Cameron Mizell

In the spirit of sharing ideas, here are some of the plugins and tools I used to create this website. If you’re a musician looking to build your own website, I hope this will help!

Over the holidays I had a conversation with some friends about the deterioration of the art of handwriting. It seems that kids these days (did I really just write that?) spend more time typing at a computer than they so with a pencil in their hand. It’s hard to blame them. If your end goal is turning in a typed paper, why would you write it out by hand? Then I remembered what it took to write a three page paper by hand.

The new year tends to be time for new beginnings and resolutions–both things I try to avoid. Not because I think those things are bad, but they tend to be temporary. At least, that’s been the case for me. Instead, I try to use the new calendar as a chance to reflect on the last year. What were my goals a year ago? Am I still headed in the direction I want to be headed? It’s difficult to measure long term success when you’re in the middle of mixing an album or trying to find a place to crash while you’re on the road in New Hampshire. But once a year it’s good to stop for a moment and decide what worked, and what didn’t.

This post is part of a group blog event organized by MusicianWages. We decided that, as the decade came to a close, in lieu of a “best of” list, we’d ask a single question for other musician bloggers to answer. Here was our question:

“If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?”

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday week with their loved ones. Music is always a big part of this season’s festivities, and if you’re looking for something different, I have a few things to offer in my catalog. I produced all of these albums, and every one is independently released. Your support goes a long way!

This has been a busy year for me and many of the people I work with. I’ve pretty much kept my head down and just tried to keep moving forward, but looking back there have been some people kind enough to share a piece of my story with their readers or listeners. Here are just a few links to some recent features.

It often seems like everybody plays guitar, and even if that’s an exaggeration, I bet we all know somebody that plays guitar. Most guitarists are pretty geeky about all their toys, and there’s always some sort of gear we “need.” Here are some gift ideas tailored for guitar players!

Sounds Like Snow by Be Still is now available for download at iTunes and CD Baby!

Be Still is a side project of mine with the talented Lauren Zettler. We conceived the project during our midwest tour over the summer, and in August we began arranging and recording Christmas songs. You can listen to and learn more about the project on my Discography page.

I’ve been working for myself for about a year and a half now, and rarely look back. But pausing for just a moment I realized that in that time I’ve finished five albums and one EP, cofounded and launched a website for working musicians that gets over 17,000 visitors each month, and had a chance to perform music all over the country. Given the season I believe I should pause and acknowledge just a few of the people that keep me going.

This is what happens when you’re surrounded by people with iPhones and blogs. Below are two videos from our stay in Asheville, and there’s even a blog loaded with pictures if you’d like to see more of the amazing farm.