Addressing all the drama

Hey everyone! I think it's really important for me to write up a response to some of the things that have been happening since I posted my last YouTube video on Thursday. If you haven't seen this video, it's a similar concept to the video I did back in October, where Russ buys a bunch of products that I originally said "no" to sponsoring when they reached out, and instead he surprises me with them and asks me to rate them on a tier list. This is the second video in the series. In the first one, we reviewed 6 different items, ranging from A-D tiers. In the latest video, the final tiers ranged from B-D, and we reviewed 3 different items, which were:

1. Chaos Audio - Stratus (D)

2. FlexiSpot Desk (B)

3. Harp-E (C)

The brands seem to be pretty upset that my honest reviews were not too favorable, but I felt the need to make this post after seeing a post from someone who used to make pedal demos.

BUT FIRST LETS TALK ABOUT SOME FUN POSITIVE STUFF!! Things I've really been enjoying lately include:

R.E.P.O & Elden Ring - these are my go-to games to play during the YouTube Membership gaming streams, although sometimes I do change it up by playing Grow Home and Peglin. I also HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest checking out Crypt of the Necrodancer, as I have logged over 200+ hours in it, and it's currently on sale for 80% off -- only $2.99!

Lithography - I was fortunate enough to take a lithography class for my Artist Residency at the Pollock-Krasner House and study the process of putting imagery onto stone!! I'll be hosting a lithography workshop in a few weeks where students can bring in their favorite pieces of sheet music, and I'll be incorporating their music into 50 limited edition art prints using lithography. I had never even really heard of lithography before researching Stones by Frank O'Hara and Larry Rivers (which is my thesis project!) and I'm really grateful to be learning so much, especially in this hands-on way.

Swedish Princess Cake from this bakery in East Northport, NY - I was walking around a few weeks ago and I happened upon this AMAZING bakery called Copenhagen Bakery & Cafe where they sell something called a "princess cake" -- I don't know if East Northport is a big touristy place or not, but if you're in the market for the best tasting cake in the world, this is a great place for it!!

(small cake)

OK... now onto the "drama". Here's the screenshot.

I want to clarify that I did not buy these products with the INTENTION of giving them a bad review -- in fact, as you probably already know, Russ bought these products for me as a surprise. And as you also probably already know, nothing gets thrown in the garbage (I'm genuinely so confused as to why she thought that). I think this post hurts me more than others because it was written by a fellow woman who used to be in the music tech space, and someone who I truly considered a good friend back in the day. We would chat about pedal demo work and confide in each other about the difficulties of being a creator online. Nothing bad ever happened; we just haven't spoken in a while, and I was shocked to see how she really felt about me.

My negativity in the video was honest, but I wanted everyone to laugh with me about how sassy I was feeling. I understand why Harp-E would be upset at me saying it's a "shitty, DIY Ikea harp," and why Chaos Audio might feel upset at me saying "hot piece of traesh" but I don't think any of it warranted some of the reactions I've been getting (or strongly worded emails....!)

I will say that Chaos Audio has been handling this in the most mature and respectful way possible. They made a response video to me, and it's one of the nicest response videos I've seen. I'm very excited for our debate today, as the CEO Landon has never once insulted me or said anything out of anger, despite my feelings about his pedal. The debate starts at 7:00PM EST tonight, and I'm including a link here for those of you who have questions or want to watch us chat about the Stratus pedal. I'll be playing harp through the Stratus pedal in the background while I chat, so we can really hear what it truly does and have a hands-on experience.

I'm about to post a short video about my mistake for not realizing the Harp-E was "Unfinished". They made a big point about me being incorrect, and so I want to do everything I can to fix it. They emailed me and one of the things they said was: You chose the wrong kit and decided to misinform your thousands of followers. And seriously damage, if not kill a small business in the process.  

I didn't "decide" to do anything intentionally, so given that they think that, I'm posting that video within the next 20 minutes or so to clarify that Russ bought the unfinished version. Although, I gotta say..... even with that being the case, it doesn't help the Harp-E's case given that it's STILL $900+ $100 shipping.

Anyway, I think that's everything so far. I'll keep you posted with any updates, but the most important thing to me is MY AUDIENCE. I don't like upsetting anybody, but I do like giving my audience a genuine, honest experience alongside me. I'm not acting, and I'm not putting on a character. My reactions and thoughts were 100% genuine, Long-Island sassiness, and being that most of my videos are about showcasing cool music tech from mostly small businesses / independent builders, I feel like sometimes, that's okay (at least I think it should be okay).

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far; thank you for reading ♡