The Plight Of The Artist In Our Society: The Update For Actors

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Since the wheel invention man has been involved with the creation of life’s challenges and how we could sustain a comfortable existence . Everyone from machinist to builders have cloaked our lives in enhancements of modern living. The plight of the artist has been no different as useful tools and thoughts that mankind have benefited from in one form or another.  Painters, sculptors, architects,  writers, and musicians have contributed enormous bodies of work for society’s ever-changing norms and values.  We need only to look to the great works of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel or The Pizza de Colosseo in Rome, Italy to see the artists’ full pallet on display. The paintings of Claude Monet and thery're vivid colors reflecting a serene beauty that only enhances our experiences of nature. The writings and prose of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Anne Frank serve to investigate one’s imagination of how we perceive what is real or not real.  

Often blurring the line between what we assert as real life and esoteric literature, poems by Edgar Allen Poe leave us to pore over the artists’ perspective.

 

So why some art critics and writers of art mostly concerned with how a particular creator’s personal life may have decide impact on his or her character?  Should we assume that one's background and point of reference has more to do with his or her identity?   Sure Ernest Hemingway’s bouts with alcoholism are well known.  Pablo Picasso stated that “every child is an artist. "The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."  He too is said to have experienced depression and abandonment issues by close relatives and family members. These traits seem to be amplified by societies around the world and modern times still reflect these notions. We are on alert to the latest news on Kanye West, the skinny on Miley Cyrus, or what new actor or rapper is in rehab at present.

 

Those of us who can find a correlation between artistry and personally have been sometimes too quick to judge.  Far be it for me to have the psychological or philosophical background on this subject.  If an artists can bring out one prevailing emotion in all of us it is that we too are human.  Does that imply that one’s art is no more or no less substantial or relevant?  Mystification does not lead to transformation in most cases.  As one of my great teachers once noted that we are artist who are humans first not humans that are artist second.  On second thought maybe that is the reverse opposite.  To transform is only a human trait that many a great creators have at their disposal.  This is not a critique of society or artist. This is about the strides that so many of us face in light of creating a world of many for many.

What's Next?

This is an update to this previous article Upon realizing that a great mishap was done to my actor friends I decided to add more of a focus for the actor’s plight as well. I feel that actors can learn how to offset their careers with some knowledge about music production.  You know how we love to talk about our favorite actors and actresses and how they appear in paparazzi and the Hollywood scene in the entertainment columns of the news. This won't be that kind of essay.  This little diddy will give my actors and thespian friends a bit of relief as how to offset their incomes in today's climate. 

 

 I joined the Actor Fund Of America in the early 2000s not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I believe I was going to become an actor and embark on the actors plight.  I must say that this was a romantic notion I had as a kid and being in New York City maybe sparked my interest.  I found that the industry was open and invited all types of people from different walks of life and professions.  This intrigued me as I was a musician and wanted to explore more career options.  Actors are very versed in many skillsets and mindsets. I feel it is easier to augment one's acting with a cross-platform talent such as music production.  I still think it will have great merits why actors and actresses should take a page out of the vast options in the music production field.  I hope you will thank me later!

Learning Music Production: Expectations Vs. Reality

Learning the skills of music production has never been easier in the internet era of click-to-create life. The good thing is you don't need to go to time-consuming classes or impress a music teacher with what you have learned.  This field is right on your computer and offers you hours of fun and skills that are currently marketable leading to gainful employment as an actor waiting between jobs.  There are many fields to explore from music recording of bands, podcast recordings, dance mash-ups, cheerleading mash-up mix tapes,  and VoiceOver recordings to name a few.  This is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Expect a high learning curve as with all things creative but with Youtube tutorials and software tutorials provide by music publishers in the music production field this will only make learning fun and easy.   The amount of your music production output will mostly depend on the power of your computer.  Music files are a bear and take up large amounts of space on your hard drive.  I recommend at least 16GB of RAM storage and as much as 512GB of  computer speed.  The new MacBook Pros are not required here but if your are into Apple products go for a later model in case your ship comes in and the acting jobs are breaking your doors down.  You don't have to invest a lot of money on a new laptop. You might have a perfectly good alternative lying around the house. Make sure that the laptop has all of the above requirements for running music production software. There are great PC options like Windows platforms that work well with Digital Audio Workstation(DAW),  like Abelton Live.  This a preferred software for beginners. Ableton Live Lite is a free software program that is very popular with music performers and DJs. The macOS systems has Garageband which comes free with Apple MacBooks and this is why everyone knows somebody who is likely producing music from their laptops and Ipad tablets. You will have to download Abelton Live Lite as your DAW of choice for the Windows application.  The only other software you will need is sound enhancement  plug-ins for the production of the final processing of your tracks.  Do not get hung up on a perfect recording because you can always go back in and use more sound designing plug-ins to help with post-production.  Spend time learning your computer and what it is capable of processing.  A USB microphone will be ideal but you can use a dynamic microphone such as Shure SM57 for just about all applications, whether live or at  home recording.  Another good pick is the sE Electronics X1 dynamic microphone for capturing accurate sounds outside of your  Digital Audio Workstation(DAW).  Hardware is crucial and as such is the case with headphones for previewing and reference speakers for listening. Good quality headphones are a must. Be careful to use an all around headphone that will allow you to hear a flat response in your recordings i.e., not too much highs or too much lows in the mix.  An audio interface that allow you to connect microphones, reference speakers, and other instruments to your computer for interacting with recordings will be another investment.  I recommend checking out Focurite production line of audio interfaces as a budget-friendly option.  You should not look to purchase expensive gear.  There are many option for low-budget recording set-ups.  You will want to learn how your voice sounds when recorded and how to use the desired software to enhance your production.  Remember that your are not learning music per se but how to record and make your tracks sound good enough to please any clients you might work for as a freelancer.  Enlist the help of some of your actor friends for VoiceOver recordings and see how your projects can be improved.  Try using some DJ software for catalog your own music and audio files. There is so much free recording software on the market for the bedroom producer along with royalty free samples to add to your tracks for just about any occasion when starting out.  I have a newsletters at Substack.com that features more on music production that you can read and learn about recording with hardware and software, check it out.  There you will find many resources and the newsletter is absolutely free to sign up! 

The climate is right for learning the ins and outs of music production.  Although it will be tough for musicians as live venues began to open up, starting your own DIY home studio is vastly accessible now.  The advancements in technology has never been better.  High quality music software has paved the way for the rise of the bedroom composers and sound designers alike.  Creating instrumentals, backing tracks, and VoiceOver recordings can reap handsome rewards as you move forward in your music production side hustle. 

You are supplementing your income and these skills can increase your chances at improving your art projects as well as the entertainment value you will find.  The plight of the artist has come at the right time for motivating your career and jump starting into music production. The tools are there so use them to craft a new business venture that aligns with your acting and stage career. 

Thanks again for allowing me the chance to share the mysteries of the Universe.

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