Progression: A podcast by Jane Shin

How this project came to be

Today on February 6, 2019, I’m excited to launch my podcast, Progression. Listen to Episode 1 here.

Progression is a show centered on mental health, personal development and spirituality.

I’ll explore these topics through my own reflections and stories, along with conversations with artists I’ve been inspired by, learning about how they push through challenges that influence their creative process and musical output. Through Progression, I hope to continue to build community and inspire, heal and raise awareness of taking care of oneself and by extension, one’s community.

Supporting podcasts early on

I’ve been at the forefront of some massive changes in the music industry over the past 10 years. I’ve learned a lot in my career so far, especially in supporting artists and creators tell their stories across various communities and platforms.

In 2012, I was supporting podcast creators through a program I helped lead called the SoundCloud Community Fellowship in which 15 sound creators were selected to embark on a three month sound project. Some of these projects have grown and evolved since their start in the program, like Jeff Emtman’s Here Be Monsters that now lives on KCRW.

The courage, energy, time and vulnerability creators put into their art inspired me and helped me recognize my own creativity and the power of my voice. Overtime, I’ve cultivated courage and confidence to share more of my voice, especially through my writing.

Progression represents the next chapter of this unfolding.

The catalyst

“Progression + self-care” have been on my Instagram and Twitter bio for a while now, a marker and reminder for me and anyone else who might stumble on my profile to trust the process. It takes time to move forward. It takes time to grow.

I first gravitated towards the word progression in 2016.

In 2016, I left the Bay Area after studying, living and working there for 10 years. A major chapter of this time was working at SoundCloud. I wrote a reflection post upon my departure to reflect on what I had learned in the five years I worked there.

I returned home to LA to embark on my next chapter, to gain courage to speak my truth, share more of my voice and my writing, and to get closer to the music community.

Progression was a word that encompassed the challenges and transitions I was undergoing in 2016. It was both a time when I hit rock bottom and a time when new things were beginning to emerge for me. I was peeling a lot of layers.

I started my newsletter JANEWAVE when I moved back to LA in September 2016. It began as an outlet for me to document my progression for anyone who might be interested in following along my journey. I write personal reflections focused on trusting the process and practicing gratitude and self-care tips, along with music recommendations. The newsletter also expanded to my blog at janeshin.co/blog.

Progression the podcast thus serves as a continuation of these themes through audio.

I’m increasingly finding it important for me to stand in my truth as I grow in my spiritual journey–one of my 2019 mantras is “No More Hiding.”

Notes on the intro music

I’m honored to have Matt VISTA of April + VISTA create the music for Progression. You Are Here is one of the most meaningful and moving EPs I’ve listened to. It helped me process a lot of different emotions last year and was often the soundtrack in the development of this project.

The final sound Matt created for this podcast evokes introspection and encouragement which is a balance I aim to strike with the contents of this podcast.

Notes on the logo

A lot of thought and care went into the thinking and processing of how I visually wanted to communicate Progression. When working with the thoughtful, talented sisters Gabriela and Melody Hansen of Jumelles who designed and created the logo, I sent them a folder of inspiration. A good chunk of my inspiration photos were ones I had taken of the moon and sky–many being of the moon juxtaposed against a set of telephone wires, resembling horizontal staff lines in sheet music writing.

Thus when creating the logo, including some symbolism of the moon and music were important to me. It may not be easily recognizable, but the rest bar in the logo is a nod to the meaning of a rest bar in music writing–an interval of silence that is marked by the rest bar symbol indicating the length of the pause. I found it fitting and a beautiful metaphor for the importance of rest and taking a pause in our own lives.

As for the circle in the logo, it also resembles a whole note in music and is an ode to the moon. I love this description of a circle from Modern Woman’s Many Moons:

...A circle is an endless line, a protected space...a center is a circle, the gathering together and a forming of disparate aspects of a community, a life, interests. Circles are centering. We sit in circles to reinforce the idea that we are all equal and wise. A circle is at once an activated line and a never-ending loop...a circle connotes totality: a void and a portal, an entry point, a mirror.

Special thanks and gratitude

Finally putting Progression out into the world would not have been possible without the encouragement, guidance, and support from my family, Chrystal Lacza, April George, Matt Vista, Melody Hansen, Gabriela Hansen, Sama’an Ashrawi, Jasmine Chen, Natalie James, Imani Cohen, Devin Hobdy, Tamera Fields, Vatana Shaw, Claudio Cueni, Catherine Manzanares, Audrey Moningka, Natasha Moningka, Jaime Kang, Anahid Yahjian, Clem Breslin, Manolo Espinosa, Jaymeson Catsouphes, Jeff Emtman, and Hrishikesh Hirway.