My 500th blog post snuck past me. This is the 503rd post here at danerickson.net. But I’ve actually posted much more than that. Today, I’ll explain why I think I’m done. Finish What You Started Bullshit Yep, I’m going to quit blogging here before I finish the year, before I finish my Creative Prompts series. If you happen to be one of a small group of regular readers, I apologize, but blogging has become a burden. It feels like a waste of my time, a practice in vanity, so don’t give me that finish what you started bullshit. I once started restoring a 1967 Ford F250 Camper Special. After 10 ye ..read more

Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s also not a process that happens in absolute solitude, even though it might feel that way at times. We need other people in order to remain creative. Sometimes we can feed our creative energy by simply going out to wander about in a crowd. People Watching Promotes Creativity A crowd not only offers us creative energy, we can also gain ideas by people watching. As a writer, much of what I write is based on watching the habits and behaviors of other people. I’m not suggesting that you go into an extremely crowded place, but a busy park, a shopping mall ..read more

I’ve been blogging for nearly 10 years. I’ve slowly become more disillusioned with blogging. I’m a musician. I’m a poet. I’m a writer. I’m not a blogger. That said, the end of an era has been scheduled. Major Changes Coming in the Next Year I’m going to quit blogging as you know it. Yesterday, I purchased a new domain name. Later in 2021/2022, I’ll be hanging up most of my current websites. Hip Diggs, Cowboy Zen, and this blog are all on the chopping block. I’ll probably keep Anderhill Music, but it will likely be remodeled a bit. Sometime in the months to come, I’ll be starting a new Dan Eric ..read more

You might think I’m suggesting you do some huge unusual undertaking. I’m not. Studies show that simple changes to our routine promotes creativity. All it takes is a little something different. Get out of your comfort zone and do something unusual. The Power of the Unusual You might not realize how much power the unusual can have on our creativity. But something as simple as taking an alternate route to work can work. As a musician, unusual might mean playing a new instrument, or programming an odd beat. As a writer, unusual might mean choosing an alternate word. Unusual could also mean going o ..read more

Ive been reading and writing a lot of poetry this past month. It all started with reading a book about the late famous singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen. He wrote poetry for more than 10 years before beginning his music career. Have you read any good poetry? After reading the first few chapters of Cohen’s biography, I ordered a book of his poetry. Then I decided to read some of Charles Bukowski’s work, followed by Dylan Thomas. I’m studying some of the great poets. How about you? Have you taken time to read poetry? It’s a great genre. You can read small amounts. You can find poets that write on ..read more

Sometimes we rush. We rush to work. We rush home. Sometimes we rush to get our work done. And sometimes we try to rush our creative projects. However, we only need to turn to nature to see that it’s okay to develop our creative skills over time. Trees grow slowly. The War Between Inspiration and Time Ever since I’ve become a serious artist, I’ve been at war. It’s me against time. I want to become better at what I do. When inspiration strikes, I want to take advantage and go full throttle. I get discouraged because I don’t always see immediate and obvious growth. This is when I need to stop, br ..read more

I have this vision. It’s been developing for some time. It includes a little of everything I’ve been doing for the last 20 years. I don’t care if it sells. I just want to recreate my world as an artist. My future vision as an artist goes something like this… Blending What I Do Into One I currently have four websites: Dan Erickson, Anderhill, Cowboy Zen, and Hip Diggs. I’m not currently posting at Hip Diggs, but I’m moderately active at the rest of the sites. I may or may not keep these four blogs in the future. But I will create something that includes the elements of each of these blogs, and ..read more

Recently, Facebook updated its Pages offering. Frankly, the update felt more like a throwback to a previous version of Pages. It’s not horrible, but it’s the little push I needed to kill my Facebook page. 3 Reasons I’m Killing My Facebook Page Lack of engagement: Maybe I don’t put in enough effort to engage my audience, but more likely it’s the Facebook algorithm. Pages might be free, but you don’t get much unless you pay. Facebook has purposefully decreased the amount of views it allows your page to have. It’s that simple. It’s a waste of my time: I’ve already cut way back on how much time I ..read more

There’s not much to say about this prompt. But to abolish the ego is easier said than done. Taking the Ego out of Your Art I make no claims to perfecting this task. However, it’s in humility that true artists and great art emerges. Something happens when you let go of the need to be great, to be recognized. When we create solely for the purpose of creation itself, we begin to remove the ego from our work. This doesn’t mean we can’t use our life experiences as part of the creative process. In fact, life can humble us if we are willing to submit to its lessons. That’s not to say that we should n ..read more

If you’re reading this, chances are good that I’ve made it to my 58th year. My recent birthday marks another journey around the sun, but what have I done? And does it really matter? Truth Is, I’ve Done a Lot in the Last Year In the last 12 months, I’ve travelled more than I do in an average year. I’ve composed a shitload of electronic music, and I’ve done a fair amount of writing.  I’ve been especially busy in electronic music production: the story of my blood, 4 audio tracks, 2021 everything you’ve ever dreamed is possible, 10 audio tracks, (a cult of lies), 2021 requiem for a stillborn ..read more