Ode to my Last 10 Years of Dating was written and composed by Michelle Macklem.
Michelle writes:
OTML10YOD is an audio short story that charts the familiar sequences of romantic relationships. It stems from a personal experience, but embraces common feelings of closeness, connection, difficulty, love and loss. Let your mind wonder and project how you will.
On what inspires her to make audio:
Music, conversations that pull my heart in, the wind rushing past my ears as I ride my bike and, bird song.
These days I'm into Short Cuts, going back through the Soundproof catalogue, Frozen Garbage segments, Sarah Boothroyd, Wiretap archives, Scene on Radio's amazing Seeing White series and the fine pieces the Constellations community has been sending in!
Inspiration outside of audio:
Reading. Particularly lyrical essays. Lately I've been into Claudia Rankin, Durga Chew-Bose and Anne Carson.
Listening. Listening to what people say and how they say it. Trying to sit with discomfort more. Not interrupting to offer advice. Just being present with people without story in mind.
Pop Music. I know! I listed music above AND it's audio BUT you can find a lot of gems in contemporary pop music... a lot of great production techniques that are quite obvious and relatively easy to borrow. Take this Lorde song, for example, there's a weird ambient windy synthy sound about 2/3s of the way through. Totally extraneous, totally great.
Constellations says:
Ode to my Last 10 Years of Dating explores a romantic loop suspended somewhere between the past and the future. Michelle's piece takes the listener through intricate moments of uncertainty, vulnerability, and projection. Plus some delightful musical composition. - Jess