The View From The Crow's Nest

Welcome to Episode 218 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Sunday the 14th Valentine's Day is may 14 February 2021. And today I wanted to share with you an idea that kind of stems from, do what you can with what you have right now which is a motto that I have that I've tried to stick to over the years. And in this particular example it's about something really simple, go home for a walk and effectively what it's about is, we often want to do things with our lives in our lives and I'm sure you felt this way about many things, but you just don't have the time and you know you'd like to fit that in at some point, if we imagine our future perfect lives or where we're heading to, we think yes and I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that and blah blah blah. And the problem is, it never happens. And the reason it never happens is because we don't make it a habit. Now, by doing what we can with what we have right now so if one habit is, or if you want to have the life in the future where you think it will be lovely and then, you know, in this particular case, we'll go out to lovely walks in the countryside etc etc. You may not live in the countryside maybe only they have a park near you. Maybe you don't even have that maybe, you know, there's just, you know, just houses near you blocks or whatever. But it's no it's almost never the case that one transitions from not doing something ever to it being a permanent fixture of their life normally it's steps to get there, and a case in point was today you know we were saying, Be nice go for a walk and blah blah blah but they said the other. And then it just came in after lunch and say, Look, let us go out for a walk. Now, let's get in the car drove five minutes, 10 minutes maybe tops and just go for a walk like off a side road kind of thing so we did and we went up a side street or side road and that kind of led us into the foothills of the mountains, and we had a really nice walk and it was blowing snow into us it was icy icy cold, but the four of us had a really nice walk. And again, it didn't have to be a big thing we only went in the end it was probably about an hour and tops, but we're only planning to go for about 20 minutes one way 20 minutes walk the other way and soon enough. It was an hour. But the point being, rather than thinking some big expedition or it's got to be this big thing or it's got to be there or we have to pick the route or this study other, it was simply a case of just find a place nearby a gun, have a walk. Now we're fortunate because we live in Castroville Erie where we're very close to the mountains but when we're in London, we were right in the centre of London and there's no countryside there you know so you go for a walk in the park. And we were missing, not having a park near us when we were in sa Ischia for seven months to the lockdown. But then you walk through the streets and actually there are some nice streets in Ischia so the point being that you find whatever you can. You do what you can with what you have right now. And you start building, whatever it is that you want to do, into, you know, a proper portion of your life into a habit into a routine. And from there, of course, as you move as your circumstances change you can expand on that habit you can expand on that part of your routine in your schedule. But if it's not already there it's going to be very difficult to start it. Just overnight and make it a substantial part of what you're doing. So the whole point I guess of today's podcast is think about the things that you're not doing that you'd like to do, and consider how can you start them even, even if it's just 10 minutes in a day. How can you start them in the smallest viable way the minimum viable product, something which we'll talk about in another podcast but that's an idea from the Lean Startup side of business but basically it pretty much just means, what's the least the smallest thing simplest thing you can do to --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

I was just thinking about work and taking time off, and that, you know, constant chase to have balance in one's doing. So we've sheduled recently we've scheduled every Friday nights family movie night. And now we also doing every Saturday night is family games No, and I had. It's Friday now and I had a couple of client calls this afternoon, and I was really adamant that I was needed to get off the phone because it's family movie night. And so, I put that limitation in with the client I said, Look, I've got to get off at this time blah blah blah I didn't exactly tell him why but, you know, make this happen. And it was making me think about Parkinson's Law, and if you've not heard of Parkinson's Law before it's an adage that work expands to fill the available time for its completion. And it basically means that, you know, you use it if anybody's ever studied anything and you've got exams you generally cram, you know, right to the end of your exam time or, you know, if you've got four weeks to do a project, then you'll still be working on that project right up to the end of the fourth week, whereas if you've got two weeks to do probably exactly the same project you get it done in two weeks. And we've all done that you know when you've. When we had to pack our house. Remember when we had to move, you know, we knew we were moving at least I know a month or more months before that we're moving but we literally the night before we move and we found ourselves doing most of the packing, and we were still packing on the day we were moving. Equally, when we only had kind of 24 hours 48 hours to do the packing we did it, you know we got it done it was haphazard and also over tip, but we got it done. So, it's made really making me think, well, what is Parkinson's Law suggests, it suggests that the less time that you have, you're still going to get the stuff done the less, the more time constraints you put on yourself, you'll still get the work done or at least the important stuff. It might be rough around the edges. It might not be as smooth as you'd like but it will be done, and recently I've been thinking a lot about you know Seth Godin talks about shipping, you know, you've got to crate and ship the work it's no good just creating it you've got to get it out there. And it's better to get it out and get it done. Then, you know, get it perfect. And today, I was listening to a podcast of the co founder of Netflix and he was talking about how originally they were doing a B testing, which is where you have an idea that something might work better so you create an experiment to test that against what you've already got so A is what you've got beers what you're testing against. And they said, he said at the beginning, it would take them two weeks to design an A B split test a split test on something, because they made it really perfect. And then they got that down to one week and then they got it down to, you know, a few days Then one day, and then in the end they were doing four or five tests a day. And he absolutely, you know credits that with one of their major reasons why they became successful, and he was said that the tests that they were doing were terrible in the punctuation the grammar would be wrong they'd have watermarks on photos and have the wrong photos. And he said, but what it allowed them to do is, it didn't matter how bad the, the periphery was, it was the crux of the idea and getting out there it's the same principle. So when they gave themselves less time to do the split testing they actually got far better results because they got to the point much more quickly, and one of his ideas was you know as soon as you've got an idea to do something get out there however rough it is you know test it, test it in the real world, straight away. And this is really making me think, you know, protecting these this work life balance trying to, for me personally trying to find more time for the family and whatnot. I'm not getting through a --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

In our building in Castroville Hurry, it's a communal apartment block. And there are very set times to put different types of rubbish out different types of trash. And there are like three or four different bins of maybe five bins you know glass paper, etc. And you have to put them out certain times, and if you don't put them out at the, at the right times then letters come through people complain. It's really annoying, but that's fair enough. And then, the problem is the who that the bins the communal bins are really, really small. So they like they're not big enough for blocks of apartments with lots of people living in them. And the person in charge of the apartment block would say that if you can't leave rubbish in bags outside of the bins, next to the bins they have to fit in the bins or you don't leave them there at all. And if you have rubbish outside then the council will find him. And when we said to him, why don't you get bigger bins he says I can't because the council supply the bins. So this is ridiculously stupid situation you know the bins are too small, they don't get all the rubbish but you can't leave the rubbish outside and if you're not quick enough to get there when the bins, when it's the right thing day for that particular bin, then everybody else has filled it up and you've got no chance. And it was just making me think about this idea this concept of crusade or comply, because you get really annoyed about it, and it's very easy to get annoyed about situations like this or other situations. And at the end of the day, you really actually only have two choices, you can either comply with it and do what you're meant to be doing. Or you can actually crusade against it and I don't mean complain because this was three choices really it's crusade complain or comply comply. You just fit in with what has to be done you know it's the cost of living wherever you're living it's the cost of doing business wherever you're doing business complaining gets you absolutely nowhere but annoys you and really takes it on board and gives you you know changes your mood and changes your viewpoint on on where you're feeling at the moment and he's just a complete waste of energy. But the other one is crusade. If you care about it enough, then you must do something about it but not complain actually do something about it, you know, be that person that makes the change in the council be that person that makes the change in the community, or whatever it is that you're that you're, you know that you're fighting against so to speak, whatever it is that you want to make better. So, it just made me think there's yeah three choices actually not to really, I just automatically discount complaining but it's crusade complain, or comply. Or maybe complain comply Crusade, maybe put it that way. There's just no thought that came to me and I wanted to share it with you, you know, when next time something bothers you decide which of those three that you really want to do complaining i think is useless complying might be the best option because at the end of the day it might not just be worth hassling about just, you know, fall into line and get on with it. And in other ways you might want a crusade. And that is, you know, that could be your own art you know making a career out something you really care about, or you know whatever it is the new product that you're building within your company or whatever it is. So, comply complain, or crusade. So that idea for you. Hope you find that useful. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 215 of my podcast The view from crow's nest, and it is Thursday. The something of something. Thursday the 11th of February, 2021. Today was an enforced day off from the point of view, we had to take Mina to get dental X ray, but the if we without waiting one month to get one in the local hospital. We had to travel to the main city in the region, which is an hour and a half away. And it also happens to be the main city where my driving licence is in the process of being changed over from British to an Italian one. And we did that in November. And they were like, yep, come back and see us we give you a piece of paper that will let you drive for the next couple of months, come back and see us at the end of that. Can you tell us if the licence is ready, no no no you just have to come and see us. Okay, so we queued there for an hour and a half at the motor place and they said no, it's not not been done. So we'll give you another extension for a month and then you come back and see us again and see if it's been done, classic Italian stylee. Fortunately, the guy was very kind and actually gave us a three month, piece of paper. So now we can go anytime next three months that was good, then we took Mina to the hospital and or the the scanning clinic, and she was very anxious very worried about having a scan that she hasn't had an X ray done before. And she's had a couple of experiences with doctors, or such that has meant that she's, she's rather fearful of the situation so it took us nigh on three hours to kind of get her to into the room and then get her to take the scan and blah blah and then she conquered her fear, and that was really really cool because, you know, it's easy for me it's a lesson for myself as well you know it's easy to look at something and say well that's just simple or easy just get on with it. But of course, whatever that is, if one is fearful of it, then that's it, they're fearful of it there's not a problem there. What's the challenge is, can that person overcome that fear and get it done anyway and, you know, and do it, not, not you know get not ignore the fear not get rid of the fear fear is good to healthy in a lot of places, but to conquer it, you know, to overcome it is a real boost to self and we can really see that Mina really was pleased with our achievement once you kind of got over it and obviously you know anyone who's ever had an X ray knows that there is nothing to it. So she was never in any danger from our point of view, but from her point of view, you know, it was a scary thing. So that was good and Leonardo was very very patient the whole way through. Despite it being boring as can be. We played whilst we're waiting and it was all good. The net result was that by the time we got back home it was like three in the afternoon or something for nearly three I think, and I did some work for an hour or so a couple hours for a client, as mid speed to it, five, and then we couldn't, but that's basically was my day. But there was something that I read today that has really resonated with me. And I just finished reading yesterday I just finished reading a book called The magic of thinking big by somebody I can't remember. I think it's Dr. Schwartz but I could be completely wrong there. And this is I think it's 1959 book, I'd heard of it. I'd never come across it particularly or read it but I read it. I think brilliant book, and well worth everybody reading it, it goes straight up to one of the best books I think I've read, full of practical advice, but no fluff and No. You know no over egging the pot. Just a really good book it I think it really lays out some, some good wisdom, basically and age old wisdom about the magic of thinking big but you know just about how to improve oneself so I highly recommend that book. The next book I started reading last night was Seth Golden's new newish or new book, I think, called things called the practice, create and ship work, or something like tha --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 214 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. It is Wednesday the 10th of February, 2021. For the second night in a row. I fell asleep around about midnight. And I was so tired, yesterday. Because midnight now is late late for me, whereas it might have been normal. A little while ago now though, waking it sort of six and getting up 630 to seven midnight is now starting to be late. And last night I was in bed at 930 really tired, just falling asleep and the next door neighbor's making a racket until basically like 11 or whatever and couldn't sleep. And, which was really frustrating. So I woke up this morning and I was just I had zero motivation and no energy I just couldn't face, doing stuff. It took me a good while to get out of bed. And then our training this morning with Abdel he'd put it back a couple hours which isn't like him but that's fine. So it was going to be at 10 o'clock rather than eight o'clock, which meant that kind of the whole morning is, you know, it was easy to kind of just not really do much this morning so the morning disappeared although we did train so that was good, and then a bit of energy after that had lunch, as much energy after that. And then as I really must do some work so I've plotted myself and got a few bits done stuff for clients, predominantly. So it was a pretty nothing, a day, really. And tomorrow we are out more or less for the day. We have to go and then go to travel to the main city in the region to get some admin stuff done because Italy is kind of another day which can be frustrating but equally. I realised this morning, aside from the late night last night. Really, I think it's because again I've done a kind of like 1014 or days or whatever of working. And though I've taken much more time off in the last couple of weeks in terms of resting in the afternoons. I've had really intense mornings. And, again, just not left the house not gone out and I think my body was saying well you need some, some time off dude you need to kind of just chill. Ideally, leave the house and go somewhere but there's not really too many places to go the minute actually that's that's a cop out there are places we can go into the mountains or whatever. Well, I can't get there my licence but my driver's licence but that's part of where we're going tomorrow, maybe I'll get my driver's licence or maybe I'll get a piece of paper telling me I have to come back within a month. And they might have it ready by then, so we'll soon find out. But yeah, again, I think just time off, so important, it's just a reminder, you gotta chill out a few times. Occasionally, apparently, so they say. So that's it, not really much to report. I did do my vocal practice today and then again played the set through the. My EP they come and go I rain play those six songs through, and I'm trying to get them up to being able to perform live as a set because they'll probably be the first kind of set that I stopped playing. Certainly, to try and get me out performing again but also I'm intending to do sort of online concert, concerts, and since this is the EP that I've got out at the moment. This is the one that I'll make sense to be concentrating on. So, I will recorded that did try to play them all through in Mongo and Leonardo came in the plasma track and was dancing about in front of them. So that's, whether I do anything with that video or not it's definitely a lovely video at least for us. So it's nice to have a fan. So yeah, that's the view from the crow's nest, not much to report. If you've got anything to report then you can find me on Twitter at Romeo Crow, or you can go to Romeo crow.com slash podcast and leave a voicemail on the show. short and sweet today thanks for listening and I will be back tomorrow Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 213 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. And it is Tuesday ninth of February 2021. Today was good, because I actually managed to start work I think it's seven o'clock and woke up around six and then go I bet half six started work at seven o'clock, and actually managed to fit in the first hour was writing. So working on my screenplay one night in Soho the second draft of my screenplay. And it's a bit of a psychological barrier to get started as it often is you know starting the hardest thing restarting. And I noticed the last time I opened it was 25th of September last year so it's taken me like four months just to open the script, but I did it, and I spent an hour and it was good I made good progress I went through about a third of the script, doing the edits that I wanted to do, basically just the dialogue really capital plot points I need to just move, I could make better. Yeah, made the pay off a bit better later in the film, or in the script but yeah that was good and then after that, I was on music. And finally, I discovered something so exciting for me at least. There's a thing in music so I'm working on a song called take what you want, I think, from my album, a blind eye to love. And there's, there's two types of entry for music, if you will. One of them is analogue or acoustic instruments which you might plug in and play and they're recorded as like waveforms you might have seen them they're the kind of things that go up and like a wave that goes up and down showing the sound, and the other type is called MIDI and MIDI is just all it is is information basically on or off and media itself doesn't make any noise but the information in it, and triggers sounds in other things that are usually digital can be analogue as well but. So with MIDI you have huge control over where you place those notes and you can make the computer divide up in a bar of music perfectly into whatever divisions you want and place those notes exactly etc. And there's a thing called quantize, which is where you basically just press a button on the computer and it will automatically move the MIDI notes to the timings that you want so all of a sudden if you play a bit sloppy as I often do with things like piano. If I've done it in MIDI, then I can straighten it up so it sounds more rhythmically correct. Today I discovered. There's a same functionality for audio for like, if I plugged in a guitar and I'm playing something I can basically just press a button and it will move it into time. And that's a bit of a revelation for me I never knew I could do that. I don't know what version of the software I use they started that it might have been six years ago and I didn't even realise, but said that was very exciting because basically what it means is, I can take the bass guitar, the electric guitars, and the MIDI parts cables etc and I can make them all really locked together. So they sound much more tight, is exactly the word. So, that was a great discovery huge discovery, I cannot over overstate the discovery of hugeness that that was basically finished the drums, so more or less now I've got the, the bed track. The original bed track done. And now I'm going to with the next couple of sections sessions add other sounds and instruments into it to give you a bit more depth and width and interest and whatnot. But that should be fairly swift now so hopefully that track will be done pretty soon ready for the vocals, and then I'll only have I think one or two more tracks on the album to do. And then the vocals for the wall, but, you know, it's getting there. So again, my process one hour on the writing was great one hour on the music that was great. Then I had a tonne of where the time went actually but then I had, you know, client work and stuff. And I worked through till two o'clock. Didn't get as far into the work as I'd want to you know there's still stuff that's pressing client stuff. And I feel like it's just a constant thing w --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 212 of my podcasts review from the crow's nest and it is Monday the eighth of February, 2021, at about five to 10 in the evening. Today Monday first day of the week but also very importantly, another day, kind of trying to work towards our new structure our new. It wasn't perfect today but it was better than yesterday and I think my gut says we actually Finally I think finding something that's going to work, to tick all the boxes home, family, work, etc. and started the day off with training with Abdel. And it was, it was actually a bit of an easier session for me but it was, I think a bit easier because someone has not had like a week