SASKIA GRIFFITHS-MOORE
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Journal

3 weeks to Go! Quick Review of Stats...

9/28/2015

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So, it's been 5 days since I launched my campaign! So far the stats go like this:
£779 in official pledges
19 days left
12 backers
One of the limited rewards is totally gone! Look out for the other 1 O.A.K. (1 of a kind) rewards!

​See the project on the right here!

Stroud News and Journal are going to do an article on my project, and my project has been referred to on Apple FM this very morning (thank you Simon and Tracey!). So apart from the dearly appreciated efforts of my friends, family and fans to spread the word and support my project, we will see what this new publicity brings.

​Wish me luck!
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Featured Artist: daniil Bachkirov

9/23/2015

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The painting is inspired by a native Alaskan ghost story and is called "Listening".
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About Danny

Danny has gone through many creative media including ambient composition, painting and wood sculpture. His current creative outlet is designing mindfulness strength-training programs as a personal trainer in Swindon. He was a mature student at Brockwood Park School where he could frequently be seen driving past classrooms on a tractor.

I know Danny through a mutual friend Adam Black, and he is yet another creative Brockwood connection. I love this painting, and although he has more, he hasn't got a website yet. He can be found on facebook, and contacted there or, you can email him at [email protected].
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Gentle Heart - Join the Fun (my crowdfunding adventure!)

9/21/2015

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Today was the day, I launched my main kickstarter campaign to crowdfund my debut album!
I am taking a big risk here, and I am counting on my supporters, friends, family and fans to help give me what I need to launch my career! 
As a workaholic I have spent every second studying and applying music business principles. I have secured a fantastic launch venue to hundreds of people, and have begun booking in my 2016 'Gentle Heart' tour for the 'Gentle Heart' album. I have appeared on 5 radio stations including most recently, a live interview on the BBC . And I stormed to the top of reverbnations folk charts for Bristol. I have sold over 300 copies of my 'Gentle Heart Collection', and have a strong fanbase and social media presence, a new E.P. coming out next week, and I have played live to literally thousands of people in the last five months over the southwest, and I loved every minute of it (Ok, well, most minutes of it.). I have all the industry connections, I know where I am going to record, where I will get the album mastered, printed, distributed online and in retail, as well as which venues will put me on as I take the album on tour all over the UK next year.
Besides, I have thought of lots of unique and interesting rewards to make it thoroughly worth your while to 'back me', so check out my kickstarter campagin below.
Click to see Saskia's Crowdfunding Campaign!
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These are stills from my crowdfunding video!
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Featured Poet: Tracey West

9/17/2015

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Red Clock

It says 0:12 on my red bedside clock, I hear your feet ascend the stairs, Then you click the bathroom lock.

My gaze is afixed on an orange street light, As tonight’s hot tears pierce, Yet another cold night.

“A real man must come at least once every day”, I don’t want to feel the bed shake, And hope you’ve found another way. 

To relieve all your tension on a hot DVD, With some beer and a joint, Then you won’t involve me.

It says 1:23 on my red bedside clock, Your snores are now deep, And your hand stuck to a sock.

That is filled with limp manhood, It’s time to get up, In my haste as I stand My hand hits a tea cup. On the table, you stir, But you’re out for the count, I get dressed in the silence, Then slide my way out Of the bedroom that’s held all my darkest despair, There’s no looking back, no regrets can I wear.

It says 2:34 on a red bedside clock, But I’m in a hotel, Tender arms are now locked, Around my glistening shoulders, Still glowing from the love, Of a man who adores me, We finally woke up, To the fact that life is short, Too short to be sad, Wrapped in a marriage of violence, There’s life to be had.

It says 3:45 on the red bedside clock, The alarm sounds, we rise, And my eyes look in shock, At my new cuts and bruises, They’ll be the last ones, No more oversized glasses, Or heavy foundation,

My new love plants kisses, On my forehead and holds me, I’ve no fear with him, For his tongue never scolds me.

