Lots of interesting ideas and concepts to consider, but my advice is to simplify. Give up the notion that you're going to accomplish most of what you think you want to do and decide your priorities. Start at the top of the list, and if you manage to get past numbers 2 or 3 you'll be lucky. It doesn't matter. People get all wound up about this stuff because they think it matters. When you stop believing that it does, you're free to be creative in the ways that do matter, which you prioritized...remember?

Less is more. Simplify. Be a minimalist for a while and see where it leads.

boosting Imagination?

page for DaWaverley. page for Mr DaWaverley...

- Stop thinking and start doing. Your imagination is probably there, but you're letting everything else in your life get in the way of it. Whether your goal is visual art or music, just start working without stopping to censor yourself. If you feel yourself thinking "that seems ridiculous, I shouldn't do that" or "I absolutely must make this work" then you're letting your thoughts and pre-conceived notions get in the way of the creative process. I'm not saying you can't have a definite opinion on what you should do next once something has been created (nothing against fine tuning) but first you've got to create something in the first place. If you are already feeling stagnant, you got to try to let the creative flood gates open, not keep shutting off the tap so you can analyze ever drop.

- Try thinking about the lives of other people/things, instead of focusing on yourself. Just having to ponder what someone else would do forces you to imagine. Now try to think of what a dog would do...a bird...a bug...a soda can, if it were alive, etc. The more we only think of ourselves and our own lives the smaller our circle of thoughts gets, and the more depressing it can become. Introspection can be a very helpful thing in life and in the arts but, just like anything else, introspection needs to be counter balanced. And the more you only allow yourself to focus on the topics/feelings you feel are "worthy" of your attention (ie the serious and obvious stuff), the more likely you are to run out of things to say.

Directions to the land of make believe is something most of us misplace as we grow up. The more important other things seem in our lives, the less we allow ourselves to frivilously play in our own minds. I've heard that hanging out with little kids sometimes helps rekindle that because we allow ourselves to reconnect with our imaginations in order to be able to play with them. I'm not around kids often enough to say if that is true or not, but if it is then that means that the ability to pretend is not lost when we grow up, we just put it aside and forget how to use it because other "more important" things take priority. When pretending becomes important again we can find our way back to using our imaginations.

It seems that those of us in the arts can retain more of that ability than the average person. Perhaps thats also why many of us are often guilty of forgetting about practical matters in our lives. (Which sometimes gets us into trouble.) But because we do still need to deal with real life, we often must put our imaginations aside in order to focus on the practical matters at hand. The more we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the practical, mundane, serious, and depressing, the more likely we are to fall out of touch with the fun stuff. But the artist's desire to continue to create helps keep us from completely loosing our way because we still feel that our imaginations are an important part of ourselves.

So I guess the best advice I can offer you, Shane, is that you try to find a way to allow yourself to feel that its ok to use your imagination more often again. Because you've raised this issue as a 'problem' means that you know you want/need your imagination...but it also means that you are worrying about it, and worry is not the type of energy you need to reach it. Letting go and allowing yourself to be less serious...including about your art...is, I think, a more effective type of energy to apply when you're feeling yourself loosing touch with your imagination.

So try to relax, allow yourself to think stupid thoughts, and generally stop thinking about yourself (or how things relate to you), and just let your mind wander. At some point, pick up your creative tool of choice and just start letting it flow from the subconscious to your hand without letting your conscious brain talk you out of it too much. It may not be the easiest thing, but with practice and having patience and trust in yourself, you'll get back on track.

Critical advice here. By having an instrument you know well and can use without having to learn as you go along, you can concentrate on the music. And, because you are working with just one tool, you can spend your energy finding out what you can coax from it.

Just read an interview with Jean Michael Jarre. He's released a 30th Anniversary recording of his Oxygene, which sold some 12 million copies. He said he used four synths and an 8-track recorder in his home studio, and he credits the minimalism of that process with the timelessness of the work. In other words, he avoided the technology found in professional studios that he didn't have access to at home, and in the process created something that can't be pinpointed in time.

