The Zen Effect... creating an atmosphere for inspiration...

It's rare that I would endeavor to make this blog into a commercial break, but The Zen Effect ties in so precisely with the theme of creative focus, I could not resist.

It's a collection of 6 tones by composer and meditator Rolfe Kent, that presents you with a "calming ambient radio" to use as a backdrop for various activities such as yoga, meditation, massage, painting, writing, writing music, etc.

Think of it as a sort of whitenoise that helps you actually tap into your creative focus rather than distract you from it.  (Even our favorite radio public radio programs or playlists always have that ONE song that pops up and annoys us, jarring us out of whatever it was we were thinking!)  The Zen Effect is a seamless selection that last nearly 3 hours... Imagine if you could sit and write for nearly 3 hours without distraction!

Musicians can experiment over it, vocalists can warm up to it or practice with lyrics to it... you can put it on the morning and start your day out differently, slowing down to focus on what you'd like to accomplish or make time for that day...

Try it out behind your own creative juju and see what happens!

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art."  Leonardo DaVinci

To get your own Zen Effect,
Buy now from iTunes or read more about The Zen Effect.

Stare Off Into Space...

My gift to you today: 

a poem...

When you feel your head is full

of bits and specks and dirt and bull, 

Do not let it over-crowd,

instead make friends with the nearest cloud.

There is much to be absorbed

by its soft white cotton orbs...

Let your gaze drift gently on

and sigh to find 10 troubles gone.

Winter Beckons You...

I have been on a bit of hiatus, not because I haven't been thinking of creativity, but because I ended up doing a week-long "Creativity Burst"  via email, where I sent out seven days of creative exercises to get you up off the couch potato throne and into a new perspective.

If you're interested in receiving this week's worth of activities, please send an email to:  wishingmachines@gmail.com

I have spent some time since then putting these exercises into practice and starting a couple of new creative projects of my own (for I must practice what I preach!)... and I have had some awarenesses happening...

Winter is such an easy time to become dormant.  There is nothing more beckoning than a giant comfortable bed, a television, and a stack of movies when you come inside from the cold.  But spring has a ways to go before making her glorious appearance, and there are a whole lot of hours between now and then that could bring you one step closer to creative satisfaction!

So I have a challenge for you this week, which is to limit your TV/ internet time each day. Unless it's required for your job, when you have spare time this week, try to spend it not in front of the screen.  I know, it's scary... there are alot of YOUTUBE videos out there that are mucho hilarious... but, just for one week of your life, just TRY it...

There are things that happen when you are not sitting and observing someone else's experiences, but living your own:

1) You become in tune with yourself.  You start to move at your own rhythm, you lilt across the room when you hear the teapot boil, you reach for things in higher cabinets you previously forgot about, you find that old favorite pair of jeans in the bottom of the drawer... in essence, you do not groan each time you must lift yourself from the comfort of your couch, but there becomes a lively spring in your step.  You notice things you never noticed before.  You are more awake.

2) You use your hands.  You tidy up more, creating a more lovely environment.  You put things away, cause you have the time to.  You pick up that picture frame and look into the photo with more attention than normal.  You open up the window to live life not in a hurry, but to move through the day taking action.   You become inspired to cook something you haven't made in awhile... you do all sorts of things that require simple actions with your hands, which connect you to having a purpose- and when we feel like we have a purpose, we calm our minds.   (We have this idea that when we are successful, we will have other people take care of things we don't want to do, and then we will have more time, and then we will be happy.  But actually, in order to be happy, we must feel we have purpose, and when we use our hands, we are connecting to a simple human awareness that we are alive... not so when our tushes are glued to the couch!)

3) You start to create more life experiences.  Suddenly the stories on your favorite TV series begin to pale in comparison to the stories you create for yourself in real life.  The mystery movie, while compelling, is nothing compared to the mystery of the antique book lying on the corner that you decide not to pass by, but to put it together... and then you see a book by the same author on the coffee table of another friend, etc. etc... (yes, these things happen!)... Suddenly the drama on primetime is not as interesting as the drama of a friend's paintings at the art exhibit you now have time to go to.  You suddenly find yourself getting invitations and deciding to accept them, and don't feel it's difficult to walk out the door.  Instead, it's refreshing... you hardly remember that you're not caught up with the latest episode of your daytime drama, because, well, life is so interesting, it's the last thing on your mind!

