NEWS – Dan Steven Erickson

Life Back on a 40-Hour Work Week

Acadia National Park – Photos by Dan Steven Erickson

I’m going to be honest. I’ve only worked 40-hour work weeks for about 3 years of my entire adult life. That’s right, I mostly worked part-time jobs in my teens and twenties. Then I went back to school in my 30s. Then I became a full-time college professor and worked about 30 hours most weeks.

It wasn’t until my stint with the USPS, advising at VolState, and now Cabela’s in the past two years that I’ve really worked 40-hours a week. Of course, if you go back to my childhood in a cult, I was working 60-hour weeks as a boy. I’ve done a lot of hard work in my life and I’m not afraid of it.

However, I’m a creative. And one reason I have been able to create such a mass of work in my life is that I’ve had the time to do that. My current situation allows me less time than I’ve had for creating than I’ve had in years. Not only am I working 40 hours a week, I have to drive 45 minutes each way. There’s another 8 hours taken up each week. Add things like shopping, doctors, and working on the condo and it creates a time squeeze.

Why did I take on a full-time job at 63?

That’s a good question. The answer is simple: for health benefits. I’m beginning to question if the time I have to put in to receive the benefits is worth it. There is also a secondary reason. I’m holding off on using my retirement savings a bit longer. And finally, I stay moving and active and social. These are all good reasons to work full time but until I’m 65? That’s something I am reconsidering.

This year I am able to work without my social security being tapped into. Next year I won’t be able to do that if I work full time the entire year. So, I’m considering moving back into part-time status part way through 2027. If I keep my income low by avoiding any major withdrawals from retirement I will be eligible for a healthcare plan at an affordable rate. I could continue working part time and maybe teach an adjunct class. Then again, who knows, maybe life will take another unexpected twist.

In the meantime…

I’ll keep creating. The process to complete projects is just taking longer. Although my studio room is mostly complete, I still need to update my audio. And even though I’m writing several lyrics a week, I have not yet been able to really focus on finalizing songs. I have been workshopping a “sound” for the songs but nothing is complete.

I’ll keep taking time outdoors and doing active things. Last week, I went to Acadia National Park. I’ll post more photos below. I spend quite a bit of the off-time I do get enjoying nature and trying to get in some exercise. That leaves me with even less time to create. It’s a bit ironic that the time when I’m supposed to have more time (after “retirement”) is actually one of the fullest schedules I’ve had in years.

Bear with me as I move through this chapter. My hope is that I’ll be able to get into the swing of getting some creative projects completed on the side if even at a slower pace. I will continue to produce work, it’s just a matter of time. – dse

New Studio Space Progress

The new studio is almost set up. I’ve been plugging away at it on my days off since mid-September. It should be completed soon. That’s not including any new equipment for videos, but the space itself is about ready.

So what does that mean? It means a couple of things:

More frequent videos on the YouTube Channel.
Return to cataloging some of my older songs. I’m still working through songs from 1995/96.
Return posting older recorded works on Songs from Big Yellow.
New ambient and songwriting projects.
Preparation for a slight shift in the channel’s content starting in 2027.

That’s the plan anyway. But we know how plans go. Who knows what might happen between now and January 1. I don’t. But I can promise you this, as long as I’m able, I’ll be posting music, poetry, writing, etc. And I’ll continue to creatively document this journey we call life. – dse

An Update on Projects from Maine

I’m back in Maine and busy with new things. So what’s next on my agenda? Good question. I’m not sure I have an exact answer, but I have plans.

First, since getting back to Maine, I took a full-time retail job because I decided that using private health insurance until I’m 65 would be a better option than using the ACA. Plus, I can hold off on dipping into my retirement a bit longer. That said, a full-time retail job is a time killer and most of my downtime has been dedicated to repairs and maintenance on my condo, setting up medical needs, and dealing with the logistics of changing states.

But I’m not done with my creative journey by any means. I just remain in a transition period. Here’s a short list of things I hope to complete or continue in 2026.