and a half off or so so we're gonna ease back into it, but nonetheless I had a good sweat on so it wasn't so easy, but it's a good way to start the day had a shower. One of the things that we've we've done. I've been doing for about I guess a week or so is instead of dressing in, you know, jogging trousers and cheap t shirts from Primark I've actually put on jeans nice enough trousers and a nice shirt and actually kind of dressed up for the day put on a bit of aftershave, even though I know that I'm not going to see anybody other than the family because they don't leave the house and they're the only people here. You know, part of this kind of, I think. Recently, I mean it's been happening for about six months or so but certainly in the last month it's really accelerated this focus on planning for the future and you know new goals and whatnot. And what we realised is 10, years ago, we sumana and I were working together towards these goals we were both striving towards them and we pretty much achieved it achieve what was the main goal that we set out to, which was to be able to live anywhere because our income wasn't dependent on where we were living, and to be able to travel, bring up our kids homeschool them, and pretty much, you know we'd achieved that last year, then coronavirus came and destroyed our income stream so that was a bit of an annoyance. But, you know, we will get around that, that's fine. But we had kind of achieved it. And although we discussed some you know tentatively some other ideas for the future. We realised that, you know, middle of last year, whenever we really hadn't actually come up with what we're going to do for the next 510 years because that plan, more or less took us 10 years. So, this time around, I'd been thinking about the plan but Simona hadn't been so much because she was basically chronically sleep deprived because she puts so much time into the children and gets up multiple times during the night for the kids and gets up first thing in the morning for the kids, and had been staying up late spend time with me so it's a recipe for disaster and she didn't have the energy that she had previously. And a couple of weeks ago we had a discussion about it and it was that, that moment when, you know, not saying at all. She's an alcoholic, non alcoholic but that moment when you know you can't tell an alcoholic you need to sort yourself out. You need to stop drinking, there has to be the aha moment when they finally think and a few weeks ago so when I finally had the aha moment about needing to sleep more as simple as it sounds, and since then it's been a real switch. She's getting to bed earlier. She's getting more sleep she's more energetic she's more vivacious. And as a consequence, now we're more balanced we're thinking about the future. You know it's not just me trying to pull in one direction now it's the two of us working towards it and as a consequence, we've, I've definitely felt this renewed push towards you know making changes in it, and going after the new goal and the new goal. The next 10 year goal though, I would do it quicker than 10 years but the next big goal is to buy rather ambitious, it's a lifetime goal really but to buy our first house, which will be. I probably in or hopefully in Tuscany. In Italy, and the Tuscany region and b --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 211 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest, and it is Sunday the seventh of February 2021, and it's been about three days since my last podcast, which I guess was would have probably been like Thursday or Friday is what three days is. Why is that why is that well around to it basically I were on a flex of. We're on a permanent flex actually Simona and I have tried to find the right balance. And I guess that's what everybody in life is trying to do trying to find the right balance between work and fat and leisure, or family life, but then within that there's family life being with the family with the kids, there's family life being you as a couple just you and your spouse if you go on or your partner. And then there's individual time, which may be stuff that is to do with work but also maybe stuff that is not to do with work, dare I say, and then work itself, certainly for me is quite a varied thing there's, you know, it goes from music to writing to photography to marketing to working with clients to other stuff. So, there's such a you know overlapping stuff going on that. It's always difficult to find the yeah the right back. I'm sorry, I just got distracted. I won't tell you what I got distracted with. I'm going to keep my eyes on the prize. And so, I'm sorry he's fighting it but I'm gonna have to go in the other room now. I'm walking past the kids bedroom. And they're asleep. Finally, yes. And so it's finding a balance between, you know, between everything and seminar always trying to work out a different way of doing things, a routine this or the other. And the thing that we definitely a weaker at is our routines sheduled sticking to them, etc. And they are so much at the core and more and more I realised how at the core of any kind of success in any kind of endeavour they are. So if you listen to my podcasts of a few days ago in the last week, so I've tried I've tried this new system so system and schedules those I think are the two key things, and the system I've been using is every day. I start working just on my music and then I go on to other things, hopefully after my music it's then marketing my own stuff. And then it's working with clients and other sort of stuff. And to, along with that I've been running a timer for an hour each time and pretty much sticking to it. So do an hour on my music then I'll do an hour on the hour, and I'm finding that this is really enabling me to get through stuff in a satisfactory way like I feel like I'm making progress, even though it's complete false summit mountains like every time I get anywhere. There's another summit to climb ahead and I think certainly thinking about as a creative songwriter or an author or what have you, there's always going to be more work to do, is literally there's no end in sight. But nonetheless, you know, working through stuff like that at least I'm getting through stuff and I'm actually closing in on finishing my album The blind eye to love and this kind of stuff. But that on its own isn't enough. We need the structure so that I can do homeschooling with the kids so that I can play with the kids so that I can spend time with smaller so we can get the housework done so Simona can have time for herself etc etc. So the last few days we've been talking a lot and starting to implement a new you know schedules and hopefully this time round, you know the schedule that we're trying we try once a couple of days and we need to tweak it we're tweaking it. And it's such kind of boring dull stuff and yet it's so fundamental to getting, I think, towards any real goals in life any success. That one wants. So yeah, that's been the last few days. And part of that and I guess we're having done the podcast the last couple of nights is because Friday nights is now family, or has been for few weeks but family movie night. And we watched. Watch Chronicles of Narnia. And on Friday. And then last night we had our inaugural family games night. So, we, w --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 210 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest, and it is Thursday, the fourth of February, 2021. And today, I woke up again so 630 raring to go, which I never thought would be a sentence, I'd say with any kind of enthusiasm. So the you know the earlier nights had most definitely working or that in that I think I slept till 11 last night which. The great thing is now seems like late, whereas previously two o'clock in the morning would seem a bit more like late so that's good. But then one thing and another. I didn't get started working. And then in the end, Simona and I had a discussion about routines and about structure and whatnot because there's always so much to do as an individual as a couple as a family. And with the house. Work etc. And I might be being naive but I'm convinced that there's a way to fit it all in. And that convinced this, because that is a word. I'm sure is tied into systems and shadows and routines and habits. And I'm sure there's a way of combining them all in a way that works for us that unlocks the optimum use of time to be productive and constructive in all the ways that we want to be. So we discussed off this morning, we've got a new plan, which pretty much involves getting working straight away when we wake up and trying to finish work by about two o'clock have lunch and then have the rest of the afternoon off. So probably starting work at seven and working through till two. As a general rule of thumb, but also cause I quite like to try and work in one to two days off or ideally two days off a week. Family days out and whatnot. So, I don't know what seven till two. That also includes time for exercise as well. So we'll see. So we've got a plan we discussed it with the kids, mean had some very good questions Leonardo had some very good monologues, of which was the I wanted to join in the discussions that I was sure I followed the thread of most of them because they involve grandma's house. So I'm not sure how that related to our routine but it was good. And then when I did start getting working you know worked on music. I did the hour of music to start the day with which was really cool. The only frustrating thing was that the work that I did was working on. Basically the new drums for song number. 11 on the album. And after all the work I did I don't think I'm going to keep what I did. So, it was productively unproductive. You know, I got closer to what's right I just don't know what's right yet. But obviously, I'd like to have made more concrete progress with that. But you know it's coming along and putting in the time that again habit, you know it's forming system, doing an hour, hour 15, you know it's it's working on moving forward with that. Outside of that you know i client add to running, which is good, starting to get results for one of the new clients that's really positive. Now, there'll be the, the necessity of explaining to them or going, you know, going through ways that they can then profit by the results that we're getting. So that's another stage sent a website off to another client. So we'll get their feedback hopefully in the next few days and. Fingers crossed. They won't want too much change but we'll see. Or at least, hopefully they'll be happy with the basics of it and then we'll go from there. So you know those are those are positive. Didn't get through once again, didn't get through my task list though for the day, and also didn't do my kind of hour which I'd normally would do after, after the music didn't do an hour of like marketing where I'm promoting my own stuff so that was kind of lacking a bit today. Fact by the time I finished music photography he's talking this morning I did my hour or so music and then at lunchtime. And then my father in law came over just at the end of lunch, it was his birthday yesterday, and he brought some sweeties some pastries, which were tasty but probably shouldn't have eaten them. And then by the time that will finished --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 209 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. And it is Wednesday third of February 2020. And for some reason I got good sleep last night but I woke up in a bad mood, I think it was still like a carryover from yesterday just having, basically, a nonworking day which, which also wasn't a day out either so it was kind of like, got to me I don't know, but I had a good, strong training session with Abdel this morning strength training, kind of whole body. And that kind of sorted me out, and a nice shower. But then I carried on with my system, and I've got to say my system is working. So it's pretty simple three step system step one set an alarm or timer for one hour, and basically everything that I do is pretty much just one hour, even if I've not finished it. Even if I'm getting on really well. It's an hour. And actually, I'm finding that no matter pretty much what the task is okay. hour and 15 maybe but pretty much whatever the task is, you know, an hour is about the right time because more than that, and I start maybe losing focus or getting distracted or, whereas an hour is like okay I'm gonna focus on that and give it a really good hour and then I have a little break and it seems to be working well. So that's one second one. Even better, the first hour I'm doing is working on my own music, specifically on recording so in Cubase so producing songs, basically. And to that extent. I'm now just finished the 10th of the 12 songs for my album blend it love. And when I say finished I just mean the backing tracks so I still need to do the vocals for most of those, and all of the backing vocals, but the bedding tracks are basically done and that's going to be huge because then it's like, okay, I don't have to think too much more creatively I just have to do the vocals, you know, although the backing vocals would be a bit creative, I guess. And I've never really done them so that's gonna be a bit interesting but I'm getting closer. And it's because I'm doing like an hour a day on it. Brilliant. And then the second hour I do after that is on marketing, my own stuff. So currently, I've actually just been catching up with the lab posts, which I'm a bit behind on but I'm now making strong headway. After that, I'll be catching up on the photography side of things that I was posting. And once I've got those two things kind of up to date. Then, I'll be looking at sort of other marketing stuff more outbound marketing stuff but again during the hour a day I can see things moving and it's great. The third thing again really simple is, I'm using a task management software, so all the projects I've got that listed out, they've got their tasks tasks got deadlines, and each day. I don't have to think I just go into my task list, and I work through so I think Kate let's do an hour with one client. So I work on their stuff for an hour going through their task list in their project, and then. Who would have thought that being organised actually worked. I'm sure I tried this stuff before and either, it hasn't worked or I hadn't maintained it. So it's only a few days in so let's see whether I can maintain it or not but so far it's, meaning that when I am working, I'm putting really productive luck I'm feeling like I'm really getting some good work done. And the only thing that I hadn't been doing and I did manage today was vocal practice and getting to play my own music to get ready to start gigging again. And then this evening. To do that, I did a vocal practice and then some of the kids came home and they have seen was going to cook dinner so I said okay well. Can I come in and serenade you. And as sloppy as it sounds like. I just I'm not used to because I'm not used to playing in front of anybody that includes also my wife and my kids, you know, doing lack of performance or a console, you know, and so it was really nice to sit in the kitchen and just play some songs whilst Leonardo was banging forks on the table and crushing wat --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 208 of my podcasts review from the crow's nest, and it is Tuesday second of February. Correct. It is started on the first on Monday, Tuesday second of February 2021. And I, I sort of tried to start these podcasts in the morning, and the mornings a good time for them, but then I'm reflecting on the day before and it's just confusing me and then I forgot to do it this morning and now it's evening, so I literally don't even know where I am, maybe I shouldn't mess with the formula. But the upshot is yesterday, the first, I had a really good day, really good day I was really everything was about the hour, you know, as I talked about in the podcast day before. I was timing everything working the computer and got stopwatch going, and every hour, pretty much, you know, maybe a few minutes afterwards but then it's moved on to another project and as a consequence, I got through a lot of work yesterday I was really really chuffed. So that worked, worked well. And then I kick started the day in fact with a training session, and it was pretty challenging but my injury seems to have totally cleared up which is great, getting stronger and getting fitter so this is very good. So it's a good way to start the month it's a good way to start the week, and it's a good way to start. Whatever. And then, yeah, I guess that's that's yesterday. I talked about today do not talk about today to confuse I'm going to talk about today. Why not just going to do, just gonna jump in there and do it. Today I woke up really ready to work like really focused really hyped. And then, I couldn't work straight away because you know the family is up and I thought Acacia speak to them first rather than just go straight from my bed to my desk which is in the same room and getting on with stuff. And then Simona said, you know, we've been putting off going to the doctor, we need to see a doctor about getting a what's called an X ray for me it has teeth for an orthodontic treatment and identity streaming. And also, I got this little lump just in my chest. It's only a small thing I've had a couple of years and I'm pretty sure it's nothing but we thought I should probably get it checked out hasn't changed in a couple of years. But you know, let's do it. problem is we don't have doctors work around here because we're so used to the UK where it's so this than the other. So of course, first thing is, you go to doctors you don't have an appointment you just wait and however many people are ahead of you. You just wait. And then we when we eventually did get saved the doctor. Somebody called the doctor on our mobile so she answered it. Whilst we're in there and chatted to them for 15 minutes. So, can you just not waste our time, like, how about we just have an appointment and then you just talk to us that too. And yeah, that's how it works here. The other way it works here is, she couldn't do anything for us, so no no I can't do, you know, blah, iconographies or x rays, even if the dentist told you to come and see me. Where do we need to go you need to go to this office. Okay, fine. So Simona goes with the kids to this office. And then, after another hour she has been see two or three other offices and they've all told her different things. Now we can't have lice like goodness sake. So, typical Italian bureaucracy of being passed around and no one knows what's going on, which was a complete waste of my morning just blew out entirely. And then the afternoon. And I was ready to work this morning and then the afternoon, we had long story short, we, we were talking about a holiday. Later in the year and meeting up with my parents and then it got into planning and then we spoke to my parents and he went back and forth and blah blah and. Long story short, is we actually have now decided on something and my mom and dad have booked flights. And, you know, that's all good. But that was basically my afternoons, so the whole day is just just disappeared and it's put me in s --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 207 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest, and the day is actually the first of February, 2021, but this podcast is going to confuse me in time is about the is about yesterday, the 31st of January, 2021, but it's going to be dated first of February, because otherwise it's going to be far too confusing. Anyway, I made it, it's the morning, and I'm doing it so at least I remember this time. So follow up from yesterday. So, my plan of spending one hour per project started well enough, and then unravelled because I spent too long on certain projects, because the task that I was doing just took longer than an hour and I didn't want to stop it, but also I just figured that I could prioritise that task, because it was necessary and the other ones could actually wait. but what I did do is I've started yesterday again with working on my own music on a song on. I'm not your sucker or not your sucker, which is from album of blind it largely the vocals the guide vocals on it but I need to do proper vocals and backing vocals, much like most of the other songs on the album, but it's cool because the rest of the track is done, the bed track and it sounds cool so I'm really chuffed and it means I can move on to the next track. My plan is to get all of the 12 songs done as far as back backing tracks basically are done, and then go through and do all the vocals and get them done so I'm really excited about that because it's one step closer and it's very simple, just work on it every day. Who would have thought it. After that I spent a few hours working on a client's new clients, advertising campaign, because I wanted to launch that ideally yesterday but it will be today, but at least it will be ready to go. They've got a new single coming out a couple of weeks that's important I get on that early or early, you know, in time. So it was, it was pretty good. Everything unravelled not everything unravelled but at 530 last night. I got an email from my accountants, saying we've finished your tax return. Please can you okay now bearing in mind in the UK the tax return had to be done by midnight last night. So Sunday it's 530, they sent me the thing, and I was expecting. I don't know why but I was expecting pretty much no tax to be paid. And I was in for a rude awakening by quite a wide margin, which was an initial inducing moment, because as like far. And there's literally no way I could pay the amount that was owed. So long story short, One bonus is because of COVID, they are giving you a month's amnesty as it were without charging you late fees if you don't file your tax return. They will start charging interest on whatever you owe. As of today, but they won't charge you, the fee for being late if you fall before the end of February, and also a few things with a tax return that weren't quite right, which hopefully will reduce my tax load long and short of it is I sent an email back to the accountants, and we'll get it sorted this week, and then I'll probably speak to the tax office and see if I can stagger my payments over the next 12 months which I think they're also offering because of COVID, on account of last year, last tax year I had a business that brought in money and this tax year I have no business that brings in no money. So, I don't have the money to pay the tax bill, but it does highlight two really really important things, one of which I'd started doing recently, and the other which i'll come on to in a second. So the first one is, I need to set aside money every time I get paid for anything for tax and it's an obvious one, I know and everyone knows it, but of course when you're living hand to mouth, you don't, you know you don't have the 15 20% or whatever to put aside, or you do have it but you won't do it. Pay for other things like food and stuff. But I need to be really, really mindful of that and put that aside and be ready so that when tax bills come in, I'm ready to not get beat down by them. And that l --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 206 of my podcasts Have you from the crow's nest, and it is Sunday 31st of January 2021. And it is a tax state tax due date in a couple hours, which I will come to in a second. But first, it's the evening time is 930 in the evening, and yesterday on the podcast, I said, I'm gonna do these in the morning, maybe work out better now. Stop forgetting about them on occasion. And what did I do? I forgot entirely this morning. That that was the plan. I was I guess so focused on just getting up and getting on with work. I completely forgot that I was doing podcasts in the morning, but at least I've remembered now. So I'm doing it tonight. Hopefully I'll do it again tomorrow