4) When you are open to life, life will open itself up to you.  Yes, it's a bit scary- after all, we all build up walls to things that make us feel.  The pain of losing things makes us more afraid to open up to others, to take chances, or to put ourselves out there and risk rejection.  If we can maintain control, build ourselves up into this glorious empire of ME, then we cannot get hurt, right?  But the problem with this is, when we try to protect ourselves from hurt, we also close ourselves off to all other sorts of pleasant things... joy, compassion, giving, innocence, grace, excitement.  We get in our safe routine with our creature comforts.  We don't bother making new friends- the ones we have are obligation enough.  We have pressures, bills to pay, who has the time?! Actually... YOU have the time.  Let yourself use your time in a different way this week... just one week of your long life.  Drop the remote, pick up a vase, and fill it with flowers.  Invite your neighbor over for tea.  If they can't make it, invite someone else! Give your mailman a cookie.  Shake out the rugs and turn on some music.  Put on the crazy sweater and make someone a Valentine...

There is a world awaiting you, but it's just outside your idiot box.

"Showing Up" - The Risks and Rewards.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new artists make (and have been guilty of as well!) is their failure to "show up."  This is basically directly related to the number of opportunities they let slip by them.  Many talented people I have encountered suffer from a syndrome I call the "Waiting For It To Come To Me" syndrome.  There is some kind of notion that, because you are born with talent, or because you are professionally trained, or because you have done something cool, that people will come and seek you out; that they are just waiting for you.

Here is my tough love for you:
The truth is, people may be waiting to be inspired by you... but no one will wait for you if you do not SHOW UP yourself.  This is because there are hundreds of other people, places, and things in their lives taking up their time and attention.    We live in a world where technology has overwhelmed us.  We cannot get away from having things thrust in our face on a daily, hourly, minute basis to try to get our attention.  If you do not show up, WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHO YOU ARE.  And we will never know what we missed out on, because we have too many other things filling up our day that DO show up in front of us.

Here are some examples of showing not showing up:

1) You're a photographer.  You meet a person at a party who says they represent bands and gives you their card.  NO SHOW: You put it in your pocket and never call. You just missed out on an entire pool of paying clients.

*OR* You could make a note on your calendar to call him in a few days, send him some sample photos, and see if any of his bands are interested in raising the bar on their crappy "band on train tracks" promo shots.

2) You get invited to perform a song at a charity benefit.  NO SHOW: You decide it's not cool enough/ worth it.  Turns out, the manager you have been trying to get a meeting with was in attendance because his sister is on the board of the charity.  The person who did perform gained 200 new fans and a meeting with your manager.  You ate a bag of Cheetos and watched hulu.

*OR* Even though it's not really your thing, you decide to go ahead and do it cause it's a good cause.  You get moved and inspired by the speech and decide to make yourself available to them again in the future.  You also gain 200 new fans and 1/4 of them buy your CD that week on iTunes.  You get a meeting with your manager, and invited to perform at a show with another artist they represent.  Good for you for showing up!

3) You are at a party surrounded by other musicians.  NO SHOW: None of them have ever heard of you even though you just released your album.  You feel awkward cause you don't know anyone either and leave.

*OR* You could hang out for awhile, get in on some conversation.  Ask for advice in playing some venues they like.  Scope out that new bass player you've been looking for.  Make out with some girl in a bathroom... get the picture?

4) You want to play at a popular venue but can't get the guy to call you back.  NO SHOW: You also never go there cause the cover charge is $2 higher than your corner bar, and the promoter has no idea who you are. You continue to send emails that get a little more irate every time, and continuously feel rejected and bitter.

*OR* You could bite the bullet and quit being a cheapskate and go there a few times.  Don't buy that frozen cappuccino one day a week.  Hang out and be friendly.  Ask him how the night is going and what shows are coming up he's really excited about.  Make it a point to go to one.  Tell him how much you liked it.  He works hard at what he does just like you do.  Mention you HAPPEN to have a band and you'd be interested in playing sometime.

5) An acquaintance of yours recommends you for a creative job even though you're a complete beginner.  They introduce you to the head honcho and you spend so much time kissing their butt that you get the job.  The head honcho then becomes your best friend for awhile and talks you up to everyone they know.  NO SHOW:  Meanwhile, you never thank your acquaintance for hooking you up with the opportunity.  In fact, you don't mention them at all in any part of the process.  They feel a little underappreciated and the next time an opportunity happens, they recommend someone who is more gracious and humble.

*OR*  You could send your acquaintance a thank-you card or gift in the mail, or better yet, TAKE THEM TO LUNCH!  Not only can you express your appreciation, but you can find out about other exciting things that THEY are doing that you could maybe return the favor with.  This builds longer-lasting professional relationships and puts you at the forefront of their mind for the next opportunity as well.

It takes guts to show up, and it takes more effort. It also takes being a more genuine YOU.  Nobody likes to do favors for an egomaniac.  You're doing something creative because you love it.  You want to share it and  share the expression of that love with others.  So answer the knock at the door.  Don't blow it off. Make yourself equally valuable to others.  Become a part of the community surrounding your art.  Get out of the house.  See what channels open up if you do a favor for someone else once in awhile.  Chances are someone has helped you out along the way without asking for anything back.

