I’ve been doing some thinking about the concept of flow. Yesterday and today, I spent a great deal of time working on tax prep, and at one point, I realized I had forgotten to eat. That is something incomprehensible to me. I can function just fine on lack of sleep, but if I don’t getContinue reading “Go with the flow”
Category Archives: creativity
In the Beginning was the Word (maybe)
Or was it the music? It depends on the composer. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart agreed that Rodgers would write the music first, and Hart would fit the words to the music. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II began with Hammerstein’s lyrics, with Rodgers fitting the music to the lyrics. In that case, yes, theContinue reading “In the Beginning was the Word (maybe)”
A Stroke of … Scenius?
I just came across the term “scenius” a few months ago in a blogpost – I’m not sure where. I thought it might be Seth Godin, but I didn’t find it. Scenius is defined as “communal genius” that occurs in scenes rather than genes. It was created by musician Brian Eno and is intended toContinue reading “A Stroke of … Scenius?”
What Worked in 2020
Last year at this time, I felt very positive about the year going forward. I had gone through a year-by-year decade review and felt very proud of the changes I’d made and things I’d achieved. I expected even more good things to happen in 2021. Some of the things that I was expecting to doContinue reading “What Worked in 2020”
But when YOU dream….
A visionary is defined as having or marked by foresight and imagination.
But when I dream….
I dream of crazy things. (This blogpost was going to be about achieving your dreams, but that’s not the way it turned out – I’ll talk about that another time.) Sometimes I have dreams about my students or musical colleagues, as either main or peripheral characters. Sometimes they’re really amusing dreams, sometimes terrifying and post-apocalyptic,Continue reading “But when I dream….”
Creativity + Intelligence
I like creative people. I like smart people. So I like creative, smart people. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many in my life, both as a performer and as a teacher, and to be friends with quite a few as well. I saw this quote by Albert Einstein, and I couldn’t agree more:Continue reading “Creativity + Intelligence”
In the Service of Clarity
You may know that my favorite composer is Stephen Sondheim. My husband even gave me an autographed picture of him for my birthday (thanks to the family of Gary Lorenz, who apparently didn’t appreciate what their family member had and sold it on eBay). Sondheim has written two books on his lyrics (he meant toContinue reading “In the Service of Clarity”
Say Yes to Music
A few months ago, I watched a series of videos by Elly Ameling on art song, and jotted down my notes on them. Here they are (and I’ve added a few notes today, in italics): LEARN YOUR MUSIC “BY HEART” – so much more than just memorizing it. By heart. By heart – not onlyContinue reading “Say Yes to Music”
An Artist’s Impression of Art
An artist’s impression is defined as the representation of an object or a scene created by an artist when no other accurate representation is available (Wikipedia). The above graphic has quotes by 17 different artists about what art means/meant to them. My favorite artist is Gustav Klimt. I have several prints of his in myContinue reading “An Artist’s Impression of Art”