Make your own schedule

I arrived in Sweden just shy of 4 weeks ago. The first week was, more or less, a wash. I was a little ill when I arrived, probably some bad food while traveling. Then it took me a while to get used to the time change.

But things are finally rolling. I've got all the access stuff now, spent some time in the studio at KMH, and a little time at EMS. Have to make a call today to setup a time for my first interview. And I've been doing all sorts of writing, composing, and listening.

One of the hardest things in this situation is to come up with your own schedule. I've been released into the wild, provided a stipend, and told "do your project however you'd like." There's no school, no specific job, not even the standard freelancer setup, which creates its own (sort of) routine of applying for jobs and living off Ramen, with spurts of extreme activity.

No, I'm just sitting here, now, with no set agenda for the day, just need to call someone back. And the only reason I have to do that is because we arranged this last week, when I called at an arbitrary time.

So, what HAVE I been doing then? How do I get anything done? For those that know me, you probably know I like some semblance of structure and regularity, with enough variances to make life "interesting." When left to my own devices (like over the summer with nothing pressing, just "waiting till I left") I'll play read, play video games, watch videos, TV, or the occasional movie, and use as little energy as possible. When faced with a few months, that can be alright...especially after incredibly hectic schedules before Freelancers and teachers, you know what I'm talking about. Work 9 months at a grueling pace, you need that month or two off to just recharge.

When faced with a year, and a nebulous project and far off deadlines, I had to change my "normal living." It was time to make a schedule.

People have asked me what I do day to day. So, here it is, in all its "glory."

Morning- Read, write, and listen. I often start with blogs and news; mostly music and arts related, with the occasional political bit. I'll write a blog post, or work on the libretto to my opera, or write music...sometimes I flit between them, working for an hour or two on one activity then switching. Other times, one activity encompasses my entire morning/early afternoon. I also do my food shopping in the morning, to avoid crowds.

Afternoon- Lunch, catch up on life stuff, make phone calls/contacts, and switch activities. This is when I usually do laundry, clean up my room, or if I have an errand in the city, head out.  Most of my contacts for my project expressed more availability in the mid-afternoons, so that's when I focus on that stuff. On days when I don't need to do any of that, I switch activities. If I spent the morning reading arts news and blogs, I'll switch to writing music. Or if I wrote on my libretto all morning in silence, I'll pull up my ever increasing list of pieces to study, and listen away, jotting notes. Whatever it is, I try to keep a solid focus on working till at least 5 or 6 every day. Blog posts also usually go live in the afternoon--I usually write them in the morning, save them, and come back and read them before posting.

Evening- No working. Seriously. I'll allow things into early evening--I worked until about 7pm yesterday--but I try to just cut it off. I usually practice my Swedish in the evening using Rosetta Stone. I'll pull out a more leisurely reading material, or something light that "could" be research, but probably not. Right now I'm devouring various folk and fairy tales from around the world, as well as reading Formalize Music by Xennakis and The Soundscape by R. Murray Shafer. The last two aren't really about my "research" and I enjoy them too much to be considered "work." I'll also watch videos/TV, or play video games. If I've been active all day, I'm usually dead by 11pm.

Also, sometimes, I do get sudden spurts to work in the evenings. If they come, I don't fight them, unless it's right after dinner. My mind really does need regular breaks. Most of the work I do when I "power through" something is utter rubbish and I just have to redo it in the morning.

That being said, I have had all sorts of little projects to go with my big project. It's hard to see a goal that's either checked once a year (dissertation) or twice a year (Fulbright). But I've got a commission I need to finish ASAP, just finished mastering a forthcoming jazz album, and, of course, job searching and apps. Yes, jobs are already being posted for next fall.

So, my schedule isn't that formally structured. It's not "MWF from 7-9 read arts news and blogs. 9-10 blog. 11-1 compose. 1 lunch..." and so on. I leave it somewhat loose. But I do force myself to work, listen, and study in the mornings, switch it up in the afternoons, then relax in the evening.

And, if something gets off, like this morning and working, then things get shoved around. I'll work this afternoon for longer. But today was an odd exception--woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep. The level of groggy at 5am after 5 hours of sleep was...insurmountable. I actually laid in bed TRYING to sleep until almost 8. Seriously. I'd lay for 20 minutes, grab my phone and read a blog, try to go back to sleep for 30 minutes, read a political article...ugh.

