We live in an age that prizes the final outcome and neglects the process.

We rush to finish the song, to complete the painting, to have something to show or sell.

But it is in the process, the journey, that character is built.

Talent is sharpened. The person is made.

Process is where the gold is.

The musician may begin with a feeling they want to paint with sound, but it is the process that keeps them returning to the craft.

Fingers exploring fresh grooves, man and medium figuring one another out.

They both learn about each other and about themselves.

Boundaries are tested, and differences are hashed out.

But within that discomfort is discovery. Support. Exploration. Unknown paths.

And when the growth isn’t too painful to bring to the light of public witness – a release.

The single. The EP. The album. The show presenting a new body of work.

Experiments remain on hard drives, and failed paintings and studies are concealed in storage.

From the outside, the journey remains hidden. Timelines obscure. We revel in the mystery.

Process is the discovery of self-knowledge.

To learn your own rhythms:

When to rest, to wait, to move. When the fruit is ripe enough to be picked.

Only the individual knows when they are in or out of season.

Artists seek new materials not just for novelty, but because they know:

It is in the process where the real work happens.

It’s where our hearts are exposed and where the necessity to continue is affirmed.

In all its forms, we are here to shine our light.

We are Extra-Medium Magazine — dedicated to covering the process of works in process.