At the UMMA, the Paramodel art display is a work in progress this month.
While a finished project is inspiring, I often find more inspiration in watching artists at work. The creation process is chaos until completion, and it’s easy to abandon a project when it gets overwhelming.
Which is why I urge you to stop by the UMMA gallery and see Japanese artists Yasuhiko Hayashi and Yusuke Nakano work to create their Paramodel. It’s becoming a beautiful array of themes of imagination, space, and shapes.
I’m excited to see the opening on August 30, but I urge you to catch a glimpse of the artists at work before it’s completed. It’s an encouraging frame of reference, not only for this art project, but hopefully one of your own.
Some things change, some things don’t
My dog Lois: Some things in life change, and other things don’t.
Songwriting great Tom Paxton is running a Kickstarter campaign for his 61st music release. 61 projects of music. I’m guessing this is his first one to be crowd funded, which reminds us again how some things change; but some things don’t.
Tom Paxton is still chasing Muse, still participating in that wonderful literary conversation that any of us can join, as songwriters. That’s what the canon of music is, a continual conversation.
The power of music doesn’t change, no matter how it’s funded or shared. Neither will the necessity of putting in the hard work to find creative delights.
And that feeling of accomplishment when it’s ready to be shared? I think that will never change, either.
Let’s not lose focus of what doesn’t change; those are often the important parts of life.
I realized today that I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years. That’s how long Nirvana’s Nevermind has been released.
I’ve known my Fender Strat longer than most folks in my life, except for my family and childhood friends. Heck, it is a childhood friend!
And you know what? This year, I finally hear some improvement! The study of music never ends. The 10,000 hours theory might as well be multiplied.
Honestly, musicians shouldn’t measure their playing in years, nor milestones or accomplishments. Playing music becomes an expression, a part of life. Always adapting, growing, changing. It’s provided a catalyst for me to see half of the country, and meet other people who have embrace the journey, too.
The only measurement of music worth noticing is how wonderful it truly is.
When I was 18, I auditioned for music programs; I wasn’t accepted.
When I was 32, I was hired to guest lecture at the same colleges that hadn’t picked me.
How did this happen? Instead, I created my own path of education, experience building, and jobs. Seth Godin says we should ‘pick ourselves.’ I love that motto.
When it comes to music, picking yourself is the best selection you can make.
Teaching: it’s a calling, not a plan to fall back on…
I was reading an interview the Southeast Review did with poet/writer Jamaal May. He commented on the cliche idea that writers should become teachers to help pay the bills:
“It’s more important than ever for people to figure out if teaching is something they want to do, or something they’ve assumed they have to do to be a writer. Being a teacher is not for everyone and if we had less writers out there doing it because it seems to be the correct path, there would be more jobs for the people who live for being in front of a class.”
I think every writer and prospective teacher should read those sentences again.
* * *
May focuses further on adjunct teaching, but I think his statement is true for all forms of teaching. Many writers are great teachers. The skill sets compliment each other, but they are not one and the same.
Teaching is it’s own craft. It is it’s own art form.
Teaching requires a passion and dedication.
Not all writers need to become teachers. Save those jobs for people who have a calling, to be a teachers.
