Hokay. I've been dragging my feet, not for any particular reason, but just... I didn't know what to say as yet. But here we are at the beginning of a decade and it feels like a good time to define myself. Well... "define" ...hm. I don't want to offer any strict parameters of what I'm about because I very rarely color within the lines. But I CAN give you some common themes.
DanDann
My artistic name is DanDann. When faced with the choice of either a more respectable name like a professional-somebody might have, like "Mariah Carey", or "Chris Hemsworth" even "Oprah" (pulled these names out of a hat, no rhyme or reason), or a more childish name that really only had sentimental value to me and few others, I intentionally chose the childlike name. I didn't WANT to be a stodgy-somebody. I wanted to go BACK (or rather, within) to the me that created and explored and played just because it made me happy. Where MY starry eyed musings could bring joy and reconciliation to OTHERS. That is what I wanted. And so that is what I chose. That is STILL what I want. And I choose it again. Now.
DanDann is the name that my family called me throughout childhood. Back when I would duct tape colored pencil drawings to the basement walls and help my brother build (amazing) yarn spiderwebs all throughout the stair well leading back up to the main part of the house. Back when we were homeschooled and we made learning and exploring FUN and Fascinating. When we would go to the forrest just to see what we could see, and then go to the library and delve deeper into our discoveries. Back when I would read, and sing, and laugh, and dance, and dream. DanDann is the name of the child I was when the world was infinite and everything was possible.
DanDann is who I choose to be. Now.
Musician
I really love to partake in music. Listening, sharing, writing, rearranging, soaking, whatever.
Some of the music I play are songs that uplift me, and that I hope uplift others. Songs of reconciliation, hope, connection. Perhaps they are originals that poured out of me during a time of clarity. Perhaps they are covers that inspired me to keep moving forward. I love them, and I want to share them.
Some of the songs are pieces that helped me get intense emotions out of my body, and I want to share them in hopes that they can help let off steam for others as well. Perhaps they are covers that encouraged me to take a deeper look at myself. Perhaps they are originals that BURST out of me during a time of emotional turbulence.
Some of the songs are pieces that... well... some of the songs are things I just wanted to... rearrange. Like someone might rearrange someone else's face. Maybe it was a requested pop song that I didn't know how to tolerate in its original form. Most likely it was just a personal challenge to see if I could alter a word here or there, maybe make a subtle shift from major to minor, perhaps change the speed... thereby COMPLETELY changing the entire message of the song. Suddenly a piece goes from a cartoon-heart-eyes love song to downright lock-your-doors creepy. I don't know WHY this amuses me SO much, but it does. My favorite project so far has been Let's Ruin Christmas from 2019, which was partially inspired by my incredible Twitch family. I can't listen to that thing without laughing. SO proud.
Dancing with Mariano
I recently moved from Valencia, Spain to Madrid, thanks to a video of me that went viral, in hopes of finding more opportunities to share my music. As it turns out, this move further triggered me to make more music, so, we're going to run with that.
My plan for the next quarter (let's take the decade a bite at a time ey?) is to continue making and/or breaking songs that I can share with my Patrons before being sent to my discography. Also, I am testing out DSound, with is a decentralized, Steem-based app like SoundCloud, and the songs and videos will definitely also be posted to Steem itself, And I would like to try livestreaming on 3Speak in addition to Twitch.
Anyhoo, that's the current desire. More music. More fun.
Currently I'm playing around on these platforms:
DSound • 3Speak • Spotify • SoundCloud • Twitch • Patreon • Show4Me
Also you can just grab the albums directly:
Let's Ruin Christmas • Journey • Mixtape • Covers in the Park
Artist
If I'm not making, I can go a little nuts. Music is a wonderfully powerful outlet for me, but I also do enjoy dabbling in the arts when I can. When I lived in Austin, Texas, I had access to the incredible Hackerspace where for one crazy-low monthly fee, I gained 24/7 access to every creative tool I could think of. Laser cutters, a giant CNC machine, 3D printers, a giant woodworking shop with all the drill presses and table saws my little heart desired, an entire metal shop with an incredibly awesome metalworker to annoy, a computer lab filled with amazing guys willing to answer most of my newbie questions, and so much more. I must admit that I miss the Hackerspace somethin awful. Between the cool community at Hackerspace, my amazing job at Woodcraft Austin where some of THE most amazing men I've ever met in my life encouraged and trained me to be a better maker, and my friend Eli's amazing business Craft, I was able to apply the inspiring things I learned from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way on a scale MUCH larger than I could have imagined. I was creating whimsical laser cut acrylic jewelry, etched and inlaid woodwork, and was starting to get into furniture making. It was EVERYthing.
And then I moved to Spain.
PART of the reason I went ahead with the move was because I THOUGHT I'd found a comparable space to the one I was leaving behind, and thought I could be up and running again without much hick-up. But, that is NOT what happened. And I allowed myself to hide for 2 years.
But today is a new day. Now I live in Madrid and am so ready to be a maker. I have an awesome new studio, some new toys to play with, and have just discovered Steem where I can actually incentivize the discovery process instead of stressing myself out trying to be an expert before ever being a novice. It lends me an excuse to actually ENJOY the learning process while seeing Steem pile up just from sharing my daily mishaps and successes. Also, I think I'm just... ready.
So yea, keep an eye out as I start creating more weird and wonderful things.
By the way, does anyone know of a Steem-based contender for Etsy? Cause that would be awesome.
Explorer
I am ever curious about people and their places and percptions. Again, with the endless possibilities created by Steem (and maybe Tsū once they fully resurface), I'd love to share some of my findings. Be they photos as I start really exploring my new city of Madrid and all of the places I hope to travel this year, or videos introducing the other creatives I meet along the way, or even just blogs about cool things I'm learning. I want to share all of the little connections I find. This is not a main priority just yet, as I plan to primarily focus on reestablishing the foundation of my own creative process first, but I WOULD still like to share what I discover as I go on. So yea, keep an eye out for this, too.
Anyhoo
That's just gist of it, for now. Musician, Artist, Wanderer, Ponderer. That about sums up the bullet points of my current focus. Thanks for reading along, and I hope I create something soon that invites your to experience warm fuzzy feelings, cleansing tears, or inappropriate laughter.
