20 Comments
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Racheblue Love's avatar

Awesome and super useful share Little Door, thank you x

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Catherine Norden's avatar

YES, god dammit! I WILL.

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David Sutton's avatar

Amen and amen and amen! So much good information here. Inspiring, thanks.

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Toad Doctor's avatar

Wow, thanx for this.

Eno is always inspiring.

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Kate Ellen's avatar

Agreed, filled my cup for sure ⚡️

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Ethan from Human Pursuits's avatar

"We're not truth-tellers—we're world-builders creating alternate realities that make people wonder: 'Do I want to live here?'"

Too good

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Kate Ellen's avatar

I loved this sentiment too, Eno had me thinking about how many worlds I’ve been introduced to and how many I want to be a part of and how many I have said, ew, ick, no. It’s helped me consider what I’m creating on a much more profound level too. It’s quantum, maaaan ⚡️

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Paula Cristobal's avatar

Whaaaaat an excellent piece!!!

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David Bailey's avatar

I was in that class as well! so much of it has stuck with me. Since the class ended I've been trying to come up with my own oblique strategies and arbitrary limitations, not just in songwriting but in all the art mediums I do. I also constantly think of the Picasso quote "inspiration exists, but it has to find you working"

So cool to come across other classmates from this in the wild. I have seen a few other people who have written about it on here. Wish I could take the class all over again!

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Kate Ellen's avatar

Heeeey classmate! So cool to come across each other! There was so much to take in, it's sort of like in psychedelics they teach that the integration phase is just if not more important than the trip itself... you have to spend a lot of time integrating into your life meaningfully what was shown to you, rather than just seeking one cathartic "aha!" moment and speeding on to the next. Arbitrary limits, grooves without chord progressions, slow mornings without intaking, changes in the studio environment to bring out better vocal performances, creating an archive system... so many things to experiment with and integrate. I've barely begun dude!

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Ambient Soul Music Club's avatar

Gold in there. Thank you!

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Kate Ellen's avatar

Most welcome! This was just the cream off the top- he has such incredible depth 🩷

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Supernova Support's avatar

I'm so glad you consolidated your Brian Eno wisdom into this post! Your synthesis of the wisdom makes it all so accessible and actionable while retaining the sense of wonder he places on the throne of creation. This is a must read.

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Kate Ellen's avatar

Yes, I finally put it in one place- you know I’ve been drawing on it all the time!!

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marine eyes's avatar

thanks for sharing dear kate, brian is such a huge reason why i make ambient music and love his philosophy. i hope you got to see his documentary too! life-changing. awesome to be on substack together ♥️

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Kate Ellen's avatar

I haven't seen his documentary, I'll put it on my list. I thought of you while in the class though, representing and bringing together women in ambient music. It's such a different way of looking at sound - it truly challenged a lot of my thinking about songwriting and even the purpose of song. ❤️

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marine eyes's avatar

it is all about getting lost and found at the same time. thanks for the heart you’ve been pouring into your substack, excited for your music up ahead!

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DCsade's avatar

Excellent lovely writing ✍️ gave me a lot to think about! A Big door 🚪 opened by Little Door😊

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Kate Ellen's avatar

Fun stuff to chew on, honestly, this was just a fraction of what Brian left me with but I had to keep it “short” haha… if he ever teaches again at School of Song I highly recommend

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