Author: nstryker
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spontaneous
everyone knows it when She enters the room the train of Her dress and all are consumed Her presence is felt and the people rejoice worship pours out like there wasn’t a choice
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returning to a dormant project
the goal of the next album by my band was to keep it simple and finish it fast. we’re long past the second goal, but now that i’ve returned to it and finished the guitars in three days, i’m still holding to the second philosophy. so when i forgot the mic stands at home, that…
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church picnic games and the potential sin of mass appeal
popularity is never the goal. not because i shun what is popular, not directly at least, but because the easiest path toward achieving popularity is to strip away every element that could offend. this done to any measure will create bland art that affects no one outside of the most shallow forms. since bland art…
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an intro journey
squirrel nut zippers stand out for some many reasons, but one of their hallmarks is the extended intro. most bands treat the intro of a song as just a quick setup before we get to the first verse, which is really just the setup for the chorus. snz will take an extended trip through several…
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new song
i’ve got a backlog of songs i wrote while finishing the guitar because i didn’t want to take creative focus away. here’s the first one i finished.
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coffee is for closers
i did it. i began working on this guitar in december and while it’s far from perfect, it’s done and it sounds great! this isn’t just an achievement in terms of my first ever guitar finishing/woodworking project, although it is that. it’s also the first time in a long time that i’ve actually completed a…
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progress
i don’t know if screwing on the machine heads counts as art — for that matter, i’m not entirely certain that guitar building falls under my definition — but at least i made some progress that didn’t involve painting and sanding.
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transition
yes, i love my life and look forward to heaven but that middle part…
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pushing
there are moments of extreme tension in the creative process: when a brush stroke goes astray and the painting seems to be ruined. the thing i saw in my head is no longer possible and i’m fearful that the whole thing may be a wash. but i can’t just give up! who would i be…
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last cigarette
i still haven’t smoked my last cigarette it sits in its pack in my glove compartment and though i haven’t smoked in a generation i guess it’s waiting for a special occasion
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what are you looking for?
a few years ago, in an effort to purge all lies from my life, i felt i should actually assess myself when people greet me with, “how are you?” this led to me telling a lot of people i was tired or stressed. by breaking the social norm, i raised a flag in people’s minds…
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first
fear of blood fear of hurting fear of failing fear i’ve failed fear of blood fear of same fear of worse fear of hope fear of blood fear i’m changing into something that’s afraid afraid of blood afraid i’ve failed afraid i never really did doing more doing absolutely more absolutes abandon me in fear now i’m…
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one month of growth
i last shaved on june 19th. the next day, lisa went in for surgery. everything seemed smooth and after she came home, the kids and i took a mini-vacation to visit aaron while lisa recouped at her parents’ house. right after we got home, i drove my daughter to the airport late at night. one…