In January 2026, I looked back at seven years of making music. The first two years, 2019 and 2020, were spent learning how to do it. Literally. The next three years, 2021, 2022, and 2023, were spent learning, writing, producing, and getting my songs and tracks professionally mixed and mastered.
I was working full-time as a contractor, and running my own consulting business (professional Geosciences consulting, provided by my P.Geo. husband), at the same time. I did not release anything until late in 2023, which was my album of instrumentals, Painting Music.
By the end of 2023, I retired from doing contracting work, but continued running my business – which is still going. I could then concentrate fully on music production. I did not produce songs until my album Howl, in Feb. 2024, followed by Ticket to Mars. I found out that lyrics-and-vocals is a whole different kettle of fish, very difficult, very complicated.
By the end of 2023, I had produced seven albums, and had commercially released three of those. I can say with complete honesty that these were unsuccessful, though each album had maybe one song that was, in my opinion, better than average or pretty good. But nothing happened with them. The main lesson here, is that an itch to express myself is not a good reason to write a song. It will not get you heard.
I also learned that there are different routes in production. There is producing songs – which has melody, a chorus, lyrics, and vocals. And there is producing tracks – which has melody, a chorus, but not necessarily lyrics and vocals. With tracks, the emphasis is on the beat. At the start of this journey, I could not differentiate.
I decideD to go big in 2024
Also in Feb. 2024, I decided to put all my efforts into production and began collaborating with a professional co-writer, Sean Berchik. Then things improved by a quantum leap. I had a massive learning curve to go through.
This led to music recordings where both of us feature as artist and producer. In 2024, I released two EPs born from this collaboration, Perfect You and Rondo. In 2025, I released one EP, The Reaperman Cycle (throwback projects from 2023), and two EPs from the collaboration, The Colours of Cold, and Bound with Gold. Those are the EPs and albums, and I am not listing all the singles that were released in anticipation of being included in EPs and albums.
Also, this does not reflect the actual production that has happened. In 2025 along, we completed production on nine songs that have not yet been released. These are assets, and we are still developing some of the songs further. I eventually stopped my incessant drive to get the songs out and release them, ready or not.
A major milestone in 2025 was producing the first songs that have my spoken or sung vocals on them, in the lead or background. I do not call myself a singer-songwriter, but apparently my spoken voice sounds like that of a “savage ‘Mary Poppins'” (the type, not Julie Andrews). Could be worse, I suppose. It’s not surprising, I used to teach English.
In the meantime…
But, meanwhile, back at the ranch, as they say, I am now on project no. 203. Two hundred-and- three-projects, some of which are WIPs (work-in-progress). Most are flops, or unusable, or bad concepts, or have problems with one aspect or another.
Doing music production is like developing a mine. There are many mining exploration projects around the world, there are much fewer mine development projects, and very, very few mines that actually get constructed, and go into production. It is a very narrow funnel. A lot goes in. Precious few come out. The old joke is that a mine is a deep, dark hole in the ground into which you throw all your money. Actually, it’s not a joke – it’s a simile.
Music production also a money pit. You can do it cheaply, at low or no cost, and the result will probably not meet industry standards. Or you can do it, like one does with all art projects, with the best resources and talent that you can afford, and the output will be as good as the input. In music production the old tech adage of “rubbish in, rubbish out” definitely applies.
Is there something wrong with you?
All things considering, people ask, then why do it? Is there something wrong with you? Are you nuts?!? If your chances of commercial success in the music industry is one in a million, literally, then why do it? If you are a late starter, like me, the chances are zero.
The answer is; that one, brief moment of complete happiness when the song is complete, and it sounds good. That moment, when you hear the final bounce and it works and you get goosebumps from it, when your feet can’t keep still and the chorus stays in your head – that’s the reward. That’s it. Nothing else. It’s brief, like a serotonin boost, and it’s over. But that’s what creators like me work for.
With hindsight, I now understand why so many music artists use the services of psychotherapists and analysts. Doing this is life-changing. The whole industry seems to be filled with people who are suffering from a consensual, shared form of insanity.
how it began
While thinking back on the past few years, I revisited my beginnings. This post, below, explains how I started out. If you are a music person, who is starting out on this long road, read it. I think it may encourage you.