arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing creativity, both in and outside of music
My favorite list in the Getting Things Done system (and GTD is built on lists) is Someday/Maybe. David Allen, creator of the system, created the Someday/Maybe list as a catchall for everything that doesn’t fit in current projects at any time window. As it sounds, you populate them with any […]
Can you find clear direct parallels between different forms of art? A drawing is an autobiographical record of one’s discovery of an event – either seen, remembered or imagined. John Berger John Berger was an writer and artist, among other professions. (I admit to discovering this quote in a recent […]
The best artistic experiences for me have three things in common. I’m used to working to make art with young artists – you spend a lot of time in process, and not a lot of time approaching unqualified artistry. So when I want to experience something artistic that I did […]
It’s a blessing and a curse to recycle past work. My biggest concert of the year coincides with the last day of school this year, so once again I’m building to the very end. I’m thankful for the ability to reuse recycled documents – Google Docs for scripts and programs, […]
That’s almost always the first question I ask. Having a framework for your creative work is essential for making choices about what to include and what to exclude. Even if the title changes later, the title itself – of an essay, of a talk, of a composition – is an […]
Creativity is unpredictable. When every project is different on some level, it’s easy, when asked to take on a project, to say to yourself, “I don’t actually know how to do this.” It’s true – I don’t. I’ve never done this before, precisely, and I don’t know it can be […]
I’ll stop when it’s time to stop. My son asked me yesterday, “Will you ever quite writing every day?” And as a followup, “What if you run out of things to write about?” The second question is easier – there will never be a shortage of things to write about […]
This question has been one of the best tools I’ve found to improve my own art making. How do you make your art? I ask it of other artists: What’s your photo editing process like? Whats’ the hardest part about knowing when your poems are done? How long do you […]
It’s probably not, but today might be the day someone important is paying attention. “Every day is an audition” is a mantra I adopted from my mentor, because it’s true and useful. If you’re auditioning for next year’s ensemble, I’m watching you every rehearsal, every day to see how you […]
How do you avoid cliches? Avoiding cliches in your writing is advisable. Cliches tend to cheapen your writing by using bland, repeated phrases or “moves” that have been heard so many times before that they don’t affect your audience. Whether you’re creating music, writing words, or creating any other art, […]