True Sounds of Nashville: I promised another ambient/noise project called True Sounds of Nashville. I have all the raw data I need to start that project. It’s just a matter of time and motivation. I’ll keep you updated.
Setting up my studio. My condo is small. Currently my musical stuff is mostly in my bedroom. But my goal is to get the second bedroom set up for music before the end of the year. The hard part is moving furniture to the basement so I can make the space to start.
New songs. I’m starting to work on a potential batch of new songs on my new Jellinghaus guitar. But that will be a process and I’m making no promises on when they might be ready. When they are, I will post to them my YouTube channel.
New book: I am in the midst of a project that might lead to a new book in the future. Books are huge projects for limited returns, but this story could be worth my time in the long run. More later.

As you can see, I’m staying busy with life, but I also have new creative projects on the back burner. Don’t be surprised if I remain somewhat quiet for a while. Also, don’t be surprised if a huge wave of new work starts to flow in the near future. – dse

A New Guitar from Montreal

Recently, I bought myself a new guitar. What? Another one?

I’m actually not a huge guitar hoarder. I let go of two and bought one. I have a total of four guitars currently. But I love texture and choice in acoustic guitar sounds. Currently, I own a 2013 Martin 00017sm, a 1969 Gibson LG1-to-LG2 conversion, and an American Telecaster. I keep the LG2 tuned to DADDAD for a different mode. Someday, I might get an old resonator. But the guitar I bought recently is a nylon-string guitar.

I have always liked the warm sound of nylon strings. And although I’m no classical player, I bought a guitar that is made and meant as a classical guitar. I picked up a Jellinghaus replica of an Antonio Torres Model 77. They are not easy guitars to find as there is limited production. I went to the Guitar Salon in Montreal to get mine.

I love small guitars. Anything over a 000 is too big for my liking. The Model 77 was Torres’ baroque guitar. The body is much smaller than an average classical guitar and the neck scale is 610 and I love it.

I will be working on a new project using this new guitar but it may be some time before anything gets posted because I recently moved back to Maine and decided to work full-time for the private health insurance instead of paying higher prices for the ACA options.

The project will include a group of songs in the works about corporate and institutional corruption and greed. I know the topic is somewhat common, but if we don’t keep speaking up nothing will ever change. And besides, I spent several years studying the life and music of Woody Guthrie in grad school.

I’ll keep you up to date with my progress. – dse

The Maine Story: How I got Here and Came Back Again

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. I’ve been busy moving… again.

I’m officially back in Maine. But how did I wind up in Maine in the first place. There’s a story, and I think it’s time that I share it here.

The Beginning

First, I have roots in Maine. I was born in Rochester, New Hampshire, just across the Maine border. My father’s family goes back generations in New Hampshire. My mother’s family goes back generations in Maine. I lived in Maine during my early school years. But at the age of 10, my family moved across the country to Washington State to join a cult. You can learn more about that in my books:

The First Return

I’m going to share something I’ve never shared here. I’ve hinted to it, but I think the time is right to go into more detail.

During COVID, my daughter got caught up with the wrong crowd. This led to a substance abuse issue and eventually led to extreme drug-induced psychosis. I’ll spare the details, but there were several trips to the emergency room and months of sleepless nights. I tried to get help for my daughter, but the local resources refused to help, even when I specifically requested they use the Washington State Family Initiated Treatment Act.

I also discovered who was dealing the substances to my daughter and helped to get the dealer arrested in July, 2022. He’s still out on bail with a trial set for early 2027.

So between the lack of help from the community, and the potential danger of retaliation from a drug dealer, I asked my employer for the option to work remotely from Maine. I figured Maine would be more secluded and would give my daughter a chance to dry out and start over. It worked, not perfectly, but my daughter finished high school, has two years of college completed, and has been successful in the service industry.

My employer permitted the move. The president, vice president, human resources director, and my direct supervisor all signed off on the emergency relocation paperwork in late 2022. That paperwork also included notice of my own blood cancer diagnosis and need for specialists and ongoing treatment.

The Ultimatum

I secured a second year of working from Maine using FMLA, or at least that is what I was told. But within a year of moving to Maine, starting in late 2023, my employer started telling me I would have to move back to Washington State or retire. It was an unfeasible choice as moving back to Washington would put my daughter right back into the danger of addiction and retaliation. I was pressured to resign with the promise of part-time work including health benefits.

