)/Niklas
Mental Block ?
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noisetonepause
- Posts: 4938
- Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2002 3:38 pm
- Location: Sticks and stones
This stuff about finishing things is very nice, but one should respect one's attention span. Since I don't smoke inside, I've made a habit of walking outside every two-three hours or so, which is a nice rhythm for me. Whether you're writing music or English essays or working for the clampdown, staring idly at the computer screen while manicly thinking "Where do I go from here? What do I do with this?" is nobody's idea of constructive. Also, this makes sure you stretch you body once in a while is good for you (it'll maybe even things out if you're a smoker like I am )
/Niklas
)/Niklas
Suit #1: I mean, have you got any insight as to why a bright boy like this would jeopardize the lives of millions?
Suit #2: No, sir, he says he does this sort of thing for fun.
Suit #2: No, sir, he says he does this sort of thing for fun.
So now we are getting down to addictive behaviour ... <grin>
What a thread !!! -
I walk away from it all the time, and go out and have a smoke and try to "collect my wits" ... actually, I find that walking around and getting away speaks to me as I hear all of the rhythms and latent tunes floating around in my head, calling me back to the computer and my instruments.
It's all about your mental state, but more importantly, about being able to do something with it.
Being able to relax and break away from any problem solving is a learned skill that works. That is the general wisdom that I have heard through all the comments in this discussion.
Substance usage is certainly not the issue - Don't go there - Drinking four quarts ( or liters ) of fruit juice for inspiration is not the answer to your creativity !!! - You may find that you short yourself ( and your equipment out ) -
What a thread !!! -
I walk away from it all the time, and go out and have a smoke and try to "collect my wits" ... actually, I find that walking around and getting away speaks to me as I hear all of the rhythms and latent tunes floating around in my head, calling me back to the computer and my instruments.
It's all about your mental state, but more importantly, about being able to do something with it.
Being able to relax and break away from any problem solving is a learned skill that works. That is the general wisdom that I have heard through all the comments in this discussion.
Substance usage is certainly not the issue - Don't go there - Drinking four quarts ( or liters ) of fruit juice for inspiration is not the answer to your creativity !!! - You may find that you short yourself ( and your equipment out ) -
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tribalogical
- Posts: 318
- Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 7:26 pm
- Location: boise, idaho
A recommend: read/listen to some of Tony Verderosa's stuff...
Very insightful. He's exploring the fringes of "tech meets tangible", as I call it... I'm reading a book of his called "the techno primer", and some of these issues are touched upon. Gear Lust among them, one of the very real barriers to creativity... like someone said here, we get so busy acquiring and updating toys, there's little energy/time left to create with them...
It's a quandry so many of us stumble over, isn't it?
I also have a five-year-old son, and I find he contributes MUCH more to my creativity than he distracts from it... I often include him in the process, and the results are always surprising and fresh... It brings back the FUN, to be sure... his reactions and responses to sounds and melodies are often a great measure of the instrinsic qualities of a piece... there's something deeply satisfying when I watch him listening (or just as often jamming noisily along on my keyboard), and suddenly his eyes widen in surprise and he grins or laughs outloud... as if something struck a chord internally, and it showed through with a delight akin to tasting something delicious the first time...
And, he's certainly my favorite critic... I get equal measures of thumbs up and thumbs down from the boy...
Music is good for the soul, but it's also best shared. I find I need a balance between solitary creative and collaborative... neither really shines brightest without a good amount of each...
BTW, this has been one of the most enjoyable threads I've read in a long time... I've learned tons from it! Awesome...
peace,
tribalogical
Very insightful. He's exploring the fringes of "tech meets tangible", as I call it... I'm reading a book of his called "the techno primer", and some of these issues are touched upon. Gear Lust among them, one of the very real barriers to creativity... like someone said here, we get so busy acquiring and updating toys, there's little energy/time left to create with them...
It's a quandry so many of us stumble over, isn't it?
