Today I’m venturing off into the woods of New Hampshire and disappearing for a week on private writer’s retreat.  I’ll be off the grid and out of my usual environment.  I don’t know what I’m going to compose, or what instruments I’m writing for, or even if I will write anything at all, but I’m giving my creativity the gift of a week to explore.

This prescription came to me late winter/early spring this year as I was producing a tremendous amount of wonderful work alongside a full teaching and performing schedule.  My life was sanctioned to the 15min increment with lessons, rehearsals, gigs, practice, e-mails, etc.  I was conflicted by creating, performing and managing valuable work, while noticing that my own inspiration and creative contribution wasn’t meeting my own standards.  I was deeply satisfied with my life and experience, but I had an urge/passion that was compelling me to do more.  But I didn’t have the space for it.  One moment on a Wednesday afternoon, I made a spontaneous decision to not teach a summer session at school this year.  Later in the evening I decided it was necessary to prioritize my summer as an exploration of this creative fire that’s been brewing.  By midnight I booked a week in my calendar to compose music unencumbered by the clock and life’s charming distractions.  I entitled it: “Beautiful Composition Week.”

One of the things I find fascinating about this adventure is that it has no goal.  Usually everything I do has a deadline, and then a meticulous list of to-dos sophisticatedly anchored the calendar, but this project has the opposite.  I has a big hole cut through the calendar.  Anything can happen, and it’s okay if nothing happens.  But I know my creative process well, and it has been craving this week.  I feel like I’m yielding to this passion.  So here is the space.  My gift to myself: time expanded.

Check it out:

Isn’t that great?!  Click on pic for more postcards.

Thanks Dylan!

The kind people of Unclutterer.com are showcasing my home studio as their Workplace of Week this week.  Check out their site for all of you Uncluttering needs.

Saturday, December 1 @ 8:00 pm:
Jazz Composers’ Alliance Orchestra
AT EMMANUEL CHURCH IN BOSTON

Friday, December 7th @ 11:00 PM:
Jupiter One
Great Scotts (The Pill)

Friday December 7 @ 7:30 PM:
Fluttr Effect The Trio
Serenata Chamber Musicians Winter Solstice Concert
Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
155 Powder House Blvd Somerville, MA

Sunday, December 9 @ 3:00 pm:
Gamelan Galak Tika (I used to play with them)
MIT / Broad Institute Auditorium, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA

Contact

love, occasional

I had a wallet made for me… Paddy Hartley, a visual artist in the UK, makes handmade, limited-edition wallets that use illustrations from atomic civil defense and public information films, experimental aircraft of the 1940s/70s along with a few out of series designs. He also produces custom-made designs upon request.

I initially wanted to buy one from his current series, but the idea of a custom wallet design seemed to good to pass up. I had been looking for a new wallet for over a year. It was time to do it right.

The two images for my wallet came from a promo guitar picture and an illustration I made while doodling on the Wacom pad. Paddy had the great idea of putting them together and positioning them on the wallet. You can see some draft designs on my flickr page. I’m very happy with results and the professional service provided. I’m sure he’ll be hearing from me again.

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In other design/promotional news: I had some new Moo cards printed up. One for lesson reminders and the other for general guitar promo.

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I don’t have much to say about this, because I’ve never used it, but I want pass along the information about Humidipacks. I read about it on Scott Allyn’s blog. It’s a new way of keeping the relative humitdy in your guitar case at an optimal 45%.

One of my old classmates from Berklee, K Ishibashi, released an album with his band, Jupiter One, a few years ago. Two of the songs are available for download through iTunes. I cannot get these songs out of my head, or off my iPod playlist. Please, do yourself a favor and support everything that is K & Jupiter One related.

In other design news, I just wanted to share how creatively satisfied I am writing XHTML & CSS. For a while, I thought learning all this web design stuff was really a distraction and procrastination from my music (even though sometimes it is), but recently I’ve found that writing code has been helping my musical mind. It’s hard for me to demonstrate this, but designing in code is very similar to writing a composition. It’s similar to seeing compositional forms in TV shows or novels. They are all related. I wish I had more to say about this, but I’m still trying to understand it.

I ordered Ralph’s second transcription book, and received in the mail today. I’m currently in love with his composition “If.” What a great guy. Thanks Ralph, for brightening my day.