Advice for Creatives

Ukulele JJ

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Wise words from radio host Ira Glass, put into poster form:

i-wish-someone-told-me1.jpg


Original source: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/great-advice-for-creatives (Although I first found it here.)

JJ
 
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Thanks for posting this, I really needed it. I fell right into this and quit music after 20 years of guitar playing. I discovered ukulele a few months back and feel reborn musically. I've still been going back and forth on what to do, but this is pushing me to just DO! Thanks so much, right place, right time, made a difference in my life.
 
Thanks for the post, really needed to hear this :D
 
I love this JJ. Thanks for posting it. This is the sort of thing that makes UU such a valuable and worthwhile spot. I've been listening to Ira Glass' work for years. Ira is a Baltimore boy! Always nice to celebrate the good things that come out of Baltimore and there are plenty!

The most important part of the advice for me is "put yourself on a deadline." If I do not have a performance coming up I dabble here and there, but don't work very hard to keep up repertoire or learn new tunes. Summer is a great time for me to work on new music. I need to plan a performance and get to work.
 
Good advice now i got ot put it into practice. Thanks JJ!
 
The deadline part is so true. It's hard working in a creative field where you have to be creative on demand all the time.
 
Mahalo JJ for sharing... if it was really easy, we all would be like Aldrine, Jake , and James..
 
And somehow...

some way, some how.....

we got to strive not to hate those people who are better than us.
 
That is good advice. It reminded me that in a 3 year period that I went from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOLyzyvrSYc

to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz9v3MkUGUk

Making youtube videos as a hobby kinda served as my 'deadlines' (as I make each video with limited time) and a good way to log my progress as well as getting feedback.

I've only recently started writing and singing songs in my vids.
At the moment, I'm not that happy about it. But now I am reminded that if I keep at it, I will improve like I did with the other instruments :)
 
As an author and writer with over one thousand published articles I can say that the biggest weakness with a lot of creative-talent wannabees is that they don't do the ground-work before they dive into things headlong. There are lots of talented writers (and the posted illustration is actually a "writer's post") that once were avid readers turned prolific writers. BUT, in the world of music, too many young kids want to be an "American Idol" and win the day, get the contract, instantly make millions. A REAL GIGGING musician pays his or her dues, and refines his or her technique-- working with the audience and learning how to really put on a show. After doing the time, the artist is skilled sufficiently for the task and has earned a following and perhaps a contract.

Take Aldrine's skill level and showmanship... that didn't happen overnight.
 
I am reading a good book right now on creative organization called Creating A Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd. It's an exploration in techniques to get to work, how to overcome fears and how to look at your patterns. It also has interviews with creative people about their process. Sometimes, it's good to read about the struggles of others.
 
That is good advice. It reminded me that in a 3 year period that I went from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOLyzyvrSYc

to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz9v3MkUGUk

Making youtube videos as a hobby kinda served as my 'deadlines' (as I make each video with limited time) and a good way to log my progress as well as getting feedback.

I've only recently started writing and singing songs in my vids.
At the moment, I'm not that happy about it. But now I am reminded that if I keep at it, I will improve like I did with the other instruments :)


I've done something similar, I recorded the first "song" I was able to play..I didn't know that Astrid was out of tune because I didn't know new strings took time to settle and I messed it up pretty badly, it's still on my youtube as a private or unlisted vid so even if I don't want others to look back to see how far I've come, I can at least. In nearly 11 months I have come so far from that first video and I love that I have chronicled it so in years when I'm that much better I can look back on my own journey.

I'm also a writer and agree with Pippin, I have to set my own deadlines even if they're only for me and not my publisher, just to force myself to work and churn something out, even if it doesn't make it into the final copy!
 
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