[-music, art, inspiration-]

Get your brushes, paints, colored pencils and gel pens ready. When you get finished reading this article you’ll be wanting them immediately!

by guest contributor, Debbie Jensen

“Today, I find myself interested in graphic arts and multimedia; albeit with music written upon my heart and soul.”

As a very young child, I began a long journey of piano playing which has followed me all the way through my adulthood. From childhood lessons to adult lessons, and after decades of musical education which included reading notes, chords, scales, music theory, and composition, you would think I’d feel like I had achieved my musical goals. To the contrary, I still have so much more to learn! However, once any pianist reaches an expert level, it is difficult (and expensive) to find the musical instruction required to keep going. From this experience, coupled with other twist of events, I have drifted away from playing music. Today, I find myself interested in graphic arts and multimedia; albeit with music written upon my heart and soul.

Music has been one of the strongest influences to my artistic expressions and has helped me understand how to express beauty, rhythm, and movement. From my photography background (from which I photographed thousands of images), I learned the seven wonders of photography, the importance of framing and composition, and how to create emphasis. So you might wonder, how could music influence artistic expressions of a different medium?

When I used to play the piano, sometimes I would reach to fasten my seat belt, but of course, it was not there. This often happened right before I started to play, and perhaps this occurred because I felt as if I was about to travel through space. From my mind’s eye, and at the point I was lost in my music, I could easily envision colorful, geometric forms. The forms were beautiful. Other times, I would see imaginary birds flying, and possibly those birds are manifesting themselves through my graphic designs today. My sketch books are filled with endless imaginary birds; and I often wonder, where is this imagery coming from? There seems to be no end to it.

In music, the rhythm can slow down and speed up, pause or sustain a tone, leap, or even freeze for an instant; but if the rhythm breaks–sadly, the moment is lost. Is art any different? Isn’t this concept similar to what we know as a design principle? Each piece of artwork whether it be 2-D or 3-D needs to pull together as a unit and needs to have the same feeling of completeness in the same way as expected in a song; that is, at least to the point of solving all the design problems related to it.

Next time you find yourself stuck, creatively speaking, turn on music which harmonizes with the piece you are working on. Amazingly, in the way songs are written and in the way words are expressed within them, pianists vary the way they choose to strike the keys. So, why wouldn’t music influence how the artist’s brush strikes the canvas? To experience what I’m trying to convey, close your eyes and draw with your imaginary pen or brush and strike the air as the music influences you; and let the music influence how you make your abstract design. If brush strokes and lines are artists’ signatures, then why not let your signatures be influenced by audio multimedia?

© copyright 2005 - 2007
Debbie Jensen “Black and White Piano Keys Composition”

[-practically mperfect-]

by Nancy S.M. Waldman

You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.

Friedrich Nietzsche said that and I - with quite a bit of creative chaos in my life - completely understand what he means. Chaos - if we tone it down to a buzz of unrestrained energetic activity - can be an inspirational muse. However, chaos is hardly the only thing we need for creativity.

Creative chaos will not get a zine out - on time or otherwise. “Quarterly” doesn’t mean much to the chaos swirling in one’s soul. Chaos doesn’t know a single thing about html or how to put in a link that works. And chaos can’t write an essay for anything in the world.

Chaos does not keep up the blog entries.

Chaos cannot re-write a novel.

For those things and more, you need another “c” word; a word with a lot less magic, a lot less pizzazz, a lot less playfulness. You need consistency. This, folks, is the practical side of being practically creative. And it - or the want of it - comes up frequently for me.

Like all creatively conscious people, I adore those brilliant flashes of creativity when disparate ideas and materials come together in a new and exciting way. This stimulates and energizes and feeds on itself. So, if I occasionally feel those brilliant flashes, why worry about something as dull as consistency? Because not only does consistency accomplish tasks that chaotic creativity can’t, it also feels good to accomplish daily goals. Chaos cannot accomplish long-term, complicated projects. It takes consistency. It takes showing up for work, day after day.

For about a month after the first issue of the year came out, I was “showing up” to the Practically Creative blog most days. It was fun and creatively stimulating for me and, I believe, for others. I had plenty of gloriously creative raw material thanks to the Practically Creative flickr group. It didn’t take much time and I always felt better after doing them. It’s similar to the way I feel physically after exercising. Often I resist, but I always feel better when I do it. With the blog-roll I was on in February and early March, there was no reason for me to think that I couldn’t continue doing consistent daily blog entries forever. No reason except self-knowledge and experience. By now, I know myself pretty well.

Chaos and consistency don’t easily coexist. In my life and I think, the lives of many artistically creative people, chaos more often than not bests consistency in hand-to-hand, day-to-day combat. Even if we just call it moodiness, it’s enough to get us off track. So what can we do about it? We need both ‘creative chaos’ and consistency and they are close to being mutually exclusive!

We have to do what it says at the top of this article. We have to learn to accept our shortcomings. Consistency isn’t a parlour trick like a white rabbit conjured out of a hat. If it’s not in us as a natural attribute, then we have to practice acceptance, but we also have to foster more functional habits. It is a balancing act - think tightrope walker’s skill rather than a magician’s trick - to accept who we are. To embrace the strong parts of ourselves, those parts that are capable of giving “birth to a dancing star” while also repeatedly disciplining ourselves to show up so we can finish and bring our creative projects to the world.

