People often ask us, with an expression of wonder and suspicion, “What is the Office of Modern Composition?”
Understandable. It does sound a bit like the Ministry of Magic. What do we do?
Well, we make compositions and we foster composers.
But I thought I’d give you a little window into how the sausage is made through a meta / generic OMC meeting agenda:
OMC Meeting #2947
All present?
Present.
Check-In: Discussion Topics
– Numbers out of 10 (where one is the worst day of your life and 10 is the best day of your life)
– Catalog of birds seen
– Sugary snacks prepared/consumed
– Time spent with loved ones
– Time spent writing
– Pride at having made time for peripheral tasks
– Did anyone have a submission accepted? Was it the New Yorker? Sometimes, it is!!!
– Genuine emotional vulnerability, the kind that you thought wasn’t possible in a professional setting.
– Go around the room. Realize how much fun talking to other human beings can be, provided you get to pick the human beings.
Client Update
Should we talk about clients?
Yeah, probably.
How are our clients doing?
Amazing. They love us. We’re the best. They’re the best. We’re communing.
Editorial Feedback
Here’s a piece of writing that I’ve drafted and revised. I’d like a trusted colleague to look at it and help me identify the pesky omissions / dodges that my subconscious is forcing into my work. Can I trust you to be both honest and caring?
With my life, I promise to cherish that trust.
Here’s the feedback from last week. So perspicacious, so thoughtful, so lovingly-crafted. Surely, this emanated from a supernatural being? Could a colleague really read with such care and intimate regard? Is this what it means to foster composers and compositions?
Yeah. It’s no biggie.
What’re You Doing This Weekend?: Possible Answers
– Exploring the city of Chicago
– Birding, duh.
– Preparing and consuming sugary snacks.
– Spending time with loved ones.
– Spending time writing.
– Missing you guys.
Do I love working here?
Yeah. Like I said, it’s no biggie.
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