# Day 1 By [@degenswami](https://paragraph.com/@degenswami) · 2022-10-20 --- Today is day 1 of the @degenswami experiment. --------------------------------------------- I started my first band sophomore year of high school 20-ish years ago. A lot has changed except my desire to make music. I’ve never been very good at the guitar (or any instrument really) but I know just enough to get the job done in the studio. Recording is my happy place and I’ve been hooked ever since my first session. I feel grateful to have grown up during a time when interfaces, DAWs, plugins and professional results were within reach for the average musician. For Christmas my senior year of high school, my parents bought me a MacBook, MBox, an MXL 990/991 kit, and a Shure SM57. This simple recording setup instilled a deep passion for producing music. Shortly thereafter my life would forever change. Less than 60 days later I found out my Dad had lung cancer and only a few months to live. One of his greatest wishes was that I go to college and get a degree. I never wanted to go, all I wanted was to rock and roll. I wanted to be free. There was just no possible way my Dad would allow me to choose music over school, so I went to college for music business 3 weeks after he died. I want to keep these updates pretty short, so I’ll save the story for another time. But I’ll leave it here… Artistry is a blessing and a curse. The very things that awaken your creativity also contribute to crippling procrastination and perfectionism. There are emotional issues that keep the artist from staying consistent enough to have a vibrant career and _I am still one of those artists._ My own insecurities and scarcity mindset have caused me to give up before I even get started. That ends today. With the power of algorithms, new web3 platforms, and all the tools at our disposal, it is easier than fucking ever to make it in music. It would be a damn shame if I gave up on my dream now. This is me documenting the process, brick by boring brick. And thanks to blockchain technology, my digital diary will live on infinitely. I will post my progress every day… Exactly what I did or didn’t do… How I think about music, the business of music, building community and how web3 ties into it all. It’s a really exciting time to be alive. Today’s Progress: ----------------- * Wrote this diary entry * Changed strings and setup the Strat (action is still fucked/buzzy/needs work) * Worked on the energy for beat 1 * Started beat 2 * Tested [Squads](https://squads.so/) app and went through Github to see if it’s feasible to use for royalties / rights management --- *Originally published on [@degenswami](https://paragraph.com/@degenswami/day-1)*