morning. And I guess that won't really be much to say tomorrow morning. Anywho. There was something that I did yesterday, which is kind of really what this podcast is more to be talking about, I guess. So maybe I'll just do that about yesterday. And then tomorrow morning I'll talk about today. We'll see. But I I tried a new experiment with my work because I always find myself thinking that I don't have enough time to fit everything in. And that's probably because I like to really want to fit a lot of things in and I had a call I don't know who was actually really To be fair, but I got invited to join this thing called lunch club, I think 100 Club dot something. And basically, you can choose how many you want to but you do video call meetings with people and they can be random. You can or you can decide who you want and you can specify criteria about them that you want to meet with certain people. And they say and I guess Entrepreneurs or business people or executives or whatever, but there are all sorts of people on it. And I thought, you know, this is a good idea, you know, networking with people from the comfort of your own home. So I do one of these meetings every Thursday now at lunchtime, and I was talking to this person, this girl on Thursday. And one of the questions asked her was, what sort of projects you're working on at the moment, blah, blah, blah, was a big thing. And then she asked me, and I replied with, you know, a few things that I'm doing. And she was like, Wow, that's a lot of things and I kind of guess it's easy to forget. You know, not just me, but you You yourself, everybody, whoever, it's easy to forget what we do and how much we are doing. And actually often it's quite a lot. And for me personally, you know, I find that there's so much I still want to do, no matter how much I'm doing. So I have this perennial problem of trying to get stuff done and I'm trying to move away from one, the mindset that don't have enough time because half of it is mindset. And the other half of that is being not being organised enough. So, I decided I'm going to do something very simple. I put a timer on my computer and I set it to one hour. And then I decided to try and allocate one hour to each kind of project. You know, that needs doing that day. So the day before this was yesterday, the day before on Friday, I had gone into my like task management tool and tried to organise myself a bit better. All the projects that I'm working on, you know, getting tasks and putting them on there giving them some due dates. The idea Being that my working day should really be open this tool. It's called nifty, open nifty, see what's on my task list for the day and do them. And if those tasks are for a particular project, let's say a client or an album or something like that and then group them together and work Call them for an hour. And then when the hours up, move on to the next thing, whether you've kind of finished or not. So I did that with yesterday and I had really good success with it. And I actually started the day by and this what I'm planning to do for the seeable future is start the day working on my own music because that's been taken such a backseat once again for the last six weeks. And if I don't do it first thing then I get embroiled in all --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 205 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest and it is Saturday, 30th of January, 2021, and it's been the longest time between my episodes, I think it's been five or six days so it gets nearly a week. And it's also the first time I have it's the first time but it's certainly the new switch for me because I'm going to be probably doing my podcast episodes in the morning, rather than in the evening when I'm going to bed. And therein lies the tale of why I've not done it for the last few days. I think probably yeah 24th. So, the 24th was last Sunday 25th was Leonardo's birthday. And I was going to be working majority of the day we can have a little party in the afternoon for a couple hours. And in the end, I didn't do much work, and we partied all afternoon, and I drank a fair bit as did Simona and we had a really nice relaxed afternoon and a really lovely and late evening. And so I didn't do my podcast. But, as part of that, because, you know, we're so do do I mean I'd worked I think something like 10 or 13 days or something without a break and I'd been doing, you know, kinda like 10 1012 hour days I guess most days. And I just I don't take breaks and I hadn't left the house. And it was just all constantly go go go. And I was pretty, pretty burnt out pretty tired. And I think on the Sunday just before, in fact, on the 24th I think I took the day off and then I sort of accidentally took Leonardo's birthday off on the 25th, and on the 26th I was so tired because we've got to bed so late, that I was, you know, wasn't gonna do any work. And that was the Tuesday and then the Wednesday I tried to do work but it was slow getting into it because I'd had three days off and I'd actually dare say it relaxed and unwound. And then you know it's been a process the last few days of trying to get myself back into back into working. And what happened also is because, you know, it was nice and relaxed so we had a bit of time, you know, we were talking similar and I about, you know, our plans and what we're doing and our routines and how we're working and, you know, we realised quite obviously that we just we spend too much time focusing on work and being productive and doing stuff that needs doing and not enough time on fun and on relaxation and on these kind of things. And the two of us came up with a very simple and obvious thing that we wanted to try, which is to go to bed earlier. And that's particularly prevalent for Simona because for eight years she's been going to bed, more or less, when I go to bed so fairly late, but then getting up a few times during the night with the kids, and then waking up really early with Leonardo, or with Mina first and then with Leonardo. And as a consequence, she's basically chronically sleep sleep deprived. And of course if you're like that you're, you're not going to have the energy, you're not gonna have the focus and the willpower and the motivation to do things that you might normally do. And so, you know, we thought well this is a really simple idea let's, let's get to bed earlier, you know, if I get to bed earlier then Simona doesn't feel like she should be staying up because otherwise we don't get time together or whatever and equally, if she goes to bed earlier. I'm bit more motivated circa well if I go to bed earlier what I wanted to do this year was be getting up earlier, but I realised I've been focusing on the wrong thing I've been focusing on getting up, but getting up is the. It's like the the effect, not the cause, you know the cause of getting up at 630 or something, is because you go to bed at 930 or 10 o'clock or something. But if I just focus on trying to get up at 630, and even I know I should be going to bed earlier I know this sounds like a completely obvious thing and it is completely obvious, but sometimes you know it takes a few times to kind of for something to really the penny to drop as it were. And so, since then we've been like okay let's get to bed earlier --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 204 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. It is Sunday the 24th of January 2021. Now, after yesterday, where as the day progressed and then went into the evening into the night I got into worse and worse mood. And I knew that it was, you know, the way I was looking at things rather than things themselves you know, as is always the case it's one's own interpretation of things that, you know, judges, whether they're good or bad or whatever and I was looking at everything and everything I was looking at was looking bleak or bad or put at a seminar man. You got to sort yourself out. So, this morning. I came up with a very cunning plan. It's very simple plan. I stayed in bed all day until about four o'clock in the afternoon. And basically I realised I needed a day off the simple as it is. I needed a day to not think about work and not think about art not think about anything. Just, just relax really just mom. And as always is the case Simona was so helpful and supportive and wonderful and she bought me breakfast in bed and then she brought me lunch and cuddled with her cuddle with her kids I fought with the kids in bed we battled each other. And I just, I watched UFC all day, basically. And just blanked everything It was really needed, like really needed. It was pissing down rain outside the whole day. I landed at four o'clock. I got dressed got kids got dressed, and the four of us went outside to play basketball there's a porch area that sheltered from the rain so we played there for a bit. And then, Leonardo wanted to go in the rain and then meanwhile it's going to rain I said yes we'll go in the rain. And there'll be big, big puddles and we thought Screw it. So we, the three of us, me and the kids were just jumping in the puddles and I got so soaked. Like, literally from, from tip to toe inside and out. Even my shoes you know all of the the kids and I our shoes which a waterproof had puddles in them you know it was like, totally soaked. And then we really enjoyed that and then we came in, had a bath together, and then go out and then went to get dinner and do video calls with friends and whatnot and then we had a power cup. And so, I celebrated the power cup by having some Baylor's which put me in a very good mood. And then we lit candles everywhere and had dinner, because at least the gas was working, and then got the kids into bed and then the power came back on so it was only out for about two three hours. It was really really enjoyable day. And I guess before that I'd worked for maybe about 10 days straight or something. And apart from the days that I had training I've been starting in about 10. And even with the days that I had training I'll be finishing at about 8pm. Pretty much every day. I don't know why I can, what to show for it but I've been doing a really intense and it's just been draining me and I because it's not, it's not the sort of work that gives you more energy, such as creative work is the sort of work that really drains you you know, studying marketing and business are working for clients and blah blah blah. So yeah, it's a lesson to myself and to anybody else who may be listening and feeling challenged at some point, sometimes we just need to pay off, simple as it sounds, and at least today. That seems to have done the trick. Of course, tomorrow's a new week I'll be back in it got a new client started so it's all going to be, you know, full on. But I think I need to get, as I've been saying for the last week or so or two, I need to get back to do my own art, I need to find a way to you know make that part of my regular routine again, because it was working for me very well, just before Christmas. And since then, you know, I wanted to focus on the marketing the business start building my fan base stop getting my clients fan bases, that's working, and to get back to what it is I'm doing in the first place. So that is the view from the crow's nest today at half 10 in the evening. So --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 203 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Saturday the 23rd of January, 2021. Today Today I don't know where today when, frankly, I've kicked off the day with some training, and it's good and the pain in my pack is or that kind of area is getting less and less. So was able to do a little bit of exercise on it today, mostly legs but. And it seems to be alright so that's positive and getting better again so that's cool. And then after that, how that after on on my day when some new client, and in fact some other clients as well I've been talking about Tick Tock and if you're a musician, then everything keeps everybody keeps saying I need to be on Tick tock tick tock swears etc etc. Now, apart from a very very cursory knowledge of the platform I don't really understand and know it hadn't been on it really I haven't looked at it. So I thought, Well, okay, I've got a call this evening with the client who wants to talk about stuff that might include tic tocs Let me get my tic toc knowledge up, and thus and so I went tic toxifying myself today, and I watched a whole bunch of videos and webinars and they set the other and read articles and Dylan went on the platform and, and basically my entire day has been tik tok, and I've come to the conclusion that it's, you know, I can understand why people like it I can understand its uses, but as a as an artist. As a musician, I think it's an incredibly challenging platform to really you know do too much with on platform. Of course, you might be able to get people off the platform. And then you might be able to get them to other platforms where you can better monetize them. But, um, you know that sounds pretty. If that sounds pretty hot or monetize them is because, you know, if you're an artist and you want to make a living from your art, therefore you have to monetize it, and relying on streaming income alone is a really bad idea because streaming income is incredibly low, you know, if somebody streams your song you get like point 0004 P or something. So you need to have like, you know, a million streams just to get a couple $100 kind of things. So, you, you know, you need to have other routes to monetize, and I still firmly believe that the email is the best central part of that strategy central part of what you're doing. So my thought on Tick Tock is, it's fine. You could probably get some people watching you can get some followers you can get some traction on some things, but unless you've got a very good way of leveraging them off system, then, you know, I just think it's a lot of extra time it's a lot of extra work along with all the other things as a musician as an artist you need to do that, um, I'm not convinced of the, you know, I'm not convinced of the, the merit of. But one thing I did say in the video which I really liked it one of the videos, was an example of what it's called. Positivity bias, I can't remember what it was called, but basically it was a concept that we're using to describe getting in as an artist on tik tok but I really like the concept and I'm going to use it in other situations because great. It was during World War Two. I think it was the Americans or the Brits I can't remember, but they were losing a lot of planes, go out on bombing runs and whatnot and they'd come back and they'd have lost a load of planes. And so what they did is they analysed all the planes, you know, they came back they analysed all the bullet holes in the planes, and they saw that they were generally clustered around certain areas. So they were like, Aha. Makes sense. Well let's reinforce these areas and then, you know, that'll be better. So they reinforce these areas. But the stat the statistics would have seen they kept losing about the same number of planes. And then somebody, bright spot realised that if they're measuring the planes that came back, they're measuring the wrong thing. And in fact those planes that came back if they've got bullet holes --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 202 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. And it is Friday 22nd of January, 2021. Today, I had a bad sleep last night. Didn't get sleep after three woke up, I guess. Seven something or something. I guess yeah what I was talking about yesterday, or maybe a day before, but yeah basically I think not enough creative stuff not enough fun work should we say too much of this marketing and business stuff. And once again, is taking me away from, you know, especially the progress I was making with my art, and it's making me antsy, but also something else that has been bothering me, I realised and I forgotten, is when the place when the house is a mess. You know the environment really makes a big difference to me and even though I might be in my room. A lot of the time, if I'm feeling challenged overwhelmed or frustrated, etc. Then when I go in the other room subconsciously if I see mess everywhere, and mess all over the hall and blah blah, then it really does affect me and today I had a bit of a bit of a shout out everybody and let's get this place sorted and blah blah blah. And what possibly kicked it off as well, is we had a washing machine we paid you know whatever a few 100 euros for the washing machine then we paid 60 euros for a guy to come in and fit it because he had to do some piping or something for the thing. And I went to turn it on today and just before I did it's got one of these German they're called schuko plugs, even though we're in Italy and you need an adapter. And it's pretty standard stuff and I was just thinking Hang on a sec though but this adapter is Max 1500 watts. And I'm pretty sure the dishwasher is probably stronger than that and it was like 2300 watts. So you shouldn't be running it through this adapter. So I went downstairs, because there's a shop downstairs that sells all sorts of things including adapters, and every adapter the maximum is 1500 watts. And I said, well, hang on a minute. That's a bit weird so I did my research and found out that basically, you don't really get these type of adapters, anything more than 1500 watts. And yeah, I know that all of the major appliances like white goods appliances washing machines dishwashers they already use the schuko plugs and a little while ago we had a melted plug from exactly this kind of thing from the washing machine. And we just put it down to it being old we called an electrician he rewired the socket put in a new socket, put a new schuko plug adapter on the washing machine, and I didn't think anything of it so I checked it today, and a little fucker put a 1500 watt on which you shouldn't have done because that's what causes melts and potentially fires. So I was very disappointed with both of these guys the guy who did the washing machine a few months ago and the guy who did the dishwasher. Plug in a couple of days ago. So we found another electrician, because it's dangerous you can't do it it's dangerous Yo, so find another electrician and actually he came like 10 minutes after we called him who was basically driving past. He had a look he said alright cool cool cool, I can do all of this, I might be able to come this evening. You know, we'll see. And he just turned up rocked up this evening with another guy. And not only did he replace the actual wall socket, so we don't need the adapter so you can put the sugar plug in, but he did the same thing for the washing machine. And he also did that in the bedroom here where I'm working I've only got one wall socket, he doubled up my wall sockets, and I think. Did he give me two shakos or one schuco in a normal one. Either way, He also took my English like soccer, I've got this tower power tower thing you've put all sorts stuff into, and he took the English plug in he rewired it to an Italian plug. So that was another 60 euros. So, the dishwashers cost us like, I don't know, whatever 270 euros, the dishwasher and then another 120 euros just to have people basically saw out the elec --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 201 of my podcasts, have you from the crow's nest and it is Thursday the 21st. Yeah, 21st of January 2021, welcome welcome welcome. I'm running out of, I'm running out of energy. Maybe I need a break or, I think, really what I need is a change of project focus. So, energy and motivation to focus on marketing, and those last few days, ironically now that I brought in another client for audience ninja. Hopefully, we'll see if they sign up, if they pay their invoice then they're definitely a client. But yeah, I think these last few weeks, three weeks basically I've just been focused big time on marketing, learning, you know, improving my skills my knowledge, putting it to practice starting to rebuild my fan base, helping my clients build theirs and it's been working it's been good, but I think I need to move into creative mode now and get some music and stuff done. So today, as part of my drive this year I'm intending to start gigging again. I do again yesterday I was talking about psychological barriers, and I'll summarise it. That basically, if you want to, to turn something into a habit or get something done. Often the starting point is the hardest bear so you need to try and do whatever you can to kind of con yourself into at least just starting, and they alongside that a similar idea is that basically don't worry about completing everything just get started. So today I pulled out this pedal which I bought, probably about five years ago and basically never used, which is, you can plug a microphone and an acoustic guitar into it, and then it gives you nice effects for the acoustic guitar and for your voice. And it's also got a looper functionality on it. And so, I don't know how to use it properly. I don't know how to use it, really. And I know it's going to take some configuring which is probably what's put me off using it in the past, because I'm bit lazy like that when it comes to pedals and things. So, but nonetheless I dug out the cables that I got the pedal the power supply all that stuff got the microphone set up, etc. So today I had a little bash with it. And though I didn't really try and get into any of the configuring side of things. I thought to myself, you know, just start off just get it all plugged in, get it working. That's the first thing. But I did start playing around with the looping pedal, and I forgot how much fun they are and I'm, I'm not very good with loopers particularly but straightaway, you can just create such cool stuff. And it does make me think, maybe I should get a proper lube station, you know, and really go to town on this stuff, because it gives such a different dimension, when specially when you're playing solo solo acoustic as well. So maybe that's something I'll look at in the future. But for now I recorded a few little ideas, nothing that I can probably redo and they maybe they're good for, you know, starting properly writing songs. You know in Cubase is just sort of basic ideas, but um, but it was cool. It was fun. It was nice to play a bit of music, just for the spontaneity and enjoyment of playing music which is something kind of not really done for a bit. I've written a couple of song ideas and noodled around the guitar. But when I'm noodling it's just like basically blues stuff yeah blues esque stuff and I fall in the same routine. But what's really cool about the looper pedal is enables me to do a little bit, you know like, you know, with my mouth or whatever, cymbals. And of course that means that whatever I'm doing on the guitar might be a bit different to my normal blue stuff so it pushes me in a different direction straightaway. So it was really cool I guess I really enjoyed that. And, yeah, that's that's pretty much it just, you know, moving forward, kind of think about to turn into a music flex or remember for about six months ago maybe longer probably even longer than that Simona was saying to me that she notices that I go through cycles, and I get, I go t --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 200 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. It is Wednesday the 20th of January, 2021, or 20 2021 2001 2021. I'm getting myself confused. Anywho, sorry I missed yesterday. I got to bed late ish but Simona was already in bed asleep and the kids were sleeping the other room and I didn't fancy going in the bathroom and doing the podcast so basically I just didn't do it. I'm sorry. So, caught me where I was, but the last few days I've definitely felt overwhelmed. again, and so many things to do, trying to fit everything in, and, you know, everything is a full time job and I'm trying to do 10 of them so I'm definitely struggling with that. But nonetheless, you know, bit by bit I'm getting there I'm coming. I think