Issue 3: I've been making reels for 30 days

Dearest reader,

I hope this message finds you in a state of peace and safety. And if not, I hope you are able to access moments of calm, curiosity, and pleasure amidst the chaos and turmoil that appear to come bundled with this package of experiences we call “life”.

It’s been over a month since I transitioned from my last full-time job. Enough time has passed to allow me to experience the sudden burst of exhilaration and sense of unbounded energy that came with my feeling of having “taken my life back”, in addition to the less-glamorous and, on the whole, more common labor of nervously facing all the uncertainty which lies ahead.

Since I published the first issue of this series, a few things have unfolded. Here are three I’m excited to share with you:

• I’ve created and posted 30 reels over the past 31 days.1 My initial hope with posting these was to establish an accountability system around the habit of sitting down in front of Ableton and my keyboard every day and creating something. These videos live primarily on Instagram. Around 15 days into the process, I also began cross-posting on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. There have been days where maintaining consistency has been a challenge, but on the whole, I’ve found this to have been a pretty fun & rewarding experience.2

• I’ve been continuing to take weekly piano lessons with Ted Case, a brilliant LA-based music composer & arranger with whom I’ve been taking lessons for almost ten months. I’m currently learning how to play “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, with particular attention paid to transcribing specific details of her piano performance in the original studio recording by ear.3

• I’ve opened myself back up to collaboration and freelance music production opportunities. This has kicked off with a project with a close friend, where I’ll be contributing some ideas which I hope might find a home on an album he’s working on. He’s an incredible musician, and witnessing his creative vision unfold in private—moment by special moment—has been inspiring. It’s an honor to play even the most minor role in helping his creative visions come to life.4

Speaking of freelance music production opportunities—if you or someone you know might be interested in hiring me for music production work, please reach out! I’d love to learn more about what you have in mind and how I might be able to help bring your creative ideas to life.

That’s all I have for now. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead of you & I’m excited to be in touch again soon!

Love,
Reef