This is something I would usually share on Twitter, but I thought it was so cute and clever that I'd actually make a post about it. You have to stick with it to the end -- enjoy!
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Inspiration #1: Old College Try
Over the weekend I started to feel like I was in a little bit of a creative rut. I think it's easy, as we're focusing on getting to and from work, cleaning the house in the aftermath of holidays and winter vacations, battling flu outbreaks, to forget to just feel inspired on a regular basis.
I used to keep sketchbooks where I'd write down random thoughts and ideas, sketch little abstract figures and designs, and glue in interesting clippings from all over. Now I tend to keep a writer's notebook that is much more focused if not in subject matter, then certainly in content. The pages are filled with, well, scribbly writing. When given license to keep whatever sort of artist's diary I can, I've chosen to be a writer for now.
However, I'd like to use this blog as my sketchbook for the month of February, including one thing every day that inspires me. It might be a poem, a lyric, a photo from my day, a performance, a joke -- anything.
Today -- as I do many days -- I found myself admiring John Darnielle's lyrics. He fronts a band called the Mountain Goats, who are somewhat little-known but have a pretty sizable cult following. My husband hates the Mountain Goats. A lot. And I'll grant anyone the truth, that John Darnielle isn't the world's best guitarist or singer, the instrumentations on my favorite songs are pretty sparse, and in general the music may be an acquired taste. But his lyrics are very honest and literate and descriptive in a way that I feel gets to the very core of his subject matter. In anything I write, I hope to achieve those passages that can cut through you like a knife -- I think we all do. Anyway, here are the words to one of my favorite songs by the Mountain Goats: Old College Try from their album Tallahassee. I particularly love the simile at the end.
I used to keep sketchbooks where I'd write down random thoughts and ideas, sketch little abstract figures and designs, and glue in interesting clippings from all over. Now I tend to keep a writer's notebook that is much more focused if not in subject matter, then certainly in content. The pages are filled with, well, scribbly writing. When given license to keep whatever sort of artist's diary I can, I've chosen to be a writer for now.
However, I'd like to use this blog as my sketchbook for the month of February, including one thing every day that inspires me. It might be a poem, a lyric, a photo from my day, a performance, a joke -- anything.
Today -- as I do many days -- I found myself admiring John Darnielle's lyrics. He fronts a band called the Mountain Goats, who are somewhat little-known but have a pretty sizable cult following. My husband hates the Mountain Goats. A lot. And I'll grant anyone the truth, that John Darnielle isn't the world's best guitarist or singer, the instrumentations on my favorite songs are pretty sparse, and in general the music may be an acquired taste. But his lyrics are very honest and literate and descriptive in a way that I feel gets to the very core of his subject matter. In anything I write, I hope to achieve those passages that can cut through you like a knife -- I think we all do. Anyway, here are the words to one of my favorite songs by the Mountain Goats: Old College Try from their album Tallahassee. I particularly love the simile at the end.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Ebb and flow.
Seeing art spaces, taking in art and music, and generally challenging myself in a community of other artists inspires me to no end. Give me an artist's studio, an empty stage, a karaoke bar, a darkroom...I just want to CREATE.
The problem is, sometimes everyday life doesn't inspire at quite that level. I can easily put off a trip to the BMA, buying tickets to a show, entering my work in a juried exhibition, or setting up a date to play piano and sing with a friend. And by easily, I mean it's easier than challenging myself -- even though I love to challenge myself. And inspiration can be so fleeting, it can slip away so fast that by the time I get home and decide to sit down an act on it...it's gone. Playing World of Warcraft after a long day at work seems SO much easier than looking up exhibitions or putting choir practice on my calendar.
It's so tough to strike that balance, to know when to push and when to sit back and cut myself a break. Because after all, as creative people we feel all the time like we should be divinely inspired, that we should never have to force or cajole ourselves into creating. It's just WHAT WE DO. But it's not. Creating art is a habit, and just like any good habit, it takes some maintenance.
My trouble is, when life gets too busy and stressful, how can I maintain my creativity when it's tough just to get dinner on the table? And if I didn't have any stress or busybusy in my life, would I still find excuses to slack off?
The problem is, sometimes everyday life doesn't inspire at quite that level. I can easily put off a trip to the BMA, buying tickets to a show, entering my work in a juried exhibition, or setting up a date to play piano and sing with a friend. And by easily, I mean it's easier than challenging myself -- even though I love to challenge myself. And inspiration can be so fleeting, it can slip away so fast that by the time I get home and decide to sit down an act on it...it's gone. Playing World of Warcraft after a long day at work seems SO much easier than looking up exhibitions or putting choir practice on my calendar.
It's so tough to strike that balance, to know when to push and when to sit back and cut myself a break. Because after all, as creative people we feel all the time like we should be divinely inspired, that we should never have to force or cajole ourselves into creating. It's just WHAT WE DO. But it's not. Creating art is a habit, and just like any good habit, it takes some maintenance.
My trouble is, when life gets too busy and stressful, how can I maintain my creativity when it's tough just to get dinner on the table? And if I didn't have any stress or busybusy in my life, would I still find excuses to slack off?
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