mirages
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Post by mirages on Nov 21, 2014 13:33:39 GMT -5
I didn't see that documentary, but I love how you said this: I think it's a really interesting examination of how place and community and art interact - the mutual influences of a vibrant scene. I've always been fascinated by just that interaction between places and artists which creates an "art scene" or "art circle". I guess creativity breeds creativity, or at least inspires it. Creative sparks from one person ignite the fire in another and it spreads, often in an unexpected direction. I'm not a musician, so I don't know what this process is like for them, but for me, as a writer, I've found that conversing with people about the art of writing always gets me in the mood to write - to be creative. And it sometimes makes me think of those literary salons in Paris or Vienna, where thinkers and writers, philosophers and artists, came to exchange ideas and perhaps spur one another to do more, to think beyond, to envision what hadn't been dreamt yet. I wish there still existed such places, but I guess the Internet has taken over as the main social meeting place - it may not be the same, but it's accesible to anyone, any time, any place. And yet, for a girl who still likes to write with pen and paper, it's not surprising that I'm more inspired by face to face interactions or going to RL places - being part of an actual scene. Too bad I lost that a little the past couple of years... Who knows, that might be the reason my writing slowed down? I'm sure that a vibrant scene increases artistic energy. If you put a bunch of creative people together, something is bound to come out of that mix, even if it's something you did not expect. Well, perhaps in a slow time-lapse way, we can create a bit of that kind of space here -- your posts definitely provide that kind of inspiration and jumping-off place. I've been in a deeply wordless place lately, going through a phase of experimenting with my life and attempting to do some different, better things with relationships ... it's good but in order to give it a go I have to lay down my most familiar tools (and armour), my words and just see how things feel. So my apologies for being so absent. Love what you and iris have to say here, though! I was just listening to and OLD interview I'd never heard -- Stephen Fry interviewing Lady Gaga, and in chapter and the audio interview, Gaga starts talking about choosing to live between reality and fantasy and then goes on to muse about why people are so distrustful of magic ... her comments reminded me of things you have said, toramenor, so in case you're interested, here's the link: www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/16b2d3b4-879f-11e0-af98-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Jj0BNGW5It's chapter 4, titled "Bolton" -- takes almost 3 minutes to get to the bit about magic. |
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Nov 21, 2014 13:37:43 GMT -5
I was just wondering if anyone else has been watching Sonic Highways the HBO doc that Dave Grohl made for the new Foo Fighters album in which he visits 8 towns and records in each. I think it's a really interesting examination of how place and community and art interact - the mutual influences of a vibrant scene. The interviews really emphasize the longevity and influence of so many musicians/producers - some well known and some not. The link of Willie Nelson in the Nashville and Austin eps was great. And it's moving to see how much music means to these people - many of whom left a lot of money on the table rather than compromise. , nice to see you! My h mentioned this documentary just the other day -- we both enjoyed Grohl's film and soundtrack about the old soundboard at Studio City, I think, and this new one sounds just as interesting -- thanks for the tip! I think creative community is really important -- even artists who may not have real-life interaction with a creative community seem to reference the greats of history -- the people they've read, the music they've listened to or paintings and films they love. I think it sparks inspiration and may also spark some envy if you know you should be producing and you're not, and another artist starts talking with great enthusiasm about his or her current project. Was it "The Artist's Way" that advised us to take envy as a marker pointing us toward doing our own creative work? That makes sense to me. |
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Post by toramenor on Nov 23, 2014 13:40:04 GMT -5
I was just listening to and OLD interview I'd never heard -- Stephen Fry interviewing Lady Gaga, and in chapter and the audio interview, Gaga starts talking about choosing to live between reality and fantasy and then goes on to muse about why people are so distrustful of magic ... her comments reminded me of things you have said, toramenor, so in case you're interested, here's the link: www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/16b2d3b4-879f-11e0-af98-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Jj0BNGW5It's chapter 4, titled "Bolton" -- takes almost 3 minutes to get to the bit about magic. Thanks for the link, I didn't know about that interview. (An interesting pairing, although, now to think of it, Stephen Fry really has done everything in tv and radio, hasn't he, so why not interview Lady Gaga?)... I like what she says about magic, fantasy and art - how people often equate those with lies and deception, whereas she simply chooses to live in that world... To her it is reality, while most people probably think that such things are not real and that reality is a fixed thing, that it has to be a certain way. I've written about it in earlier posts, when I compared realism and fantasy fiction: it's like looking at light in the "ordinary way" and seeing it is white (realism) and then looking at it through a prism and seeing that it is rainbow-colored (fantasy fiction)... Both, however, are true. Both are reality. Neither viewpoint is false. It is just a matter of how willing or open you are to accept that both can be true at the same time. Reality can be what you choose it to be, which means if you choose to see only white light, then that will be your reality. If you choose to see the rainbow, that will be your reality. You can also choose to see both. In Lady Gaga's case, I guess she chose to live in her art, to be her art. For her, I'm guessing, reality is fluid and fantastical, and I say: why shouldn't it be? |
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Post by toramenor on Nov 29, 2014 15:08:44 GMT -5
I like this quote:
"When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn,
and where we end up is really, in fact, where we always intended to be."