I also have a five-year-old son, and I find he contributes MUCH more to my creativity than he distracts from it... I often include him in the process, and the results are always surprising and fresh... It brings back the FUN, to be sure... his reactions and responses to sounds and melodies are often a great measure of the instrinsic qualities of a piece... there's something deeply satisfying when I watch him listening (or just as often jamming noisily along on my keyboard), and suddenly his eyes widen in surprise and he grins or laughs outloud... as if something struck a chord internally, and it showed through with a delight akin to tasting something delicious the first time...
And, he's certainly my favorite critic... I get equal measures of thumbs up and thumbs down from the boy...
Music is good for the soul, but it's also best shared. I find I need a balance between solitary creative and collaborative... neither really shines brightest without a good amount of each...
BTW, this has been one of the most enjoyable threads I've read in a long time... I've learned tons from it! Awesome...
peace,
tribalogical
Nothing kills creativity faster than constant runs to the loo...e-twelve wrote:Drinking four quarts ( or liters ) of fruit juice for inspiration is not the answer to your creativity !!!
Arp Laszlo
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
Been away for awhile --- my youngest daughter graduated from high school here in the states, and it's traditional to throw a party for friends and family to celebrate the occasion. So Mom and Dad prepare food, and the premises ( no one in their right mind would ever believe that we always have a house this clean, and perfectly manicured lawns and property! ), and set the stage for wall to wall entertainment and partying. And then comes Monday ... It was good to get back to my "day job" and relax ( yeah, right ) ...
tribalogical's comment about using his son as a "barometer" for his creativity struck a valid chord in me. A child's response to what is going on is probably the truest measure of how close ( or far from ) the universal accessibility of what we are doing is, when we create music.
I can remember asking my oldest daughter to listen to a piece that I was composing a few years ago. She was busy... ( being a teenager ), but sat attentively while I played what I thought was the best piece I had written in a long time.
Her comment to me was: " It sounds like "Vintage Daddy." "...
Now, I could take that quite a few different ways ... but what I really heard from her was that the style that I play, and the variations ... are just variations on what I think sounds good ... or like to play ... ( or am capable of playing? ), but, in the end, just more of the same.
She wasn't trying to be critical ( she said she thought the composition sounded good to her ), but her response spoke to me about a lot of things, and places I probably need to go to escape from yet another "mental block" in the style that I play ...
The bottom line here, is that by being "sole musicians" pursuing our "vision", we may really lose track of what others think, and deprive ourselves of some very valuable feedback, criticism, and guidance. We all play within a lot larger arena than our own personal backyard ( or at least should, IMHO ) ...
tribalogical's comment about using his son as a "barometer" for his creativity struck a valid chord in me. A child's response to what is going on is probably the truest measure of how close ( or far from ) the universal accessibility of what we are doing is, when we create music.
I can remember asking my oldest daughter to listen to a piece that I was composing a few years ago. She was busy... ( being a teenager ), but sat attentively while I played what I thought was the best piece I had written in a long time.
Her comment to me was: " It sounds like "Vintage Daddy." "...
Now, I could take that quite a few different ways ... but what I really heard from her was that the style that I play, and the variations ... are just variations on what I think sounds good ... or like to play ... ( or am capable of playing? ), but, in the end, just more of the same.
She wasn't trying to be critical ( she said she thought the composition sounded good to her ), but her response spoke to me about a lot of things, and places I probably need to go to escape from yet another "mental block" in the style that I play ...
The bottom line here, is that by being "sole musicians" pursuing our "vision", we may really lose track of what others think, and deprive ourselves of some very valuable feedback, criticism, and guidance. We all play within a lot larger arena than our own personal backyard ( or at least should, IMHO ) ...
I get quite a kick out of it when my little one grins at my music. I'm pretty certain he recognizes some of the tunes. I'll never forget one time I was hanging with a fellow music-making friend last year. His motherboard had died and took his hard drives with it along with EVERYTHING he had been working on. The only existing copy of a track he had been working on was on a cd that I had, which I had brought back to him. At this time, his daughter was about 8-9 months old, and the last time he had worked on the track was when she was in utero. He pops in the cd and plays the track and the little girl concentrates on this neat new music playing and then bursts into this gleeful grin that I swear was recognition.
