erikwilsonreal

[erikwilsonreal]

February 10th Reflection

I'm not gonna lie I have no idea what's going on in this one. Reflection over.

[erikwilsonreal]

February 6th Reflection

It's a video today! Suprise!

I always perk up when I see Andrew Nieman mentioned anywhere. He's like every conservatory student's Beyoncé. That's not a good thing, just so you know. But I'll be damned if he's not relatable. Every music student I know has a "Whiplash" story of their own. Whether it be abuse from a teacher, walking off a car wreck to make it to a concert, or both. Personally, my Whiplash was suffering through a month long bout of untreated bronchitis because I was too busy practicing and going to class. I'm lucky to have never had any abusive teachers, though. (Although Mr. Sharpe did threaten me with a dongle one time, because I was out of tune) That being said, it was a little funny seeing a video about the "Dramatization" of ambition and explaining it as "Hollywood Drama" when, in my opinion, this is real life for me. It really is this stressful, this intense. (fun fact, it's rumored that Whiplash is based off of an experience that happened here at UNCSA) Especially for second years, everyone is high strung worried about whether they will be welcomed back into school next year. I don't think it's like that for the other on-screen professions though. At least, I hope professional chefs aren't all in the back having panic attacks over getting the right salt like Carmy is.

[erikwilsonreal]

February 3rd Reflection

"Sustainability is the most important guiding principal for your artistic life. As a human being you only have so much energy and time. If you think of yourself as a resource, much like energy and time, you can better understand that you can deplete yourself. The only way to avoid burnout in your conservatory experience is to actively create a sustainable artistic practice. How do you create a sustainable artistic practice? This looks different, depending on your art school and concentration. For a screenwriting student it might mean, writing in small spurts throughout the day instead of attempting to sacrifice sleep and write at night. For a dance student it might mean, packing food the night before and carrying snacks in your backpack to keep up energy through out the day. For a drama student, it might mean creating space in your schedule to meditate or take walks to process the acting exercises you’ve participated in that day. For a music student, it might mean practicing with a partner instead of alone to combat isolation and create a change in practice time. For a design & production student it might mean, taking a walk and sitting outside at Sneden’s Landing to absorb some sunlight. These are all suggestions for how to create a sustainable artistic practice, but you will need to spend time reflecting on what best suits your own development of a sustainable artistic practice and what recharges you as an artist."

-Aaron Ross "Artist Guide"

Nice save at the end, saying that those are all just suggestions. I for sure know a couple of people who would rather die then practice with someone else in the room. But also, I do know a guy who keeps his practice room door open and practices for the whole bass hall to hear (whether we want to or not). I think my best practice for sustainability has been the 20/10 or 30/15 rule I've been following. It's just where your practice break is half the amount of time as your practice. usually I practice in half hour chunks but on my off days I go for the 20 minute bursts. You talk to any young musician and most of them will say that nothing can get done in 20 minutes. But if you go into it with a solid (and realistic) goal in mind then you can very much so reach it in 20 minutes.

[erikwilsonreal]

January 30th Reflection

-Anne Lammot "Bird by Bird"

This is the most I've related to a prompt yet. Fun fact, UNCSA music major undergrads have to do this thing called a "Sophomore Comprehensive". It's where, at the end of our second year, we have to play 20 minutes of music (instead of our usual 10) our end of semester jury, but this jury decides whether you stay at the school to finish your degree or not! Sounds stressful, right? You have no idea. It's nothing to worry about if you work hard, though. But that's the hard part, working hard (and most importantly, consistently) and not getting burnt out. I thought it wouldn't be that hard to lose motivation, I mean, what greater motivation is getting your degree? But alas, in the final stretches I feel myself losing motivation. The recent election hasn't really helped, either. I am a Transgender American, and ever since Donald Trump came into office I've woken up to executive orders and legislation being put into motion that targets me. Not very good for morale, y'know? It makes me think, will I even be allowed to get my diploma if I make it past the Sophomore Comp? Will I make it to the Sophomore Comp? Currently, the future is uncertain, but I've found such a morbid motivation in that uncertainty. I just know that Donald Trump and everyone aligned with him would LOVE to see me, a queer trans man, fail. And I'll be DAMNED if I bring ANY sort of happiness or satisfaction to those pests. I know I'm starting to sound a little unhinged, but you have to find inspiration anywhere you can in these trying times. I'm gonna finish off this reflection by asking you to keep up with the current policies being put into motion and the actions being taken to erase Transgender Americans. Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we have, and it is FOOLISH to be willfully ignorant of what is going on in America right now.

