Often it seem like when I publish my creative works that there is no telling how well they might do. Much like a flat rock thrown out over a lake, these works might carve neatly into the water or they might skip twenty times.

I have put things out there I was sure would get people talking and no one even checked it out. Oh! It is almost painful. Other times, something strikes the water right and people enjoy it. It is exhilarating!

Focal Length

Just as a photograph can have one portion in focus and the rest blurred, so too do we focus too much on the immediate impact and forget that we are really supposed to be concerned about the long-term trend. Google Analytics is something I check far too often and foolishly put too much stock into. The numbers can’t measure my improvements as an artist, only the length of my immediate reach.

I feel bad for those that forget that creative works of a high caliber are timeless. Too many have thrown away their sketchbooks, deleted their blogs, and put away their instruments because the immediate impact wasn’t what they wanted. I want people to be able to witness the trend of my work getting better over time. To see themes revisited. To feel like they walked the journey with me.

“Humanity can be quite cold to those whose eyes see the world differently.” – Eric A. Burns

Van Gogh

Poor Vincent suffered so much, some for his art, some for his illness, some for his loneliness. Yet now, he has reached countless numbers with only his art. We can look at his works—and though it is too late to offer any tranquility to him—we are able to help the stone of his legacy bounce into the next generation.

We can offer that same thing to the creatives we meet in this life, either online or  not. We can keep their reach expanding. We can even do one better! We can offer feedback and encouragement.

“Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking we can get on with creating the future.” — James Bertrand

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Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment “continuum” of awareness. According to Wikipedia

Here is the direct download link for my latest podcast.

I am in the process of getting iTunes to help me change URL’s for my podcast, so for now it isn’t updating there.

Here it is on SoundCloud:

I would love to know what you think of it.

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“No great thing is created suddenly.” – Epictetus

Financially

The most direct way to make a difference is probably financially. We creatives spend our lives waiting for the moment where we can apply that creativity. Having the means—via any resource—can shorten the cycle and allow us to bring new works to our audience sooner.

You can buy my album here and don’t forget to subscribe so you can know when more of my work comes out.

“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.” – James Whistler

Referrals

Word of mouth is always the best marketing, and any positive marketing is good! In today’s marketplace, the artist must place nearly equal emphasis upon marketing as he does creating. While struggle is excellent fuel for the creative, so is joy! Feel free to make me happy by sending someone here who you think will enjoy my work. Tell them to subscribe too!

Encouragement

Even the most upbeat, die-hard person occasionally hits a wall; the artist even more so. We may keep the facade up of “I do what I do no matter what anyone says”, the bottom line is we need supportive words as much if not more than anything else. A tweet, an email, a “like”; all of it helps.

“If a patron buys from an artist who needs money, the patron then makes himself equal to the artist; he is building art into the world; he creates.” – Ezra Pound

Patronage

Supporting an artist, on a grand scale. I don’t think that this sort of support is dead, or strictly for the wealthy. Anyone can support the creative and make this world a better place. Do it for the world!

It isn’t too hard to imagine that I could at least double my output and triple my reach if I could devote my working day to it, instead of an hour here and a moment there. Contact me if you are interested in supporting me in this way.

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” – Osho

Endorsement

Oh man! I really would love to get endorsed, specifically by Ibanez and D’Addario. I use their equipment for everything I do.

Okay, so I could have been cooler about that, but really! Having a company that you adore help you out is really about as cool as it gets.

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Thoughts give birth to a creative force that is neither elemental nor sidereal. Thoughts create a new heaven, a new firmament, a new source of energy, from which new arts flow. When a man undertakes to create something, he establishes a new heaven.- Philipus A Paracelsus

Does your journey feel like this?

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Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. According to Wikipedia

Here is the direct download link for my latest podcast.

Inspired Ephemera the podcast is now available on iTunes! Click here for the redirect to iTunes.

Here it is on SoundCloud:

I would love to know what you think of it.

  Add a comment here.

The creative life is filled with obstacles—both inward and external—that seem to conspire against us. Of course, that is only mild paranoia talking; most obstacles are those we place in our own path. The time we spend enjoying another’s creativity instead of creating our own will eventually make it seem as though time is against us. The time we devote to family life may interfere with a burst of creativity and thus make us impatient.

Some obstacles are of our own choosing, and the sooner we see it for what it truly is, the better we are for it.

Some obstacles are creative fuel…

When we are on a long journey, we often have to stop for fuel. We get out, stretch, grab a drink, fuel the car and continue on. We can’t continue for very long without that stop, can we? No one wants to walk to the next fuel station, alone, knowing we should have taken the break when it presented itself.

