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“Just listen. Here’s where we could start; low and slow, deep and resonating for the breathing. We could actually lay tracks over each other, with a bass track for the breathing while my guitar plays, but that’s up to you. I’ve written a few bars for different poses, kind of getting the feel for them. Like this one here, mountain pose.”
Aw, he remembered mountain pose.
Chris grabs a guitar and plays a riff, then a long, low note, I guess? And again and again, and yeah, it feels like a breath, stretching up and tall.
“Wow,” I say.
“Is that a good wow?” he asks.
“Yeah, that’s a good wow.”
“Good. I’ve got more.”
He plays through several poses, pausing after each one to gauge my reaction. By the fifth one, I’m excited, and I can hardly let him finish before I blurt out, “You’ve never done yoga before? How did you pick up so much information?”
He tips his chin at his screen. “I watched your videos. Maybe not all of them but most of them. Didn’t you notice a big new Patreon supporter a couple of nights ago?”
“Chris!” I smack his arm with the back of my hand. “You didn’t have to do that! I would have given you access to the videos for free.”
He strums the guitar, but it’s absentminded this time. “I’m already getting free mindfulness sessions.”
“You don’t need me for that. There are podcasts that guide you through fifteen-minute meditations,” I say.
“Doing it with you is peer pressure. I want to impress you, so I work harder.”
My mouth drops open a little before I catch myself and shut it with a click. “So, what? You’ll write music for a yoga video?”
“Yes, and then I’ll do yoga with you. Six videos. They’d have to be beginner sessions, but maybe the last one or two you could do an advanced course, and I’ll sit it out. Or something like that.”
I rub my face with my hands. It’s actually a pretty good idea. And for the later sessions, Chris can do the basic poses, and I can do the advanced ones, so we can appeal to a wider audience.
This is above and beyond our roommate agreement. He’s offering me a lot of his time and energy and lending me a touch of his fame. I would be an idiot not to take this opportunity to collaborate with him, even if I know he’s using it to avoid his own work. I don’t think he realizes how much time this is going to take, both for him and for me.
“Six videos is too much. Why don’t we do four short sessions?”
“You’re the expert.”
I still hesitate. This could be a big break, or I could be getting my hopes up too high. Either way, if Chris is willing to invest the time in me, I am too.
“Okay,” I say, sticking out my hand. “I’m in.”
Over the next few days,we repurpose the kitchen table, sitting side by side several hours a day and going over the plan for each video. We decide to do one beginner session and three routine videos. We keep them short—fifteen-minute sessions—and also talk logistics.
I have to demonstrate a lot for Chris, and just like that time Alwin was here watching, I feel his eyes on my body. It’s distracting.
After agreeing to film these sessions, I’d finally messaged my friends about Chris and the band. All week we’ve been talking about it, and I bet Emma’s relieved we’re no longer talking about her professor.
Jade came up with a name for our video series—Rock Steady.
This afternoon, Chris played the final recording of the music for session four. With that, everything was ready to go.
I leaned back in my office chair, which I’d moved from the front room while we worked in here. “We definitely need to film an announcement. Like a “Hey, here’s what’s coming up next week, be sure to tune in” kind of thing. And I’ve been wondering if I should do this on YouTube or put it behind the paywall of Patreon,” I say.
“Why wouldn’t you do Patreon?”
“I can offer Rock Steady for free because it’ll be really popular, and then hopefully, people will pay for a private session or for the Patreon. Or I can offer Rock Steady under the Patreon and make money off of it. Which is better for long-term growth? But also, if it’s on YouTube, then I’ll get subscribers, and the people who really like my stuff will follow me to Patreon; funneling in, you know. But if I put it behind a paywall, then maybe I’ll get a bunch of unrelated people, and they’ll just leave once the four sessions are over. But then I’ll have a boost of income anyway.”
“I think you’re undervaluing yourself.” Chris gives me an exasperated look. “Do you know how much I get paid per hour in the studio?”