And now, get off your computer and go do something.  As my fortune cookie said, "Whatever you want to do, do it.  There are only so many tomorrows."

GOOOOOOO!

Cheers,
Fluxus Flux.

New Year's Not-Goals

The new year is an excellent time to make resolutions about all those things you’re going to change about yourself starting today… so while you’re busy overwhelming yourself, here are a few pleasant things to distract us from our serious, important endeavors that put us on our way to being superhuman, and remind us that we are, indeed, humans, which in itself, can be a wonderful thing. 

1)   a long walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood

2)   a colorful candy store counter

3)   a drive to a small town museum

4)   Talking to an elderly person on a park bench

5)   The smell of soaps

6)   The sound of kids laughing at a playground

7)   Window shopping in front of mysterious antique stores

8)   Figuring out your waiter’s other life

9)   Not picking up your cell phone

10) Flannel sheets

11) Blowing bubbles

12) A giant pot of spiced tea for you and your neighbor

13) A candlelit bubble bath

14) The store that sells pianos

15) Sending a friend a postcard

16) Pretending you’re the invisible man/woman

17) Just listening at the dinner party

18) Glittery nail polish

19) Homemade soup

20) Writing a funny poem in honor of your best friend

21) Hugging your pet

22) Hanging upside down (circulation for your brain!)

23) A cat nap 

Talk To Strangers

Here are some of the things that have NOT happened to me when I’ve chosen to talk to strangers:

1-    Was kidnapped

2-    Was robbed

3-    body parts put in jars in somebody’s fridge

4-    the sky fell

5-    I accidentally got puked on

6-    murdered in other ways

7-    became a hooker

8-    joined a cult

9-    walked away with a post-it note on my back that said “kick me.”

Here are some of the things that HAVE happened:

1-    enlightenment

2-    encouragement

3-    free drinks

4-    free cab rides!

5-    Offering someone else perspective as well as receiving it

6-    Gained new supporters

7-    Sometimes, mild boredom, but usually, not!

8-    Sense of community

9-    Pleasant surprises

10- Career boosts

11- Friendships

12- Knowledge about things I would have otherwise never discovered for myself.

13- Cheering up someone else.

14- Sometimes I MAY have felt slightly dorky, but that would usually pass upon hearing some delightful piece of information, such as they also like squirrels.

15- Curiousity often satisfied about various things about that person.

16- A plate of homemade sausage and peppers.

It takes courage to talk to strangers.  There are all sorts of reasons why we shouldn’t… especially women.  God knows what people will think of us brash tarts, saddled up to some stranger by ourselves at a countertop? The nerve! Good girls do not talk to strangers.  Likewise, self-respecting gentlemen keep to themselves.  We should all go about our day, taking care of our own business, in isolation, leaving each other alone.  Like ants.  And stylish ants, at that.   Ants in skinny jeans, not breathing, staring straight ahead, looking cool, silent, until we pass out from lack of air. 

Or, we could start communicating with each other.  Find out what we could do to encourage someone else, instead of focusing on our own meager mental chatter all day long.  We might find someone to work on our decorative cupcake sculpture with us.  We could teach someone else how to knit, or learn how to play the xylophone.  Organize a neighborhood clean-up at the park.  Have a new addition to your monthly record-listening party. 

You don’t have to travel to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere to spend time with a stranger.  And, sure, use your intuition when inviting people to your home.  Boundaries with strangers are okay.  But… if you’re the kind of person who resists talking to strangers, next time when you see someone you’d like to talk to, or ask them where they got that fabulous 5” wide tie or vintage bracelet, start a conversation.  You never know what might come out of that conversation, for both of you. 

How To Talk To An Artist:

1)   Be gentle with criticism.  Artists are given a bad rap for being whiny when actually, they are sensitive.  This is why they are able to create works of art. Think about what you're saying when you talk to an artist about what they do, and try not to be pessimistic.  Don't be the jerk at the party that says "Well, you know that business/ scene/ movement/ field is totally OVER." Or, "Are you TRYING TO BE LIKE (fill in post-grunge top 40 band here)?" Chances are, they are not "trying to be" anybody except themselves on a good day.  If you don't like it, you don't need to ream them for it. Be polite.  And if you feel the dying urge to tell them something about how their performance could be improved, try to think of your "constructive criticism," instead as "constructive comments."  Such as: "I really love the images you did of neighbor Sally.  I would even love to see one of her face, because the other areas are so well done..." or "Wow, that was groundbreaking, you're almost channeling Yoko Ono... imagine what new inspiration you'd have mixing that with some unique instruments, or a guitar player..." Yes, polite, gentle suggestions will go over much better than "Don't you need some kind of back up plan these days?" or "So how much money CAN you make from doing this?"