I'm coming out of my recent sort of two three week three week probably Uber focus on music marketing, my own music and also other people's have an increase in my knowledge increasing my experience, and practising what I preach and getting stuff out there, etc. And now I think I'm coming to the point where I need to take a little bit of a break from that. That said, I've got a couple of, you know, clients for audience ninja and it looks like today, I've brought onboard, another client. So, they want to go they want to do it. They want me to invoice them so assuming they pay the invoice then we're in business. So that's really exciting. Another musician who's really dedicated which I really love because you know they're going to do what they need to do which is brilliant. And, you know, I'm getting good results so that my current clients so I'm very, very happy, very confident that we're going to replicate it with them. But of course it does mean that it's more music marketing work and less time for my other projects particularly my own music, and it also means the pressures on a little bit, and, you know, want to increase my skills and my knowledge even further because I really want to get good results for my clients. So yeah that's that's kind of a blind eye to love my album that's just, just will not die that won't that I keep doing for a bit and then moving away from for necessity. I want to get back to you by the end of January I want to be back working on that and, you know, knocking through the tracks, because I really want to get the album finished ASAP, which I've been saved for months I know, but I'm getting closer, but I just haven't put any time on into music production for a good sort of six weeks, I guess. So I've kind of feel a bit rusty but I'm sure once I don't want to two sessions I'll, I'll be back into it and it won't have that psychological barrier. I remember reading. Very true point about basically psychological barriers and how to kind of overcome them and often starting something is far more challenging. Getting literally getting yourself started mindset and getting started than actually doing it. So the thing that I'd read was about exercise, running in this particular case and he said, you know, instead of thinking you got to get up get stuff on bla bla bla go out and run and then you never do get your stuff ready and put it by the door so that you've got one less thing to kind of think about you see the stuff they just put my feet in there and, you know, any little thing you can do to trick yourself into making it easier in the moment when your willpower is going. I don't want to do that. You know will help. Case in point, I had drum kit downstairs in our old apartment block for like five years, and I basically never really used an electronic drum kit. And then when we moved into the flowers very excited to hear I was very excited because we got stuff Brian from England, including the drum kit. I set it up in this sort of storage room so this kind of music room. And, you know, you could walk up to it is you know you had to pull a bed or like a rolling bed out of the way, which was easy enough and unlock the door to walk in and I basically never touched it. And another mon --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 199 of my podcasts, have you from the crow's nest, then it is Sunday the 17th of January 2021. I'm drained man I'm tired. I'm feeling overwhelmed. Again I'm having one of my little overwhelmed moments, just with how much there is to do you know not even including all the various opportunities in various different areas and industries you know not talking about worldschooling Harbour, talking about anything else like that, just audience ninja even just talking about my own art, you know, my own music even. There's just so much work to do. You know this week I've been looking last week basically I've been looking at marketing and reigniting my marketing game. And, you know it's going well but at the same time it's just, it's a full time job, you know, and it's a full time job for multiple people to do it properly. And that's without spending any time working on actually creating any music, you know, not recording any music properly not writing any songs not vocal practising not practising to, you know, play live again, and not practising guitar, get my guitar skills back up. You know all these little things which in and of themselves take time. And, you know, trying to get it all done together, same time is at the moment. Yes training me and it's feeling pretty overwhelmed by or pretty tired. No doubt, I will, you know have another little breakthrough of energy or whatever tomorrow, think also, or part of it, I've got a lot of pain in my chest. On the right hand side of my chest. I've had it I guess I guess I've had a few weeks I don't really know. And I can't work out whether it's a pain from sort of muscle strain from training. And this musculature or whether it's anything more than needs more investigation. And that's I guess playing on my mind a little bit as well and, you know, all of the above. I'm not getting enough exercise and, you know, three times a week, I'm training with, with our personal trainer and that's fantastic but you know not walking enough I'm not moving my body generally enough, I feel I'm not playing with the kids enough and spending enough time with them or enough time with Simona. So it's all a bit, a bit overwhelming at the minute really. That said, you know, this is what I chose. And, you know, you want to make a career music is perfectly possible but you got to hustle. And I guess at the moment I'm feeling like I don't think I have enough time. Do you know to do all the hustles that are necessary for the hustle, but we shall see. So yeah, that's, it's gonna be short and sweet one today that's the view from the crow's nest. Tomorrow the beginning of the week. And hopefully I'll start with a bit of energy and be able to hit the ground running. We shall see. So that's it that's me today, that's how I'm feeling. How are you feeling, you can let me know on Twitter, Romeo Crow, or you can let me know by going to Romeo crow.com slash podcast and leave a voicemail message for the show. Well, I hope you're well. Hopefully you're not overwhelmed. And I will be back for my 200th episode. I hope tomorrow. And hopefully it'll be a higher note than this one. We shall see. Take care yourself Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 198 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Saturday the 16th of January 2021, I realised I haven't done a podcast for three or four days, which is probably the longest stint since I started there's no real reason I one of the nights I came to bed lay the other night came to bed with ghobadi I was tired I don't know what have you missed What have I missed well not really that much, and still focused on learning more about, you know, updating my knowledge about music marketing. The initial course that I did that I put into practice is working very well, I'm just unrolling it for some clients now sort of hybrid technique but it's it's cool so excited about that. What do we will do Wednesday, did I did I do on a Wednesday. They didn't think I did one on Wednesday maybe anyways we had a family day or Wednesday. And if I didn't do one I got the car stuck on a beach. We had to wait. It was a deserted beach and we had to wait until somebody rocked up an hour or so later who happened to have a tow rope and also told us how to fit a tow bar to a car where to find the tow bar and then towed us out of the sand. So that was cool. The kids played for three hours whilst on the beach very very happily, and while they did that I did a photo shoot my first one in a long time so similar to a bunch of photos of me, and also took some photos, sort of photographer. And then the final one was recording acoustic version of one of my songs so bass music video I guess just by just an acoustic rendition. And this is part of my plan this year to be playing a lot more but also to be releasing more music. I wanted to start doing acoustic versions of songs at the very first week of Jan, but I didn't just didn't get around to it basically I launched my photography portfolio on my website, and my photography Instagram profile Romeo crow photography on Instagram. And I've been maintaining those so that's good. But the acoustic versions haven't quite come up yet. But nonetheless, I'm working on them. So yeah, it was a bit windy but nonetheless I got a decent enough recording and one of the songs, and then worked for next couple of days and then today. I, we went out this morning. It was snowing here yesterday and Castro bellary, and Simona thought that it would be more snow in the mountains, which I'm sure it would have been. So we went out this morning we went up into the mountains and we went to find snow, and eventually we did find snow I mean it hasn't seen snow for years Leonardo's never seen snow so seeing him, stick his hands and it was quite funny, for the first time. Nonetheless, it was pretty cold up there about minus six, something like that. And I did another video I did another song, wearing gloves, so first time I've played guitar wearing gloves, but nonetheless I did it so now I've got a couple of songs in the bag, and I think I'll probably wait until I've got kind of four of these acoustic versions of songs. Before I sort of released the first one, then that way hopefully I'll be like a month ahead is the plan. But we'll see. But certainly, you know, the places around here are very pretty once we go to anywhere. And so it makes for very nice, very nice locales for the, for the videos, you know, outside of that, it's just kind of say, same oh no say well we got our dishwasher delivered how exciting. So after like 18 months without a dishwasher we finally got a dishwasher which might save us a couple of hours a day of washing up which is what is currently taking guy comes on Monday to fit it because he needs all extensions and stuff because of the way the kitchen is and blah blah blah. I'm boy with that. But that's super duper exciting. And yeah so tomorrow. Back, back at it for the day and see how the adverts have started for the first client. Hopefully they'll have done well like the ones that I run it for myself seem to be doing well. So yeah, all good all focused, moving things forward, and it's 20 to midnigh --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 197 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Wednesday the 13th 13th 13th of December 2011, and today marks a very important day because it's our first family day out in at least two months, possibly longer. And conversely, it's my first day out in probably about two months, six weeks, probably, I mean, certainly, there's a supermarket around the corner you can walk there in about four minutes. And that's pretty much the furthest I've been in the law in the last two months and the last time I went there was about a month ago, like, I don't leave the house. Generally, so we had this day out today and it was so bloody enjoyable. I mean everything shut, but we'd been told that there's these beautiful lakes. I see these lakes of Seabury beautiful lakes. So you went down to them and basically it's like a retirement village with these artificial lakes boating lakes, and it's just not very impressive put it that way. So we went down there we drove there. We had two missions one to see the lakes and the second one was to get me in some waterproof shoes. Boots she really needs some outdoor boots, so that we can say go hiking it's not that you know hiking but at least she can walk places that are muddy and wet and it's not going to get her shoes, her feet wet. So we went to these lakes and it and they kind of suck but it was fun we know we drove around and we kind of looked and we're like, yeah, this sucks but nonetheless. And that was basically lunchtime. And then we started to head towards the shopping centre where we might be able to get her shoes because you would have thought buying waterproof shoes would be a fairly easy thing. But it's missions around here. No one sells anything like it. And I saw this sign it was like come out of the retirement village of the boating lake and turn left and off you go. But tell Ryan, it was one mile from the seat one kilometre from the sea, and I just thought you know what let's just go right, see the sea. So we drove down and we drove down this lonely road, and then the sea opened up in front of us. And you can see these tracks where people have driven onto the, you know, into the sand or whatever. And there was this big puddle. And sumana said go fast go fast. So like fine. Let's do this. So I drove fast through this puddle. And I had completely forgotten or not forgotten I didn't realise. Yeah. Okay, I'm like that. I didn't realise that with the windows open the puddle would spray into the car, I just thought physics, it would spray out to the side but apparently not. So spray this puddle into me in his face into my face like dirty. Sandy water into the car, and I was laughing about it until I realised I driven too far onto the sand and I wasn't laughing because I couldn't move the car. And so they were like, ah, and there was not a soul about. And we're on this beach, and we tried to go forward we tried going back and of course all we did is bury the car deeper into the sand. And so, okay well you know or something out blah blah blah. Anyways, it transpired when I transferred some other they were, I don't know, some dude appeared. Eventually, some other dude, and he had a towing cable, and then he was like hey I can pull you out. And there's like a, like, Ah, well, you probably find it under the spare tire, really. So he never knew he had that he never knew how to tow him by and be we found out that there's a panel that you pop out of the back of the car and you can screw the towing bar into that panel. So you know, you learn things every day. So this dude pulled us out which is very good. And by that point the kids would go out of the car they'd, you know, finally got over their agoraphobia and they've got out the four walls and they're on the beach. And this is the middle of January, and it was beautiful sunshine, beautiful blue sky. And, you know, almost, almost t shirt weather for the beach. So the kids started playing, and they were happily playing on thi --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 196 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. And it is the 12th Tuesday the 12th of January 2021. Apologies I missed the show yesterday. I went to bed too late. Basically, by the time I went to bed Simona was actually in bed asleep for the first time in a long time she was in bed asleep before I was and she saw I couldn't do it in here and then the kids were sleeping in the other room and I couldn't do in there and then just basically was asleep. It was late though. So, what am I the last couple of days last three days I've been on the same flex as I was in the podcast couple days ago. I bought a whole bunch of music marketing courses and I've been working through them and implementing the ideas and seeing some results. It's brilliant. So really, really chuffed about that and super focused really focused at the moment. And I've, I've got it in my mind, I've, I was reading a book a couple of days ago that I can't even remember what it's called. I think it's called the personality mythical the myth of personality I can't remember anyways. But it made me think about, you know, having one goal in fact he quotes in it Peter Thiel his book, zero to one, which I read a few years ago but I didn't didn't really resonate as much but basically the general idea is that you know you should have one main goal and that's your motivational goal and whatnot. And I've always struggled a bit with that because it's like the one thing to the detriment of all else, and I'm like yeah but I love music but I love to photography I love writing I love films, and I can't pick one I really can't do it. And so to pick one goal one thing that would really move the needle it's like well is it music is it. And then I finally had a little breakthrough brainwave kind of days go as crass as it sounds, I realised I know what my goal is, at least my initial goal is financial, because from there everything else flows, you know, if you've got enough money to pay other people to do things that you either don't want to do or can't do or don't have the time to do, then you can focus more on the things that you do love doing or the, the where you can put the most value in, I mean it's obvious. And so, I realised that my goal is to get to 10,000, pounds a month in revenue, which from where we are right now is just ridiculously far away, because we've got pretty much no revenue so you know it's a lofty goal. and I originally I was thinking you know maybe I can get there in three years time or four year. And I thought, No. Give yourself a, you know, give yourself a beat, why play small Why think small, you know, so I've given myself a goal of getting to that by the end of this year. So, these courses come at a great timing up, it's not just from my music, that's the whole point. Having the goal of 10,000 pound a month. It's not important where that comes from. So, the question I'm now asking myself is any activity I'm doing anything I'm doing, does it bring me closer to that goal. So it could be photography related thing, it could be a writing it could be business related agency music, whatever, you know, the point is, if it's moving me towards that goal then great. Continue if it's not then stop it and don't do it. Pause it, you know, put it on the back burner. And so that's going to be my little filter to try and use as a framework for deciding what you know what i'm doing because, you know, I think it's, it's easy to have a dream and it's easy to have ideas and goodness knows I got enough ideas, but obviously it's harder to make them happen. And one of the most influential self help books ever is Napoleon Hill. Think and Grow Rich which is like what 1920s something I think he has he breaks it out into I think the 10 or the 12 sort of laws or rules of Getting Rich or getting successful. And one of the first ones is, you know, having a very definite goal of definite purpose, and having complete faith that you'll hit it. And so I think that I've had --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 195 of my podcasts, have you from the crow's nest, and it is Sunday 10th of January 2021 10 to 10 in the evening. And I'm feeling good, and I'm feeling good because yesterday. As I mentioned yesterday's podcast in fact for the last couple of days I've been focused on learning new marketing ideas tactics, techniques, etc. and putting them into practice straight away, because no good getting knowledge, if you don't use that knowledge was the phrase as a great phrase that someone like to know and to not do is not to know or something like that. Anyways, so I kicked off some, some ads yesterday for this strategy to build fan base, both emails and Spotify followers, etc. And I've got to say straight away works. It's working straight off the bat, like anything can always be improved, and also like anything, one may be lucky with one, you know, piece of content and piece of advertising, and then you try and replicate it you don't get as good results. So you know, It's still early days in that sense, but I'm really chuffed because it's, it's hitting the ground running. And that means that it's ideal for promoting my music, and it's an ideal part of my toolkit for helping audience ninja clients promoting their music. So I really excited by this prospect and it's motivating me big time. Because, you know, for the last few years really I've not been doing much about my own music and, as you may have heard on the podcast, particularly in the last three to five months, I've been working a lot more and working towards working a lot more on my own music my own art, and I am really excited to be kind of back in the game basically and you know stuff happening and seeing some energy and some action and it's really pleasing. So, yeah, I'm really chuffed and all I was doing today was working on that. Finished. One man course I've got a few more courses to do from different people that I want to look at, see if there's, you know, more ideas there. Because, you know, I have a decent marketing knowledge, and I have marketing experience, and people pay me for that knowledge and experience, but at the same time, it's no good for anybody in any area in any industry to kind of still trade off of where they were even just two or three years ago because things change so rapidly. So I think it's Derek Severs who are really like said something like, you know, if you've, if you've not been doing something for the last couple of years you're no longer, you can no longer call yourself paraphrasing but you can basically no longer call yourself whatever that is. So for example if you wrote a book, seven years ago you can no longer call yourself an author because you're not. In his opinion, you know, etc etc. And I might be playing with the timescales a little bit there but the principles are basically, you can't effectively you can't trade on past glories. And, you know, those succeed. And by succeed I'm not talking about externally in other people's views. I'm talking about internally succeed in their own goals. Those people are the people who, you know, constantly strive to update their knowledge to update their skills etc and I really invite you to consider any area of your professional life, even if it's something you're not that interested in or and your personal goals and whatnot. What are your goals. What can you How can you improve yourself, you know what, training what experience can you get that's going to push you out of your comfort zone and expand your value, basically. So that's what I've been doing, expanding my value, both internally for myself and externally for clients. And I'm pleased with how it's going so far I've got to say the downside to all of this is I've done very little in the way of creative work, music, ironically has been pushed on the back burner. But then again, you know, 20% of business is making the product and 80% is selling the product. And if you don't ship it as Seth Godin would say you know it's not real --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 194 of my podcast the crew from the crew. I'll have to start that one again. The view from the cruise nest, otherwise known as a view from the crow's nest. It is Saturday, the ninth of January 2021 and it is a 20 to midnight. Today, started the day off with a personal training session, it was Wait for me this morning, strength training, and I prefer it to circuit training cardio, but it still was definitely challenging so that's cool. And then by the time we finish that blah blah to shower, then basically I spent the day the whole day. It's constant my desk, studying and putting immediately into practice some ideas on music marketing particularly with regards to Spotify. And so, I won't bore you with the details but I'm trialling a couple of things I learned a few new things I'm going to combine them in some other things. And over the next few days I'm going to be trying some stuff with some ads running to Spotify from Facebook, and hopefully they'll get some good results and why that's important is because one I wish to promote my music big time. And to because it will be something that I can then use to help my clients, Ford is ninja so I am. I really hope that works, but my brain is kind of melted, because that's nearly a third of the first course. And I've bought three different courses, and I might even buy a fourth course actually on Spotify on pretty much Spotify as music marketing but everything seems to revolve around Spotify, and I don't 100% agree with it. I think there's a way that one can deliver both what I agree with which is building your own email list, and also building Spotify I