no more, no less

Some of you know that my fiance, Jason, is a musician. He is a trumpet player who leads his own jazz band and makes a living as a musician. Did you hear that? He makes a living as a musician! He talks about the daily life of a working musician and proves that it can be done on his blog, One Working Musician. The subtitle of his blog is, “Makin’ it happen – Livin’ the dream – Payin’ the bills.” Although the blog is geared towards musicians, I think that any artist can benefit from reading it.

Several years ago, Jason quit his steady, well-paying job to pursue his passion. He brought with him his business savvy, his ability to talk to people and listen to what they need, and his determination. And it has paid off. He is a huge inspiration to me and my biggest cheerleader.

Over the past few months, he has been working on his latest album, “No More, No Less.” Earlier this month, the recording was complete and it was time for him to find an artist to design the CD art. I was so flattered when he asked me to do it.

I had an idea in my head right away of what I wanted it to look like. The album name, “No More, No Less,” had a “take me as I am” quality to it. I got to work right away on a simple ink sketch. I wanted the instruments to be recognizable, but not exact representations. I also wanted the instruments to flow into each other. Once you hear his band play, you’ll understand why. When they play, they are not four separate entities. They are a unit, intune and intwined with one another.

I must have done about 15 different versions of the drawing, but after all was said and done, Jason liked the first one the best. Another reminder that my first instincts are usually the best instincts.

I also have to point out that the first song on the album, titled “Bashert,” was written for me about three weeks after we met. When he plays the song in shows, he tells a story that explains the meaning of the word bashert (in Yiddish, it is loosely translated as “soul mate”) and that his mom always told him that he would meet his bashert some day. He then says that his bashert is in the audience and that she will be his wife soon. Then there’s a collective, “Awwww” (which I can hear you all doing as you sit in front of your computer screens), and I turn bright red.

I am so incredibly proud of Jason. This album has been a labor of love and I think it can be heard in every note of the album, every word written in the liner notes.

To learn more about my hubby-to-be, check out his website, Jason Parker Music. To learn more about the album, “No More, No Less,” and to download the mp3s or pre-order your own copy of the CD (which will include my art), visit his blog. I hope you’ll check him out.

So ends my shameless plug.

** Oh, wait! One last shameless plug! On Sunday, I flipped over to Blisschick and to my surprise I saw that Christine had awarded me a little blog award! Thank you, Christine, for sharing the love! I promise to spread the love to some of my favorite blogs soon.