We’ve planned this escape, For what seems like forever, But fear had a tight grip, Around my neck, thought I’d never, Be quite brave enough, But I’ve learned to stand tough, And I’m sure not deluded, It’s gonna be rough.

I’ve snipped all my connections, To the old wounded life, I can’t risk him ever finding, This terrified wife, Who he’s beaten into submission, With his hands and cruel words, As we get in the taxi, I’m seen but not heard.

It says 4:56 on the train station clock, My hands are enclosed by warm fingers, In an effort to stop, all my trembles, He mumbles, “I love you dear girl”, Then we step on the train, Entering our new world.

I’ve the clothes that I stand in, And a few hundred pounds, And the love of a soulmate, Who won’t let me down.

As the train pulls away, And we start our first day, The calm silence is gently broken, “No more tears now”, I say.

Tracey West

I met Tracey at Lyme Regis Folk Weekend last month, and had the delight of being escorted for a midnight swim with her and her lovely husband Simon.

If you like her poetry and want to see more, have a look at her website here: magicoxygen.co.uk/shop
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Thank you Tracey! X

Bio

Tracey West is an author, editor, publisher and broadcaster born in 1966 in London's east end.

She has written books on sustainability, humour, love, death & divorce. Her eco-title, The Book of Rubbish Ideas (2008) was a bestseller and is now only available on Kindle.

Tracey does stand up performance poetry, she is also a speaker on women's issues and sustainability, a very proud Patron for the Women's Action Network Dorset and Trustee for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

160 Divorce Coping Tips should be available soon and will sit alongside Poetry of Divorce for Women & Diary of Divorce, a companion journal to help you get through it; coincidentally, she writes a free Divorce Coping Tip of the Day, available from the Google Play Store.

She lives by the sea in Dorset with her soulmate, loves organic growing, cooking from fresh and naked swimming

Poetry for Divorce

This poem was taken from Tracey's book 'Poetry for Divorce for Women' which is the first in a series of books on surviving divorce with your sanity and a smile. Through a sharp and comedic pen they outline everything from the uphill struggles, to the absolute adventures faced by many women, until they attempt to create a coherent route through the most emotionally and financially draining times. Tracey's divorce poetry will move you from laughter to tears with truths from several different women's personal experiences of divorce and offers an honest reflection of common journeys showing you you're not alone. Part of the proceeds are being donated to the West Dorset Women's Refuge and another Dorset organisation helping women in crisis.

'Wrinkly Think'

This is Tracey herself doing a reading of another poem of hers 'wrinkly think'. this time its a funny one :)
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12 most helpful things I've learned about being in the music business

9/14/2015

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Here are the twelve most useful tips I have gathered so far while trying to learn how to promote myself as a musician and singer. I have picked them up from all sorts of sources so message me if you want more details on any of them.

1) Every, or almost every, social media post should contain 4 things; a picture, a call to action, and a link. Also, the shorter the better, and on facebook, try to use time-based words like 'today' or 'just now' - it helps your post to rank higher and therefore show up in more people's news feeds.

2) The two things missing from most websites: 1 - A 'press' section, including pictures, a short bio, and quotes that anyone from the media can 'lift' with ease to publish anything about you. You want to make it easy for someone to find all the relevant info. and 2 -A 'Booking Info' section. Including performance statistics, stage plot if you have a band,  live pictures and videos, media quotes specifically about your live shows. and anything someone who is interested in booking you might want to know.

3) Think about the purpose of your website. Is it to sell your music directly? Expand your subscriber base? Get bookings for private functions? Or for large theaters? Design your website around one main goal, and one or two sub goals depending on your needs.

4) Get professional photos. Pay someone to do it for you. It makes a big difference, the difference between a professional and an amateur. They will do things you can't even imagine to subtly make your image more pleasing.

5) Youtube is the number 1 place where music is discovered nowadays, so have ALL your music up there, even with a picture or 'lyric' videos if you don't have a full video.

