One Bad Day - The Creative Diary of Icelandic Singer-Songwriter Eyvindur Karlsson

Frank didn’t want no Trouble. Thing is, Trouble had a way of tracking him down, taking his lunch money and shoving his head into the proverbial (or in some cases quite literal) toilet bowl. It had been like this ever since Frank could remember. Which is why he wound up here, in the very armpit of nowhere, tending bar in what can only be described as a glorified favela in the sorriest excuse for a village you’ve ever seen. It was too small and insignificant to even warrant a name, and the locals (of which there was a grand total of 36) simply referred to it as “The Town.” Which was generous at that.

He had seen more than his fair share of Trouble and knew it was just a matter of time until it tracked him down again.

Well, tonight appeared to be the night.

Frank could feel it in the air as a shadow fell over the stained glass in the front door of the bar and completely blocked moonlight light from entering the room. It was obviously not a human shadow. Way too big for that. Frank had a second to consider diving out of sight underneath the bar, but he’d been here before. When Trouble came a-knockin, there was no use pretending not to be home. Trouble would break the door down with a battering ram and drag him out, kicking and screaming. There was no avoiding it.

The room was filled with the usual crowd, humans, gnomes, goblins and orcs sitting mostly silent, sipping their drinks in peace. Bobby O’Mally was playing his guitar in the corner, and singing one of his numbers, Under The Killing Tree.

My baby’s always loved me, as I loved she

Until I took my baby down to the killing tree

What is it with human singers, Frank thought? Why all the death and murder? Can’t we ever just sing about candy and nice weather?

When the door swung open, the guitar went silent and the room went from quiet to devoid of all sound. In the doorway Frank saw a belly. Looking closer he saw two legs sticking down from the belly. He was fairly certain there was more to the individual standing outside, but he was too big to fit in the doorway.

With a grunt, the stranger ducked down and scrambled through the entrance. It was a big ogre, and he just barely managed to squeeze in. When he cleared the doorway he tried to stand up, but the ceiling was just a little bit too low, so he had to stoop.

Frank swallowed and took the ogre in. He always tried his best not to be prejudiced, god knew he’d been the victim of racism plenty of times, as most humans had, but he couldn’t help being slightly scared of ogres. Looking at this one, with his leather vest and bulging belly, the large rimmed hat and absolutely enormous revolvers on each hip, he had a very hard time keeping an open mind about the species.

“Can I h-help you?” he managed.

The ogre looked around the room. Everyone present stared at him.

“Lookin for a lady,” the ogre boomed.

“Not sure I can help you there, buddy,” said Frank and tried his hardest to smile.

“Lianna de Marcan,” the ogre said and Frank wasn’t sure if that was a name or some sort of ogre dialect he was unfamiliar with. The ogre kept glaring around the room.

“Listen,” said Frank, painfully aware of the fact that he was a very small human addressing an ogre armed to the sharp and quite large teeth. “We don’t want no trouble.”

And yet Trouble was here, yet again. Frank found himself thinking about his next move. He might jump a freight train and seek out a dwarfish mine to work in.

Took a few days off, but I’m back! This time I’m talking about meaningless things (well, and a few things that might not be) and playing a very old song that I wrote as a very young man. I hope you enjoy it.

Click here to subscribe to the public podcast.

Click here to subscribe to the member’s only podcast.

Click here to become a member.

Enjoy, my friends. Folk on.

I took a wonderful trip to downtown Reykjavík today and had an artistic moment to myself. I’ll tell you about it and the books I bought, which are a weird combination. I’ll also sing a song I wrote 14 years ago or so, and it’s a true story.

I hope you enjoy this week’s public Creative Diary. Don’t be a stranger.

Folk on!

I have some great news! Both for my community members (you can now listen to the member’s only podcast on your podcast app of choice!) and for my fellow travelers in general (I’ve set a release date for my next album!). And of course, I’m singing a beautiful song for you guys.

That’s about it for now. Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think. I always love to hear from you. And of course, if you are happy with this stuff, sharing is always appreciated.

Folk on!