Getting creatively dry feels much like that. We get lost in that time, brooding on our mistakes, envious of those passing us by. We all make the mistake now and again, and that is alright: it too is an obstacle of our own making. It is fuel for later, and cause perhaps to play it safe for a while, but eventually we all try to work the edge again.

…others are bleeding you dry

Perhaps it is a friend or family member that takes up all your free time. Maybe a health issue that steals your time and other resources. Even beliefs—instilled during your formative years—can drain your creative vigor with negative self-talk and poor habits.

Regardless of the source of the vampiric siphon, you need to fight! Your life and your legacy are not refundable. Who can say how long you have? Maybe half a century. Maybe a month. Either way around it, if being creative is important to you then you need to carve away the leeches and free yourself to fulfill your potential.

I am not about to get into how to do it, I only wish to help in regards to your resolve. You owe it to yourself, first, but you also owe it to those who are waiting to be touched by your works. Creativity is not one-sided, it is a dialogue that starts in your work and continues in the changes that your work inspires in others.

Whatever keeps you progressing

We are the rule-breakers, after all. The iconoclasts. We make that which provokes, inspires and brings enjoyment. And for that mission we have to cross a few bridges and pay more than a few tolls. When we look back on our works, we don’t see the trials, only the wonder of accomplishment. And probably a little pride, which is alright by the way. Excessive pride may be annoying, but false humility is as well. An artist that isn’t proud can’t have created much meaning.

Make an effort, every single day, to move forward on this journey. Make meaning. Improve. Create!

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on” - Albert Einstein

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It isn’t easy to tear into your inner workings with the hopes of making sense of them and finally changing them. It is mentally and emotionally taxing. In fact, I even get physically tired from doing it.

I want you to know that it will be worth the trials, and that makes all the difference. You are going to achieve greatness if you keep trying. It is a certainty! Refuse to be dismayed by how long it takes, or what you need to do.

Take joy in the journey, and let the end take care of itself.

“All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is small.” – Lao Tzu

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Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside of and independent from anyone’s experience and can be ascertained by anyone. Compare common sense. According to Wikipedia

Here is the direct download link for my latest podcast.

Inspired Ephemera the podcast is now available on iTunes! Click here for the redirect to iTunes.

Here it is on SoundCloud:

I would love to know what you think of it.

  Add a comment here.

A lot of times in life we get sort of corralled into thinking and acting a certain way. At school, we learn the same lessons and have to act in a similar manner lest we find our way to the principal’s office. Once we are out of school—and we are finding our way through life—we occasionally find out that the toolkit that our parents and teachers gave us is lacking.

We are responsible for our actions

When my children were younger, I used to tell them little aphorisms, such as “If you want to be trusted, you need to be trustworthy” and “If you want friends, be friendly”. I told them that if they wanted to make a chocolate cake they couldn’t use a recipe for meatloaf. I think it is important to make sure that they know that they are responsible for their life. It is so important to understand that.

I have found many times in my life that I lost that perspective, and instead I found myself working toward something I really didn’t want. And when we catch ourselves in a routine that is making us unhappy—because we are following a recipe that is completely wrong for us—we need to assert control over our lives once more.

Unhappiness is a trigger for action

We must never forget that the only way to counter negative emotions is through positive action. This propensity toward positive action will open so many doors as it becomes habit in your daily life. Being trustworthy and friendly are both positive actions. They are the bridges that you build to help others see that you have something worth offering. Whether they accept this is not the point at all. If they meet your positive action with negative emotion then they have issues to work through. Wish them well and move on.

The trust that you open yourself to building will also allow you to trust yourself.

The friendship you open yourself to creating will also allow you to smile inward.

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It took me a long time to realize this, but I am definitely an autotelic person. I have a rich inner life, and I am rarely concerned with criticism—other than what my wife and kids have to say—so it always seems as though I create for myself and compete with myself. Thus is has been for many years.

Making a change

Lately, though, I have struggled with my weight. I am not about to turn this into a fitness blog, but my point here is that because I am not concerned about external rewards, historically I could have cared less what people thought of how I looked. I have always thought, “Okay, I have two hours to be creative” not “Okay, I have two hours. Work out for 30 minutes and then be creative for the rest.”

I have begun to see how damaging this thought process is, and I am working to change it. I need my body functional so that I can continue to create for the remainder of my days. What youth allowed me to overlook, my 38 year old body cannot handle. Tell me that isn’t the worst way to be humbled.

Oh well, they say good judgment comes from experience that in turn came from making bad decisions.

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