Cover art reveal for the next piano improv opus
Cover art can be such a wonderful connection to the music “inside”. Stan Stewart presents Helene Brennan’s “piano hands”.
artist
Unmixing – separating logistics and creation
Unmixing – sort of the reverse of a mixing/recording session where the technology gets untangled from the creativity.
Begin – 3 Ideas for Actually Starting Creative Projects
You must begin. Until you start, your creative (or any) projects won’t finish themselves. (Don’t you hate that?) Here are some tips that might be starting points for taking your creativity beyond a concept or imaginative idea. (It will probably come as no surprise that these are exactly what I need now, too.) Do you …
Begin – 3 Ideas for Actually Starting Creative Projects Read More »
No Small Parts: The Great and Powerful “Ahs”
Size Doesn’t Matter “There are no small parts.” When I was in secondary school (equivalent to high school in the USA), this is what my theatre director said to me. Because I had wanted to get the lead in a musical, I was bummed. I got a part, but not the lead. Apparently, I was …
Quick Creative Process: The Long and the Short of It
In my previous post you read about longer creative processes. Obviously, one alternative to this is a very brief or quick creative process. In my experience, the typical way that an artist does a short project is by intentionally setting a goal or intention of doing it quickly. Thanks to @SoMiDalsgaard for sharing your thoughts …
Quick Creative Process: The Long and the Short of It Read More »
How O’Riordan & The Cranberries inspired me to “wreck less”
Where were you when you first heard The Cranberries? In 1993, I lived in Oakland, California. I had transitioned out of a former career to “do music and nothing else”. My attempt to re-create my life was based on a bunch of unreasonable assumptions. Much to my surprise, for example, I still had to put …
How O’Riordan & The Cranberries inspired me to “wreck less” Read More »
Let Your Audience Appreciate You
Does your audience love you? As an artist, whether you are a musician, painter, writer, you get to express yourself through your art. You can beautifully demonstrate your emotion through a song or paint a painful experience and connect with others who have gone through similar things. You can even write a poem that strikes …
Characters In a Story as Musical Inspiration
Inspiration What inspires you? What makes you feel creative and want to “make stuff up”? Among my fans, one of the favorite albums of piano improvisations was inspired by the paintings of a single artist. “Painting Piano” is one of my best-selling albums and I chalk that up to the inspiration from Katrina Morse. No matter …
8 Affordable Ways to Support Local Artists
WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS Local artists are vital to any community, however small it may be. Artists bring cultural diversity and fresh points of view to the table. They provide affordable entertainment at events, add value by attracting people to gathering spots, and give the community a reason to get together and enjoy …
Goin’ Back – On the trickiness of reviewing one’s own art
Musicians can arrange a song in so many beautiful ways. I’ve included videos of three versions of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s “Goin’ Back” to illustrate this point. Thinking Back In 2001, I released my first album, Disappointment and Delight. It was a collection of instrumental improvisations that I had layered with additional instruments for several years. Eventually, …
Goin’ Back – On the trickiness of reviewing one’s own art Read More »