Conclusion & Commentary

Leading a band with integrity takes commitment, dedication, flexibility, time, and energy. The dynamic I chose to create was unique in that I took on a role of 'provider' where I hosted the members of the band within my home, paid travel expenses for those that needed it, provided the main instruments, paid for gas, and purchased most of the food for everyone in the time that we spent as a unit. This method of care-taking for a band, while generous and kind, is in no way sustainable as a long term effort or something that can be easily carried out while potentially touring the world or living together in community. Though the imbalance became very apparent near the end of our incarnation, throughout the course of our journey, there was mutual love and respect as well as an abundant energy exchange between all of us as we individually committed hard work and love to bring the songs from Sundog to the stage, while continuously inspiring one another to more fully express our musical gifts and artistic creations with the world. My five months of experience with Ecstatic Union as a full band has helped me grow and draw nearer to the embodiment of my service as a sonic-love-steward, dedicated to inspire, uplift, and empower the soul of humanity & mother earth with intentionally heart-centered music & lyrics. The band has now disassembled and we are focusing on bringing forth our individual gifts to the world. As the sun of Ecstatic Union set behind us during our final performance here in Lake Atitlan Guatemala, the freshly rising rays of 'Arnika', my newly sprouted musical incarnation, was preparing to dawn upon the horizon of 2014. So here I sit, gazing with wonder and awe into the beauty of where this album, 'Sundog', has carried me (Lago Atitlan!). With gratitude and honor, within and around, my love pours forth in every direction. Thank you friends and family who have supported me along my path and a million mahalo’s to my brothers who flew by my side through the ever-changing skies of Ecstatic Union. My your rainbow feathers unfold like flowers to the Sun. Thank you, I love you!

I started this output strong and confident, dedicated to finishing it within a two week period. I have witnessed a pattern arise in the creation of my OPs which is this: I start with energy and creative vigor, dedicating large portions of the day only to focus on writing. Then after a week or so, I begin to be social again, and as I reflect on my OP work, the content starts to look like a big reflection journal instead of a design report. I understand that a solidly built OP represents a coherent mixture with both of these elements, though my pattern has been to oscillate between them as extremes. And finally, when I see this gap of extremes, I usually put off work on the OP for an extended period until I feel the pressure of falling behind build so much that I rush and sometimes scramble to finish my work. This causes the OPs to feel strong and organized in the beginning but then seem to disassemble and conclude hastily at the end. This is a pattern I would like to shift not only with my OPs but within all of my creations throughout life in general, birthing artwork which reflects a coherent whole from start to finish. Though I was able to describe my journey and design process in a relatively concise manner, I still feel there is more that could be reflected upon and shared regarding the subject as well as my experience of leading, and essentially managing, a band. Even so, I feel that I met my goal of describing my own key lessons of this process and feel this information can act as a tool for others on a similar course of action. I plan for my OP5 which will reflect on my key lessons of relationship throughout my first program cycle, will effectively fill in the gaps that my OP4 didn't cover. 

I constructed this report on Mahara, used photos which archived over the course of my experiences, and gathered video from my account on vimeo, as well as a promo video of 'Awaken', from youtube.

I didn't use external resources for this report other than an image and video. 

Love takes Flight festival image: http://www.naamfestival.com

Awaken Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzQy3Qxq0kc