Decide 2 Matter

Artist Spotlight: The Beginning

What I would like to start doing is offering an Artist Spotlight each Monday. This would be a visual artist of some type. Hopefully I will get a mini interview via email where I ask a few questions and the artist provides answers.

Otherwise, I will simply glean what I can from this artist's website. Right now I'm searching for an artist to interview, so next week will be the first installment.

I look forward to introducing you to some old and new talent!

Happy creating!

My Three Muses & Some Background on Me

I've been living in this loop of music, art, and writing since as long as I can remember. Sometimes I will get in "art mode". When my soul is moved to create visual art, I feel as though that is the only thing for me, that it was always and ever the only thing for me. I create something, maybe I don't. Or perhaps I am slowly eaten away by the urge left unattended. Then a week or two goes by. The urge dwindles and I listen to an old piece of music I wrote.

Suddenly I am captured by this swell of emotion that must be released onto the piano keys. What was I thinking?!? Music is the only thing for me, it is my life blood, my soul singing and echoing the heavens. I dash across the keys and lose myself in the haunting and relaxing melodies I create. After a week or two, the song fades on the wind and it is just a memory.

Then someone compliments my writing or I read a story that moves me. The writer inside my mind adds more ingredients to this story pot that simmers. The aroma awakens this hunger inside that screams "you are a writer evermore" and I live this waking dream of story. Dragons, mages, goddesses, elves, maidens, and magick. These delicious ideas all get thrown into the cauldron. Again, a week or two goes by my hunger subsides.

What will have me in its grip this week? I have applied to music school and got accepted based on my self-taught composition skills. My ego swells. I have taken art, illustration, and graphic design courses to which my professors tell me they love my work. I get caught up in that. Or the memories of my English professors' praise equally adds to the mix.

Currently I'm taking piano lessons with an amazing teacher. Having someone to play for every other week has kept the music in the for front. However, I was hoping taking this coaching visual artists course would help carve a place for visual art into my daily consciousness.

Writing I haven't worried too much about because the daily check-ins along with the writing for my blog seems to satisfy that muse. I feel her writing muscles grow stronger each day. She is okay to train her muscles this way, but I know she expects me to run that long distance marathon, or to climb that mountain. Some day, I promise her, some day.

In conclusion, I feel like this strange animal that can both fly, run, and swin. The phrase "use it or lose it" comes to mind a lot, and I need to find a way to live and do all three. Otherwise I feel alien or I get caught in those surges I mention above where all sanity is thrown aside to serve the specific muse.

Eric is big on people doing just one thing. In the basic training, I talked to him about it and had a client also trying to do a zillion things. He said the client (and indirectly me too) should stick with one thing to thus learn about the process of creating. I do wonder if I conveniently switch from one thing to the other when one gets difficult. But I still can't do just one thing. The surges of "music/art/writing is the only thing" are just too strong to ignore and say "sorry writing muse, I have to work on visual art today, only visual art."

My dream? To have a music studio, art studio, and fantasy book series all going at the same time. Am I crazy to want this? Perhaps... But it's something I've yearned for since I can remember.

Oh and the final straw is that I work in the corporate world surrounded by unhappy and/or toxic people. I see successful illustrator/artists making a living and I think "I could draw that! I could do that!" A good friend of mine does web design to pay his bills and is a composer at heart. I think "I could do that". Then I read articles I feel I could write. Couldn't I do that, too? So on top of the loop of three, add to it the desire to switch careers.

So here I am learning to coach others and thus learning to coach myself. I'm going to make this blog more personal than just straight out advice. How I apply the things I learn will hoefully be valuable to everyone. In conclusion, my creativity matters. Your creativity matters. We are all unique and must express our visions, songs, dreams, and stories if only to ourselves.

Getting Exposure

Today I played piano at work. There's a piano in the lobby and each time I walk past it, I ache to play. So, I told a friend I would play for her. Funny though, that friend didn't show up. She was swamped and completely forgot to stop down.

Lucky for me, I told two other people who stopped down. I feel silly playing for no one. Yet with the piano being the lobby, it means someone is bound to walk by. Or if anything, the security guards at the front desk get to hear.

Given that the piano is a player piano, most folks don't even notice I'm playing. The baby grand is tucked behind the stairs that lead up to the "skywalk" between the building and the parking garage. So, people assume it's the piano playing. That is an of itself is a compliment because if I sounded like crap, people would wonder what the heck was wrong with the player piano.

Playing for people and getting compliments made me want to practice for hours and hours. Usually I practice for 30 minutes a day. Though now that I have finger exercises to do, I play even longer. I can't wait to learn more about chords and music theory. The more I learn, the more creative I get when I improvise.

Writing music or improvising (or making stuff up as I call it) really moves my soul. I feel like I have something to say when I play the piano. It's as if I'm trying to recreate this feeling I have inside myself. It's the best way to describe it.

I got accepted into a good music school a few years ago and received a scholarship, but it wasn't enough to pay for the entire tuition. So, alas, I practice on my own. Luckily for me, there's www.berkleemusic.com which has awesome online classes.

I took their Desktop Music Production for the Mac course last year. The only thing I didn't like about it was that you couldn't email the other students individually. Also, once the course was over, you didn't have access to the huge weekly lessons that were available online. Other than that, I learned a ton.

Lesson for today: get exposure. Get out there and have people compliment you. It will boost your ego. You will surprise people. People will look at your differently after. Better yet, the other artists, musicians, and performers will come out of the woodwork. They too need exposure, a sense of community, and some new friends.

What's in a name?