think the two can coexist. So we shall see. So I'm very excited because, you know, It's nice to learn new things it's nice to try new things and it'll be even nicer if those things work, particularly if you can deploy them straight away for the benefit of many people. So, hopefully, they'll go well, we'll know more about it in the next few days or a day like literally just head buried. During this stuff. It's important that I've done no creative work in the sense of you know music or anything else. I did share a tonne I did share a photo my third of the week on Romeo crow photography on Instagram instagram.com slash Romeo crow photography. And I did do some editing of that photo first in Lightroom so I was brushing up and my skills in Lightroom are reminding myself a few things. And so just keeping those skills, you know, dormant that a little bit, a little bit improved. And that's all the one can do just keep improving all the time whenever one can. That's all I got. So that's the view from the craziness today if you're on Twitter, hook a brother up say what's up at Romeo Crow, otherwise you can catch me at Romeo crow.com slash podcast if you want to leave a voicemail message for the show. I will see you tomorrow, and maybe report back hopefully report back some early success with the ads and the new marketing strategy we shall see doodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 193 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest, and it is Friday the eighth of January, 2021, and 10 plus 10 in case you're wondering. So today, I'm feeling as you might be able to tell a little bit more buoyant than I was yesterday. Yeah, yesterday I was overwhelmed. And I, you know, I've noticed particularly this year. I've been feeling more overwhelmed on occasion than I have in previous years, not sure exactly why that is but it seems to be happening a little bit more regularly than normal. Arguably, that's because I'm trying to do new things and things differently to have done them previously so that's probably got something to do with it. I guess when you're expanding your comfort zone and trying to grow, trying to learn new things and do new things I guess that is a feeling of frustration and overwhelm. You know, particularly when you've got a lot of plates spinning and a lot of those new plates, but nonetheless I got up this morning and I had in mind that I was going to get straight on I wasn't going to sort of amble through the morning as I had have been doing but I was really going to get cracking with probably the most important task which was my tax return, which has to be done and filed by the end of this month. So, that took me till about two o'clock in the afternoon. And then I had lunch and then got cracking on music marketing, I, as you may know from podcast I'm two things one focusing on my own musical art a lot more this year, which means I'm going to be an already have started doing a lot more marketing of my stuff. And two, I have this little agency which does marketing for musicians, basically. So, it seems beholding if that's even a word of me to in, you know, to update my skill set to, you know, to learn some more techniques so I bit the bullet a few days ago and subscribe to a few different courses. And so I'm just starting to work through the first one now. And it's, it's got some interesting stuff in it for sure a couple of tools, mostly tools based stuff that I didn't really know about. But I'm looking forward to this weekend I'm going to try out already started. You know, doing what they're saying and I'm about halfway through, so I'm looking forward to trying that it's a it's a similar approach to, to what I would normally do, but it's got a slightly different angle on it and a couple of different things so we'll see. But principally the the bitness maybe want to update is the clients that I've gotten potentially clients coming on board. Have all asked the same questions which is, how do I get my Spotify up. And whereas, I'm not a huge fan strictly speaking of focusing only on Spotify I think that misses the, the real goal which is to still believe you know improve your email list. At the same time, understand and appreciate that there's a, there is a value to it, and it shouldn't be overlooked and so I thought okay let me work out what the best strategies are that actually work and what people are doing so that's where I'm at. So, yeah. Also I guess I slept pretty well last night as well so I'm feeling a bit more energetic was feeling more energetic today. So, the downside to all of this is that I've done again as I said yesterday, very little of my own creativity my own art. I'm very much behind with the lab, and if you're a subscriber to lab I'm really sorry. I did say that I'd be quiet over the Christmas period, but I wasn't intended to still be quiet at this point. And I also have failed in getting my acoustic song up and out which my plan was to launch that this week, I have got my photography section up and running, and my new Romeo crow photography profile on Instagram. Now there's two photos on the Instagram one and I'm going to try and drop one more or less every other day, or three times a week. For now anyway on Instagram, and then once we call my website so I have made progress, but I would like to make more progress and, principally get back to that really good fl --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 192 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest and it is Thursday, seventh of January 2021. I didn't do one yesterday because it's just super tired I kind of forgot when I was just super tired and has kind of been my been my default setting for the last what seems like eight years was probably only a week or so but I'm really devoid of both energy are very lethargic and devoid of focus and devoid of motivation and it's it's really troubling me it's it's getting quite annoying now. And I feel really overwhelmed with all the things that I want to do and have to do. So there's not really much to this podcast other than as good about 10 I should just got into bed should pro kids are still up I think when Simona and I should probably sleep a lot can't just go to sleep, which has been annoying in and of itself. But I guess the look at some positives I have launched I think I said this couple days ago the photography section of my website with the first photo, I've launched my photography, Instagram profile, Romeo Crow photography, with two photos thus far and I'll add more to it. So made some progress, but I'm done didn't get I completely forgot that it was Wednesday that it was meant to be out but I didn't get out my acoustic track of the week, which was meant to start in January. And the whole point was I was on such a good flow and I came up with this plan and I was singing and I was practising every day and for about the last week I've not done anything. I'm not kidding. able to do anything just tired and throw hurts and blah blah blah. So already behind and the worst thing is the lab have not updated the lab with new posts since basically November's 19th or something which is terrible because it's meant to be every week and I'm just say I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment and got a couple of clients that are taking my time for audience ninja. And what I really want to be doing is getting back to basics getting back onto my music, I was in such a good flow pre Christmas, then a I stopped for the Christmas quote unquote holidays and I haven't been able to restart so yeah, just feeling a little bit. Yeah, a little bit tired in always say overwhelmed at the minute. I'm sure it will change soon enough I will change it soon enough. That is a view from the crow's nest today. If you're bound Twitter, how are you doing in this new year? Let me know Romeo Crow. Otherwise if you don't already know Romeo crow.com slash podcast and you can leave a voicemail message or a question whatever you wish that I can include on the show. Thank you for listening and I will be back tomorrow hopefully a bit more. Brian Sparky and like, actually have done something more useful that I feel like I've done Today, we shall see. Well that is not strictly true because yesterday I did have been doing a lot of studying the last couple of days because I'm so tired. I was studying photography and techniques announced that it's museum marketing stuff, some new stuff. So it's it's stuff that will yield something eventually I guess I'm planting seeds for the moment, but I feel like it's not moving me forward. But I guess that's the whole point of planting seeds. You don't see anything for a while at least. Anyways, that's me. I will speak to you Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 191 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. It's Tuesday fifth of January 2020 10 in the evening. I slept well last night for the first time in a week. I fell asleep fairly soon after I did the podcast I think, and then I woke at seven. I don't know if I woke just before my alarm or my alarm woke me it was a bit hard to tell but nonetheless I got a, you know, good. Eight hours sleep I think or something like that, very necessary, very necessary and then I thought I'll get up in a second. I'm just gonna close my eyes and then it was eight o'clock. So I really did need some good sleep. And similar slept in the other room with the kids so there was no disturbing during the night I think that's why I slept well. So then today. Trained actually was therefore ready to train this morning, sort of first session of the new year. And it was good. Running on the spot, was one of the exercises or sprinting on the spot. In fact, and we did 36 exercises well, six sets of six exercises and I've come to the realisation that I really disliked running, because that really, really ouches me, but nonetheless got through it so that's good way to start the day. Also, before I did that I did my, my music theory stuff so I'm keeping up with that each day So, and I'm improving I'm really, I can see my music theory knowledge is, is improving and skills related to it so that's really cool. And then I did homeschooling stuff with Mina, we start right, we're doing this now we're back on it. And so we did a whole bunch of maths for a good hour, hour and a half something and then some reading and then some writing basics, but by that point it was sort of lunchtime, and then watch how to share off the exercise lab by that point it was lunchtime. And then I didn't start working until like 230 or something like that. So, about three o'clock actually so didn't have much time to work, and basically was just doing admin stuff dealing with got a new client, which is fantastic for audience ninja. So, dealing with their new kind of stuff, did manage to just quickly get a video and some other bits that regarding the new part of my Romeo crow website where I'm now sharing a new kind of bit of photography every week, and also commercialising it so each one of the photos are shared there'll be 10 limited edition prints that people can buy of it I don't know if anybody will buy it and how successful that will be, but it's part of my focus this year to share much more of my art, create much more of my art. Share much more of my art, and monetize much more of my art. And so we'll see how that goes. And spoke to a good friend of mine, later in the evening who always brings me leads potential clients and people to to work with. And tonight was no different. He's got a couple of people in mind is can put me in touch with So, you know, that's nice to know there's a couple more people that I can speak to that might be interested in my services. But all of that is wonderful. Except I didn't do much in the terms of creation the last two weeks or so really since just before Christmas, I have worked on music, and it's definitely impacting me. Obviously it's meant my albums just ground to a halt. And I really wanted to get that finished, you know, I wanted it done by Christmas really but that would have been a push, but certainly by the end of January so I still got time, but I really need to have the time to focus on that and not other arguably more important things like clients and stuff which is obviously needed. And so trying to balance that out, that's going to be challenging but hopefully if I can get myself up earlier each day. You know that's going to make a yeah that's going to make a difference. I hope, Give me a bit more time and allow me to really get the album done so that is the view from the crow's nest today hope things are rock and roll with you. If you're bound Twitter. Say hello. At Romeo crow. Also, if you wish to go to Romeo crow.com sla --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 190 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. And today is Monday the fourth of January 2020 yesterday, rather smugly was embedded about half nine. I think to my podcast, saying I'd been up at 630 in the morning and it's going to train the next morning and I was in bed already at 930 I was tired and I was, you know, looking forward to getting up and getting cracking and blah blah blah. And from 930 I lay in bed until seven in the morning without sleeping. Like, probably the worst I've ever had in my life, and I don't know why. Well I mean it was coming in and she couldn't sleep and Simona was going in and out. I just couldn't sleep. So, I then fell asleep about seven slept till about 10, and then cut up and had my day will be a very slow one, although I did actually manage to get a fair bit of the day. Well it was good. Nonetheless, I've got fairly good by peak, as you could probably hear. So, training tomorrow. Maybe I'll get up at 630 we'll see it's 2211 now. And that is the view from the crow's nest. So, kids are crying. Clearly, they're not going to sleep. Alright. How better Guess I'll be back tomorrow then. If you're balanced Twitter hit me up at Romeo crow. If you're barely where else do that, sweetie Tovar Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 189 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. And it is Sunday the third of January 2020. So I got really bad sleep last night, despite being super tired from getting up basically 630 in the night before, and having terrible sleep for last five or six nights. And, but yeah I got up 630 again today and, you know, I was a good, you know, a good star or second good star last two days in a row, and felt good I did some very basic gentle exercise and some Thai tea and then did my Italian practice and then did my music practice. Is it theory practice then Leonardo woke up and I spent two hours playing a board game with him. And after that I had to go back to bed, because I was just like dying. It'll type failing. And I just passed out for about half an hour or something. And then after that I still haven't really recovered. So it's good to get up early, but it seems to not be working for me quite now But I'm confident that if I stick to it. You know, then my hours will change appropriately and then I'll feel good throughout the whole day for doing it. I think also the diet, again, how neat and brilliantly today. And the changing day over Christmases I think really messing with me and always not nonetheless, you know it's it's a move in the right direction I think the dire we're back on our thing from tomorrow. We did sell the kind of dining table and six chairs today that had taken up a lot of space in the lounge that I put them in storage, but then they basically take out the whole storage room, managed to sell that which is brilliant because it means that we've got a bit of money which is great pays for a dishwasher, which will be really cool. And it also means we've got more room in the storage place in the storage room which is great so we can reorganise that and or after that whatever put some stuff in there but it's good to get rid of stuff. Outside of that Internet's been terrible today so when I did, and have tried to do some work everything's just taken like literally kind of seven eight times as long if not longer. Hopefully I'll be resumed resolved by tomorrow. But basically I guess I'm just looking forward to get back to work tomorrow that's pretty much it. That's all I got sumana decided to, to start attacking the kid room today. There's mould on the ceiling, and also in the bathroom and a tiny bit in the bedroom, so she started with the kids room today. And the net result is, we move the kids into the lounge for what will probably be about a week well we only treat the mould but Ryu, Simone is going to repaint the whole room and blah blah blah. But of course now. I moved the kids bed into the lounge but they aren't sleeping so easily because your room and everything so sim will probably spend a very uncomfortable night in with them tonight and be a bit zombified tomorrow. So that's the that's the rock and roll lifestyle really, that is the view from the crow's nest. That's it, not much to say not much to add today, but hopefully tomorrow get going with work and start moving projects forward and stuff. So thanks for listening. If you're about on Twitter. Let me know what your New Year's resolutions are you keep in the more you're really buckled at Romeo crow if you want to drop me a line otherwise Romeo crow.com, forward slash podcast if you wish to leave a voicemail message that I can use on the show. Take care of yourself. Thanks for listening and I'll speak to you tomorrow. Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 188 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. And it is Saturday the second of January 2021. Oh, it's been like a whole year since I've done the podcast, and by that what I really mean is the last one I did was on the 30th of December I didn't do one on New Year's Eve, because frankly, didn't even think of it far too drunk to even consider such a thing. Had you had a really nice New Year's Eve I didn't think it was gonna be quite as enjoyable as it was. But we, we organised a video call with my mum my dad and my brother and we had games. During the call with Mina and Leonardo and we'd set up a little tent with Christmas lights inside it and we did the call inside the tent, eating all berry foods, and actually were on the call for three and a half hours, it was really good. We were all I think very surprised how enjoyable and festive it was. And then after that, did a video call with some other friends, four of us in different locations, and that went on till, not sure when it went on until all I know is that I went to bed at six in the morning. Having drunk. I think four bottles of Prosecco myself. And so, as you can imagine, Friday the first of January. Yesterday was a bit of a Wipeout. It was a house was an utter mess, and I was pretty hung over. So that was just the, the right of the day, and then today. I instigated the first. Well, my only New Year's resolution actually. So my new year's resolution, I don't normally make new year's resolutions I just, you know, do new habits as soon as I'm ready to do new habits, which sometimes coincide with the year sometimes don't mostly don't actually but this one's a new year's resolution. I'm going to get up earlier. And I currently do that so I'm going to go to bed earlier. So this morning I actually had my alarm set for 7am I haven't set an alarm for her basically unless we get an early morning flight and set alarm for about seven or eight years. So, that was for seven and yeah I woke up at 630, which is actually the time I want to be starting to get up. I guess I was stressing about missing the alarm. I'm sure that won't happen all too often, but nonetheless I woke up 630 got up at seven. I immediately got cracking with Italian and music theory practice, and then I tackled the, the lounge which was in the kitchen which is total mess I spent the next 434 hours basically cleaning tidying up. And then, as I had lunch super tired. bath after lunch I think, read some read a book for a bit in the bath, and then get up and did the next bit of DIY. So we, one of my watch words that I used to have and I've kind of forgotten about and we're bringing back in, is really focusing on where you're effectively wasting time have spoke about us on the podcast previously. But where you can leverage your resources better to save time, ideally, so basically anything that you're doing. Consider whether it could be done by something else so some automated process, or someone else that frees you up to, even just chill with your time but certainly do you really need to be doing whatever the task is. And so every day, we're spending you know an hour to two hours doing washing up. And in this apartment. There's no place in the kitchen to put a dishwasher we looked at all sorts of different ways of doing it and it just can't be done. And we actually had a guy over a couple of last week to fix the hob, and he's the guy who instals dishwashers and stuff and we set him about maybe one under the sink and. And he said, just outside the kitchen, you've got a big double bookcase if you remove the lower two shelves on the one side of the bookcase, you could slide a dishwasher in there, it will look ugly as sin and it will poke out into the doorway of the kitchen, but it will work. And it's about the best you can do, and we hadn't thought of that. So like, you know what, that's a good idea because the dishwasher will save us. You know, hundreds of hours a year. So even if it does look a bit fug --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 187 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Wednesday 30th of December 2020. We are one day from New Year's Eve, which means we're two days from the New Year. The new decade, which means well I guess new decade was 2020, but I'm looking at it as 2021 because that hopefully will mean all change after what has been a challenging year for I think a lot of people, US included. I've got to my podcast yesterday I was super tired went to bed couldn't sleep till four Go figure. So I miss training this morning. And as I will train tomorrow morning, and then Today was a bit of a slow day, all through. And I guess the reason. One of the reasons is because the last couple of days a bit since Christmas I've stopped doing music, because I had client stuff to do just before Christmas. And then it was Christmas and had a few days off, and then when it came back from Christmas I had admin stuff bit of client stuff to do. And trying to get myself organised further. The new the new me for next year. As far as my creative output is concerned and there's, there's a phrase that I'm using or a very simple idea that I'm using which is A, B, C, D, E, and it means a few things and I put it together myself so I'm quite proud of it. ABCD, it means baby steps, you know, all, all great, you know, novels are made up of paragraphs and chapters and paragraphs and sentences and words and letters everything comes from the letters. Anything you do starts from just those basic building blocks. It means doing things in order, you can't be going out of order, and trying to do things, you know, can't run before you can walk etc etc. So you have to go through those steps. So, I've got a bit of frustration the last couple of days which are going to in a second, but I have to go through that frustration because I've got to do these things in order, and it's to do with photography, which I'll come back to and what it also means is a always b b c creating D distributing and E engaging, always be creating distributing and engaging and again it's in that order, you know, ideally, I want to create something that should be my main focus creating the music creating new stuff. Then I want to be distributing it because this has been a big problem of mine, or but no problem. This has been something that I haven't done as much as I definitely could have done, and is the new me for next year is distributing, I'm going to distribute a lot more of what I'm creating and in various different ways and engaging, because it's no good, particularly in the modern world to be just creating