[erikwilsonreal]

January 27th Reflection

-Elizabeth Gilbert "Big Magic"

Last class, we watched Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk on being a genius. I'm reading this, and it reminds me of the section where she talks about Ruth Stone "catching" a poem. How Ruth describes the physical feeling of a poem "thundering" through her and how it leaves if she doesn't "catch" it in time. This is not the first time I've heard the creative process be anthropomorphized like this, which I think is really interesting. I think all artists can relate to having the physical feeling of inspiration moving through you, especially fandom artists here on Tumblr. I know that fandom isn't taken very seriously in the wider creative space, but personally I'm in awe of those of you who can crank out a 20k word fic in a day, who can get a gallery's worth of art drawn in a week, all because a piece of media moved you that much. I don't have much else to say because my nature as a double bassist doesn't really allow that much room to be "moved" by ideas and inspiration. But my nature as someone who dabbles in creative writing feels otherwise. Alas, I'm not here to talk about that (or am I? maybe in the future), so I will leave this as it is, for now.

[erikwilsonreal]

January 23rd Reflection

-Austin Kleon "Show Your Work" (just pictures this time, I'll add alt text later if I remember <3)

Yes! YES!!!!! This guy gets it!!! Art and friendship, the two highest of human crafts, are ALWAYS supposed to be entwined!!! Even the people he mentioned, Mozart, Einstein AND Picasso: They were never alone! They had friends, colleagues, mentors who all guided them and supported them on their own journeys to greatness (whether they recognized this help or not). It's hard to find the words, because I am SO passionate about art as a group activity and ESPECIALLY growth as a group activity (in multiple areas of life, not just creativity). It's part of why I chose my instrument (double bass), it's almost never alone! Of course I love solo double bass, but there's certain joys of being the foundation of your ensemble (whether it be a whole symphony orchestra or a jazz trio). You rely on everyone else, and everyone else relies on you! I especially love playing in an orchestra section, especially a big one (this year, some pieces have up to TWELVE basses!). I think it's a unique kind of joy to be playing the same thing as 11 other people, at the exact same time, with the exact same mindset. When we nail a passage, a magical thing happens where we are no longer 12 different people, but one big thing. This is such a euphoric feeling to me, when I can turn off my higher brain function and just focus on making beautiful music with my peers and with my orchestra. I am no longer me, I am the basses, and I am the symphony. A good orchestra is a beautiful thing: All 100 or so musicians, all coming together, giving themselves up to create this massive superorganism that lives and breathes in perfect time, it's only goal to make beautiful music for you, the listener. The best and purest example of artistic collaboration I can think of.

I love my studio, we are one of the closest in the school. Every day I see them I learn something from them, from the freshman in high school to the graduate student. I wouldn't be the musician I am today without them. I am so lucky to practice and perform in such a supportive environment with the most talented bassists I've ever heard. I know that not many other people have this privilege, that some studios see their peers as competition, and not classmates to learn from (learn with). I can only hope that I can continue to surround myself with such supportive musicians after I graduate. It shouldn't be hard though, since bass is the best instrument and bassists are the best musicians >:)

[erikwilsonreal]

January 11-16th, 2025 - Winston-Salem, NC

I wanted to share some pictures of the snow since I talked about it in my latest writing reflection and in my family it's illegal to say you have snow and not show pictures of it.

[erikwilsonreal]

January 16th Reflection

"Of all the great works that we can experience, nature is the most absolute and enduring. We can witness it change through the seasons. We can see it in the mountains, the oceans, the deserts, and the forest. We can watch the changes of the moon each night, and the relationship between the moon and the stars.

There is never a shortage of awe and inspiration to be found outdoors. If we dedicated our lives solely to noticing changes in natural light and shadow as the hours pass, we would constantly discover something new.

We don't have to understand nature to appreciate it. This is true of all things. Simply be aware of moments when your breath gets taken away by something of great beauty.

It may be witnessing a single-line formation of birds snaking through a half-lit evening sky, or standing awed at the foot of a giant redwood tree that's thousands of years old. There's so much wisdom in nature that when we notice it, it awakens possibility within us. It is through communing with nature that we move closer to our own nature.