Getting down on ourselves because we fail only gets in our way. The goal is not perfection. It is progress. Guilt and self-hatred come from that perfectionist thinking and will keep us from showing up tomorrow if we let it. Only a balance of self-awareness and the steady goal of making ourselves better at consistency will help us achieve a finished product.

Writer, Stephen Nachmanovitch said this about creativity:

The noun of self becomes a verb. This flashpoint of creation in the present moment is where work and play merge.

We will, more often than not, miss that brilliant flashpoint if we haven’t shown up for the work. That’s consistency. We have to work when we aren’t inspired. We have to work even when we feel uncreative. We have to do it when it isn’t intuitive. The experience of it being “play” instead of “work” will follow from that consistent effort.

Whether or not we finish our creative projects - whether, for instance, my novels get re-written or my blog gets an entry today - isn’t going to make a difference in anyone else’s life, but it will in our own. Even if consistency isn’t our strongest trait let’s vow to continue working on the habit of showing up everyday.

Maybe today there will be a brilliant flash and, just maybe, that star will dance.

Originally published in the July 2006 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly
© 2006 - 2007 all rights reserved

-essay, inspiration-

by guest essayist, Quinn D. Corte

Inspiration follows all of us around like a stray puppy, barking excitedly at the quirkiest times, begging us to come and play. Whether we notice her depends on our willingness to embrace creativity.

That gentle scratching of a familiar paw on my jeans has made me who I am. For me, inspiration is in such diverse treats as redwood trees, old ballet shoes, and Kevin Spacey. Inspiration has been behind most of my major life decisions, but it also makes me dance at inappropriate times and sketch people with interesting noses while riding the bus.

As children, we don’t ignore the dog frolicking in our shadows. Inspiration plays fetch with us, giving us boundless imaginations. It makes us refuse to go to bed at night and rejoice at waking up each morning. Show and tell is fascinating and one visit to the space center turns us into astronauts.

As we grow up, it’s easy to forget about that puppy at our heels. Life bustles around us, responsibilities beckon, and Inspiration lags, discouraged, a few paces behind. Adults may not as readily light up at the discovery of an interesting leaf or a new box of sharpened crayons. How much more fun life would be if we let Inspiration pounce on us and lick our faces more often!

Getting inspired is an active process. We don’t hear Inspiration whimpering unless she’s always in the back of our minds, right on the edge of consciousness. In order to let her work her magic, we must keep our senses on the surface, ready to intercept anything that may change our lives. We must remember that dog may be hiding behind the sofa, snuggling on the end of our bed when we wake up, or sniffing around the backyard.

Embracing the ubiquity of Inspiration is a conscious choice. It shouldn’t be scary or difficult and definitely doesn’t have to inhibit our daily routine. She sits loyally at our feet, ready to wag her tail with first eye contact. She is a creative companion who can use anything from a juicy nectarine to a rain-splattered window to conjure hidden artistic energy inside our spirits. A simple scratch behind the ears of Inspiration is a fulfilling and easy way to add creativity and beauty to our difficult lives.

I feel comfort in knowing Inspiration is chasing butterflies at my side, always in my dreams and within my reach … every day of my life.

© 2005- 2007; Quinn D. Corte, all rights reserved

- Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: Inspiration

[-metAphorism, r-mindfulness-]

metAphorism is a word I coined to mean a simple, everyday thing, concept or event that points us in the direction of a deeper lesson. metaphor - figure of speech giving an implicit comparison: this is that. aphorism - concise statement of a truth or opinion.

by Nancy Waldman

The metAphorism
Desktop Short-cuts

The lesson
Knowing short-cuts to access the most creative part of our minds will heighten creativity

Easily accessing your creative mind is like clicking a shortcut icon on your computer desktop. It not only saves time, but also limits frustrations while maximizing successes.

Did you know that part of your mind is good at and enjoys the creative flow while part of your mind resists it? Take a look at the classic art book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards for an in-depth explanation. Ms. Edwards’ work originally referred to the right hemisphere of the brain as being the more creative side with the left side carrying out the everyday linear functions. This is a convenient label for what are highly complex and individual processes. We know that the brain hemispheres work together but the “r-mode” is an expression coined by Betty Edwards to represent a very real state of consciousness wherein creativity is more likely to happen.

If you have trouble getting started in your creative pursuits or are overly critical of your creative output when you begin, it may be that you’re trying to use your “everyday” mind instead of your creative mind.

If you are constantly bothered by distracting thoughts like, “I need to do the laundry.” “This is no good.” “What makes me think I can write?” “My stomach hurts.” “What time is it?” it’s because you haven’t clicked on your r-mode shortcuts. Finding the right frame of mind is like clicking the proper icon on your desktop: it takes you there as fast as possible.

Movement such as walking, dancing and traveling in vehicles seems to be conducive to r-mode thinking. So does water. That’s why we often get our most inspired ideas while driving or showering. Unfortunately we can’t do our work while soaking wet or stuck in traffic! We need to become adept at short-cutting. Our linear minds must recede like a Window’s file behind our r-mode minds when we are at our desks or our easels so that we can get the work done with fewer distractions.

Remember the “Desktop Shortcut” when you want a short-cut to your creative energy.

Originally published in the April 2005 issue of The Practically Creative Quarterly, theme: Inspiration
© 05-07 Nancy S.M. Waldman