--Julia Glass
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Post by toramenor on Dec 31, 2014 14:06:26 GMT -5
Different time zones make it impossible to time my New Year wishes, so I'm just gonna do it now for everybody, whether New Year has already arrived for you or not----
May your home be filled with laughter
May your mind be ever open to life
May you know love and may love know you
May you always have a song in your heart
Best wishes for 2015!
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Jan 8, 2015 16:32:13 GMT -5
Different time zones make it impossible to time my New Year wishes, so I'm just gonna do it now for everybody, whether New Year has already arrived for you or not---- May your home be filled with laughter
May your mind be ever open to life
May you know love and may love know you
May you always have a song in your heart
Best wishes for 2015!Thank you, toramenor! And to you ... May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
(traditional gaelic blessing)I am just resurfacing after a ridiculously busy Christmas/New Year season and then having to fix a couple of minor crises for family members this week. Went to a performance of "Chelsea Hotel" last night, part of our local "fringe" theatre festival; it's a reworking of songs from Leonard Cohen from the days when he was a young troubadour hanging out with the likes of Janis Joplin at that famous New York hotel (which also features in Patti Smith's biography, which I read with interest last year after seeing it recommended on Atop) ... They included this older song, which I have always loved: Wiki explains:
"Who by Fire" explicitly relates to Cohen's Jewish roots, echoing the words of the Unetanneh Tokef prayer and sung as a duet with Janis Ian (also Jewish; her birth name is Janis Eddy Fink).and
Unetanneh Tokef, Unethanneh Toqeph, Un'taneh Tokef, or Unesanneh Tokef (ונתנה תוקף) ("Let us speak of the awesomeness ") is a piyyut that has been a part of the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur liturgy in rabbinical Judaism for centuries. It introduces the Kedusha of Musaf for these days. It is chanted while the Torah ark is open and the congregants are standing. [1] Describing the important place this prayer has in the service, the ArtScroll machzor is but one of a multitude of sources that calls it "one of the most stirring compositions in the entire liturgy of the Days of Awe." [2]
Myself, I love his addition of the question to the litany, "And who shall I say is calling?" It made me think of what an ironic Romantic Cohen is, much like the poet Byron was. It's a precarious place to stand, but extremely interesting.
I'm just catching up on the news threads and finding lots of very interesting discussion there, diverse and respectful and thoughtful -- love that!
I've also found a new way to capture images and inspirations as I walk, using the dictation function of my phone -- it's breaking me out of my writer's block. How's your work?
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Post by toramenor on Jan 11, 2015 9:34:42 GMT -5
Thank you, toramenor! And to you ... May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
(traditional gaelic blessing)Thanks, I love it. Mine is actually based on this Irish blessing: "May your home be filled with laughter, may your pockets be filled with gold." I just re-worked it a bit. I am just resurfacing after a ridiculously busy Christmas/New Year season and then having to fix a couple of minor crises for family members this week. ... I've also found a new way to capture images and inspirations as I walk, using the dictation function of my phone -- it's breaking me out of my writer's block. How's your work? I'm glad you found something that works for you. I tried the dictation thing several years ago, but it didn't really work for me: I'm better when I can sit down and write than when I have to talk into a microphone... It's a little slow for me right now: work, other stuff, visiting family, etc. took over. But, I'll dive back into it. My New Year's resolution.  If you recall, a few pages back, I mentioned I'm writing about a character who is a Warrior-Poet. Here's how he's described: Odeon, the Warrior-Poet, gifted with visions of eternity, travels the world on the trail of his unsung poems. And how he describes himself at one point: ‘I am a Warrior-Poet. On the trail of dreams, I battle nightmares and chase after visions.’Here is a vision he's chasing after in my story: The Girl From The Lake
She spread her tresses, fragrance filled, on the mountain grass.
I heard a sob, small and quiet, like a swan’s wing when it passes through clear water.
I saw a tear, glistening, like the Moon’s kiss on the lips of a mountain lake.
I wondered then, who is that girl singing a lament through the forests?
Is it possible to steal her smile? Can she be touched without vanishing into the Night?...
She drew up the hem of her dress, embroidered with the thread-of-dreams, as if she held a cloud.
She drew up her dress and waded in barefoot, like a crane walking through a calm lake.
I heard a sigh, full of yearning and sadness, like the flutter of a butterfly when it tries to reach a star.
I wished suddenly I could be the one she sighs for, with her lips the colour of a mountain flower.
I stepped forward to see her eyes, but she jumped and vanished into the Night…
Sometimes I still hear that someone has seen her, on the lake shore…
A girl as beautiful as a dream, as passionate as the Night, in skirts as light as a cloud…
But I have not, ever again, for they say, only once a man can meet her, only once, and never again.