If you're picking colors based on a Pantone book, you're limited to a certain number of choices. If you step out in nature, the palette is infinite. Each rock has such a variation of color within it, we could never find a can of paint to mimic the exact same shade.

Nature transcends our tendencies to label and classify, to reduce and limit. The natural world is unfathomably more rich, interwoven, and complicated than we are taught, and so much more mysterious and beautiful.

Deepening our connection to nature will serve our spirit, and what serves our spirit invariably serves our artistic output.

The closer we can get to the natural world, the sooner we start to realize we are not separate. And that when we create, we are not just expressing our unique individuality, but our seamless connection to an infinite oneness."

-Rick Ruben "The Creative Act: The Way of Being"

This passage reminds me of the weather we've had on campus recently. If you don't know, snow has decided to grace the south recently and we started off our Spring semester being welcomed by a white-capped UNCSA. Personally, I thought it was beautiful, but I know some friends who thought all of the ice was annoying. It was interesting to see how the student populace would react, because I would see students from warmer climates constantly playing in and enjoying the snow, but the students from colder climates would (mainly) be indifferent. I was part of the former because I, personally, can't get enough of snow. It's my all time favorite weather condition, and the one I've experienced the least. I love the sound of it, how it smooths everything out, how it can bring people together. I've had THREE snowball fights since school started! One with my friends, one with my studio, and one with some people I didn't even know! I think it's amazing that water getting cold in the air and getting so heavy that it falls to the ground can bring joy to so many people and bring everyone together.

[erikwilsonreal]

Introduction/Key

Hello! My name is Erik (He/Him), and I'm a Double Bass student at UNCSA! This blog was made to post assignments for a Creative Writing class, they are mainly reflections to writing excerpts. I also hope to post some of my playing and other things that have to do with school, I'll decide if I do in time. I hope you enjoy my blog!

Hashtags (might change):

#non academic - Posts that have nothing to do with school

#written reflections - My creative writing assignments, I try to post the text I'm responding to in the post itself, but sometimes that's not possible. If you want, feel free to reflect on the text, too! (I understand if you don't want to, nobody wants to do homework for a class they don't take)

#bass - Posts that have to do with Double Bass

One last thing, since this is a school blog, I probably won't interact (reblog, like, follow) with others. But, if you wish to respond to a reflection or ask a question (please be appropriate) I'd be happy to respond/reblog! I use no hashtags other than my own (for organization) and follow nobody so if you're here and you're not my teacher/classmate, congrats! You've successfully wormed your way into a secret corner of the internet, hope you enjoy your stay <3

[erikwilsonreal]

January 13th Reflection

"In our current culture, writing is discouraged. Hallmark does it for us. We shop for the card that is "closest" to what we wish to say. Schools drill us about how to say what we want to and the how-to involves things like proper spelling, topic sentences, and the avoidance of detours so that logic becomes the field marshal and emotion is kept at bay. Writing, as we are taught to do it, becomes an antihuman activity. We are trained to self-doubt, to self-scrutiny in the place of self-expression. As a result, most of us try to write too carefully. We try to do it "right." We try to sound smart. We try, period. Writing goes much better when we don't work at it so much, when we give ourselves permission to just hang out on the page."

-Julia Cameron "The Artist's Way Every Day: A Year of Creative Living"

First of all, do NOT diss greeting cards. Strawberry Shortcake originated from a greeting card, and she is one of the greatest known joys of our world. With that said, I still somewhat agree with the message. Focusing on writing so much that it becomes more of a chore than a form of self expression IS incredibly draining. In fact, I'm having trouble writing this right now, as this reflection is an obligation rather than something made out of an actual will to respond. That being said, I'm glad I'm being forced to write this, I really am. I have a firm belief that you NEED to learn the rules (take a creative writing class) to break them (post the assignments on Tumblr). It is that balance that makes your art both well rounded and enjoyable to make! I may be biased though, since I am a musician and one of our main tenants of the craft is learning all the fundamentals and then making them your own. Anyways, I just believe that initial self-scrutiny and carefulness is needed, as well as the self expression. They can coexist, I promise! One more thing I disagree with; it's the act of trying, I think, that makes it worth it in the end.

[erikwilsonreal]

contrary to popular belief I am not actually "real" on this blog because it's for a class and I need to "Represent myself as a professional, educated person"

I'll do my best for professional, but I make NO promises for educated

anyways on to academics hope u enjoy <3<3<3<3