Journal 9 - Week of November 16th

This week's creative act involved painting on a real canvas - something I don't recall doing in a very long time.

This product was intended to compliment the group project for this course. It was a particularly inspired act for myself, and reflecting on the process of creating this art would be especially worthwhile.

For this particular creation, the "incubation period" was longer than any other act I've done thus far.

The theme of the artwork is "H1N1 - How does it make you feel?". After conceiving this theme with my group, I immediately turned to media as a source for inspiration. At first I considered revolving the work around my frustration with the media's coverage of the issue. But after searching the internet and sifting through images in google's image search, I found myself rather moved by children and their response to the "swine flu scare".

I stumbled upon a number of images of kids receiving the H1N1 flu shot, all with different, but seemingly negative expressions on their faces.

Perfect! Two sub-themes came out of these pictures. Kids don't hide how they feel - and there faces reflect how I feel about swine flu hysteria.

After gathering many pictures like the one at the top of this entry, I wanted to showcase them in a way that made people ask themselves - how do I feel about this mess? Do any of the expressions on these faces emulate how I feel about H1N1 sensory overload?

I chose a number of photos, ranging from kids who were crying, screaming, mad or just disappointed. I think the boy at the top of this blog looks disappointed.

The next task was arranging them onto a canvas in a way that elicited a response. I was careful not to over do it, because I don't want the viewer to feel overwhelmed. I placed only 7 or 8 different images on the canvas in a way that didn't overload one side with the same emotion. This way there wasn't all angry kids on one side, all distant and disappointed kids on the other. This is because, after assessing the feelings that enter my body when I think of the h1N1 situation, I discovered that it is never one emotion I feel but rather a combination of anger, frustration and disappointment.

To bring more focus to the images, I bordered them with red paint.

I leave you with an image that is just plain funny:

http://www.reekoscience.com/images/MiscPhotos/KidKissingPig.gif

Journal 8 - Week of November 2nd

For this week's creative act and reflection, I created a mix-c.d for my friend.

Here is the playlist:

Empire State of Mind - Jay Z. ft. Alicia Keys

Alleyways - Hey Ocean!

Belief - John Mayer

Simple As - Kid Cudi

How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead

I Want You - Kings of Leon

Optimistic - Radiohead

Thinkin' 'bout You - Norah Jones

Motion Picture Soundtrack - Radiohead

Stop and Stare - OneRepublic

Just Say Yes - Snow Patrol

Seems as though the creative process for these blogs is alternating between challenging and easy. This creative act was a challenge.

The first question that came to mind was the requirement of setting a "mood" for the c.d.

I searched through my music collection and reviewed some of my most favorite albums, only to realize that to categorize them by a single mood to be ludicrous. Here is a prime example of how studying the past work of creators in this art is vital.

So I decided to stay away from setting a specific mood, and I just chose songs that meant something to me, or that moved me. What's particularly interesting is that, while the sound of the playlist is quite varied, the song titles aren't.

After much reflection on the titles of the playlist, I became conscious of how it mad me feel.

Had I subconsciously constructed a mirror of the relationship?

The next obstacle I ran into was the flow of the song. When I listen to an album, I try and listen to the whole thing, because I believe the artist is attempting to paint a picture with the entire album. I didn't want one song to infringe on another's feeling or message.

For example, does Norah Jones' Thinkin' 'bout You stick out far too much in between the two reflective Radiohead songs? Does following John Mayer with a hip hop tune diminish his effect?

These questions made me appreciate the work of music producers.

I feel happy about the playlist. But since I've created it, I have already thought about replacing songs with others. Perhaps I will revisit this work with a clear head and attempt to revise it.

Journal 7 - Week of Monday October 26th.

This week's creative act was composing a found poem. The content for this work was taken from my previous blogs. I found extracting various words and sentences from my previous entries to be a very reflective act in itself.

Here is the poem:

biking home on a cold night

practice for extended periods of time

intensely focused

focused throughout the practice session

a powering urge

a powering urge to know

sparked by the questions asked by me

"does that look right?" and "what kind of tree is that?

think about the last time i drew

dunked into thoughts

a powering urge to new

what's the message?

erase! erase! erase!

no

a little frustrated

a little angry

no

a little memory to keep.

this week will be different

it's time to perform

it's time to be better than i ever have before

i'm doing the right thing right?

a turning point

a powering urge to make mistakes.