stuff and distributing it you need to engage with people find out what they like if they don't like it, find the people that do like it they're your tribe etc etc. So, ABCDE. So the last couple of days have been frustrating because I've been focused in terms of distributing getting content out on creating a little content plan for next year. I'm going to release a new photo I think I said in my portfolio I'm building. The initial parts of a portfolio for my photography on my website, and then I'll put a new photo in each week, which will be available for people to buy. And I will also be sharing stuff onto Instagram with a bit more regularity I've started an Instagram photography profile, specifically for photography. I'm also going to be releasing a new song, each week just an acoustic version of a lie, a new song, a song, could be an old song could be a new song but a live performance. Suddenly I don't think I've released any live performances in years, it seems like. Certainly not my own music. So those two things, amongst other things are going to be, you know, are going to be high on my agenda for next year. So with the photography what has been looking at today is trying to get my head on the last couple of days getting my head around how to actually print, because I want to create limited edition prints of each of the photos that I put up probably just 10 photos 10 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 186 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. And it is Monday the 28th of December 2020. I hope you've had a very good day, the bank holiday if you happen to be in the UK and possibly some other countries. Today it was good I got back on with work, which I really needed to start off the day with training with personal trainer and wasn't as lethargic or as, frankly, just splurge the fat lazy, as I thought I'd be after the Christmas munching and had a good session. It was actually dare I say it relatively easy. And I think that means I'm getting fitter, because it probably wasn't that much of an easy session, but that was good way starting off the day, and then had a shower much needed after that session, and did my got back into my sort of daily exercises that I started a few days before Christmas, back into doing Italian and then music theory, all sorts of different music theory exercises from bunch different apps, then I did my drum practice my guitar prep my piano practice. And then had lunch and then was like right must get on with stuff. And so, secluded myself back in the room and started working. I'm actually working. By the time I got to I did a bit of sort of administers. That took a bit of a while but I'm actually focusing on a little bit more and music marketing stuff at the minute for myself. And so coming up with a bit of a plan. So, as of January. In a few days time. I'll have a shedule of content that I'm going to be releasing. So, The first thing is first of January I have a new release on Spotify, which is actually a very old release, but re released. So my first EP I did in 2013. I put it on Spotify. And then I took it down some years later on, probably not even that long later. And then I had lost in 2019 yeah last year, I released one track, I think, a month from eight from that EP until I got about five tracks and then for some reason I didn't finish the sixth track can remember why. So now, the whole EP is going back on Spotify. On the first of June. And then on the, on the first Friday of each month. Subsequent to that I'll be releasing a new track on Spotify starting with my second EP grip the sky. So that will give me six months worth of releases, and by that point, I hope to have, you know, a blind eye to love the first track from that to release and onwards and onwards. So, that will be happening on the first Friday of each month. Then, on probably every Monday. I'm going to release a photo on my portfolio section of our website which is going to be launched next week. And this is because every year I do my calendar of photography, and it comes out of the blue, possibly every year because I haven't really been talking about my photography throughout the year. And so I wanted to make that a bit more of a regular thing that I'm actually doing something about it. And equally releasing photos. So I'll be releasing one every Monday, and that'll be available to buy as prints, or whatever, not the artist, but print prints, and possibly canvases as well, but we shall see. And I don't know where the people will buy them, honestly, people have indicated that they would be interested in buying prints, or having prints, but I don't know whether that will actually come to it, but my intention is particularly in this apartment we're in there's a lot of framed pictures and the pictures are mostly crap. But um, there's lots of frames, so my thought was well let's replace those with photography you know that we can enjoy the places that we've been or seen or whatever. And so I thought, I can kill two birds with one stone. I can buy a print, put it in a frame, put it on display here, enjoy ourselves and if somebody wants to buy it, then I can sell it and put another one in the frame and if they don't want to buy it. Then we've got some nice photography. So we shall see. So that's the plan for Mondays, and then on probably Wednesdays. I'm going to release a for the first time in a long time. I'm --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 195 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. It is Sunday 27th of December 2020, and I apologise. I forgot straight up forgot to do my podcast yesterday. To be fair, I went to bed actually really quite early about 10 o'clock, and was just really really tired, so it just it didn't even occur to me I was just knackered but you didn't miss anything because yesterday was, you know, a bit of a washout in the centre has had a day off didn't do anything. And that's all I got and that score. Today was actually much the same, the highlights of the two days. Well one of the highlights, because my father in law still here. Similar and I went out for a walk yesterday and today only for an hour, but it was very nice just got out of the two of us and the weather actually turned cold and wet hot from Christmas day onwards. So he reminded me weirdly enough because we're walking up sort of passed through the mountain of being, oddly enough in in Britain in Wales or something because it was like very misty, and you could seal the valley, and the hills and it was cold and wet so yeah reminded me of Wales. Other than that I've been playing with the kids a lot which is great and Leonardo, and I are bonding much closer than we have done in previously because I've been spending so much more time with him and playing with him and today he actually wanted to sell my lap and on some on his lap during lunch, even when the offer was made so it's very chuffed about that. So that's cool. However, I am now really, really ready to get back to work. It's been three days. I guess yeah three days off work and three days. Eating through big crappy stuff, quite a lot of crappy stuff chocolate and stuff. As Tobu we'd have training with Abdel, and that's going to kick off the week and it's back to the normal diet and back to working, basically. So that is it that is the view from the crow's nest I'm looking forward to getting. Yeah, productive again. That's all I got. If you got anything you could let me know on Twitter, Romeo crow or head to Romeo crow.com slash podcast if you want to leave a question or a comment right here as a voicemail. Take care of yourself, and I'll speak to you tomorrow. Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 184 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest, and it is Friday the 25th of December, 2020 It's Christmas Day. Therefore, Merry Christmas to you. You absolutely champion I hope you had a very nice day. If you're listening to this on Christmas Day and if you're not, I hope you had a very nice Christmas Day. As for ours. I couldn't sleep last night didn't get slipped about half, three, four o'clock and the kids woke up at seven. So a little bit tired, but the kids. Very good. They waited until 930 to open all the presents because we were doing a video call with my parents, and 930 Our time is 830 their time and happily my brother joined us as well. So, you know, at least we could kind of be together. And it was really nice we actually were on video calls about two and a half hours. And it was obviously not as good as us being all together, but it was still really really pleasant and 930 i'd cracked open the Prosecco, and that always helps things and proceeded with the munching. And I'm really happy to say that the presence that we, we got for the kids. And that Santa's got for the kids were very well received, and obviously and the grandma and grandpa sent over the kids, etc. Yeah, they're very well received and the kids are really tough with them. And so that's you know that's kind of the main thing about Christmas really when you're, you know when your parents you just do when you got younger kids you just want them to have a really good Christmas. And then we had lunch stuffed ourselves on the lasagna started cooking the chicken which was the second main and when I say, the chicken I mean a whole chicken, you know, legs head feet, the whole lot was in one. It was a chicken. In fact, if you go on our my Instagram, Facebook story, you'll see said chicken, put it in the oven and then didn't cook it in the end because what we could hear for a bit, but we realised we were so stuffed there was no way we're going to eat chicken. And in fact, I haven't. We haven't had any dinner either because it was just too much stuffing from lasagna, probably wasn't as much as I've eaten in previous years. And that's really positive, that you know my appetite has shrunk, especially in the last few weeks that I've been working on, you know, changing the diet so that, for example, our evening meal is always steamed vegetables, followed by usually some protein, and it's definitely made a difference. So that's really cool. So, they did feel stuff after and the cheese cake was delicious the sim made so yeah, that came that. So that was all good took some time, but I gotta say I was. It's been a bit of a certainly from the afternoon onwards I felt a bit low a bit blue, because it just, it wasn't Christmas, you know, it wasn't it wasn't with the family Somalia's dad was here with us and he slept the whole day pretty much in Liberty, you know, he slept on the couch until lunchtime got up ate lunch went back to sleep on the couch until we moved in few hours later because we wanted to sit down on the couch. And he's moved to the bed. We've got the, sort of, sort of Zed bed in the lounge for him. And just basically just slept all day. I guess you'll be up all night. And, you know, when you can somebody just got a snoring away in the room it kind of changes the dynamic a little bit and it I certainly missed having the, the Christmas cheer that we usually have my mum's or when we with my mum, dad when we were the family together so that was a bit of a shame. But that's the ice COVID yeah that's what's happened. So, I must say, we postpone training from tomorrow morning we said, you know, we're actually not going to train. Just come by the board we are hoping to do is since my father in law is here, seminar I go for a walk tomorrow morning. I'm not sure where it allowed but they're going into anyway. Hmm. So that'd be really really nice. But other than that, you know, kids were happy and that's, that's good, but I kind of already had two da --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 183 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. Here it is. Thursday, 24th of December 2020 which means it is Christmas Eve, and it is actually 20 past midnight so actually it's really Christmas Day is 25th, and we've just finished wrapping the Presidents because we are ahead of the curve. And we just put them under the tree. We're about to tidy up the last bit. And yeah exactly we've had him for a month but you know you don't rush these things. And so we are all ready and prepared today, as you may well expect was a day off, almost I did do a little bit of work, but it was more so I could rest up over Christmas knowing that what I'd done for a client was actually working. And I'm happy to say it was. I'm also happy to say, I'm glad that I did check because it was running some ads on Facebook and it turns out that the Facebook ads thing is really badly worded, and I was doing the entire opposite of what I was intending to do. So I'm glad I checked with Facebook help, but that's all good. So, today. sumana cooked in immense amount of stuff. And in fact, you can see that progressing if you go to my Instagram or Facebook story. You will see all the joys, including the presence as well or at least the, the wrapped up stuff under the tree. But yeah, basically, die off, and spend the day, you know, helping a bit but playing with the kids a lot, which was very, very nice. And I think it's no surprise that as I play with Leonardo a bit more. He's more, you know, happy to cuddle me or, you know, yes. Not necessarily have to go to mama for stuff. And so, yeah. Note to self who would have thunk it spend time with kids and kids want to spend more time with you. Well, there's a little thing I'm gonna take into the new year. Anyway, it's gonna be short and sweet one because tired and also who's got time to listen to me talk on Christmas Eve. No, I can't see anything. Yes, that's it that's all I got. So, have a wonderful Christmas Eve if you listen to this probably on Christmas day Have a fabulous Christmas Day. I will be back tomorrow on Christmas Day to the My podcasts, and they will be drunk, I did actually start drinking at 10 o'clock this morning, bottle of Prosecco got popped open. And so that was a good start. And, yeah, so let God take care of yourself and if you're on Twitter, say hello at Romeo crow. If you want to drop a message. Romeo crow.com slash podcast we'll take you here and you can drop a voicemail. Other than that, that's Romeo Crow, signing off tonight Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 182 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest and it is Wednesday the 23rd of December 2020 which means it is two days to Christmas who. Today, I tried to do the same thing that I did yesterday I'm really packing my day. So that I felt like I'd really got some good stuff done. So I ended up I couldn't sleep very well last night I think it's because I had a good sleep the night before, so I got up a bit late and we had training with our trainer this morning. So, I, I got up Simona was already out the house, amazingly she'd gone to do some Christmas shopping food and stuff. I really had even before training. So the kids were watching TV, because they were already up before me. And so I did my, my daily app practice that I kicked off or re kicked off yesterday so I did my Italian. I did my music theory various different music theory apps and exercises. Then we had trading, it was good trading session. And, you know, that was a nice way to finish just before Christmas. We've got an next one on Boxing Day. So, no, just having a break on Christmas day but other than that straight into it, that I did between that lunch drum practice, then had lunch beautiful sunshine again outside sales on the balcony had lunch out there then couldn't resist a cup of tea and reading a bit of book travel book to get inspiration for places to see. And then I did piano practice. And then I had a shower. And then, it was really time to do some work so it was about three o'clock in the afternoon. And so I did some work for a client for audience ninja kicking off their Facebook ads to get them, you know, fans for their music, and by the time I did that there was a few other peripheral things around that had to do. It was like seven o'clock or something. And then I came in did the dishes in the kitchen. And that basically, you know, had dinner brings it up to now. So, once again the moral of the story is once again and I feel really positive because I, you know, really packed a lot of learning into today. The one thing I didn't do, because I was working for the client was working on my own music, But thankfully that's now becoming the exception rather than the rule, which is, you know how I want it to be how it should be. So, yeah, I'm feeling again feeling good feeling like, yeah, things are things go well at the minute. Looking forward to, I think tomorrow, I'll probably do some learning stuff again may or may not work in music but pretty much. I won't do any client stuff that's for sure. And then, Christmas obviously having that off, and then Boxing Day kind of back on it ready, we'll see what happens over the next few days. But, yeah that's it so not huge amounts to report, other than I'm digging this flow that I'm in at the moment. I mean, added to it yesterday the piano. I added to it. The Italian again and the music theory apps. But the fluid started even before that with the drums and even before that we're getting on with my music, most days. So, yeah, at the moment feeling good if I can keep this going. This kind of pace. This kind of focus and discipline and then I really make really big strides in various different things that I want to make strides in over the months and years ahead. So yeah, that's the view from the crow's nest today. How is your day going to think you want to add feedback, what have you, ping me at Romeo Crow, or you just go to Romeo crow.com slash podcast, and you can leave me a voicemail message for right on the show. Thank you for listening, and I will be back tomorrow, Christmas Eve Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 181 of my podcasts, the view from the crow's nest. And it is Tuesday 22nd of December, 2020, only a few days till Christmas. Today it was a really really good day. I can't remember what time I fell asleep last night, but I don't think it was too late I think it was before midnight, the consequence of this was that I woke up at about 10 to eight. I think they're not I woke us up, which is earlier than I've been waking up because I've been going to bed so late. And before getting out of bed, I said, Okay, I need to, like, I've been wanting to kind of get back on track with some of my studying and by studying I mean I'm doing, Italian, and also some music study, I've got a bunch of apps, both for languages and music on my phone. And I wanted to get back to the point where I was doing a little bit every day because about the last five days, something like that. I've been doing 1015 minutes of drumming every day working through the first, you know drumming book that I've got relearning and some basics. And, you know, that's how I know that that's how you improve massively as by doing kind of 1520 minutes a day rather than you know everyday rather than once a week for an hour or two hours or something like that. And so I thought before you get out of bed. Don't start checking your phone for this at the other do these practices. So, I did my Italian. And the reason that Italian is particularly important I've passed my exam, which is what I needed my speaking exam or oral exam which is what I needed in order to be able to qualify to apply for citizenship. But because I'm intending on starting to gig again next year, and basically build up my build up my live act in the south of Italy whereas pretty much no live acts going on. I figure that either the complete lack of competition or relative lack of competition added to apparently according to sumana my exotic nature being a musician from London. May will play into my hands, or it will play completely against me, I don't know, but what I figured is it will probably be here's a really practical use for me apart from living in a country to be using Italian, because if I'm gonna be on stage talking to an audience or whatever or goodness knows if I get any publicity and I need to answer questions. It'll be helpful if I'm actually able to, because obviously I don't leave the house otherwise so I don't speak to anybody otherwise so I don't need Italian. So I started with it restarted with Italian practice, and then went through a bunch of apps like sight reading rhythm training ear training, that kind of stuff, key signatures and this. And so that was a really good way to start the day took about half hour 40 minutes. Got our bed, went straight into the kitchen. Did the washing up yes rock and roll. So we left the stuff from last night, and that took you know 45 minutes or an hour, but at least you know help out with some chores, and then being a bit it was a lovely morning, we all went out for a family walk. So we've got outside got some fresh air, went out with the kids, just an hour or so up the back like into the mountain next to us. And that was really pleasant and then came back, I put the washing out so did some more chores helped around the house, then I did my drum practice, then it was lunchtime ate lunch outside on the balcony because it was glorious sunshine top off sunglasses on. It was lovely. And then sat reading a book with a cup of tea outside of the sun. That was really pleasant they thought right come on you got to move on. Came back in the lounge did piano practice that's the first time in years, he is in years, so I'm going to try and start doing again 1015 minutes a day. Today I did something I don't think I've ever done, which was start learning my scales on the piano. I don't even know them properly on the guitar. So I thought it's about time as a musician that I learned these things, so you can see how they're related. And you know, using two hands --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 180 of my podcast interview from the crow's nest. It's Monday 21st to December 2020 just a few days before Christmas. So today, I had the day off yesterday. Today, I'm chuffed I'm on a roll. Um, yeah working on home music like almost continuously and it's glorious frankly, and I'm feeling really positive about next year, not just with music but just everything like, you know, it's definitely been a tough year financially but it's been a good year for getting other projects off the ground or re you know revisiting stuff like my album. So today, I finished the song I was working on yesterday, which is a song called never kissed a martyr. And there's a piano solo and in my first piano solo. And I recall i remember i coded it like maybe a couple years ago, whatever. And basically it's like it's almost me randomly in maniacally bashing the piano. And then open it sounds kind of good and I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve but I can't actually play piano so it's very difficult to do that. And so I kind of the great thing is because I played the piano through what's called MIDI which is basically allows you to edit stuff better it turns it turns sounds, or it turns stuff into computer information, basically, so that you can change a note by simply dragging the note up or down for example. And so because it was a MIDI, I was able to edit it and so today I was editing the timing and some of the notes and stuff and so now the solo gave it a little bit more melody, and it's cool, it's it's something different like it's, it's cool. So I'm chuffed with it and it's really, you know, the tracks now come together so that's cool. So, I decided to work on the next track. The next track I'm working on is a track called. Not your sucker, which isn't the original name the original name is badass motherfucker. And that was actually a song I wrote for Amy Winehouse going back, you know, 20 odd years or whatever. Before she, you know blew up and became particularly famous. So I'd written this track for her and I never actually met her I hasten to add. It was through a friend. I don't think you ever heard it, but I've adjusted it a little bit just to the chorus lyrics but other than that it's the same song. And, but the problem is when