studio site

Hello! If you've ended up here in an attempt to get over to the Sweet Orange Studio website to hear voice demo tracks, I hope you'll enjoy this temporary diversion. We had ethical differences with our website company and it was time to renew, so we've pointed you to this blog for now, while we whip up an interesting new business site. You can drop us a line at sweetorangestudio at gmail to have mp3's sent directly.

Update 6 May 2012: something new for Sweet Orange Studio is brewing over at http://sweetorangestudio.wordpress.com/

moments of joy

1. flying down Presidio hill on my bike
2. practicing yoga that connects me deeply to Mother Earth
3. meaningful work for a new client
4. becoming a neighborhood CSA hub for Suzie's Farm
5. hearing about a childhood friend's aspiration to become a priest
6. seeing the return of Barn Owls to our canyon

an integrated life

Every time I pack up the portable studio, which fits in the overhead on the plane, I have a moment of awe that I've created a life where I can take my work with me wherever I go. I give thanks to Chris, and gratitude to Luis at Apple Music who helped with everything... from choosing the right microphone and pre-amp, to the padded case with wheels that acts as my mini soundproof booth.

Good energy is rising

I've been meaning to do some research on the meaning of that gorgeous full blue moon that arrived on New Year's Eve. We stepped outside to share a fresh tangerine from the tree, and to marvel over how lit-up the whole world was that night! Some great photos have been posted here.

In my little corner of the world, the Sophia Circle is gathering this week to generate some beautiful feminine energy, and interesting new projects are arriving on my doorstep. I'm have to really meditate to stay grounded, it's all so energizing!

Orange Love

The tangerines are happy in our garden this morning. We're juicing a lot of Valencia oranges too. Everything is thriving, now that the rains have moved through and the sun is back to give them life.

And the excellent little "Juic It" workhorse carries on...

When I was living in the Pacific Northwest, working full time in Telecommunications, leading sustainability discussion groups, and beginning the life of a creative freelancer... I wanted to find a business name that would fit whatever direction I might stretch into. I like to write. I enjoy working with my voice. I'm thoroughly fascinated by the art of letterpress and hand-bound books. I like to work with beads and wire. At the time, I was into arranging flowers from the garden and even did a semi-commercial Mother's Day floral operation one year.

I took my inspiration from a pottery business called Butter Bean. Something with a wonderful scent and great graphic possibilities would be a nice naming direction, I thought to myself. I considered Vanilla Bean, Pomegranate, Persimmon... all lovely and calling up rich images from the natural world. I settled on Sweet Orange Productions back in 1998, with not an orange tree in sight!

Maybe it was a premonition, maybe it was an intention forming, maybe it was California calling me home, but I could not have fully imagined that I would now be living in Southern California, blissfully married and growing citrus in my own garden at the edge of a canyon, behind our 1915 Craftsman Bungalow. Home Sweet Orange.

networking

Last night I went to a gathering of beautiful and well-intentioned people who get together to mingle and network to support each other in the business world. It was a sparkly holiday party at a swank private "lounge" downtown. It was challenging for me to be fully present, even though I know that as a creative freelancer, networking is very important. I have a handful of solid clients and a steady flow of work but logic tells me that I should be developing potential business more broadly.

Most of my professional connections are with fairly large companies and my recordings are one component of the more complex product they sell. Seeking more clients like these is the perfect focus for long term contract work, but why turn away from the person-to-person possibilities? I have recorded a single script, or a short list of voicemail recordings for small business in the past and enjoyed these projects very much.

I'm going to focus some of my planning energy on the single project client...how to communicate clearly all the ways a professional voice might be valuable, even when the project is a little one.