Permission To Suck

Get as Close to the Flame as You Can

Monday, May 10, 2010

Flame finding is your talent. Imagination is hot, execution is cold. The flame is illusive; if you must obsess about something, make it a flame search. "I think part of the process of this whole thing is to get as close to the flame as you can get without being burned" – Graham Nash

Bob Dylan on the Mystery of Creativity

Friday, March 12, 2010

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To be creative is to develop the intuition, shut down what makes sense and follow intuition. Feeding the hunger we’ll look, listen, study and practice, but if we try to follow information to a commonsensical conclusion, there are no surprises only boredom. In this video, Bob Dylan talks about the mystery of creativity.

Is Your Best Work Ahead of You?

Monday, February 1, 2010

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It’s important that we know our best work is yet to be produced. Our best is what is in us now, not what we – or others - admire about the past. Jazz Composer, Maria Schneider, has a story to illustrate this point.

Talking with Guitarist Songwriter – Will McFarlane Part II

Thursday, November 12, 2009

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While interviewing Will McFarlane for this video, I was reminded how critically important it is to avoid getting caught up in the nuance of our creative fields. "Music can be math without feel or tone" is one of my take away quotes in part II. Extending that, any field can be dry when devoid of feel or tone".

Talking with Guitarist Songwriter – Will McFarlane Part 1

Monday, November 2, 2009

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If you think about it, whether you're a visual or auditory artist, or author, it's about the conversation with your audience. Oddly, you may not be immediately included in the conversation but without recognizing it you're forgotten quickly. We continually hear advice to listen twice as much as we speak and the reason is simple: it's the only way to stay open. If you're curious your work is vibrant; you're vibrant. In clip 1 of this 2 part interview, you can feel Will's passion for listening.

Neil Young and a video interview by Charlie Rose

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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Like his work or not, Neal Young is fearlessly devoted to his creativity. He does what he wants without looking back to check for followers. He is singularly devoted to his creativity; it's his life not his work. He doesn’t think about being different so that his work is easily marketable. Instead, he is genuine and protects his authenticity, therefore he’s different.