I've recorded a few years ago I realised i'd recorded it basically too slow. And it just, it's not. It just today is going to be a problem song. So I listened to it today and as our man this is gonna be, it's gonna be a challenge to get this one going. And, but then I managed to basically change the tempo of everything I'd recorded using the tools in Cubase. And, you know, read it a couple of the guitars and stuff. So that meant plugging in my guitar for the first time to record here and just getting a few cables out and getting a few things a bit more setup. So now that setup I can do that anytime I want which is brilliant. So basically, I was really chuffed because I can see how much my, my workspace is improving things you know everything's set up and everything I can leave it set up. I mean I did pack down the guitar and stuff afterwards but that's my own because I like to put things away, but you know the my I've got my area I've got my workspace. It's not exactly a studio but it's as close as I've got right now and it's good. And then moving into the digital realm. I've actually in a noticing that my, my skill my technique my ability to use the tools that I've got Cubase and other such things is really improving as well so I can do stuff so much quicker than I ever used to be able to I still had to Google a few things today to work out to do it, but I just yeah I can see I'm basically I'm just getting better, I guess at producing, at least, using those tools. And then, as a musician and arranger and producer in that sense. You know I've improved my craft there and the songs good So basically, I was really chuffed with myself because I moved it from God, this is going to be tough to ah, I'v --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 179 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. And it is Sunday the 20th of December 2020 today's gonna be a short episode on account of the day being short on things that I've done because I did next to nothing today it was a day off. So, last night we had a video call with their friends of ours. And we haven't spoken to them for like on video call for six months or something. And in the end, we are lovely cool with them. I drank a fair amount, and we basically went to bed at about three 330. And then we woke up for so hours later, and it was later right yeah this day is a write off bad a very pleasant day for that, you know, I really gave myself permission to do nothing today which I often have a problem with in terms of being able to relax. You know when one works from home and you're at home all the time. It's hard to relax at home when you love your work as well, but I managed it today so I don't really know what I did, but it was very pleasant nonetheless. But one thing that did happen today. I listened to the seven songs that I've nearly finished more or less finished there's still things that need doing to them, and they need mixing but seven songs from my album that I've done so far out the 12. And I listened to them on a little Google nest, which is like a digital photo frame with a speaker built into it and we've got one in the kitchen. And you know what's nice about listening to stuff on those kind of speakers is you don't get, you know, these big great hi fi speakers which make things sound nice or big money, you know it's a pretty standard speaker so if it sounds anything near decent on that, then it would sound very good on you know better equipment, and I sat here with smaller listening to seven tracks. I've got to say, I was really proud of what I heard, and it's taken me all of, you know, 25 years or something of of do music to kind of get to that stage where I can listen to a whole bunch of stuff together and it's not strictly doing other stuff that I've been proud of, but I can, I can really hear the improvements in my skill in my craft as a songwriter, as a singer on this as a producer. Just all round, because they just as a musician around, you know, just, I'm really. Yeah, really, really chuffed and feeling like it put me in a really good mood because I really feel like one. I'm getting very close to the end of this album which is definitely true and it's going to be out that door soon enough. And two, I am you know I am going to do something which I'm really proud of which will stand up on its own I think on its own two feet, and three. I've working faster I'm working better I'm working now that I'm really starting to get to know the equipment, get to know my tools and my workflow my process. I'm able to do things quicker with better results which bodes really well for 2021 when I intend to do a hell of a lot more music. I may well really push myself to try and get through to new albums I mean it's took me, you know, five years or whatever to do this first album, but I honestly believe I can get two albums done next year. Each about 12 songs so I'm really feeling very positive basically about that so it's half nine now and evening I'm super tired. Still trying to get the kids to sleep, but I don't think I'm long, or similar as long at all for going to bed so hopefully we'll have an early night relative and get up tomorrow morning for training full of energy. Do our session and start the week. Yeah, really nicely and strong. So, yeah, I'm feeling good, basically, that is the view from the crow's nest. As of today, if you've got anything at all that you wish to add or ask or feedback then hook a brother up at Romeo crow on Twitter, or Romeo crow.com slash podcast. If you want to leave a voicemail message for the podcast which I could include in the show. Thank you very much for listening hope you've had a good weekend, and I'll be back again tomorrow. Toodle Pip. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 178 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest, and it is. But Saturday the 19th of December, 2020, and I actually just uploaded my podcast from or publish my podcasts from the 15th, because I'd done it but I just forgot to upload it and publish it. But the eagle eyed amongst you will say well hang on a minute, if it's a 19th today, and you just did 15th. What the bloody hell happened on the 16th 17th and 18th. Well, I would like to say, I went on a mad fear and loathing, You know, binge and just woke up. Three days later with my head shaved or something but No, none of the above. I just, I think one night I was just super tired, like super super tired. Another night I just didn't feel like it. And then the other night I forgot. Last night I think I forgot tonight a terrible day. But whatever I mean I can sum up the last few days, quite simply really I've been focused, again, thankfully on the release last two days on music again and just working on my album, I'm on the seventh of the 12th track 12 tracks. And it's nearly done that doesn't mean that all seven tracks are done, because some of them do need the vocals, or back end or backing vocals done for them, but the rest of the track is done. So it's just record those vocals and then they all need the whole thing needs mixing but but I am getting closer. Oh, my goodness. I'm getting closer to finishing this bloody album. And I tell you something. When I finished this album, and I start working on my next album, it's going to be such a quicker process. I you know one I understand my equipment, a lot better now. And two, I understand how to get some possible drums out of it which has been my biggest problem. And three, I'm not going to experiment or do like in the sense of the way I was producing the last album, and I'm not going to do batching, you know, all the things I'm going to do one track at a time. Get it done, get it finished, move on to the next, and I am looking forward to that second album, but first I got to get this first one out of the way. So, yeah, at least I've been productive. Outside of that, you know, I've done some work for clients for audience ninja some music marketing stuff. And so that's moving along which is good. But, but what is my camera my bias. Just, just, it's nice to work on music yesterday. That was it. I been struggling a little bit with, as you may have heard with my mornings kind of disappearing and then by the time I get started with work it's the afternoon and mid afternoon at three o'clock and that's not good enough. Yesterday I started at like half 10 or something 11 I spent the entire day actually working on pretty much one track which has been a bit of a pain but as of today I've basically. I've solved it. It was a bit of a mystery but I've solved it. But I, you know, I'm wondering whether I really need to get started earlier. But in the day like rather than rather than after lunch do before lunch but the thing is I'm enjoying having that time to either spend a bit more with the kids or whatever or also, you know, like this morning I had training with a personal trainer. And that just, you know, that takes it out of me for a bit and then you have a shower etc and that's basically a morning gun. But what I do think is probably true is, I really need to try and work on getting to bed early and getting up earlier and making more of my morning if I can start training earlier that would be better. The downside to all of that is that, Leonardo, and Mina are going to bed now half 910 o'clock they can't sleep. And so obviously by that point you just, you know, you'd want a bit of decompress time before you jump into bed. So after all after work our way around that somehow I'm not sure how. But all in all, it's all good. The, the other thing is today what today was quite nice David, two days ago, I spent lunch and breakfast actually on the balcony In fact I was actually topless it was that warm literally that warm toddler --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 177 of my podcasts The view from the crow's nest. It is Tuesday the 15th of December 2020, and today is a very special day because today is my anniversary or our anniversary some honours and I know you may be the eagle eared amongst you may be thinking well hang on a minute Didn't you guys have a 10 year anniversary back in June. And whereas, it's true. Our 10 year anniversary of our wedding was back in June. Today marks 13 years that we met. This is our anniversary of meeting, and it also coincides very Luckily, whoops, sorry, putting water in something to put into so that didn't work. It also coincided very Luckily, with having really good weather. We had about a week of rain, we've had very good weather this year in south of Italy we had weaker rain, and then yesterday or the day before it started getting better. And yeah, Sunny got better. Yesterday was good. Today was really nice. I mean, beautiful blue skies so we actually had. We decided you know I'm gonna take the day off of work, and it was meant to be the morning stroke mid afternoon, it was always going to be the day. And we had breakfast outside, on, on the balcony I was in. In, you know, shirtsleeves having breakfast in the sun, it was just gorgeous. Then we went to my to Jupiter, the village about 20 minute drive where my father in law is from. And the plan was to drop the kids at his and then go for a walk. It's Tibbets is one of the famous things about Jupiter is a UNESCO World Heritage village. Nestled in the mountains like proper in the mountains. And next to it, there's a gorge cut by this river The ragged Hello, and there's this bridge the devil's bridge, and we have been down there a couple of times, once or maybe twice in a car with my parents for years ago. And then we walked down there once like probably about 13 years ago 12 years ago something like that. And so we were going to walk down there for that'd be very nice. And we got there and my father in law was asleep. And he had, he had a bit of an accident and they had been in hospital is all fine but we thought we best let him sleep so we just kind of hung about for. I mean, we've got aunts and cousins and stuff. So we hung about for a couple hours point being, by the time he woke up, we, it was lunchtime and we were really hungry so we made some lunch, and then the kids wanted to sort of watch cartoons were like, you know, you guys can watch cartoons while we're eating, we're going to be outside. So we had lunch the three of us my sister and my father in law out on the, the little sub bar panorama the Vantage one of the vantage points which looks down into the gorge and down to the valley and it's really beautiful and it's really peaceful. I share quite often share photos or videos from that place. There's picnic benches there And generally, only this time of year there's not many people that go for it. There weren't anybody while we were there for lunch. And, again, shirtsleeves sunshine I thought this is nice, good wine that helped. So we did that and then we're like right okay now we're gonna walk down to the gorge so seminar I did, and it's a, You know, it's, it's not easy going on the knees to get down there, and then getting back up is certainly not easy I want any part of your body, but it was a really glorious walk. And we went right down actually went down past the bridge which itself is quite a tall bridge over the gorge and we went down right to the, the actual water, really really nice and then after having that nice lunch nice way to walk out. And then after that we came back got the kids came back home. And then, watched an hour's documentary of the Brian Johnson from AC DC has been doing this series life on the road where he interviews, people from other musicians basically have spent 3040 years on the road, and they're really good I really like them. And so we watch one with Mark Knopfler today, but yeah and then that's it now we're gonna have a nice early night. S --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 176 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest it is Monday 14th of December, 2020, and today a new new day of the week, it's time to get my ass in gear and get stuff happening and I just didn't get my ass in gear. If you've listened to podcasts in the last like four or five days, then you'll know that I'm, I'm struggling to get going. At the moment I'm struggling to just not even motivate myself I feel motivated, but I'm just struggling to get started to begin, and what didn't help in a very nice way but what didn't help today is, it was really after about a week of rain. It was really nice weather really warm sunshine so lunchtime sat outside and had lunch outside, you know, take advantage while you can. It's probably like 1618 degrees in the sun, and. And that was wonderful, but really I you know, didn't make me want to move from Little suntrap. And then, the kids were playing very happily together inside the house sim was sat with me outside we were talking. It was nice to have quiet time to talk. So as a consequence, it just took me a while to kind of really force physically force myself to get up and go and try and do some work. And then when I did, I found that I started on the next song for the album a blind eye to love this particular song is called. One is a song called I'm so grateful for you. And it's a really simple. It's a really simple track, and it's starts with just a simple piano vocal and then bit by bit a couple of extra instruments come in but not very much, and I was playing around like to add strings in it you could definitely have orchestral it's kind of a bit of a bait it's a ballad so you know, you could definitely have. And in the end I thought, you know what, just simple really simple is, is I think probably going to be right for that song and I'll probably stick it in the middle of the album so it's like a, you know, like almost like when you had the old finals and then you turn over to the other side, and you'd have a track that ends the first side kind of thing. That's what I think I'll do. But when I went to export it or do stuff with it, Cubase my music recording software crashed. And it's been happening a lot in the last month or so and it's basically down to a plugin I use for guitar sounds, and I use it a lot, and I don't want to not use it because it's really good but it seems to be crashing Cubase it's really doing my record not in. So basically, I spend, however long I spent, not being able to actually do anything because of this dam plugin conflict, whatever. And then after that, I don't even know why I did my day just seem to go I then did some work for a client for audience ninja. You know, dealt with a few emails a few little admin bits. But basically, that was my working afternoon God I guess I must have started late and then that's that and obviously if I want to actually get anywhere and achieve anything again a few days ago on the podcast I was talking about how I'm feeling like I'm in a groundhog day, and I'm operating in a vacuum. And it's just me and I'm not really getting anywhere and I'm not making an impact and it's not satisfying because I'm not seeing any kind of real momentum real movement, and of course about days like today which is entirely my own fault that I'm not gonna see any improvement, you know momentum or whatever. So, I need to kind of get myself, my head around that and move on and it's easy to go, our you know it's December it's Christmas and I'm gearing down for Christmas. And maybe that's the truth, maybe I should be gearing down for Christmas I don't know maybe I should be taking my foot off the gas but I never feel like I've had my foot enough on the gas. So, to take my foot off the gas seems like a cop out. Maybe that's an accurate reflection or maybe that's totally inaccurate. And I can't see the wood for the trees, I don't know, but that's, that's kind of where I'm at. So, on a work in flex. You know that was that outside of the wo --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 175 of my podcast view from the crow's nest. It is Sunday the 13th of December 2020. The eagle eyed amongst you which is probably no one may have noticed I didn't do a podcast yesterday I just couldn't be bothered basically so long and short of it. I hadn't I literally had nothing to report so you know, I didn't really do any work yesterday I struggled the last few days I've struggled to get myself going. I was in a good rhythm last week up until I think Thursday or something like that. Maybe Wednesday and then it's been two or three days and I've just really struggled to to get my ass in gear and get working basically simple as today. I did eventually managed to get cracking on some music again back onto my album blind eye to love and I nearly finished again nearly finished another track I think that's the fifth and the vocals need completely redoing there's only a guide vocal on there and then they'll need backing vocals but aside from that, I think it's basically done so that's really positive. So I'm making progress through it. And I guess I don't know if I said this on previous podcasts or I was just thinking it but I'm feeling very much or had been feeling like I'm in a bit of a vacuum at the moment like I'm just not really achieving anything and it's a bit Groundhog Day effect. I think I do go into this couple days go so I'm going to again, but equally, I know that you know this is the slog. This is the mountainous false summits. You know I need to go through this. I need to keep pushing away. Keep plugging away, finish this album. And, you know, then I'll have the next project, whatever that may be, whether it's a writing project or what have you, but it just got to persevere basically. So it is so persevered a little today. And that's basically so I've got to report and yeah, short and sweet today I think. So. That is the view from the crow's nest. And tomorrow's a new week. I Oh, what I did what I did do. I think I said this, but on Saturday, yeah, yesterday, I moved the furniture. This was my plan for Saturday morning. I chose my plan Friday money bills postponed. I got rid of the furniture in the lounge that was just the big dining table and the chairs and Just all the stuff that was kind of basically being stored in the lounge and put it in the music room which is more of a storage room. And conversely, the drum kit and the piano out of the music room, put them in the lounge, and you can see this if it hasn't disappeared on my story on Instagram or Facebook. The transformation the room But it has made a huge difference. First of all, I'm there I'm standing in the lounge now, the you know, the room just looks so much bigger, there's more space, there's much less clutter, which I am a big fan of less clutter. So that's, that's really cool. And, you know, I believe in Fung Shui I believe in that you can go into a room and the way it's the furniture is set up the flow of the room impacts you, you know impacts your subconscious impacts your energy. And when you walk into a room that's more open and more flowing, and things are better arranged, etc. It's just better for you. So that's the first. The second thing is no one's touched that drum kit in the month and a half or two months has been set up and in the two days has been set up. The kids have been on and off it pretty much all day long. Or for a couple of days and the piano As well Mina is really tough with having a PMS, she started learning. I had a little drum and a little piano, bass yesterday and long the short of it is it's been a really successful move for these last two days and I suspect it will prove to be a very successful move. So really chuffed about that the rooms looking better. It's, you know, it draws creativity from you. You walk into it, and you see the junkets helped me see the piano and you just want to sit and play. And that's the whole point with having them to hand and it just shows that you know, having something convenie --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 174 of my podcast interview from the crow's nest, and it is Friday. 