So, the podcast is no longer a thing on this site. However, it’s still out there – it just has a new home. So if you enjoy the podcast, please go to artism.fm and subscribe to the new iteration of the show. It’s the same fun stuff, talking about art and having a creative career, it’s just more focused now. So, by all means, go check out my new Artemist podcast!

Thanks for being a listener! I look forward to serving you on the other side.

So, the podcast is no longer a thing on this site. However, it’s still out there – it just has a new home. So if you enjoy the podcast, please go to artism.fm and subscribe to the new iteration of the show. It’s the same fun stuff, talking about art and having a creative career, it’s just more focused now. So, by all means, go check out my new Artemist podcast!

Thanks for being a listener! I look forward to serving you on the other side.

Sometimes artists end up spinning their wheels and struggle to hold themselves accountable to reach their artistic goals. Why not get a fellow artist to help keep you accountable, so you can both reach your goals faster and boost your artistic career?

My guest on this episode is my accountability partner, Mariana, who has helped me really boost my artistic career over the past year. We discuss accountability partnerships, and why you should consider them for your career. We share our own experience, and tell you how you can go about getting started with your own accountability partnership and/or mastermind group. Make sure you listen to the end, because I surprise Mariana with a new goal that she’s going to hold me accountable for. And I’ll let you guys follow along with that as well.

The podcast has a new name! Since changing the focus a bit, I decided on a new name, so this is now the ART-ISM podcast. Still the same old show, but with a fresh new name and intro.

If you love this show, I hope you’ll subscribe, share, leave comments, and all that good stuff, of course, and I really appreciate you.

This episode is sponsored by Follow Me, a great travel web site that I’m a part of, fantastic for anybody traveling to Iceland, but it also some of the best deals on airfare and accommodation anywhere in the world, so if you’re planning a trip, to Iceland or anywhere, make sure you start your planning with Follow Me.

Click here to visit the Follow Me web site.

Click here for the best deals on airfare.

Click here for the best deals on accommodation.

I will see you soon! Go art yourself!

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Sometimes artists end up spinning their wheels and struggle to hold themselves accountable to reach their artistic goals. Why not get a fellow artist to help keep you accountable, so you can both reach your goals faster and boost your artistic career?

My guest on this episode is my accountability partner, Mariana, who has helped me really boost my artistic career over the past year. We discuss accountability partnerships, and why you should consider them for your career. We share our own experience, and tell you how you can go about getting started with your own accountability partnership and/or mastermind group. Make sure you listen to the end, because I surprise Mariana with a new goal that she’s going to hold me accountable for. And I’ll let you guys follow along with that as well.

The podcast has a new name! Since changing the focus a bit, I decided on a new name, so this is now the ART-ISM podcast. Still the same old show, but with a fresh new name and intro.

If you love this show, I hope you’ll subscribe, share, leave comments, and all that good stuff, of course, and I really appreciate you.

This episode is sponsored by Follow Me, a great travel web site that I’m a part of, fantastic for anybody traveling to Iceland, but it also some of the best deals on airfare and accommodation anywhere in the world, so if you’re planning a trip, to Iceland or anywhere, make sure you start your planning with Follow Me.

Click here to visit the Follow Me web site.

Click here for the best deals on airfare.

Click here for the best deals on accommodation.

I will see you soon! Go art yourself!

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My good friend and professional singer-songwriter, Svavar Knútur, has a lot of invaluable, actionable tips for how to make a full time living as a performing artist. Listen in on our conversation as he gives me, and any performing artist, in any field, really, wonderful tips on how to get started, and how to avoid some common mistakes if you want to be a full time touring artist.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing, as I have a lot more great stuff coming. Also, if you share this, leave a review and consider using the affiliate links on this site, or even picking up my music, you will be providing wonderful support, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Folk on!

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My good friend and professional singer-songwriter, Svavar Knútur, has a lot of invaluable, actionable tips for how to make a full time living as a performing artist. Listen in on our conversation as he gives me, and any performing artist, in any field, really, wonderful tips on how to get started, and how to avoid some common mistakes if you want to be a full time touring artist.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider subscribing, as I have a lot more great stuff coming. Also, if you share this, leave a review and consider using the affiliate links on this site, or even picking up my music, you will be providing wonderful support, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Folk on!

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