Needlessly to say, papa was proud.
Needlessly to say, papa was proud.
Arp Laszlo
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
Rx - You've made my evening!
For those of us who believe that by being artists, poets, musicians, ( magicians? ), we can bring meaning to the world, your "in utero" experience should ring true.
I believe that there is a lot more to the human experience than television and popular music "allow" in our world society.
If we only could understand the real ramifications of what we do, maybe we would be a lot more reflective about the messages we send ...
For those of us who believe that by being artists, poets, musicians, ( magicians? ), we can bring meaning to the world, your "in utero" experience should ring true.
I believe that there is a lot more to the human experience than television and popular music "allow" in our world society.
If we only could understand the real ramifications of what we do, maybe we would be a lot more reflective about the messages we send ...
Popular music and TV are absolute loads of crap. There are some gems thrown in amongst the garbage, but mostly it's all worthless shite. I listen to pretty much no popular music - no radio, no Mtv, nothing. I hardly watch TV, and I think my music is much better for it.
The sad part is how influential popular media is with regards to people. Most people seem to think that crap matters. Rows and rows of magazines everywhere are devoted to the cult of personality. I was in the line at the grocery store the other day and one of the tabloid headlines was 'Oprah's Butt Gets Bigger!' Granted that was a tabloid, but nearly three times as many people read the National Enquirer compared to the New York Times.
Hmm - seems like I've just gone off on a rant. Anyone else think Living Colour were white the first time they heard them?
The sad part is how influential popular media is with regards to people. Most people seem to think that crap matters. Rows and rows of magazines everywhere are devoted to the cult of personality. I was in the line at the grocery store the other day and one of the tabloid headlines was 'Oprah's Butt Gets Bigger!' Granted that was a tabloid, but nearly three times as many people read the National Enquirer compared to the New York Times.
Hmm - seems like I've just gone off on a rant. Anyone else think Living Colour were white the first time they heard them?
Arp Laszlo
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
arphaus.com
Dell 6000d: 2.0ghz Pentium 760 | 1gb DDR2 ram
Echo Indigo DJ | Korg microKONTROL | faded black t-shirt emblazoned with 'Detroit' in gothic type
I have to agree about the media we are surrounded with ... television "sound bites", elevator "muzak", the National Enquirer and supermarket tabloids with poor Photoshop hacks showing proof of alien visitations, religious icons appearing in the sesame seeds on a Big Mac Burger, etc.
It makes one want to crawl into isolation, just to avoid the pollution of the "catchy tune". Sometimes I find myself taking the lyrics of a popular tune and "re-phrasing" them into something cynical ( maybe there is room in the world for a second "Weird Al" ) - but, in the end, it's my way of trying to express my impression of the "vast wasteland" of popular culture. A waste of my time ... I really need to apply the energy toward my own "catchy tunes" and what I think should be said within my own lyrics.
Do I want to be a personality ?? Do I want recognition for who I am, and what I believe, and what I think needs to be expressed ?? Well, that's what being an artist of any sort should be about. But true artists have historically been on the fringe.
We can easily sell what has been done before, because the acceptance is already there. The introduction of anything that may be slightly different runs a risk.
So what do we do? Isolate ourselves because we are so "wonderfully different", and no one could possibly understand our vision ?? - I don't think so ....
We are always in the situation to "change the world" ... Some of us can't wait, and there are others of us that drag our feet in fear of acceptance within the overwhelming noise of what is popular and "normal" ....
Rants are contagious ... but feedback corrects the errant mind ...
It makes one want to crawl into isolation, just to avoid the pollution of the "catchy tune". Sometimes I find myself taking the lyrics of a popular tune and "re-phrasing" them into something cynical ( maybe there is room in the world for a second "Weird Al" ) - but, in the end, it's my way of trying to express my impression of the "vast wasteland" of popular culture. A waste of my time ... I really need to apply the energy toward my own "catchy tunes" and what I think should be said within my own lyrics.