In Maine, I tried my best to find full-time work in my field. But all I could find was part-time work at low wages. Keep in mind, my full-time employment in Washington was an $85,000 a year position with benefits, not something I wanted to give up, but felt I had no choice.

So, I broadened my scope and started applying for positions in the South and the Midwest. In November, 2024, I secured employment at Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee. I worked there a little over a year while I rented out my property in Maine.

The Second Return

With a plan to move back to Maine in April, 2026, I retired from VolState at the end of 2025. The heat in Tennessee wound up being very problematic for me as one of the primary symptoms of my blood cancer is heat intolerance. Due to a lease in Tennessee, and my rental contract in Maine, that move was slightly postponed. I was, however, able to spend a fair portion of the summer in Maine to escape the heat before finalizing the move this week.

Now, I am back in my modest condo and preparing to return to work at Cabela’s to stay physically and socially active, and acquire needed health insurance coverage until I turn 65 in 2028.

But none of this should have happened. I never should have been squeezed out of my job in Washington. This is especially true because another employee was able to continue her employment from a neighboring state to me. I was told, “that’s different.” There’s more to the story, but that’s all I’m going to say for now.

The good thing is that I’m back in Maine where I can tolerate the weather and where I am at a low elevation. My condition also requires low elevation to add protection from clots and strokes. If my former employer would have simply asked a few questions about my medical needs, they’d have known all of this. – dse

Update on the Move Back to Maine

I’m still in transition and my sites and channels and socials are all in flux. So, I thought I’d give you an update on the move back to Maine.

Status of the Move

First, the place in Tennessee is almost all packed and ready to go. I still have some furniture to sell and a few things to give away, but other than that I feel good about the progress. But there is a huge logistics problem.

I’m moving back to Maine. My daughter, however, is not. Three quarters of what needs to be moved is hers and she still doesn’t know where or how she wants to move it. Things might need to be moved in two different directions. Or everything might just go to Maine for now. Hopefully, this will be resolved by early to mid August as the lease ends on August 31.

I’ve been making monthly trips to Maine to work on the condo and will be heading out on another one soon. While I’m there I’m painting, getting electrical work completed, and selling extra furniture.

My Websites, Channels, and Socials

For now I’m just trying to stay moderately active with my Internet presence. I’m posting less often here. I’m probably going to have to take a break from my 1995/96 song series and Songs from Big Yellow on Youtube, but I will continue to post a couple times a week on the channel.

My BandCamp channel is also on hold for now, although I have a project in the works that I might complete on my next stay in Maine. Glitcsh.com is staying active with a couple posts per week.

Thoughts about my Internet Future

I know I’ve threatened to kill my Facebook and other socials over the years, but I’m looking at things in a new light. The light of retirement.

I spend $400-$500 a year to keep my two websites active. And although I used to make money from book sales, they have dropped off to almost nothing. I’ve started to question the point of keeping the websites. Besides expense, a second issue with websites is that they are hard to deal with when you’re dead. Sure, you can pay years forward, but who’s going to manage them?

So, I’ve decided that my websites will likely go away in the future. However, I’m not just going to toss them immediately. I will give myself another year or two once I move back to Maine and then make a final decision. And when I do, I may look for a free option to keep the sites online in another format.

YouTube and BandCamp will stay. The nice thing about these two platforms is that they don’t cost me anything and I can post as much audio and video as I want. They are basically self-contained and my catalogs will stay alive until those sites close down, which does not look to be soon.

As for social media, the only one I use is Facebook. I do have an Instagram account but rarely post there. I think I’ve deleted all my other accounts. Part of me wants to kill Facebook in the coming year or two. Meta has become glitchy and the political division is exhausting. There are also way too many advertisements. However, it has worked well for two purposes. First, to stay in touch with family and friends at a distance. Second, to make new connections with like minded people in different locations.

As much as part of me wants to, I won’t delete Facebook… yet. I may, however, move back to posting privately to a specific group of followers. Or I might start a new account just for close friends and followers and dump the one I have. As with the websites, I’ll give myself a year or so to consider after the move to Maine. – dse