I think your life is insignificant only if you chose to live in an insignificant manner. Call it a destructive/selfish lifestyle.. but then as I mentioned its a choice.

Listen to and study great music from the past and present. Involve yourself in challenging artistic endeavors. On the subjective level, aesthetics is the relationship between one's creative mind and art (one's own and that of the rest of humanity). If your own stuff isn't challenging you, there's always stuff out there that should be able to help you.

I'd tend to disagree. A very tiny percentage of human beings have had lives of significance, which I would define as a lasting impact of value that affects and benefits many people both in one's own generation and in those that follow. Lifestyle ("good" or not), to me, doesn't represent significance.

At the same time, a lot of people doing something positive, such as taking on personal responsibility in the effort to combat global warming, is significant. Then each person's life takes on significance as a result of being part of the larger whole.

Touch, examine and explore nature.

Look at the forms, colours shapes in different lighting, different times of day, the same objects from different angles.

Look at the big picture, and then get closer and closer.

But do it with an open mind, with only what you see and hear around you and ultimately feel within, being allowed to participate.

Do it without trying to find inspiration - is the key to that

Another thing could be to look at an old rug or part of carpet (if you are looking for images), with an open mind, just look at it - the light will play tricks within the shadows cast by the fibres, and your mind will fill the blanks, once that starts, capture it with pen and pencil as a storage device to work as a catalyst for something at a later time.

Try different things, with materials that are designed for one job, but you use them for something else entirely - like watercolour paint squirted directly from the tube as though it where oils.

Keep a notebook with you at all times, if you get an idea, jot it down - expand on it if the moment allows it.

Best regards,

Spe3d

:O)

maybe think of it as not "your" imagination

maybe cast the I Ching of the moment every moment and trust the Confluence

I was confused about "mojo jacked up" -- I took that as amplified, maybe beyond ability to implement, as often happens (?) -- or did you mean messed up and diminished?

I did try to find the Marge Simpson quote about one person changing the world, but not sure which one is true among the variants

Marge and Lisa are indeed wise. Are we all Homers?

I'm amazed that not a single one of you mentioned pain/unhappiness. It is unfortunately the essential ingredient in creativity/imagination.

That doesn't mean the resulting creativity will be some depressing thing. It can mean the opposite as likely as not.


It's not a question of 'significance'. It's a question of character. Plenty of hard experiences build character.

OTOH, if you live a cushy soft life, don't expect to have much creativity going on.

At least relatively speaking. But then genetics play a role too. If your ancestors lived horrible lives for centuries, they probably have evolved some creativity (relatively speaking of course) which you will still inherit despite a cushy life.

But it's not practical to put yourself through hell just to improve your creativity. That would be dumb. What can be done though, is to try to experience hellish things second hand.

Go watch PETA videos. Go watch horror movies. Leftist films, etc. Dabble in thinking about horribly negative things. But perhaps be careful.

...but I don't know that second hand really works so well. It may improve your sense of morality but the mind becomes creative when it's trying frantically to get out of a bad situation. Which it isn't actually in when just trying to experience negative things second hand.

As far as music it's easy enough to just jump back and forth between symbolic and "duh it sounds good" processes to keep things going.
Last edited by Jay Sherman on Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

good strong cheese before bedtime
read more, particularly astrophysics or any science stuff you havent really studied. i find the new things you learn lead ti new questions, leading in turn to new ways of looking at certain things.
read "alice" (both of em )

..
Last edited by Spe3D on Thu Feb 07, 2008 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

btw Sh@ne, I did also try to find a good pic of the Krell learning machine

heya vurt, just a few days ago I bought the Astronomy magazine special issue "All About Galaxies" -- just flipping through it in the bookstore was a strong enough dose -- keeping it in reserve :boggle:

(p.s. -- I left a bit of cheesy swan casserole in the fridge -- cool dreams, our fine fellow!)

edvardo: that reminds me: I should shave my neck tonight!

simple
stop fretting
get on with living
you want to