Good afternoon my friends! It has been a while but I know that you have not slipped away, and I hope you know that I have not either. I am NOT going ANYWHERE without you!
PIT!
My good friend Mitch has started a mid-Michigan sludgy hardcore band called PIT. The band will be playing shows very soon and will also be recording their debut release very soon! I made some art for them, shown below. See if you can find the demon 😈
This could be big! Give them a follow on Insta!
Cauldron of Life
As I learn guitar I’m also putting together my first EP! I think I am going to call the project “Cauldron of Life”. I’m not sure how to define it musically, so far I guess it is like, modern grunge? Somethin! Below is the EP art and here is a link to one of my tracks. The photo on the cover is one of my shots of vitamin C from my microscope.
The way I’m recording this is kinda interesting. I’m recording a handful of signals all at once: the clean guitar signal, guitar + effects, amplifier output, a reverb-effected signal, and two microphones recording a Bose speaker that is connected to the amplifier. These recorded tracks are blended together at different volume levels and panning (left speaker/right speaker) settings. This is all in an effort to make it sound huge and wide with just one guitar, a bass track, and digital drums. I am interested in any and all feedback!
Things That Are Scams
Here is a list of things that are scams from the top of my head:
Alcohol
Influencer marketing
Lifestyle brands
Literal scams
The most expensive electrical cords/cables
The cheapest electrical cords/cables
Apparent search engine results that are actually paid ads
Anything “Web3” (NFTs, blockchain, etc)
Spotify
There are plenty more. Anything can be a scam if you put your mind to it! :)
Ted Update
Things at Hogbae HQ have been interesting, but also not. My classic car is leaking in several places, I’m learning guitar, and I’m strongly considering starting a web design/development company. My job search has been grueling and brutal and I am really liking the idea of saying f*ck it and simply hiring myself! Of course it is not that simple, but neither am I.
The inaugural Hogbae Holler in August detailed some of this, but here is some reiteration/an update.
The situation: Basically I decided to switch careers last year to get back to my creative roots. I enrolled in a UX/UI (User eXperience / User Interface) design bootcamp program, believing their marketing message that I would land a job quickly. I did well in the program, as did many others.
The problem: There are a handful of these bootcamp programs churning out graduates, so now there are a ton of entry-level UX/UI designers and not enough junior-level positions for all of us. This has led to a many months-long job search for me with literally 300+ applications, 87 rejections, and the rest have ghosted me. I’ve gotten a handful of good and bad interviews but nothing has panned out. I believe these bootcamp programs have been overmarketed, and that combined with the overall tech industry downturn has led to me being in this position.
It has been very important to take care of my mental health through this process, and I hope none of you have to go through something so long and dastardly. I would surely hire you if I could. Maybe I could one day?? A constant stream of rejections or not even getting a response from exciting prospects is surely taxing mentally and emotionally. In this situation, one needs to be in touch with oneself constantly, paying attention to feelings of guilt, Imposter Syndrome, and anxiety/depression that will most likely creep up, and going the extra mile to deal with them in a sustainable way. I have been learning a bit about self-compassion which has been very helpful. Essentially it’s about caring for yourself the same way you’d care for a friend. Also being 4 months alcohol-free has been such a good idea and I am so glad I made that choice.
I had a pretty good interview the other day and am hoping for the best, and have been doing some freelance work here and there. If this position doesn’t happen, I am very interested in starting my own business. I have built a handful of websites and I believe I have what it takes to run a small business. Many say that starting their own company has been one of the most challenging but rewarding things they have ever done in their lives. My opinion? “Could be toight!”
Is Instagram Losing Steam?
I didn’t enjoy typing that because I have been comfortable on Insta for a while, since Facebook and Tumblr fell from grace. I read an interesting article in The Atlantic exploring some of the ways Insta has changed over the years and how people are feeling about it.
Essentially, Facebook is clinging onto life in my opinion, and people are saying that Instagram is next to go out of style. This gets into kind of stupid territory because everyone has an opinion on every social media platform and everyone is just peeing on each other on the internet about everything all the time, but there is something here.
I think it is helpful to look at what’s changed on Insta over the years: as users, we are subject to more ads than ever before, including sponsored posts and “reels” that no one really understands except the marketers producing them. Instagram has stayed “current” by ripping off features from competitors like Snapchat and TikTok, for better or worse. The article points out the exact problem that I agree with: Insta used to be a cool place to hang out and interact with your friends and family, but now it is inundated with other shit that I do not want to see, and wading through this sponsored content tires out my little brain, which is the opposite effect I was hoping for when opening Insta.
“But Ted tho,” you may groan, “was Instagram ever good?” I say yes and no. Yes because I love seeing visual updates from my friends, and Instagram has been a great way to do that. No because it has obviously really groomed this appearance-based thing we have going on in our society — “wow, that person has 3,000 followers?” “What order should I put these photos in?” “Should I hard-post this or just put it on my story?” These are all things I have wondered while posting content and then questioned myself about why I even care. These are not things I would normally associate with “fun” or “cool”.
So what’s next? I don’t know. I’m still going to use it for a while I think because I like creating Stories (which the article correctly describes as a Snapchat feature ripoff) and interacting with my friends’ stories. But if there was another similar platform without the Advertising Hell that now exists on Insta, I’d definitely be interested. Unfortunately, that is how these platforms make money, so I’m not super optimistic :( sorry :(
Substack has been really fun for longer-form content, especially as I get older and care more deeply about stuff, and I encourage you to make one!
No Playlist This Time 😬
No homework! Yaa!!! I simply have not put one together for this issue and want to get it out this weekend. I will share a couple frames from my Spotify Wrapped instead that made me go “Wow!”
Cleo’s Corner
Cleo has grown her winter coat and is surely ready for the cold weather! She continues to be so chatty and warm.
That’s it for now! Some great things are on the horizon tho… we are on the precipice of greatness u know … 😏
I want to start all correspondence like this now. Dude yes, please start up Hog Industries. Proud of you Ted!
You're right about instagram never being cool - i saw sentiments going around that it used to be just people hanging out with their friends which was neverrr what it was.