I wasn't nearly as critical of this composition as I have been with past entries. This poem seemed to flow from my hands.

Quite different from my last attempt!

Each thought has been removed from its original source to create a new picture. I'm fond of this technique and form of creativity. And I am much more comfortable in this setting. I now have a sudden urge to right more of these!

For me this style of poetry is an attempt to bring harmony to my life. I never felt anxious or negative towards my poem, nor did I feel lazy or vacant of emotion. It was very relaxing, and it made me realize just how tense and frustrated I was with my last composition.

My inspiration came from reading the liner notes on some of Radiohead's c.d cases. What they right seems to be so disjunct and so harmonious at the same time. The combination of free time, the c.d cases and biking home on a quiet street fueled this poem.

When I was biking home I realized just how cluttered my head was.

I chose not to include many commas or capital letters as I am experimenting with how this focuses the readers attention to the subject matter.

Here is a copy of my paper on Jackson Pollack.

Rob Phillips

FA 100

Creative Being

Research Assignment

Jackson Pollock stood at the centre of what became known as one of the first specifically American art movements, Abstract Expressionism. Due to his sensitive nature and exposure to a number of artistic styles at an early age, his art inevitably became a collision of expressionism and traditional flavors. Though he encountered many obstacles, he still managed to define and ignite an artistic movement.

Understanding why Pollock was the central force of such a movement is easy when you consider the new concepts that he introduced to both the surrealist and expressionist styles of his era. Pollock used colour and form solely for their sensory and emotional impact. He also employed innovative techniques in his artistic process to achieve deliberately abstract outcomes, which came to realize themselves as what we now refer to as Abstract Expressionism. He employed and developed various new techniques including the dripping of paint onto a canvas laid flat out on a floor, and the use of less conventional painting tools and methods to elicit a particular response from his audience. In doing so, he distinguished himself from both the surrealist and expressionist.

“On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. This is akin to the method of the Indian sand painters of the West.”

- Jackson Pollock - Interviews, Articles and Reviews (Pg. 17)(1)

What likely contributed to the development of Pollock’s creative force in the painting world, would have to be his sensitive and perceptive character. He was exposed at an early age to “American Indian Art” and it was at that time that he became particularly inspired by a collection of various sand paintings originating from the region of the western United States. He studied at the Arts Student League in New York City, beginning early at age 17(2). One of his most influential professors, the regionalist New York based painter Thomas Hart Benton exposed him to aspects of surrealism that later influenced his unique take on expressionism (eventually leading to the development of Abstract Expressionism). He became addicted to alcohol use at a young age likely as a means of self medication for the effects of the extreme sensitivity he had to his surroundings. He used it as a way to calm his anxiety and null the intensity of his emotions.

His creative approach was met with resistance as it was not easily understood, did not easily fit into either the surrealist or expressionist movements of the time and therefore had no particular niche. This only further aggravated his struggle with alcoholism and depression that he experienced in his daily life. He was ostracized for his creative style and was accused by many in his field of “destroying the easel picture” with his mural art and his “drip/splash” approach (Jackson Pollock – Interviews, Articles and Reviews [pg. 10])(3), his drip technique was even referred to by Yale philosophy professor Theodore Green as a “pleasant design for a neck-tie (Pg.11)(4).”

Citations:

1. Pepe Karmel. Jackson Pollock: Interviews, Articles and Reviews. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1999.)
2. B.H. Friedman. Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible. (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1972.)
3. Pepe Karmel. Jackson Pollock: Interviews, Articles and Reviews. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1999.)
4. Pepe Karmel. Jackson Pollock: Interviews, Articles and Reviews. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1999.)

Bibliography:

1. Friedman, B.H. Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1972.
2. Karmel, Pepe. Jackson Pollock: Interviews, Articles and Reviews. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1999.

Journal 6 - Week of October 19th

I finally sat down and wrote a song.