6) Be consistent. Across all your internet platforms. As much as possible, the same fonts, the same, images the same colours. This strengthens your image.

7) Connect! A simple one, but the more people you have in your network, the more opportunities you are connected to. Network = Opportunities.

8) The most important thing about social media is to 'engage' people, and second most important is to keep you in their minds. You don't want to come across as obtrusive, but you want to remain present, so think about how you can engage people. Ask them questions, run competitions, show them something funny, respond to their responses to you etc.

9) Ask. If a 'call to action' is made explicit it is three times more likely to be effective. So if you want likes, ask. If you want people to share, repin, comment, link, retweet, plus 1, or anything else, ask. Not too much, but don't be shy. Call people to take action, if you want them to take action.

10) Follow up everything. If someone offers you a gig in conversation, it's not impolite to send a quick message a couple of days later. Most of the time the response is 'oh yeah, I forget, what dates can you do in...'.

11) Think about how you can expand you network. Attend events, grow your social media connections, use your social media to drive people to your website, put on a show with a similar artist, or collaborate on a youtube video. People who like their stuff will also like your stuff and vice versa. There is an almost unlimited number of things you can do to expand your fanbase, and when its big enough you can ask them to; fund something, attend your shows, spread the word etc. etc. What I love about the music industry these days is how personal your relationship is to your fans, especially as an indie artist.

12) Give away your music. At least some of it. Even in the old days artist made 90% of their income from live shows. If you can leverage your music to grow your fanbase, that will be far more valuable long term than making a a small amount of money now. Draw people in. Invite them in, give something out. :)
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Featured Poet: Adele Guyton

9/9/2015

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Upon Visiting Clare College, Cambridge

Here I am, surrounded by living fossil 
in a form that could seem beautiful and profound 
were it not for the baleful apostle 
glaring down at 'Do Not Touch The Grass'. 
I am not made for this high mass 
in perpetuum, ad infinitum, et cetera.

The trees here are unkissable, 
ring-around-the-rosied with prestige. 
My wilderness here is unpermissible 
as a nose pressed to stained glass. 
I could not bear this kind of class! 
Imagine three years spent fettered up

by courtyards that make the sky seem frameable! 
This place could stand the test of molten time 
oozing over its search for the unnameable, 
but it won't stand for me - alas! 
I'm looking for a place with way more sass 
than any I could leave so lettered up!

- Adele Guyton

Adele Guyton

Once a week I feature an Artist or Poet. To start off this tradition, Adele Guyton has kindly contributed her poem below. Adele was a Brockwood student like myself and our paths crossed many times over Shakespeare, philosophy, singing-songwriting, and general merrymaking. She is a talented playwright, actress, singer-songwriter and poet (amongst other things). See for yourselves... 

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Giving and Receiving as a Musician

9/7/2015

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Today I watched this. 
There is a big debate in the music industry about how to control piracy & streaming, and how to make people pay for music. But, who is asking? The record labels, big business are concerned about how file sharing on the internet is cutting into their profits. Artists are concerned that they aren't able to make money with their music, either by file sharing or through music streaming service royalties being so minuscule as to be undetectable. But, as Amanda points out, people *want* to pay for music. I know this, as she does, from my experience in my busking days. People hear something that touches them, and come forward. They did this entirely voluntarily, based on their connection to me, and to my surprise they did come forward. Some people said I should hide the money I got from busking so people would give more, or add money into my case to start with. But I never did, and not a single person looked into my case before they put some money in! As Amanda proved with her crowdfunding campaign, people want to give something in exchange for something they receive. This is a perfect antidote to the marketing push to maximize profits, and brings the focus back to people, who are the core of this exchange. Music is relationship for me. As an artist I play to people, for people. I ask them to support me, if they want to, and if they go the extra mile to come and see me play, I go the extra mile to meet them, to find out who they are, and to make a personal connection.
Amanda's essential point is that asking how to make people pay for music is the wrong question, and it should be, how can we let them pay for music?
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