arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing creativity, both in and outside of music
How do you balance creative work and rest? How do you know when to push yourself into creative work, and when to rest and wait for inspiration? I really subscribe to Seth Godin’s idea of professionals vs. amateurs. Professionals show up. Amateurs wait for inspiration. So I work when the […]
When you’re an aspiring creator, you seek the remarkable, earth-shattering change. The one work of transformative art that will literally change everything. I’d rather make incremental change, day after day. That work isn’t fast, it isn’t flashy, it won’t bring you fame. But it will change the world. It will […]
On Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Jerry Seinfeld asked Jimmy Fallon this question: “Do you ever wake up and think, ‘I can’t get in front of these people.”? But he gave the clearest answer to the question himself, saying that he’s fine, “Once you walk out there. When the lights […]
Over the past year, I’ve developed a quick process for recording myself singing and playing more effectively. I’ve used it to make guide tracks for my students, to be a part of remote projects, and to make a family Christmas card. What I didn’t anticipate was that it would help […]
We went driving to look at Christmas lights tonight; saw some amazing displays. The thing I thought about, though, is that there are lots of different ways to decorate your house for Christmas. all white lights all colored lights animatronic reindeer inflatables flashing a simple Manger scene or crèche And […]
Seth Godin has written frequently about using two axes of differentiation (X-Y axes) as a way to target your art. (This post lays it out with a big quote from Godin’s book This is Marketing.) In short: if you lay out two characteristics along the X-Y axis (remember coordinate geometry?) […]
Here’s the questions you might ask as you work through learning a new craft. How do I do this?How do I do this well?How do I do this in a way that expresses my own viewpoint?How do I do this in a way that impacts others?How do I impact the […]
A project finished without learning one new thing is a wasted project. I’ve been doing a lot of recording studio work this year. That was unexpected. With each project, I’ve been honing skills I developed in my college and grad school years, and then more or less rested on since. […]
Provided you’re not hiding, not ignoring the problem, and not being blocked from finishing by forces beyond your control, projects take the time they take. I started a family musical project in May, and finished 90% of it today. It’s not because I procrastinated or because I didn’t think it […]
In late September I wrote one of my favorite arrangements in my whole catalog. It happened over about 72 hours, when inspiration met a few free hours, and then an entire unscheduled Sunday. Now, in November, having recorded it (remotely) and prepared for its release, I already can’t remember the […]