Creativity

Creativity 

Hopeful, yet frustrating. Uplifting, yet discouraging.

As an artist, it's paramount to your identity.

I currently suffer from the dreaded writer's block. Not musically, but lyrically/poetically/verbally. My mind is probably more clouded right now than it has ever been. And that pours into every aspect of my life; as someone who has historically liked to feel creative in all aspects of life. At some point, I must have decided that it would be in my adaptive interest to process the world more mechanically; that "growing up" would only be possible by adding more and more layers of rigid and constricting armor.

"I'm too busy not to be fake"

Even now, at this moment, I struggle with words. My creativity being intercepted by a mentality that sacrifices flexibility for "efficiency" - while deep down, I question the results. 

"Pardon my alliteration

But this aggravation
That I want to bring me to liberation
Maybe it deserves some reconsideration
Due to the isolation
The commiseration
The frustration
The desperation
I apologize for the non-cooperation
That has been causing so much exasperation"

But I'll keep faith in this positivistic mentality, for it's all I have.

Update 12/14/13

An update with The Trying. www.thetrying.net is officially up. It's not very fancy, but it's serving it's purpose as a The Trying hub. Head on over to find anything and everything regarding The Trying.

If you haven't liked The Trying on Facebook, come over to https://www.facebook.com/thetrying.
Aaaaand, if you're not following The Trying on Twitter, come over to https://twitter.com/thetrying0.

ReverbNation - http://reverbnation.com/thetrying
I've added 2009's The Pink Lady Screamed That, "Dresden Is Still Alive!" and the Ignorance demo. Come over and check them out.
Also, we've been sitting pretty at #1 on ReverbNation's electronic charts for Manchester, however, recently we've dropped to #2. Let's get back up to #1! Thanks in advance for the support!

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/thetrying
I've added a playlist for Archaic Dialect; Static Romantic, and for Love Songs.

Bandcamp - http://thetrying.bandcamp.com/
The Bandcamp page now has the the debut The Trying release, the Born In Winter demo. The Bandcamp page now officially has the entire catalogue!

Soundclick - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=473634
The Ignorance demo and The Pink Lady Screamed That, "Dresden Is Still Alive!" are now up on Soundclick.

Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/thetrying
Come on over to the Soundcloud to listen to the top The Trying tracks.

Don't forget to install the The Trying app for Android! Just scan the image below, or if you're on your phone, visit http://www.reverbnation.com/thetrying/android.

Understanding Motivation

An excellent 10 minute video discussing the sources of motivation, and how it applies to corporate practices (both good and bad). If you take away employees' financial stress and provide them with some autonomy, the chances of your company flourishing increase. Keep your focus on the long-term and think of it as an investment.

Thank You

This isn't music or politics related, but addresses a micro-issue that I feel is important.




I was brought up to let others know that I am thankful and grateful for their actions, whenever they do something for me, no matter how small. Because of that, I personally find it important for others to return the favor, and I feel offended when I don't receive the gratitude I feel I deserve. I am aware that some people don't verbally show their gratitude all the time. However, instead of taking it personally, I could make it clear that I require their gratitude. This video talks about how we have to take responsibility for our emotional needs and if we require something from our partners, friends, family, etc - then we need to make them aware of that. It seems obvious, but it's not something I've really thought of before, and I feel is valuable. Thus, I wanted to share it.

Just An Update

An update with what I've been doing lately.

ReverbNation - http://www.reverbnation.com/thetrying

I've added Capitalism Is Sexy (2012), Blue Collar Blues demo (2011), Archaic Dialect; Static Romantic (2011), and Love Songs (2009) to the ReverbNation page. Also, I am thrilled to say that The Trying has reached #1 on ReverbNation's Electronica chart for Manchester, NH! Thanks to everyone!


YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/thetrying

I've added 4 playlists to YouTube. I've added the playlist for the three released tracks for Self-Titled (http://tinyurl.com/q8kfu8p), Suicide Pact demo (http://tinyurl.com/nlgn8tc), Capitalism Is Sexy (http://tinyurl.com/knu6vz4), and Blue Collar Blues demo (http://tinyurl.com/msadjw8).



MySpace - https://myspace.com/thetrying

Blue Collar Blues demo, Archaic Dialect; Static Romantic, and Love Songs are all up on MySpace now!


Bandcamp - http://thetrying.bandcamp.com/

I've added Realize, Accommodate (2008), The Most Delicate Muscle (2008), Anything demo (2007), and Scraps EP (2007).


Soundclick - http://soundclick.com/thetrying

Blue Collar Blues demo, AD;SR, and Love Songs are all up on the Soundclick page.


I have purchased a website for The Trying! I have began working on that, and it should be live within the next couple of weeks.

I still do not have a release date for the new record, but it's finished, and it's coming.

Remember, there is now a The Trying Android app! Eventually, the entire discography will be on there, along with news and everything else. Just scan the following barcode or click here.

The Banana Fallacy

This isn't music related at all, however, I was fumbling around on rationalwiki.org and came across an article regarding something the Banana Fallacy. I wanted to post about it because a.) it's informative and b.) it's amusing.

There is an argument from an infamous evangelical minister named Ray Comfort. Mr. Comfort argues that the banana is an example of intelligent design, because of the following reasons:

"The banana is shaped to fit into the human hand.
It comes with a protective, non-slip surface to hold.
It is curved towards the face for ease of consumption and does not squirt in one's face during the act.
There is a "pull tab" at the top for easy access, but is easier accessed by pinching the bottom and opening from that end.
It has a simple colour code to show ripeness: Green; too early. Yellow; just right. Black; too late."
~ http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Banana_fallacy

You can watch him talk about it here.

The reason that this argument is fallacious is not because it doesn't point to intelligent design, but because he associates the intelligent design with God.

I did not know this, but apparently that bananas, as we know them, have been selectively bread for close to 10,000 years!

(http://www.bubblews.com/)

This is what bananas look, naturally. For thousands of year, we've been selectively breeding bananas in order to make them conveniently edible for us! Those seeds you see in the picture are not edible. 

Mr. Comfort has been confronted with this information, and has back-pedaled greatly, saying the whole thing was a joke. You can be the judge. You can read the article I read here. And go ahead and explore the site more while you're there. There's a lot of good stuff!

Staying Motivated. Staying Inspired.

This is not a long post from me, as I want you to fill it in.

I feel like so much of my day to day life involves an internal struggle to stay motivated and inspired to do the things that I want to do, to be the person that I want to be. Often times, oddly enough, it actually involves turning off my emotions; as to not let things like doubt and fear creep in to my mind, as they have so much throughout a lot of my life. But then things start to feel a little mechanical and draining, as then life becomes kind of like a job - just doing what I need to do.

I'm not posting this for pity or to make anyone uncomfortable - but I'm wanting to reach out to ask everyone - what keeps you motivated? What keeps you inspired? Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.