn’t Try” mainly stems from the “f*** it” attitude you’ll hear throughout the track. We are stressed and overwhelmed with life that we just want to break out and live a little! I believe I’m not the only one feeling that way, and maybe that’s why we’ve had such a great reaction to this single specifically.

You guys have quite the album with your release, Indecision to Move. It moves in a seamless way from start to finish, so I have to know, was that intentional or was the movement of it organic from track to track?

So, I’d like to start by saying this record is about 2-3 years in the making, and a lot of these songs were written while we were working on our previous album, If Anything Will. I believe the first song we wrote before we decided to put out this record was “Aurora” back in 2012-13; I can’t remember. But, it’s funny because when we wrote “Aurora,” we had the hardest time finishing it up. We went back and forth between different chorus ideas, key changes, different rhymes, etc. It wasnt until during the recording of the track that we came up with what you hear now. I say all this because we never intended for it to flow well as you mentioned. Everything just kinda fell into place as far as the movement from song to song goes. Well, with the exception of “The Start” being the first track on the album. That was intentional for maybe obvious reasons.

As a writer, I am always interested in knowing what other writers go through in terms of process. So, what’s your writing process like for Home Above? What’s it look like when you guys are creating? And, how in the world do you pick what stays and what goes in terms of content and lyrics? 

Those are really great questions. I myself am not entirely sure how it all works. Writing music and all. It’s all a very complicated yet simple process. I find myself overthinking and getting frustrated more or less. I do find inspiration however, at my studio piano back home. When I’m sitting at that piano, I think about what’s been going on in my life and in my friends lives and what I can do to maybe put a metaphorical “stamp” on it in the form of a song. For example, I as well as a lot of people out there reading this, suffer from finding your place in life. Ya know, the “Where do I go? What do I do? Who am I?” questions screaming from the bleachers of my mind! These thoughts consume my train of thought quite often, and it tends to either oppress me or inspire me.

So, I write my thoughts on paper at the piano in my living room and let my mind write the words for me, if that makes sense. I then will oftentimes present the song idea or lyrics or cool guitar riff to the guys, and they generally take it from there. Cameron would come up with a groovy clean lead line, Gaven will hit back with a powerful-face-punching guitar riff, and Davis jams out a few beats/rhythm ideas on the drums. I’ll accommodate the song with my bass digs. After we have a completed rough idea for a song, we revisit it after some time away from it, add different lyrics that help the story of the song flow a bit better, change out a few words via the great Thesaurus, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, a song is born. Sometimes we even ask outside sources for their input of ideas. This helps with making sure the song flows well within itself.

A lot of what you say is super relatable to what so many young people face today, and I am sure you hear it from your fans as well. Is that intentional, or is just the place you guys are in with your lives right now?

Absolutely. It’s like I mentioned before, our general audience I think tends to forget that they are not alone. I have problems just like you. Maybe in different ways. Maybe we have the same issues? The idea that we want to drive home here is you can find solace in knowing that you are not alone in this life. Whether you are getting bullied at school or are feeling alone. Whether you have a medical condition or are just different than the people around you, everyone has problems and issues. We all share a similar topic. And we can either let that hurt us and stay quiet, or inspire and make you want to inspire others. I think with all the bad, negative stuff that happens on this Earth, people could use a little more TLC from each other. A little more understanding of one another. Unity.

If I took a peek at your playlist, what would I see? Who do you turn to for creative (or escapist) inspiration? (I am still waiting for someone to ever say one of my favorite bands, so if it’s you guys, I’ll buy you all a Snickers bar!)

Oh boy! Lately I’ve been diving into a lot of classics to clear my head – Creedence Clearwater Revival, Queen, early Springsteen – it’s super refreshing to the ears after working on songs all day to tune in to the dynamic masterpieces of the past. While we were working on the record, however, I listened to a TON of Jimmy Eat World, Relient K, All Get Out, Manchester Orchestra, and Weezer. (Seriously, if you’re writing a song and you get stuck – just listen to some Weezer and ask yourself, “What would Rivers do?”)

