"Now is the Discontent of our Winter"

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After what has surely been one of the coldest, certainly snowiest, winters in recent memory here in the Netherlands, we finally got a touch of blue skies this week. Two weeks ago, the snow subsided and made way for some truly welcomed rain, which brought with it the warmer temperatures from the south and west. However, nothing gold, or in this case, grey can stay, and blue skies have arrived joined with freezing cold weather. This odd combination reminds me of Colorado, and makes us all wonder whether or not spring is around the corner.

The last year has been a hard-working time of learning, dedication, training, and music making in order to reach our dreams here. I suppose it's a testament to our single-minded focus that it's been so long since I've last posted. To give you a summary, the studio has seen several modifications, although we have learned that the overall contour and make-up of our studio room is generally not suitable for low frequencies, which poses a bit of a problem in the long run.

Despite that, I've read just about every single article, watched about every single video, and studied just about every single recording I could get my hands on in order to better learn this craft of sound and of music. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something (that's 3 hours a day for roughly 9 years...) and, not to take that expression lightly, we have been plugging away with the undying belief that yes, you CAN improve, yes it's HARD WORK and EFFORT that get you there, and yes, there are NO EXCUSES other than what you make for yourself. Not wanting to be our own limiting factor (or all talk), we have probably on average spent well over that amount of time per day working, and yet I feel that there is an infinite amount left to learn. The more I learn, the more I realize how what I knew before pales in comparison to what I know now, what's out there, and what other human beings just like you and me have already done. It's not about being the best on your block, or the best in your neighborhood, city, or state. It's about looking Mozart and Michael Jackson square in the eyes and not seeing them as mythical figures, but as equal human beings who set out to accomplish what it was they wanted from life. If you don't row the boat, you'll never reach the other side. If you don't do what you love, you'll never get what you want. *It's just that easy!* People can't get behind talent, they can't believe in a gift alone, but true dedication always resonates in people's hearts. If we get anywhere, it's because of our openness to all forms of criticism, and our continual desire to learn and improve.

That's all for now, I'll post random entries from time to time about things that come up, but they probably will be less travel-related than this blog suggests, and more "general interest."

Hope to hear from you soon,
R and M

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