2)   Be mindful.  Most artists probably did not grow up in an environment where their talents were focused on and well-fostered and encouraged. Those that had this privilege are quite lucky, but not necessarily the norm.  Choosing to create is not just a choice like deciding where to go on vacation, but also a sacrifice.  There is a reason why “starving + “artist” became a phrase.  Creating art takes time.  This is time that artists choose to spend creating instead of, say, taking on a second or 3^rd job, or starting an internet business, or going golfing with bankers.  They choose to create because they’re moved to in some way and want to leave something of value behind. The music you listen to and the pictures you love to look at didn’t get there because someone just thought it’d be nice for you to see them or hear them.  It took time, effort, work, and money for the artist to get them out into the world.  Please be mindful of this the next time your sister’s boyfriend hands you a flyer to see his band play.  You don’t have to go, but please don’t wad it up and throw it at him and call him a name like “bandtard.”

3)    Money is  a totally appropriate gift.  If you’re an artist, and grew up in a family where your parents felt money is “not personal enough” , and thought it necessary to buy you something to wrap up and put in a box, like, say, a jogging suit, then you may know the  feel of the strange “guilt grimace” that attacks your facial muscles around holiday giftgiving and receiving.   For those of you who have an artist in your life or family, please consider this permission to JUST GIVE CASH.  If you feel like this is still not appropriate, then here’s another idea: Buy their CD / painting/ photograph/ jewelry and give it as a lovely gift to someone else. 

Artists are like carpenters:  they build things.  It costs money for them to have the materials to do so, and it takes labor for them to build it.  You can help them out a whole lot by just gifting them with the ability to buy their materials of choice, so they can keep doing what they do.  This means more to them than any gadget, clothing, or DVD collection ever will.  And you will have the empowered feeling of knowing you helped create their next masterpiece by helping them live.

4)   Don’t feel it necessary to announce to them the day of that you can’t make it to their performance/ opening/ concert/ presentation.  If the artist in your life has an important event coming up, they have a hundred things on their mind, one of them being “will I have enough people show up?”  Of course, everyone can’t make it to every event.  We know this as artists.  But the last thing we want to hear before our big moment is “Wow, I’m not going to make it because XXX’s parents are in town, and they got confused about our schedule and want to go to this Mexican place tonight., and…” Because at a very crucial pre-presentation moment, you might as well throw at knife into our backs and deflate us, because A) we are feeling very sensitive at that point in time, and B) we don’t want to hear whatever the plausible very valid excuse is at that moment, because we’ve just spent the entire week perspiring to get this thing ready for people like you, and have other things on our minds.

Miss Art Manners would recommend that if you can’t make it, let the day go by without drawing attention to your social emergency, and simply send a lovely simple email apology note the following day, when the artist is waking up lazy and pleasant with glitter still in her hair, on her bed of roses from the adoring fans that did manage to make it.  She will forgive you, and you won’t be remembered for causing her to throw her cell phone in the toilet right before the performance of her life.

5)   That being said, if you get invited to multiple performances from a friend who is an artist, go to ONE!

Somebody’s art is an expression of who they are as a human being.  If you have a friend who is an artist, and you constantly find things to get in the way of going to that quarterly art exhibit, happy-hour cocktail lounge, or short film presentation at the quirky loft in the bad part of town, here’s an exercise for you:  Next time you get an invitation, try, just once, to make it your priority to attend.  This isn’t so much for the artist, as it is for you… You will not only learn something new about your friend, and meet other people are into your friend’s art, but you may even have an experience that really enhances your life.  But if you stay home watching hulu again like a fuddy-duddy, you won’t! Get up! Get out! 

1)   Don’t forget about COMPLIMENTS!

Honest, specific compliments mean so much, and show that you’re actually paying attention to what’s going on.  Feel free to COMPLIMENT an artist!!

They will remember it!

Here are some examples:

-“It seems like you really spent a lot of time on this.”

-“It must take a lot of perservance to put together a show like this.”

-“You really impressed me with your theme.”

-“I knew you had talent, but I can really see it growing.”

-“I really had an experience with that particular painting, because it reminded me of …”

6)   If you know someone who is talented and is an artist, spread the word! The best referrals in any field are word of mouth.  People get discovered this way, get jobs this way, and support themselves this way.   If you know someone who deserves success, then start telling people about them yourself! Send an email to your friends with a link to the artist’s site.  Tell people who work in advertising/ marketing about them. You never know where these things could lead.  Don’t be shy!  Because we’re shy enough about our own creations that we’re probably not going to ask you!