You guys have shared the stage with some pretty solid names, so I want to know what is next? When is the tour? Who ya with? And please, for the love of god, tell me you’re coming to Cleveland!!

We’re planning a couple things for 2018 that we can’t share quiiiiiite yet, but there are a few friends we’d love to be on the road with, and Cleveland is certainly on the radar. 😉

Speaking of tour, if you could tour with anyone, who would it be? Who is on your dream tour ticket with you?

Forever Came Calling is a must. Not only would seeing a set by them every night be a dream, but they’re some of the nicest people we’ve met so far on our journey. 

If we could bend the rules of common sense/reality a bit though, our dream tour ticket would be: 

Oasis, Tenacious D, & Ed Helms And The Bluegrass Situation. 

You call Texas home. How do you feel you guys fit into the music scene back home? Do you feel a responsibility to represent your home state well? And, how do your roots in Texas reflect on your work ethic? They say everything is bigger out there, so how do you take that mentality and translate it into your music?

Austin, Texas, has one of the best music scenes I’ve ever witnessed. Everybody involved has welcomed us with open arms and we couldn’t me more grateful. While I don’t classify us as a textbook “Pop Punk” band, the Pop Punk/Emo scene of the town is such a supportive family, and the support of people from the scene fuels us every day! It carries over, too. With the support of so many awesome folks, of course we feel a responsibility to represent Texas well! It would be terrible to give people the wrong impression of one of the greatest states, so we do our best! 

Our roots don’t reflect in our work ethic as much as our work ethic is entirely a byproduct of living here. Texas is just so BIG. When we were starting out getting on cooler stuff & things like So What festival, we had to sell tickets. Selling tickets to a festival in Dallas when we’re three hours south demands hardwork & innovation, and that stuck with us in everything we do. Texas being so large drives us to see everything on a bigger scale, and motivates us to spread our music likewise! 

Speaking of music, what do you do when you’re not making and playing music? Where can we find you if you’re not in the studio? 

We all have our quirks and hobbies! Kevin is a great artist, and when time allows you’ll probably find him doodling on whatever piece of paper he can get his hands on, while Davis has recently become super passionate about riding his sportsbike for hours at a time! I (Cameron) love to cook – if I’m not working, I’m at home making whatever delicious idea I’ve had while daydreaming, and Gaven is most likely blowing people’s minds with his sorcery. (Witchcraft? Wizardry? Magic? Whatever it is magicians summon to do all those crazy card tricks)

In times like these when bad news seems to be on a constant loop, how do you feel music fits into the scope of the media? And as artists, do you feel a responsibility to your fans (both old and new) to bring something more positive to what seems like an endless shit show?

The beauty of art is that we own it. An artist can create whatever they want with no overhead, “Oh, you can’t talk about that.” And I think that the freedom we have as artists to express our personal opinions and thoughts and little known facts through a popular medium solidifies the idea that – yeah, artists owe it to themselves & to their fans to spread positivity and knowledge when other media might not necessarily get to exist in a similar genuine state. 

What are four words you would use to describe Home Above? Also, random, but what are you hoping to receive as gifts this holiday season? 

Fun, quirky, accessible, and open! 

And, thanks for asking! I love talks about the holidays (and gifts!). 

Every year since I was six, I’ve asked Santa for my very own water-park sized waterslide. Maybe this is the year! If not, I love getting snack boxes! I try not to spend a ton on junk food (and adversely do not eat a lot of junk), so receiving a box of goodies is always a nice surprise! 

Any final words for the fans?!? We can’t wait to see where this crazy journey takes you! 

Thanks so much for following us for this long! I’d love to end with sharing with you guys my favorite pecan pie recipe courtesy of the Karo syrup bottle: 

1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans 1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen** deep-dish pie crust.

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Backe on center rack for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for two hours on wire rack before serving.

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Interview by Devon Anderson, RockRevolt Magazine Managing Editor

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