Also, a few people I've been talking to asked what I've been "studying" during my study time. So, below, in all it's glory, is a list of all the pieces/albums I've been studying, as well as some articles and books. The reading list, btw, doesn't include all the blogs, news, etc that I read. Just the more "academic." And there's a bunch missing, because I'm waiting to reveal my first interview to the entire public...though I'm guessing a fair number of you have heard already.

So, what have I learned? I definitely need this structure, as do many people. But the situation just doesn't warrant complete formal structure. I can't "force" myself to write when I really don't want to...I just get distracted, write half a page, watch a youtube video, read what I wrote and realize it sucks, blah blah blah. But, if I get myself working on something, reading and listening being easier than composing or writing, I can usually get my mind into doing the more creative aspects. When in this situation, it really does behoove you to get into some sort of routine, even if it's flexible and modular (MODULARITY FTW!)

Alan Hovhaness	Symphony 60	Naxos	Orchestral
Aaron Jay Kernis	Symphony of Waves	Naxos	Orchestral
Poul Ruders	Gong	Naxos	Orchestral
Poul Ruders	Zenith	Naxos	Orchestral
Allen Shaw	Piano Sonata 1	DRAM	Piano
Anders Nilsson	Horst	Naxos	Chamber
Anders Nilsson	Ariel	Naxos	String, Oboe, Elec
William Bolcom	Symphony 4	DRAM	Orhcestral
Donald Erb	Rainbow Snake	DRAM	Trombone, Perc
Allan Schindler	Eternal Winter	DRAM	Trombone, Elec
Michael Davis	Mission Red (BAD BAD BAD!!!!)	DRAM	Trombone, Elec
Vinko Globokar	Engel der Gerschichte (The Angel of History): I. Zerfall	Naxos	Orchestral
Donad Erb	and then toward the end	DRAM	Trombone, Elec
Nick Omiccioli	Push/pull	Soundcloud	Chamber
Per Norgard	Symphony 7	Naxos	Orchestral
Per Norgard	Symphony 3	Naxos	Orchestral
Luigi Nono	Lontananza nostalgica utopica future	Naxos	Violin, Elec
Shulamit Ran	Hyperbole	DRAM	Piano
Alvin Lucier	Panorama	DRAM	Trombone, Piano
Alvin Lucier	Wind Shadows	DRAM	Trombone, Oscillator
Donald H. White	Sonata for Trombone and Piano	DRAM	Trombone, Piano
Walter Ross	Concerto for Trombone	DRAM	Trombone, Orchestra
Robert Erickson	Auroras	DRAM	Orchestral
Ellen Taafe Zwilich	Symphony No. 1	DRAM	Orchestral
Anders Nordentoft	On This Planet	Naxos Video	Opera
Joan Tower	Tres Lent	DRAM	Cello, Piano
Ellen Taafe Zwilich	Symphony No. 2	Naxos	Orchestral
Joan Tower	DNA	Naxos	Percussion
Gunther Schuller	Fantasia (or Fantasy)	DRAM	Cello
Opeth	Heritage (full album)	Owned	Metal
Sergei Prokofiev	Symphony 3	Naxos	Orchestral
John Adams	On the Transmigration of Soulds	Naxos	Choral
James Tenney	Spectrum 1	Naxos	Chamber
Lejaren Hiller	String Quartet No. 6	DRAM	String Quartet
Lejaren Hiller	Computer Cantata	DRAM	Chamber, Voice, Electronics
Lejaren Hiller	Portfolio for Diverse Performers	DRAM	Chamber, Voice, Electronics
Iannis Xenakis	Tracees	Naxos	Orchestral
Iannis Xenakis	Noomena	Naxos	Orchestral
Krux	Krux II	Youtube	Doom Metal
Children of Bodom	Something Wild (full album)	Youtube	Doom Metal
George Walker	Foil for Orchestra	DRAM	Orchestral
George Walker	Variations for Orchestra	DRAM	Orchestral
Jim Mobberley	Arena	DRAM	Orchestral
In Flames	Various	Youtube	Metal
Candalmass	Various	Youtube	Metal
Entombed	Left Hand Path	Owned	Metal

Tony Kushner	Angels in America Pt. 2: Perestroika	Owned	Play
David Ryan and Helmutt Lachenmann	Composer in Interview: Helmutt Lachenmann	JStor	Article, Interview
R. Murray Schafer	The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World	Owned	Book
Iannis Xenakis	Formalized Music	EMS	Book
Fred Lerdahl	Interview on composerconversations.com	Composerconversations.com	Podcast