Dorm Room Blues

AH.
It's SO hard to record music in a dorm room! Between random shouts, the sound of doors in the background, the AC whooshing (I can't turn it off...), toilet flushes from the rooms above me, my super loud neighbors, the lovely grumbling sound of my fridge (my bedroom, studio, kitchen, and office are all the same room...), I have some fantastic recordings....NOT!


It's so frustrating to record in a dorm room. There is so much extraneous sound that I have zero control of. Not too mention - I also am a full time student working around classes, studying, and homework. I also work as an RA / ARD. I have a second job as a math and science tutor. I'm also prepping for the GRE and applying to grad school. And on top of all this...I'm trying to be a musician and record and distribute my music!


I can't explain how many times I've been discouraged this year. But the purpose of this post isn't just to complain (not entirely at least!), it's to encourage. I'm not giving up. I'm busy, stressed, and frustrated....but dammit I want to make music and record it. I am an artist, deep at the core of who I am, I am an artist.


You might be high up for cash, your equipment might be limited, you might have a shitty recording space, you might have kids and work, but that does not mean you can't do it. It might mean you have to be patient and work slowly...but YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. And if you're an artist like myself - you sort of have to.


Focus on goals. I write my all of my goals down. If you need to start small, start small, but be sure to start. Maybe your goal list today is "practice my instrument for 5 minutes" or maybe its "research decent mics under $70". It's ok if your goals start small. If you want to be big, your goals are gonna soon get big.


My current goal list is:
-blog about recording (check!)
-practice some guitar
-start attempting to record vocals for my single
-copyright some songs
-and look for a used RC-30 loop pedal on ebay


"If you can't fly, run. If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." -MLK Jr.


Don't give up. If I can do it in my lousy dorm room, you can do it too.


xoxo.
- Brenna Lynn