I'm not so sure I'm in love with the name The Wayward Sparrow anymore. It makes me feel like I'm all over the place, which is something I don't want right now. What I do want is a blog dedicated to spirituality and etc. I think I may dump all my posts and start fresh. I'm going to sleep on this decision... because frankly I'm tired of also buying more domain names I don't use.

Know what I  mean?

Cloudy Days

It's a fact; sometimes we will have cloudy days. You wake up, you won't want to do anything. Perhaps everything seems pointless. Why did you even bother getting out of bed? Who do you think you are kidding anyway? You'll never get anywhere.

Yes, these thoughts can put a damper on our creative spirit, but they come with the territory. Being creative takes courage. Courage to be different, courage to try something that may have no guarantee. This is all part of the process.

What to do if you are in the grip of a cloudy depressing mind set?

• Take a break.
• Go for a walk.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Eat some chocolate.
• Call your mom.
• Play with some kids.
• Read the news (there's always someone worse off out there).
• Learn something.
• Journal about it.
• Take a nap.

Take note of where you are in your creative process. Are you starting a new step that you've never done before? Is there anything that triggered this crappy mood?

• Did someone tell you that artists make no money?
• Did someone criticize your work?
• Are your friends doing better than you are in their craft, but you feel like you put in more work?
• Are there no jobs in your field?
• Does your goal seem like it's going to take forever?
• Have you been staying in doors for too long?
• Do you get any exercise?
• Have you been keeping to yourself?

There are many reasons you could be having a bad day. But like clouds, it too shall pass and the sun will eventually come shining through. There are ups and downs in life. You wouldn't appreciate the ups if not for the downs.

Sometimes you are just having a bad day. But you do matter, your creativity matters, your dreams matter. It may not feel like it right now, but you are important. Tomorrow is another day.

Get Clear About Why You Create

Do you have an artistic identity? What moves you to create? What is your voice or vision?

Get clear about why you create. The reason this is so important is because when you have those crummy days where your work seems boring, uneventful, or already done, you can turn back to your creative identity or creative mission statement.

• Do you create because you just have to?
• Do you create to honor the/your god/goddess/divine/etc.?
• Do you create to make a living?
• Do you create because you have something to say?
• Do you create things to help understand your world?

There are so many different reasons why you create. What's yours?

Checking In With Yourself

Right now I'm training with Eric Maisel to coach visual artists. He suggested to all of us that we check in each day with a statement about how our work matters. This seems so simple, but I have a feeling it will produce a growing sense of self-worth in myself.

If you are working with a coach, ask them if you can check in daily. Just write a sentence.

    I matter. My work matters.

If you are working on your creative dreams alone, buy yourself a journal and write in even one sentence a day that you matter. Slowly those words will sink into your mind and become part of who you are. We all have a voice and a vision. And all of us count. Writing it down only confirms the fact.

I'll let you know how I feel after my daily check-ins. Let me know how you feel after yours!

Good Qoute

If you don't fall down, how are you going to know what getting up is like?
-From the movie Roll Bounce

Taking Time Off to Refill the Well

Sometimes we need to just take some time off. There is a difference between being stuck, feeling blah, and just overworking ourselves. Oftentimes when I'm working on a new project, design idea, or song, I keep myself up at night. Yes while I enjoy the release I get from creating, my brain doesn't always stop thinking of the next thing.

Of course not getting enough sleep will start to take its toll and before I know it, I'm burnt out. Worse yet, my creative well starts to run dry.

Some signs you make need to take time off to refill the well.

1. You aren't sleeping well.
2. Creating isn't fun anymore.
3. Your mind is never in the present moment.
4. You are feeling more than blocked and stuck.
5. Or, you have plenty of great ideas, but no energy to implement them.
6. Everything seems boring and "already done before".
7. You are in a hurry to create, make money, change careers, get famous NOW.

Most of us know when we need to refill our creative well. On the other hand, we can be so caught up in our head comparing and analyzing that we lose touch with the present moment.

Today take some time off and have fun. Go to the movies. Be spontaneous. Go for a walk. Get out and move.

Creating takes time and energy. Stop being hard on yourself for not being where you think you should be. It's a process. One that will have lots of rest stops on the way. So, don't forget to take time off and refill the well.

Freelancing at Guru.com

If you are an expert in illustration, writing, programming, or design (or others), make sure to check out www.guru.com. It's a great resource for selling your work. Perhaps you've heard of it, perhaps not.

You can post your resume online and have employers find you. You can also sign up for the basic free membership where incoming projects will be sent to you as they come in. The only downfall of not being a paid member is that you don't know if the "basic level" jobs are legit or not. Anyone can basically sign up to be a professional or an employer.

Here are the broad categories available where you can get work.

• Web Design / Website Marketing
• Graphic Design / Presentations / Media
• Illustration / Cartooning / Painting / Sculpting
• Photography / Videography
• Writing / Editing / Translation
• Broadcasting
• Fashion / Interior / Landscape / Set Design
• Programming / Software / Database Development
• Networking / Hardware / Telephone Systems
• ERP / CRM Implementation
• Engineering / CAD / Architecture
• Legal
• Business Consulting
• Finance Accounting
• Marketing / Advertising / Sales / PR
• Sales / Telemarketing (Front-end)
• Admin Support (Legal, Medical, & Accounting)

The benefit of getting their paid membership as a professional is that you can access more jobs. If you are multi-talented, you will also need more than one profile. If you are very good at both illustration and web design, you'll have to set up a "profile" for each one in order to see those jobs. Of course this is all that I see from the basic free level of membership I have.

I'm a bit reluctant to bid on any jobs right now because this is all new to me. But if/when I do, I'll tell you how it worked out for me.

Have you used Guru.com? If so, please comment on your experience.