Hello fans and new followers. My name is Jacob Riess and I’m the owner of Viola’s Legacy Creative Studio. I am a creative analytical dreamer, multimedia artist, and explainer. At heart I am a musician who loves to dabble in other creative endeavors such as storytelling. If you have been following my posts then you know I have been working on a sci-fi novel entitled “The Bard Files.” Big plans for that story. The outline is 90% done and I have a vision for the finished product.
The start of the battle plan was finding a full time job to raise funds. Not going well right now because the contract job I started the hiring process for went to an internal candidate. Ouch and boy am I disappointed. Back to square one on the job hunt. Before this monkey wrench in my battle plan happened, I began the process of looking into upping my music skill set. So, I applied for readmission into UMSL’s music department Bachelor of Music Composition degree. Got myself accepted and did the placement tests which went about as well as I expected. Meaning not good. Meaning, I would have to repeat four semesters of Aural training or musicianship courses before I could get to the classes that truly interest me. No thank you! Plus, UMSL’s composition program lacks any sort of music technology and music business courses. I know my composition skills are good. Even my music tech skills are pretty impressive for being self taught. I want and need those music business skills though. Really important these days for being a successful independent artist and composer. UMSL looks like they mainly train classical performers and I want don’t want that narrow of a focus. Oh the stories I could tell about that path. Since I am interested in becoming the next John Williams and/or Hans Zimmer, UMSL does not fit the bill.
Actually, my goal is to become a fusion of John Williams and Taylor Davis. Mwa ha ha! So, cue the research into alternative paths. I found one from this outstanding colleague, teacher, and independent musician by the name of Jared Cattoor and his band Two Cities One world. Big shout out to Jared and his singer wife Anna for helping me prepare for the UMSL placement tests. Jared suggested I take a look at his Alma Mater Musician’s Institute (MI) out in Hollywood, CA. Moving to California would be awesome for the networking opportunities but the cost of living would wipe out my savings in a sonic second. Luckily, MI offers online programs! Within the past few days after talking to Jared and a MI advisor, I decided to put in an application for their online Artist Producer Entrepreneur Certificate! Check out the program here: https://www.mi.edu/programs/mi-online/artist-producer-entrepreneur/ The program includes everything I am after plus has the added benefit of being able to work with industry leading experts in the music field. I know they produce successful independent artists because I met one!
Step two of the battle plan is to complete MI’s Artist Producer Entrepreneur certificate program after I finish out my 90 day job contract from above. I don’t know which fork will appeal to me more. At this point in time, I plan to choose the MI fork. However, I may discover I like the office work and will want to continue and keep my music as a hobby. I strongly believe in keeping all of the doors open and will make a choice when the time comes. Regardless of the outcome, my next major project and step three of the battle plan involves the story I have been working on for the past year – “The Bard Files.” As stated above the outline is 90% complete and the world building is done. I had a blast creating that world of Sanctuary and figuring out the history of the tropical forest moon and the story I wanted to tell: the journey of a creative young adult spaceship pilot and engineer who has only known the life aboard his family’s mining starship the Harmonic Saucer. When tragedy strikes and he losses everything crash landing on Sanctuary, a journey of survival and discovery about life beyond the confines of his spaceship home begins. If you haven’t already guessed that I am writing about myself then yes I am writing about myself and my vision for the future. The main character’s name of Jake “the Snake” is one big hint to anyone that grew up with me!
Okay, enough of the plot teaser. If you want to learn more go back and read some of the other previous blog post teasers about “The Bard Files.” Onward to my vision for the project. Originally, I had planned on finishing the novel before I wrote the accompanying Symphony to go with it. Music and the power it holds is one of the central themes and plot points of “The Bard Files.” Thinking about how to best include music within the novel myself has led to some questions of whether or not the form of a book is appropriate. Not sure how well a book with written music notation sprinkled in would work. Or for that matter of turning it into an e-book with clickable playable music and or music videos. Appropriate format is important and something I have been thinking hard about. My plan is to finish the story outline and then shift gears I write the “The Bard Files” symphony first that tells the story musically. Then I can decide what to do with the written version. Who knows? I might turn it into an oral storytelling project …
Thank you dear readers for making it to this conclusion. What are your thoughts on how I should move forward with “The Bard Files” story. Should I write the symphony first, turn it into an oral story with background music, or should I just finish the novel? Really curious to know your thoughts on the matter. Hopefully, I have sparked your interest in me as a creative today. Please follow the blog for more updates coming at least once a month on Thursdays at 6:00 pm CST. This has been a news update by our owner, composer, violinist/violist, and storyteller Jacob (Jake “the Snake”) Riess. As Spock would say: “Live long and prosper!”