Yet, I despair not, and I search for her across the mountains…
The girl from the lake, as pale as moonlight, as melancholy as I am…
To steal her smile, to touch her hair, fragrant as a mountain flower. |
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Post by toramenor on Jan 11, 2015 9:43:55 GMT -5
Wow, this is a great song. I immediately had to do a lyric search, since I don't know what the song is based on and it's kind of hard to distinguish the lyrics in this version. I'm bringing them over: And who by fire, who by water, Who in the sunshine, who in the night time, Who by high ordeal, who by common trial, Who in your merry merry month of may, Who by very slow decay, And who shall I say is calling? And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate, Who in these realms of love, who by something blunt, And who by avalanche, who by powder, Who for his greed, who for his hunger, And who shall I say is calling? And who by brave assent, who by accident, Who in solitude, who in this mirror, Who by his lady's command, who by his own hand, Who in mortal chains, who in power, And who shall I say is calling? |
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Jan 13, 2015 1:12:35 GMT -5
I'm writing about a character who is a Warrior-Poet. Here's how he's described: Odeon, the Warrior-Poet, gifted with visions of eternity, travels the world on the trail of his unsung poems. And how he describes himself at one point: ‘I am a Warrior-Poet. On the trail of dreams, I battle nightmares and chase after visions.’Here is a vision he's chasing after in my story: The Girl From The Lake
She spread her tresses, fragrance filled, on the mountain grass.
I heard a sob, small and quiet, like a swan’s wing when it passes through clear water.
I saw a tear, glistening, like the Moon’s kiss on the lips of a mountain lake.
I wondered then, who is that girl singing a lament through the forests?
Is it possible to steal her smile? Can she be touched without vanishing into the Night?...
She drew up the hem of her dress, embroidered with the thread-of-dreams, as if she held a cloud.
She drew up her dress and waded in barefoot, like a crane walking through a calm lake.
I heard a sigh, full of yearning and sadness, like the flutter of a butterfly when it tries to reach a star.
I wished suddenly I could be the one she sighs for, with her lips the colour of a mountain flower.
I stepped forward to see her eyes, but she jumped and vanished into the Night…
Sometimes I still hear that someone has seen her, on the lake shore…
A girl as beautiful as a dream, as passionate as the Night, in skirts as light as a cloud…
But I have not, ever again, for they say, only once a man can meet her, only once, and never again.
Yet, I despair not, and I search for her across the mountains…
The girl from the lake, as pale as moonlight, as melancholy as I am…
To steal her smile, to touch her hair, fragrant as a mountain flower.Ahhhh, thank you. Beautiful.  Now I'm wondering if she's related to the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend ... I'm glad you liked the song, by the way. Your hero's vision above does something Cohen says poetry should do, which is to give a voice to yearning. You are much further along in your writing than I am ... the dictation works because it is much like throwing thoughts into the drawers of a disorderly desk, to be sorted through later to see if there's anything worth keeping and working on. But it's a start, a way to get past paralysis. |
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Post by toramenor on Jan 15, 2015 10:49:06 GMT -5
Now I'm wondering if she's related to the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend ... She's not. At least, from what I remember of the Lady of the Lake, Lady is some kind of water fairie who lives in the lake and gives Arthur the sword Excalibur(sp?). This girl sounds too much melancholy to be in possession of any magical objects. But I like the picture you posted. Your hero's vision above does something Cohen says poetry should do, which is to give a voice to yearning. I think poetry can express everything, every emotion and idea, but I understand what he means, thanks. Personally, I like to read poetry aloud--to me, the sound of it is just as important as the words. There has to be some kind of music in it, not necessarily rhymes, but a rhythm or a tempo, a musicality that sort of draws me in and makes me get lost in it. Which reminds me of this song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=43qB9FpfCR8It's so good... I've been listening to it all day. There's a youtube comment I liked: "Has any song ever so perfectly captured what it itself is about?" I totally agree: this song describes itself perfectly. Similarly, just like you would write a disco song to talk about abandon, I think poetry (or poetic language) is perfect for describing certain things that would be difficult to explain otherwise. Because it can have so many functions at the same time - descriptive, evocative, emotional, etc. - you need to employ all your faculties to fully understand it: you need to see and hear it with your mind and your heart. I think poetry requires more attention from the reader than prose. (Well, not always, and not all writers, but generally speaking.) You really need to be present. At least, that's the kind of poetry I like best. |
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If you recall, a few pages back, I mentioned I'm writing about a character who is a Warrior-Poet. Here's how he's described: Odeon, the Warrior-Poet, gifted with visions of eternity, travels the world on the trail of his unsung poems. And how he describes himself at one point: ‘I am a Warrior-Poet. On the trail of dreams, I battle nightmares and chase after visions.’