Orangutang, Again: The Less Glamorous Side of Putting Music Into the World

The Life of a Modern Renaissance Man: A Video Journal, entry 21

A few days after the official Orangutang video appeared, another upload of the track went live. Same creative chapter, another entry in the public record of me trying to do approximately seventeen jobs at once.

Music releases are a strange combination of art and administration. The exciting part is writing, recording, filming, and watching the edit come together. Then come all the other decisions: credits, mixes, uploads, links, descriptions, formats, and making sure people can actually find the thing. It's the side of being an independent artist that rarely gets a standing ovation.

This upload credits Mr. Ash for the beat and me for the writing, recording, and mix, along with my work directing and editing the video. Looking back, what strikes me is how much ownership I wanted over my work. I loved being able to follow a song through so many stages, even if it made my to-do list a little ridiculous.

It's also a good reminder that a career is built through a lot of unromantic follow-through. Making the art is the beginning. Getting it into the world takes another set of muscles.

If you're watching both Orangutang uploads, think of them as two doorways into the same creative moment. I wouldn't pretend they're two completely different stories. They aren't. Sometimes the second upload is part of the story, too.