1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
The main objective of this project was to create 4 songs that are cohesive and sound professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered in a home recording studio of my creation. I wanted to explore the creative process of songwriting in an environment that was conducive to learning, making mistakes, and redoing.
2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
I have been a musician for over a decade, playing with bands and writing songs in my room. But I wanted to expand that. I wanted to create something tangible with my art as I do with design. That’s always been the next step: record my music, but recording is an expensive process. An at-home studio would allow me to constantly be able to ow from writing to producing. I also wanted to learn from a professional as it’s always easier for me to watch and do, rather than listen and learn.
I learned rather quickly that it is hard to create music. Hard and time-consuming. The learning curve for DAW programs is a giant mountain, and music production is a lot of recording, listening, tweaking, and listening, over and over again until it starts to sound like nothing at all. At some points, I wondered, “Was this something I still loved to do?” And honestly… yes. It was still something I loved, even though I was trying and failing, making and undoing my work.
3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
Through this project, I was able to learn about music recording from a professional in the industry. Not only that, but I was able to make a connection with him. Prince Charles Alexander has been a producer for years, and to learn from him was incredible. He showed me something more valuable than technical skills, though. He showed me that professionals are still learning. This was a hump I had to get over, and it took me a while. Why am I doing this when there are people better than me already doing it? I could ask myself that for anything I do, and it would be debilitating. But I learned to overcome those feelings.
This ability to network alongside my project was a phenomenal experience. While I took classes with Princes Charles Alexander, I found myself talking to different artists and producers all over Ohio. I was once a part of the Cleveland music scene, so I reached out to old connections I made to ask for help and tips with recording. I also grew as an artist through my time writing songs and trying to record them. And while there is no perfect product, it forced me to be happy with what I had done, not what more I “could’ve” done.
My favorite part of this experience was learning how to use the software. Learning Logic Pro made me feel like a professional producer, and it made me more comfortable than when I tried to learn Protools or Ableton because it was similar to GarageBand. I was also very proud of myself for being able to take on something that daunted me so much, I could never start it before. I have always wanted to record my music, but this gave me the push I needed.
4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
It is so easy in the creative field to be bogged down by imposter syndrome, to give up before ever starting. But through STEP, I was able to challenge myself to learn and grow as a musician. I forced myself to keep going even when I wanted to give up because I hated something I was doing. I learned to try again and again, to rework things I’ve made, and especially to listen to things with fresh ears. I’m a better artist now than when I started.
