Maybe I could put that a little more succinctly?
“I’m no expert, but I love to tinker.”
As a guy with an artist’s bent I love looking at everyday common things and finding one thing about it that’s special or unique. Be it blogging or composing I enjoy revealing the inherent drama any object or idea has by framing it in an attempt to reveal how a most simple thing can convey a lot of meaning, feeling, or emotion if it’s just looked at in the right setting or from a certain perspective.
I studied music composition and theory for many years. This is my wellspring for almost everything I create. It’s where I come from. I love all kinds of music and a favorite genre is 20th Century orchestral music by composers like Stravinsky, Bartok, Debussy, Ravel, Harris, Copeland, etc. One thing I learned from them and have always admired was their ability to illuminate a very simple idea into an amazing work. They took you on a journey not unlike an epic novel or a great movie.
How did they do that?
They developed a personal language and style. They created systems to adhere to. They created rules for each piece they composed and they followed them.
Stravinsky once put it like this.
“Just as appetite comes by eating, so work brings inspiration, if inspiration is not discernible at the beginning.”
What he meant was composing is not just about being inspired. It’s cool when you are (so get it all down before the editor turns on) but more often than not it’s having discipline and doing the work that creates the inspiration.
He followed a path of inquiry and explored. In short, he created a box where he was free to roam and explore and play with anything he wanted to as long as it was from within the box.
Through this self imposed limitation he found freedom.
He no longer had to grapple with infinity.
Great advice for bloggers don’t you think?
Inspiration comes from doing the work. Create your box and stay in it!
Well at least for one post!
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