11th of December 2020, and she is so I forgot to do basically yeah forgot to my podcast yesterday, but I can sum it up as yesterday I was feeling a little bit low because I felt like I feel like moment, I'm in a kind of combination of Groundhog Day, and I'm not making any impact with everything that I'm doing. Like, I know that I'm working I know that I'm progressing with stuff, but they're not having. They're not seeming to have any impact and, you know, kind of feel like the I'm talking workwise you know the things that I'm doing I could just basically give up and do nothing and just watch Netflix for six months, and basically no one really notice and nothing would really change. You know when there won't be anything lost, and it's probably a bit overly, you know overly critical, but I just feel that the last few projects I've done have been real kind of non starters. You know, for example, grip this guy, the grip this guy experience a lot of time into that kind of a lot of hours into that. And it basically just kind of came and went and I really think anybody really either went through it properly or did all the things that I had set up for it. Certainly not. You know, I didn't really seem to get that feedback. I did ask people what they thought of it and I got a lot of people saying, I loved it. But the actions of people actually doing stuff doesn't by the status doesn't matter like people did take much action. So again, a lot of effort, very little impact of the back of it, my calendar was another project. It wasn't anywhere near as much effort certain certainly not as much effort as I put in last year last year I put in a lot of effort into the calendar with extra staff and blah blah, and the impact was about equal from this year to last year. But just, I haven't received the calendar I'm not going to get a copy for myself. You know the basically I ordered what was necessary wasn't going to ship it to Italy. And so, so there's kind of nothing tangible there you know it was kind of like Well, again, grip this guy experience, yes it lives, great this guy calm but it's not exactly tangible. My calendars know exactly, yeah. The big impact tangible audience ninja. Yeah, we got a few clients, but it's, again it's not really want to want to do, number one and number two. Just. Yes, not much impact worldschooling habits, again it's a that probably will have a fair amount of impact when I finish it, but it's again another project that's half done not finished, you know, and a blind eye to love my album, you know I'm getting through it, I'm putting in the work, and it's progressing and you know it's sounding good, but um, you know, it's not finished it's another project that's kind of half baked, and hopefully when I finish it you know I can release and hopefully get a bit of impact with it, we'll see. But I just feel at the moment you know I'm putting in time and putting in effort, but it's not really, it's not really seeming to to get me anywhere or move any anything. Notice that before. And again, I might be doing myself a bit of a disservice and equally have to so you know before you can reap anything. So, you know, this is all fair enough. But there's just how affiliate moment and Groundhog Day because you know I'm at home. I just go through the same routine every morning is doing kind of chores around the house or store working, you know, training, and you know try and do some stuff with the kids afternoons working and then it's evening it's dinner and then it's, you know, get the kids to bed and tidy up and do the washing up and then plan it to bed. So, Also I think you know the the COVID situation not having any real outdoor social life or outdoor life, it now being winter, and around here there's nothing doing in the winter and it's kind of semi locked out. So I think that that's you know that's all having an impact. Fast forward to tod --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 173 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest, and it is Wednesday ninth of December 2020. I had a really good sleep last night. And yet, was knackered this morning, and I'm not good now. But the net result of everything was dude training with personal trainer late, like 10 o'clock star. By the time he finished that blahdy blahdy blah it's lunchtime yadda yadda. Yeah. And then I had the same problem that I had last few days, I could not export, my song from Cubase, which in non technical terms means I finished the song, more or less in Cubase the software I used to record my music, and I can save it, like as an mp3, which is right pain in the bum. Because this is I think the fourth yeah the fourth song that's basically now done from the album, still need to do backing tracks, backing vocals for all of them, and they still need mixing, but the work that it's basically done. So, I'm a third of the way there except for the backing vocals. And so I thought you know what if there's one option which is upgrade Cubase to the latest version which is another 100 well I thought 100 quid turns out 85 quid. So I did that but by the time. I then downloaded it, and had to download it and I took hours to download everything so the long the short of it is my whole frickin day was buying the upgrade Cubase downloading it, finding out thankfully that it then would export the track, and able to work again on music, and then that was basically my whole day. It was like dinner time. That's a fast rating. So, that's it, that that was a V for the craziest. However, on the fabulous note. My dad went to hospital today had the, the checks that were needed and got, he has a. He has a problem, but it's a very treatable problem, and is not the, the big see that we thought it might be. So that, you know, obviously trumps everything, so that's that's very good. So yeah, I, I had a good session this morning with Abdel. And then this afternoon. After I think two weeks I haven't left the house. My legs would have been the last few days have been telling me and I've been tingling, and they basically said look, dude, get out and walk somewhere we need to be used. So went out for a kind of half hour 40 minute walk. And it was raining but it was beautiful so nice to walk. And then when I got to the top of my walk I turn around come home and I did some Tai Chi some 24 forms, I kind of rushed it a bit. But it was great movement, it was a lovely waist turn and opening up the hips and growing the quad, as I call it, and stretching the legs out. So, that made me feel really good. So, despite the fact that I didn't basically do pretty much I felt I couldn't do anything today. At least it was some good news and some good things so that was, that's good. And now, this evening we had a video call with some friends of ours. In the UK, and we just finished. It's 20 past midnight. I'm super tired sumana super tired. And I know that tomorrow. It's gonna be like a copy of this morning and last night and today you're going to get out late and blardy blar. But, you know, at least we did a bit of socialising, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I've got my plan for tomorrow. In the morning, I'm going to rearrange furniture. So we've got a table in the lounge, which it just becomes a dumping ground is a big like circular dining table which we don't use as a dining table it is literally just dumping ground. We've tried to sell it, it's I mean new there it's about 100 quid I think it's a very nice table but it's pretty much worthless here we saw an identical one on Facebook marketplace for about 70 euros now wants to buy and. So I'm going to take it apart. And then some of the other stuff that we still need to get rid of, and that all the six chairs from the table, I'm going to put it in the storage room which is currently the music room, and instead I'm going to take out from the music run the piano and the drum kit and I'm going to set them up in the lounge, an --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 173 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. It is Tuesday the eighth of December 2020. Today, today Today Today, I, I want to do so. I basically spent the day, very happily. Working on music on one of my songs from my album. The song is called it blows your way. And I nearly finished basically nearly finished it. As with all the songs that I've nearly finished, they all need backing vocals added to them. But I'm going to do all the vocals in kind of one or, you know, one week or something I'll do all the vocals together for the backing vocals, but the rest of it. Basically nearly there. The only problem was I wasn't able to export it. That means basically save a copy of it I don't know why software just keeps crashing every time we're trying to export. And so now I've got to get to the root of that, it may be, you know, maybe I've got maybe upgrading the software to the latest version might help, but that cost me another $100, so I'm less inclined to do that if I can avoid it, but we shall see. But weirdly enough for though I did do that I felt like I hadn't really done much today and they went back I nearly finished that tracks, is probably really important. And I think part of that is this morning. Once I got up I did the washing up when I did the washing up I listened to. Tim Ferriss show which is a podcast, from a guy really like Tim Ferriss where he interviews, world class performers basically and today, or not today but the episode I listened to today a recent one. He was interviewing Matthew McConaughey, the actor, and one is a very funny guy is very interesting guy, and he's got very quite profound views on things on life and whatnot. And he was just talking about his life and going for things. And one of the things he said was something his father had said to him. When he decided to drop out law school and try and pursue film, go to film school, and his dad said okay but don't half asset. And that's kind of been in my head today cuz resonated with I've been feeling a bit recently, you know about half assing stuff not necessarily half RC in the sense of not putting in the effort, but half arcing in the sense of only doing things by halves, you know only half doing this only half doing that only. And I always say that you know you do one thing it's to the detriment of everything else, you know, wherever you're putting your focus or your energy nothing else is getting your focus and energy so if you focus on something. Everything else by necessity isn't may have focused on. And the difficulty is focusing on enough things that you have the complete and rounded life, versus not focus, focusing on too much where you're too scattered and your energy is not, you know, not leading you in a more in a direct route to where you want to go. And on that note, you know, knowing where you want to go, et cetera, et cetera. And that has been kind of on my mind a bit today. In fact, it's been on my mind for a few days so it's just something to ponder it, I guess there's nothing really no major takeaways or specifics on that. I think also, I'm feeling. And it's rare that I get this but I think I'm feeling a bit stuck rabid Cabin Fever because I'm not sure I've left the house for about two weeks. And my legs are, I think, aching because they literally want to be walked. I think I need to get our mark. I can't blame it on the lockdowns is not locked down even if there was or there might be a lockdown but even when there was we still get out. I just haven't left the house I just, you know, I mean this routine I mean this kind of Groundhog Day esque routine. Every day is basically the same. And, you know that's on the one hand, it's good because I can focus on the other hand, maybe my focus is too narrow. Equally what I'm focusing on. Am I focusing on when I am focused Here am I, focusing on too many things, or just the right things are not enough things. So, again, last few days. That's what I've been talking about i --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 172 of my podcast The view from the crow's nest. It is Monday the seventh of December 2020. Today, I didn't have good sleep. I was feeling. I was, I was feeling a bit blue. After recording yesterday's podcast. So because I'd spent the last two days basically watching these music documentaries about all these old. Well, the singers but from these rock bands I really admire that have been going kind of 3040 years. And that already makes me feel slightly blue potentially, and then add a great question from Roy. If you're listening Thank you Roy yesterday which I answered about my own musical career and background and blah blah blah. And that basically made me feel blue, maybe feel a bit low. So, I went to bed, and then just when I was feeling a bit blue Simona said a couple of things to me regarding the kids, which wasn't exactly what she was saying but I didn't take it the wrong way but it just reminded me that. Basically, it's very difficult to balance everything you know what you need to do what you want to do what you have to do your dreams, etc. And to get them to pay out so I went to bed feeling a little bit. And we had a chat similar and I, and also she was feeling a bit office yesterday, and so we discussed stuff and. Long story short, by the time I fell asleep I was feeling a lot better but it was a lot later. And then I can see it for a bit. Ironically, I went I did get save I was actually feeling really excited and really positive and focused on 2021 2021, because I'm really, really focused next year, not just on music but on performing again on. Yeah, gigging on being a being a performer, not just somebody who kind of writes few songs occasionally and records a few things occasionally but really, you know, upping the gears to the detriment of a lot of other things. And for the last month six weeks something like that I've been pretty month. I've been practising a set and about a month ago, I felt I couldn't even if somebody asked me to play one song I couldn't I was too embarrassed or too shy and. Fast forward to today and I'm feeling good mouth like I've got the best vocal control range and tone that I think I've ever had. Best pitching. And it's not saying that I'm great, just saying, best that I've had. And I just feel like I'm moved up a gear, you know, literally. So I'm putting together a set of my songs and it's inspired me to start writing a bit more I feel like I want to write a bit more. So I came up with a bit of a plan for next year to go back to one of my classic stock phrases Do what you can with what you have right now. I could look at it as, Oh, I'm in the south of Italy, there's nothing going on here. I'm on the opposite end of the world there's no chance of doing anything with music. Or I could look at it as I'm in this place where there's no competition, they're starved of music, apparently according to sumana. You know, I'm exotic because I'm from London. Never thought that would be the case. And being a rock, blues type of guy from London. That in itself will be a bit of a draw for especially for people in this far south of Italy where we are. And we have a plan to have lots of days out especially when we're allowed to and when you know probably the other side of Christmas in the new year. Last this time last year we got into really good habit of once a week we're going for a brilliant day out. And we'd go to a village, or a tourist attraction and then in the morning and then we would have lunch in a local restaurant and it was just glorious and then in the afternoon go visit something else and the whole family thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I don't know if I've shared them yet but I've been putting together over the bit of time some videos, these days are on education by travel on our YouTube I think, which is our much neglected kind of Family Education stroke travel blog. Anyhow, We've done really well and then coronavirus hit, and that was it, then pay to them. So we want to --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 171 of my podcast. The view from the crow's nest. It is Sunday sick, sick. Yes, of December 2020. And today, full day off, like give myself permission full day off. My only desire today was to watch the final of the autumn nations rugby, which England was in playing France at Twickenham in London, and it was a very dramatic final, which, England, have emerged victorious, they actually were trailing and the last kick of the game, put them level, which took into extra time. And then, England managed to win in second part of extra time. I'm not a big rugby fan. I've only. I'm only really watching it because it was been on amazon prime, and I've got prime i thought you know what haven't watched for a long time. I've really enjoyed it and I will, I may have watched rugby a bit in the past but now I shall be watching a lot more I think I watched all England's games and sounds very good. I also had a few beers that pretty much, that was my day right there, but also, and this is going to tie in very nicely with what's coming up on the rest of this podcast tonight. And I have discovered a TV series with Brian Johnson of AC DC, it's called a life on the road and Brian Johnson goes and interviews. Other very successful musicians in season one. It was five singers and one drummer. So the singers though, you know, small people like Robert Plant sting Roger Daltrey Joe Elliott of Def Leppard on Nirvana two drummers Nick Mason Pink Floyd and Lars Ulrich of Metallica, so you know, just some guys who maybe have had a little bit of success. Actually, I started watching them I think like yesterday or the day before and now I've watched all six of them getting the second season, and I'm very much looking forward to that, really, really good. Like, I highly recommend to see this series. And I really love Brian Johnson he's just like the most down to earth, dude. So no really really cool. And it works. It runs well because I have another question from the wonderful Roy, and I love it when people ask questions. That said, Roy zoster a big question. So I'm going to pass you on to Roy, for his question, and then I'll come back and how that relates to what I've just been talking about regarding Brian Johnson's life on the road. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 170 of my podcasts, the view from the crow's nest. It is Saturday fifth of December 2020. Yeah. Today is a bit of a day off on account of being a Saturday. I decided to take it in little bit easy. So that meant. Personal Training, this morning was pushed back to your town. So it was meant to be 30, push back to 10. And that basically means my entire morning gone so I thought when that happened I thought, you know what I'm not gonna stress about it. I had a good session. So that was all good. And then after that, I, I found this programme. I mean, I've seen this programme or seen of this programme a couple years ago forgot all about it. And it's Brian Johnson of AC DC it's called a life on the road, where he interviews. Basically, other people from very successful bands. So in the first season, there was six episodes I think he interviewed sting Roger Daltrey Robert Plant, Nick Mason, Lars Ulrich, and Joe Elliott. And if I watch music related stuff like documentaries or whatever in the evening that I can never sleep, and often feel bad about it. I can't they kind of put me in a blue mood because I think I've not done. You know what I wanted to do music, etc. So I thought, you know what, let me watch it during the day. So seminar set to watch it over lunch. And we watched the Robert plan and then then it makes another really good, really, really enjoyed that. So it was a good way to start there or to start the day to do it by that point it was like three o'clock and then as I write. I, I'm going to do music house inspired. So I came into the room fired up the computer thought I was gonna actually work on the album, and they're flashy, you know what, I kinda don't really fancy that, let me, practice my songs. So, I practice the seven songs that I've been practising and started learning and eighth and the eighth is a song called Mary, that I wrote a month ago something like that. And I don't have a proper recording of it I don't want to record a religious lease just a video of it that I can put in the lab. Mr cool is kind of reminds me a little bit of a kind of 80s Stadium anthem track. Yeah, okay, big hair rock track singalong type thing. And this nice little song. So I did that by the time I finished that it's basically like whatever four or five o'clock I did. I recorded all six of the, all the songs that I. It's all seven of the songs, because I was learning the eighth that I did I'm going to watch them off this podcast actually uh see if I've made any improvements, but I feel that I have improving my, my vocal technique. My pitching because I tend to sing flat and I feel that I'm starting to sing a bit more closer to the centre, the note I'm trying to get to. And my vocal control is better my ranges. Arrange is pretty good now. But more importantly is pretty good in a controlled way whereas previously I could hit notes occasionally but I blocked my voice too quick. Maybe it's because I'm doing things, relatively quietly, because I'm in the flat. And I'm not you know with a band and therefore it's easier not to blow up my voice, maybe it's not performing in front of people, so it's easier not to push myself that much I don't know but hopefully I'm building a good foundation to start gigging next year which has the plan, you know, twofold one to get out in public, and well three photos at once, get out in public and kick to, to make some live music videos that I can use for marketing. And for my for my fans. And the third is because I want to try and do maybe a monthly probably live stream eventually concert. Something I've never done shied away from, and I got to put on my big boy pants and start doing it. And so, that's part of my 2021 really focusing on the music. So, yeah, I feel good about that. Then, basically. How's the day, more or less. It's quite early now half nine I'll go into bed and watch those videos and then try and get an early night and wake up tomorrow energised and having had a good sleep --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support

Welcome to Episode 169 of my podcast, have you from the crow's nest. It is Friday the fourth of December, 2020, and so yeah today it's day was good day and another. You know, I feel good today after, same as I did yesterday and I got up I did the washing up, and then I started tidying the kid's room space got chores in the morning and then it was lunchtime had lunch again weather was nice enough the sun just came out just before lunch so we're able to sit outside and have lunch, which was glorious sumana made. Someone made this green bread. It was as bizarre looking thing and if you want to see it gone to my Instagram or Facebook story for today. But it was really tasty and hip, it was like a green sandwich, it was. I'm sure it was healthy I hope it was healthy it looked like it should be healthy. And so it was nice lunch and then the afternoon I, you know, went to work. I did some stuff for client of audience ninja one of the clients. And then, then I worked. I did a bit of admin stuff, then I worked on my own music, which was great, a track called it blows you away, and I from the album a blind eye to love and I replaced the drums and found exactly the beats I was after so that's really good stocks that can sometimes take me quite a while, and then I started playing around with some orchestral sounds over the top of it. Not sure if they're really needed but by that point it was already sort of getting on a bit late, so I had a few other bits to do. I then did a very quick vocal warmup, and practice my seven song set. And it's not sounding too bad I actually feel like, you know what, I might even be improving my pitching and my range which is my control which is really really positive. And I'm feeling pretty comfortable with those songs now so I've actually had to play a gig I think I could, you know, I could do without panicking too much. And, which is the whole kind of point of this. And so, I think, you know, I will be doing my first performances, certainly in the new year. But, you know, I will start you know small start with the stuff that I upload or share with the lab and then probably in my facebook group, and then eventually, more publicly so I'm definitely working towards it, so that feels really good. I uploaded yesterday it was a little more stone uploading my tracks to BBC introducing. If you want to know more about that then listen to yesterday's podcast. And amazingly I had emails today to say your tracks have been listened to, if we're going to play them. We will be in touch. So, that I mean it's good because they say that it can take six months even longer to listen to your tracks so that's really positive 24 hours is brilliant. But now I wait and see whether they think they're any good or good enough to play or not. If they do, that will be awesome. I will feel very very good I'm sure if they don't, that's fine. I made more songs and I get them out there again. So the excuse me one second. Sorry about that. So, The two songs I shared the two songs from my EP grip the sky, and I'm currently in the process of uploading that EP to no sorry, not true at all. I'm going to be uploading that EP to Spotify and doing what's called a windowed release or release one track and then maybe every other month or every two months release another track from it. And what I intend to do is with each release, try and get some interest from blogs or, you know, radio stations or whatnot. And so I feel like I'm starting to, you know, starting to between the recording between the practising and performing the music between the marketing and the music I feel like I'm actually starting to get some momentum get some steam it's, again you know it's early days is such a huge amount of work to do. And it's not that I'm working eight hours a day on it you know I'm just putting in a few hours a day. In between other things and trying to balance out spending time with the kids and the family hence why each morning. You know I'm doing bit of --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theviewfromthecrowsnest/support