Jun 01•5 min read
Editing, Researching and... Serendipity
[Lee el artículo original en español AQUÍ]
In my last post I shared that I have to keep up with three professional activities at a time. So my time is divided, although I work mostly in front of my computer in 1. Edition of contents and Web development with Mirlo; 2. Research for the best tech solutions for independent authors; and 3. writing and illustrating.
Today, I am sharing my progress in each one of these three battlefields, which are more connected that you may think they are. You’ll see…
In the Studio with Mirlo
If in our last newsletter I explained how we were exploring about our artworks management with new use-licenses for NFTs, today I come to tell you that this is a way were we are being forced to slow down. If I want to share my way with others, i need to be totally honest, and explain that presently the experience is far from satisfactory… I will keep trying, and I hope to bring better news soon. I mean, real solutions that can actually work for all.
On another side, in our studio, we keep working in exciting projects which make us update the website regularly. This is what I did last week, and here it is. I also, share our newsletter where I have been more present lately.
Research and development of solutions for Independent authors
As I introduced above, the solutions for independent creators we are testing at Mirlo Music are getting a bit frustrating, since we still depend on a marketplace as an intermediary, and this includes a necessary supervision that slows down our progress. Moreover, the fact that the author still needs of platforms to connect with clients and sell their works, instead of doing it on their own websites is far from the initial idea of direct P2P communication, the one I envisioned and wanted to see built on the web3.
I see the NFTs technology as a great progress in terms of authorship and Intellectual Property acknowledgement and recognition, for all the valuable creative contents we bring to the web. Nevertheless, I also think that the way transactions (transfer of those artistic assets: artworks and associated use-rights) are being held is not yet a proper way for the interests of independent authors. Many issues in IP management still need to be solved.
In that sense, about the pros and cons I see for the use of NFTs by independent authors, I will soon bring an article here. NFTs -like ordinals, stamps and similar technologies- are in thier infancy: they are full of promises, but they need to fgrow and mature to bring the actual solutions we need.
Author -Illustrator
I keep reflecting, reading and re-reading… recovering my references… It is going to be tough to write the L.I.B. [Life In Books] I intended. Anyway, as I started looking to my first reading as a girl, those that got stuck in my memories. These are readings it’s always easy to come back to: La Fontaine´s Fables and Jacques Prévert Ballades which were always highlights in my “Cahier de Récitations” / Récitation Book (at the Lycée Français where I studied). That exercise book was my favorite: we copied poems with our best calligraphy and then draw an illustration int he opposite white page…
I never imagined that years later I would continue drawing illustrations for fascinating stories. Actually, for some of my first tales’ illustrations I kept a very simple stroke, hoping to invite children to draw themselves too… As a girls myself, and from my experience in contact with kids, I know it is neither necessary neither inspiring to bring sophisticated drawings to express what is essential in a story.
This is what I has the opportunity to share recently in this podcast about my "Canción de Ulises” / “Ulysses Songbook”, a tale that has just been re-published as an eBook with digital collectibles on sale in the web3.
My son played, and even learned how to read, with those tales full of music. In the narratives of my works, and in our lives, education at home played a fundamental role.
Education at home always seemed to me the most wonderful way to learn and support learning. The educational programs I founded, Cuéntame una Ópera y Mirlo Music, (which had their great moment at the time of .com) always addressed “educators at school and at home”… This is the reason it is fascinating to discover how the Homeschooling movement is growing lately.
An then, in the middle of my adventures on the web3, I found the video you can see HERE… Is Homeschooling the future of education?… Serendipity!
As you can see, my three worlds are not just compatible but they look like interconnected and even mixed, and I am happy to be able to share this journey here.
If you are an independent author or you have any friend or acquaintance who is, this is a good tiem to start knowing first hand about the possibilities of web3. In the archive of this very Blog you may find articles that can be a good starting point to understand what this new Internet is all about.
Keeping an open-mind, critical thinking, and your own objectives present in every decision is what I try to do myself. This is why defining your own goals is for me e fundamental fisrt step. At my age, and after some other previous adventures, I see that future for everyone depende on the the way you do your very own journey, whatever the circumstances you need to deal with.
Have a nice time and see you soon!
Georgina Mauriño