Do I want to be a personality ?? Do I want recognition for who I am, and what I believe, and what I think needs to be expressed ?? Well, that's what being an artist of any sort should be about. But true artists have historically been on the fringe.
We can easily sell what has been done before, because the acceptance is already there. The introduction of anything that may be slightly different runs a risk.
So what do we do? Isolate ourselves because we are so "wonderfully different", and no one could possibly understand our vision ?? - I don't think so ....
We are always in the situation to "change the world" ... Some of us can't wait, and there are others of us that drag our feet in fear of acceptance within the overwhelming noise of what is popular and "normal" ....
Rants are contagious ... but feedback corrects the errant mind ...
It had to be said! you are my man, e-twelve. Take your guitar to the woods!e-twelve wrote:So I can hit a single note, and hear it processed multiple ways, and if I press the record button, I can fill up a hard disk in the most efficient manner possible.
...just trying to figure out how to make my computer sing....
Well, my friends ...
and, nosuch, I did take it to the woods ...
I was running an ethernet cable to my daughter's room to hook up her eMac to our router, and happened to bump the water valves connected to our washing machine in the process. I didn't know about the slow water leak until the next morning when we found flooding in her room ...
While using a "wet vacuum" in an attempt to clean up the mess, the electricity to our home was lost due to a local farmer hitting a utility pole carrying electrical, phone, and cable television/modem service.
So - what else can a poor person that is overly dependent on electricity do?
Walk away and go acoustic -
The moral of the story - shit happens, you deal with it, and life goes on -
( maybe I should invest in a diesel generator <g> )
Music is music, whether you whistle to yourself, or set up incredible patching and mixing arrangements ...
Human expression is about our lives and loves; our media is whatever we choose to use, whenever and however we can.
The bird-songs seemed like a slow background loop that I had no control over at all.
e-twelve
and, nosuch, I did take it to the woods ...
I was running an ethernet cable to my daughter's room to hook up her eMac to our router, and happened to bump the water valves connected to our washing machine in the process. I didn't know about the slow water leak until the next morning when we found flooding in her room ...
While using a "wet vacuum" in an attempt to clean up the mess, the electricity to our home was lost due to a local farmer hitting a utility pole carrying electrical, phone, and cable television/modem service.
So - what else can a poor person that is overly dependent on electricity do?
Walk away and go acoustic -
The moral of the story - shit happens, you deal with it, and life goes on -
( maybe I should invest in a diesel generator <g> )
Music is music, whether you whistle to yourself, or set up incredible patching and mixing arrangements ...
Human expression is about our lives and loves; our media is whatever we choose to use, whenever and however we can.
The bird-songs seemed like a slow background loop that I had no control over at all.
e-twelve
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noisetonepause
- Posts: 4938
- Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2002 3:38 pm
- Location: Sticks and stones
I was at a party last night, and OK, I wasn't quite fit to drive, but suddenly it struck me for a second that the way the conversation, glasses chattering, bottles being opened, and whatever, interacted with the lounge-ish hiphop music ('Nobody Beats the Beats') music was very, very beautiful and seemed to compliment rather than obscure my enjoyment of the music. I also remember walking away PE after having played floor hockey thinking, cool soundtrack! (as in "KLONK! KLAK! *guy falling over* "Hey... calm down!"" 
:D:D) and have been known to nod my head to beat of the train during long rides... Musique Concrete, anyone?
edit - I've also tried nicking rhythms from nature and the environment. Like a branch tapping on a window makes a great percussive idea. If I had a MD what could record, I'd probably be 'that guy that records eveything'...
-Paws
:D:D) and have been known to nod my head to beat of the train during long rides... Musique Concrete, anyone?edit - I've also tried nicking rhythms from nature and the environment. Like a branch tapping on a window makes a great percussive idea. If I had a MD what could record, I'd probably be 'that guy that records eveything'...
-Paws