Marshall Jacklin

This is not my song. It’s “Sleepyhead” by @passion_pit Despite a lack of talent in the visual arts, my interest in classical painting has been growing. The concept of “studies” has become a part of my creative process through this fascination. Towards the end of last year, I embarked on a series of my own studies, establishing specific parameters for each. They would come in at under 90 seconds and have a time constraint imposed on their creation. They aim to remain faithful to the originals while incorporating a creative idea to explore.  Also, my dear caption reader, you should know that unless otherwise stated, everything involved in what I post is created in entirety by me. In “Sleepyhead,” there are a few elements worth noting if you’re inclined to listen closely: 1. To explore pitch variation and sound degradation I re-recorded the synth part through an old tape machine and manipulated the reels with my hands, resulting in a blurred l, wobbling texture that adds a despairing quality. It worked well to juxtapose cleaner elements. 2. For the harmony vocals, I aimed to explore tonal variation within individual parts. I intentionally blended harsher and more unpleasant tones with normative colours. Certain vox lines are nasal, strident and clipped. The effect of this emotion mixing is representative of conflicting thoughts and feelings in tandem. Good idea, needs refining, a bit too wild here.    3. I am not deeply familiar with Passion Pit’s music. This song was prominently featured in a PlayStation commercial around Christmas when I was in high school. I have a tendency towards nostalgia and sentimentality. It’s challenging for me to be objective about my past tastes or choices since they are now intertwined with times in my life that, even in bleakness, I miss in some capacity. I wanted to explore my relationship with the past and art, but brought back no concrete answers (other than this song rules). Beyond what I learned musically, I watched a video about fonts for the subs and now know what a serif is. Watch out! My content implements font hierarchies now, baby! I’m one step closer to my dream of leaving the arts to be a personal brand.

I made a record. It won’t be out for a while, but I wanted to begin sharing. This clip is from some live recordings I did a few years ago. It’s interesting for me to see how the piece developed from here to what is on the album. Again, Again is about making a conscious choice to give up on romantic love, not out of fear or bitterness, but out of survival. I’m not in that place anymore, but I understand the urge. And yeah, I’m wearing a suit without a shirt. Sue me, I want to be wanted!

Hey! That’s my life in a book. 📖🎶 A decade of compositions, written quietly and rarely heard. They’re good. Like… really good. Specific, layered, adventurous — circling one theme: the slow, stubborn growth of a realistic hope. A kind of faith that isn’t abstract. No hits, no bangers. No playlist they’d fit neatly into. Just art only I could have made. Oh, and I designed the whole book too. First time. Not bad, right? 😎 Maybe one day I’ll sing them out loud again. But for now, it’s nice to hold them like this.

This is a song called Adrian. It’s about learning that it’s futile to try and change anyone’s mind, about anything. You just have to walk away and to try your best to go where you are valued. Easier said than done.

I ran a marathon! It was an emotional experience. Swipe through to read what I learned from it. #marathon #reflection #growth #runninglife #torontowaterfrontmarathon #torontorunners

It’s my birthday (and I’ll reflect if I want toooooo)

I made a record. It won’t be out for a while, but I wanted to begin sharing the lyrics. The songs on this album are stories. When I first wrote them, I don’t think I fully understood their weight — I hadn’t yet lived through the things they were really about. It amazes me how sometimes the work knows what we feel before we do. “Starting Over | Being Kind” is about the hollow that can linger behind security, and the courage it takes to admit that something needs to change. (Also, the “damp hair rise” line is an innuendo — saucy! 😈) I’ve spent a lot of time with these songs. I hope you’ll be open to connecting with them. Thanks for reading.

Some thoughts from the latest episode of Intimacy & Imitation—about art, attention, and why we wait to be told what’s worth feeling. If one of these lines connects, maybe the episode will too. Link in bio to listen. #intimacyandimitation #creativeprocess #artandculture #makeart #deepthoughts #honestart #podcastclips #artistlife #attentioneconomy #feelyourfeelings

3 things I wish I knew about creating art when I was younger It’s not about being impressive. It’s about being honest. Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself. I know how hard it is on the heart to keep creating when it feels like it doesn’t matter. Swipe through—maybe one of these is what you needed to hear today. If it resonates, the latest episode of Intimacy & Imitation dives deeper—link in bio. #artistlife #creativeprocess #artadvice #growthmindset #makeart #honestart #creativitytips #fromtheheart #intimacyandimitation #podcast #creativity

On Creativity — a new episode of Intimacy & Imitation. Why we make, what we give up to be seen, and the tension no one talks about. I spent a long time with this one—it’s well-reasoned, researched, and close to my heart. Big thank you @eyeduhlistens for allowing me to incorporate her sound design work throughout the episode. Part 2 next week. Link in bio. #canadianartist #newpodcast #creativity #artcriticism #canadianwriter #creativeprocess #deepthoughts #cats #torontopodcast #essay #sounddesigner

Poem and analysis. #poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianartists #torontowriters #torontoartists #houseconcerts #houseshow

A few photos of melancholy and peace 📸. Hard to tell the difference between the two sometimes, ain’t it? Poet Sarah Ens said “the world is mostly sky”. I think that’s good to remember. #filmphotography #35mm #35mmphotography #naturephotography #canadianphotography