November, December, and January are the rainiest months in Oregon. So, the rain has begun; and as of tomorrow, it won’t be going anywhere.
You don’t have to like it, but you’re going to have to live with it. To put a positive spin on it, the rain brings “lush green year around,” makes for an “ideal climate for gardeners,” and “whereas it can rain 2-3 inches in a hour or two in Washington, D.C., or many mid-western areas, it will take days to accumulate 2-3 inches in Portland.” *
Other ways to stay positive in the rain:
1. Go to the gym
Who says being stuck inside means you have to be stuck inside at home? Why not be stuck inside at the gym for a few hours?
2. Get a line-up
You have one of two options here. One, don’t get a line-up so when you re-appear out of hibernation you truly do look like a grizzly bear just out of his cave. Or two, get a line-up so when you re-appear out of hibernation you’re a fresh lil’ cub again. Totallyyy up to you.
3. Update your website
Take a moment to minimize ESPN and YouPorn, and update your website. Even better, take – much more than – a moment to learn how to code your own website. Don’t just make a few contextual changes, but actually re-design and re-launch it publicly.
4. Master a new platform
If coding is too deep, learn a different skill: Master Photoshop, learn InDesign, play around with Final Cut Pro. Teaching yourself a new platform will save you skrilla down the road.
6. Record an album
The rain will be consistent for the next few months—not just hours, days, or weeks. Go to the studio! And don’t just go for a few hours, days, or even weeks, but go for months. Go until you’ve finished an entire album!
6. Prepare to drop your next project
When your new album is finished, prepare to drop it and draft a plan around it. Set dates; brainstorm where and with whom you want to tour; gather press materials including: Album art (you can do this yourself if you did Number Four), promotional photos, and a biography; send bloggers your new-new in advance of it’s release date.
7. Read a book or start a blog
When was the last time you read or wrote? Like, really wrote, not just rhymed? We’re not kiddos in school; but as responsible adults, these are things we still need to brush up on. Pick up a book (yes, a book) or bookmark a blog and read it daily. Likewise, write. Start your own blog, with more than just verses, but with complete sentences; or keep a diary. Reading and writing are skills that can never be taken away from you, but that can always be improved upon. Naturally, reading and writing will expose you to new words and improve your rapping too.
8. Convert all your tracks and upload them to YouTube
I recently went to this music-tech conference; one big take-away for indie artists was to “put your music on YouTube.” You don’t haaave to do this, but I wouldn’t recommend it to you if I didn’t mean it. Consumers listen on YouTube more than ever nowadays, and artists are getting discovered / signed that way now too. Direct from the conference: YouTube is more important than any other streaming platform (SoundCloud, BandCamp, etc.).
9. Organize
Spring winter cleaning! Make a list and get ‘er done. Clean your bedroom (then reward yourself and have a girl over). Clean your house (then reward yourself and have a girl over). Clean your car and glovebox (then reward yourself and take a girl out). Other things to clean that might make your life easier: Bathroom, garage, deck, closet, refrigerator, you get the point… And here’s a list of things to clean that might make your rap career more fruitful: Hard drive, thumb drive, email inbox, Facebook inbox, old school file folders, your CD drawer, your Rolodex.
10. Make out in the rain
Finally, sweep a woman off her feet and kiss her in the rain. Heck, if you can’t beat the rain…join it.
#outhere #inhere #stayingdry
*Susan is an overly-optimistic (and obvious rain-loving) realtor in the Portland, Ore. area.