ZFM Independent Launch (like a rocket)

The ZFM Independent launch is like a rocket launch

PHWWHHOOOOSHH... the sound of rocket fuel igniting and accelerating a mass into space is like the vibration of ripples in the interweb created by spending money on this AI generated website and Philip, the founder of ZFM Independent, choosing "create post" (instead of the auto generated AI blog posts) and writing the first post on the easily obtained domain zfmindpendent.com - connecting to the interconnected consciousnesses. That is how they are alike - and it is a taste of the ZFM mentality.

ZFM Mentality is to create without considering negative input from the shoulder devil

Wait up... rabbit hole incoming. Let's talk this through. As I wrote this I decided to do a quick search on what the angel/devil on the shoulder sharing their thoughts and opinions would be called. While I learned that this concept might simply be referred to as the shoulder angel/devil, I also learned that the devil on the shoulder might represent the immoral impulse. The angel on the other shoulder might represent the moral impulse or inner knowing of what is morally right. Key words moral/morally. So I digress from the original idea to reflect on some mistakes I've made in publishing music.

Trust your gut and don't let the temptation drive your decision

In the past, I thought that the shoulder angel would be telling me to express freely and not to listen to the shoulder devil that was telling me that I shouldn't publish a song because I'd be afraid of what people would think or because it might cross some kind of unwritten but well-understood line. I would listen to what I thought was the shoulder angel and I would publish a song even though it might have crossed a moral boundary. I had that all mixed up! My gut might have been telling me that I shouldn't publish something but I thought it was the shoulder devil telling me that and so I would go ahead and post it anyway. While that wasn't even close to how it went down with every song I've published so far - it did happen on a few occasions. Following the 80/20 rule - the reputation of 80% of the songs I published was destroyed by 20% of songs. I think that's how it works..?

Wait up - deleting a bunch of songs/Dang it - I posted these as NFTs and lost my log in

True story... bro. Those songs are forever lost (or found) in the OpenSea.

ZFM Mentality (updated 2:23am 10/14/2025) is to create without boundaries

This is where it gets tricky. My ever-evolving understanding of this is to have no limits in the studio environment AND to limit yourself to morally correct publishings. Not to get too deep into the concept of morally correct vs. incorrect - but everyone has different ideas for what's morally correct. The whole point of philosophy is to structure a logical argument to prove your moral point. Modus tollens, modus ponens - tomatoes, tomatos (ammirite!?). I really do love philosophy. And you might see philosophical logic based arguments posted on ZFM Independent in the future.

The sure bet is to trust the morally correct details your gut is telling you

Are these lyrics too raunchy? Do I pose the risk of hurting someone's reputation or career? Will this sound physically hurt someones ears? If the answer is yes to questions like this - then it would be morally incorrect to publish these things. (Disclaimer: This is not legal advice for publishing music). However, in the good 'ole United States of America, publishing these things might not be illegal under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (freedom of speech) and certain artist protection acts. Do your own research and due diligence on these as there are definitely exceptions that I don't feel knowledgable enough to share with you off the top. Sounds like a good topic for a future post though!

Piano is the trunk and the roots of my musical experience

I am grateful to my family for providing an upright piano for me to hate playing and practicing when I was a kid. It's true... I hated practicing the piano, and dreaded the one day a week that my self-operating piano lesson instructor would visit my house for one hour and eat his lunch while teaching me some of his personal compositions. Aside from the daily indulgence in a Wawa hoagie/sandwich on the couch in the piano room - my instructor was well taught and fluid in contemporary piano practices. Mr. K would write and edit custom sheet music, instruct me on hand position, and introduced piano scales (likely the most influential concept learned).

ZFM Independent is the culmination of music experience and my passion for music

Electronic music production started for me in two phases:

1. In the garage (Apple's Garage Band, that is)

2. Fruity Loops Studio and an MPK25 midi controller

Since then I have graduated to more sophisticated methods and understanding:

1. Ableton Live and various midi controllers

2. Audio Interface and various musical instruments and microphones

3. Plug-In instruments (Serum 2)

4. Cowbell

I've always loved listening to the cowbell... I mean music... and I was immersed in music since I was young.

My Mom and Dad are strong Christians and they listen to a lot of Christian music

My family was big on Star 99.1 (the Christian music station in the tri-state area). In fact, it was the only radio station I ever listened to in the car when I was being chauffeured by my Mom and Dad. Its also why the AUX cord was so special to me once I started driving, and partly why I would have hip-hop playing in my earbuds once I had an iPod. Before the iPod, it was the Walkman, and I was still subjected to the CDs that were kindly bought for me. Some of these CDs included Hawk Nelson - Letters To The President; and Smile, It's The End Of The World and Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...But Three Do; Mmhmm; and The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek. Some of my favorite songs from those albums are California; 36 Days; and Bring Em Out by Hawk Nelson and Sadie Hawkins Dance; Chap Stick, Chapped Lips, And Things Like Chemistry; and Be My Escape by Relient K. Favorite artists of my Mom and Dad were Keith Green, David Crowder Band, and TobyMac. Exclusively my Dad's favorite artists were P.O.D. and Theocracy.

In college I discovered writing business plans and doodling raps

Writing professionally and creatively has both revealed themselves to me as things I like doing and am pretty good at. I learned and loved business writing with concise topic sentences (just like these!) AND creative writing like brainstormed raps and poems written to the left of the red line on lined paper. Writing like this is a good hybrid or happy medium between the two.

I embrace not being an expert or full fledged professional

My first ever released music with lyrics was using a tripod and family camera, instrumental beat playing over a soundbar, and original lyrics. I recorded myself performing a rap through the camera's microphone and I posted it that day. This likely came about from what I've learned about entrepreneurship and the concept of a Minimal Viable Product (MVP).

An MVP is something you build before a prototype

Before we invest a bunch of money in a prototype, we can use what we have to create something similar and introduce it to a sample market to understand its reaction. We can go a step further and conduct potential customer interviews and ask questions about the product. In this case the "product" was an artsy video of me rapping a poem over an instrumental beat. This really wasn't a product to me though. It was genuine art and expression. I never thought of it as a product. I did want it to sound good, and so it maintained similar characteristics to a product as we know and understand products.

I am looking forward to sharing more with the void

One of the most difficult things for an aspiring artist is to publish art while not receiving feedback, aka the void. Even now I am writing this to absolutely nobody and that is both a difficult challenge and absolutely freeing at the same time. With writing its a bit easier for me. I could write and share for days and not care if anyone is reading. With music it turned out to be a completely different story.

Music is a bit more of an emotional rollercoaster

An artist will put so much emotion, time, and effort into a song, believe its great, share it, and then get few streams and no feedback. Its like getting super excited for a first date and then getting stood up over and over again. And thats just the way it is. It almost forces artists to find a more stable sound. One that they like creating enough to do it without going on an emotional rollercoaster.

Writing requires a little less emotional investment

While writing, I am less on an emotional rollercoaster, and more on a steam engine powering through thought after thought, drawing on my experiences and learning-lessons, like coal being shoveled into the engine. I am on one track, bound by the status quo when it comes to blog and informational posts. I love it - and I am happy to share with the void in this art/writing medium.

You can expect various writings and content from ZFM Independent

I have written over 1,000 poems, songs, and raps. Expect to see some of that sprinkled throughout posts and maybe the full content of some posts. You can also expect music and behind the scenes production detail, and insight into lyrics and the songwriting process. Other areas of my interest are audio visual art, 3D modeling, animation, engineering, mechanisms, skiing/snowboarding and AI.

It's Zero Fan Man because we stay cool no help from any fans

"Who's mans!?"