When exactly did artists decide that they were different from ordinary mortals, that in all likelihood they were superior to the rest of us? Or, viewed differently, when were they granted such a privileged status? When did Western societies start venerating them as sensitive, misunderstood geniuses?
Take something you know well and add it to something else you know, and you've got something new and original... at least, that's the idea. You can use this as a quick and dirty formula for creativity.
You see this in cooking all the time. Take two ingredients and mix them together to create a new dish.
What about in music? Take opera. Take rock. Add them together you've got rock opera.
Another example: Star Spangled Banner + electric guitar = Jimi Hendrix's legendary Woodstock performance.
How about: string quartet + punk stylings = Kronos Quartet, although you have to go back about 20 years, first.
Use this quick little formula to help spur your creative ideas in new directions. Put two instruments together that you don't usually find together. Find new ways to market yourself.
And add a comment here if you've got an example we should all know about!
Some of you might know my audio podcast, Creativity and Composition, and some of you might only know this written blog. So for those of you who don't know the audio version, it's just been posted today at iTunes, Podcast Alley, etc.
For those of you who have been listeners but not aware of this written blog, welcome! Feel free to post your comments.
Show notes:
Moleskine Music Notebook
I read a review yesterday, by Edward Rothstein, of a book called On Late Style by Edward Said. The opening paragraph reads
"What artist does not yearn, some day, to possess a "late style"? A late style would reflect a life of learning, the wisdom that comes from experience, the sadness that comes from wisdom and a mastery of craft that has nothing left to prove. It might recapitulate a life's themes, reflect on questions answered and allude to others beyond understanding."There's some food for thought. What style are you working toward? I don't think we are consciously aware of working toward a late style, and yet, we move inextricably toward it with each new work of art we create. Must a late style equate with being a certain age? Or, when we create more and more works, do we move faster toward our late style by having tried and discarded elements that represent our immature style?
I read something interesting in the paper today. There is an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC of almost 50 paintings by Henri Rousseau. Even if you don't know his name, you probably recognize his paintings. Here's one and here's another. (And just one more.)
What caught my eye about this review is that Rousseau painted all his famous forest scenes from his workshop in Paris, not ever having visited these forested areas. How then, did he paint these scenes?
First of all, photography existed by the time of Rousseau's life. He could study prints. This would not be possible in the time of, say, El Greco or Rembrandt. Such pre-photography painters would have to experience the forest first-hand, or rely on paintings or stories by others.
What does this have to do with composing? Simply this: Try composing what you don't know. See what happens.
How do you do this? One way is to read music reviews. Reviewers will often describe a piece you have never heard. Read it and then use your musical imagination to jumpstart a new composition of your own. Or ask a collegue to describe a composer's music that you don't know; see how it tickles your musical imagination. Or, if you don't know the music of Russia very well, imagine you are the court composer in the last days of Tsarist Russia.
There are myriad ways to explore the creativity of what you do not know.
Part of the business of being a composer is drawing some attention to your music. (Or perhaps draw some attention to yourself!) And if you are a composer doing business on the internet, this means drawing attention to your website.
One way to accomplish this is to give something away for free on your site. On my own home page, I offer a free ebook in exchange for my visitor's email address. This allows me to build a core following to keep my audience informed. Also, my ebook just might be forwarded to other people, and so on, hopefully leading to an ever bigger audience.
Want to see my ebook? Drop me your email by visiting my home page.
Here's a little marketing tip for you: Publish your name and website all over the internet! Go into composer forums and post a comment or two. Seek out websites where you can write reviews and get your name published there, too. (Note: Some websites, such as Amazon.com, don't allow you to post a URL, so readers won't be able to link to you directly.)
There's a two-fold purpose here. One, the more you write and get your message across, the more people will look to you as an expert in the field. Second, putting your name (and website) in "links" around the internet will help drive traffic to your site.
With a little imagination, you can find many ways to lever the internet's connectivity back to your own site. Be sure to add a comment here to let us know how you publicize yourself, and be sure to include your website!
Composers want commissions. You want someone to come to you and say, "Write me a piece of music, here's $50" (or $500 or $5000).
But hold on. Explore the money angle a little bit. Is it possible to have a co-commission? In other words, will the person or organization that is commissioning you allow someone else to commit money to your commission? Say, for instance, you get a commission for a small chamber orchestra piece for $500.
If you are willing to do the legwork, and know how to play the politics right, you might talk another organization into putting a little money in to that commission, too. You might say, "So-and-so Orchestra in the next town over would like to commission a piece, too, and they are willing to put up $500. How about a co-commission?"
The beauty of this is that it allows you to guarantee performances in two venues. Typically, once your piece is performed once by the commissioning organization, that's it. But here you have two commissions for the same piece, guaranteeing more than one performance, and earning you more money for the same work.
But you do have to be a skilled negotiator. Which group gets to have the premiere? What if they want to pay you less because it is a shared commission? (Be aware that some organizations have been given money by a donor and must spend it all, and probably demand exclusivity.)
You must be prepared to lead this process, while at the same time not offending anyone.
Good luck!
Well, I just don't know whether my morale is lifted or despirited by this morning's New York Times article.
I've argued before in my podcast Creativity and Composition (available here) that we live in an exciting time for composers, in that we can instantly spread our compositions around the world via online means.
But are we really the equivalent of sandlot baseball players? What do you think?
Being creative for a living is not always an easy thing to do. There's bills to pay, for instance! And let's face it, most people who are creative, whether composers, poets, painters, or sculptors, find it hard to earn money being creative.
Someone once told me that he spends an hour a day on just his career. I think that's important; whether it's networking, designing your business card, researching grants -- by all means, spend an hour a day supporting your creative career.
But in the rush to tend to business, both your "day job" and your creative life, don't forget to spend time being creative. That is key, and that is the habit to develop.
I myself spend my first hour every day having coffee and composing. That's before I head out to work for my day job. Some days it is a drag because I don't feel like there's much to compose. But it's like shooting the basketball toward the hoop; you can't score if you don't shoot.
So make it a habit to be creative one hour a day. Don't have that hour? Make it 30 minutes. Or 15. Whatever works for you. Keep track of it in a spreadsheet or calendar, and add it up at the end of the week, and the month, etc. See how much time you can spend being creative!
I just have to recommend this book, The Creative Habit. It was written by Twyla Tharp, the choreographer.
Now, one might ask what choreography has to do with music composition, but let me assure you Ms. Tharp is a kindered spirit in the realm of creativity. She is a huge fan of Mozart and Beethoven, and frequently writes about their lives to help explain creativity.
And the idea that creativity is a habit, something to practice and get into each and every day, is a valuable lesson for anyone in the creative arts. This book shows you how to get into the habit, no matter what your creative bent is.
Highly recommended!
