The Whomping Willows (Blog)

I used to write a lot. Almost every day. I wrote in a livejournal, I wrote fiction, I wrote plays, I wrote long emails to friends, I even got paid to write biological narratives for an environmental consulting firm.

Writing feels like a chore nowadays. Culture drives us to summarize our thoughts in 140 characters or less. I’ve grown too comfortable with this format — I want to start writing again, because writing requires thinking, and thinking will keep my brain healthy.

I have a lot to write about. I spend 5 to 6 months a year on the road, playing libraries and house parties and meeting new people and reuniting with dear friends. Sometimes I’ll hit a stretch of 10 days where every day is a party. And then there are those stretches of days that feel like an eternity. I could probably select a 10-day stretch of a past tour at random and write a novel about it. Days are longer on the road; breakfast in Lebanon OH, six hour drive, show in St. Louis, after-party at a friend’s house — each part of the day is its own universe. When I’m home, my emotional state is as stable as it can be; when I’m touring, my moods change with the weather. Massive highs, crushing lows, and everything in between feels like boredom.

So that’s what this blog is for: a record of those ups and downs. This isn’t another marketing tool; honestly, I’m getting tired of marketing myself. A fellow songwriter once told me that he was tired of squeezing commerce out of art. Amen, brother. I’ve set this up so Twitter will tell my followers when I post something. That’s the extent to which I plan to promote this blog. Hopefully I’ll keep this up — I already feel like I’ve accomplished something just by creating this new project.