Or at least attempted to write a song. With my level of self-criticism and self doubt, (which I am working on), it could be a while before I can call it performable. But at least its a start. And just like the drawing I made last week, the act was somewhat liberating. Many, many questions popped into my head. Thoughts and feelings were immediately written down, for I feel keeping notes on the process is important to further work on the song.

I had the idea of writing a song in my head for some time, so there were many steps to getting where I needed to go.

I started off by filling my head with a lot music that I enjoy. Bands like Kings of Leon, Coldplay and Jets Overhead usually make me feel something, so I listened to them a lot. Partly because I enjoy their sound, and partly because their sound feels similar to something I would compose.

The process started out with organizing my space. I had a sheet of paper for thoughts on one side of me, and a sheet for the lyrics on the other. I immediately gained respect for those who can write a good pop song. Its not easy!

I was challenged with what to work on first, the chords or the lyrics- or both. What seemed most natural to me was creating a topic - one of which had been on my mind for a while - my relationship. Once I had this topic I then attempted to make the sound of that feeling. I tried to hear the lyrics over top of the chords of my guitar.

Challenging! Words came to mind, but a distinguishable and interesting melody to sing them to did not come so smoothly. What was worse was that the words that did come to mind felt just boring. I'm trying to sing about wanting someone back - but all that came to mind was familiar lyrics and clichés.

erase erase erase!

Brian Hendricks' message about making lots of mistakes made me feel a little more at ease. Although he says its necessary to make lots of errors, I still feel like maybe songwriting isn't my thing.

The lyrics looked more like a poem than song lyrics. So thats what I did - I thought of them as poem - then I would mold them into lyrics a little later.

The more focus I gave the project the more I realized song writing can't be forced. Although music is a natural thing for me, songwriting might be something I need to practice.

I went to bed a little frustrated and angry. Why is it so hard to get the feeling out? I know what it is I'm trying to say - but why can't it flow from my pen and hands?

Journal 5 - Week of October 12th

This week's creative act strayed away from the norm, atleast for myself. As music is my most natural form of expression, I felt I needed to do something different. I decided to create something visual as apposed to audible. And I found the act was quite liberating.

I wanted to sketch something I felt represented the University life. What image would be in my mind 20 years down the road when I think of my college days?

It wasn't difficult to choose. When I walk out of the Maclauren building (I think thats wrong), I get a great view of our library. Its a stunning shot. Something about its towering stature ruling over the quad makes me very content. And at night time, it has an even bigger effect. The lights make it feel like a beacon to the poor soul's trying to get in and get some books before it closes.

First off, the sketch was done from memory. I took a mental photo and then went inside and did my drawing. Interesting thoughts came into my head as pencil went to paper.

I found myself erasing a lot. Do great artist erase a lot? I feel like when ever I watch that show on t.v with the creepy guy who talks as he paints, he never makes a mistake - its a work of art each time. Is that from hours and hours of practice, or was he just born that way?

I found I was my own worst enemy.

"Thats doesn't look right" and "what kind of tree is that!?"

I was very critical of my sketch. My library looks more like the White House.

There were some proportion problems. For what ever reason, this led me to think about the last time I drew.

Grade school!

This reminded me of some of the first readings we were assigned. Especially the one on the state of the education system. How come art isn't more a part of the POST secondary institution as well? Why aren't we asked to sketch our graphs, molecules and ecosystems?

Are we really at a turning point like Maslow believes?

Journal 4 - Week of October 5th

My number is up. I got sick this week.

Whenever I get sick and take time away from school and practicing my instrument, I feel down right lousy. Lousy 'cause I'm sick and lousy 'cause I can't grow as a musician. Its amazing how much of an "addiction" creativity can be. I'm definitely itchin' to get back to it. Back to the practice room, back to the orchestra. But hey, I'm doing the right thing by staying home right?

My creative act was making fiber fun.

I ate an apple, only this time I dunked it in penut butter.

Our guest lecturer Dr. Harding showed the class works of art from hundreds of years ago. They were all just astounding. Its interersting how mankind channels its creativity. Creativity gave us "David", the atom bomb - and made fiber fun.

Journal 3 - Week of the 28th

I quite enjoyed Peter's lecture. I think it was the best yet.

The friday of this week my band performed at Lucky bar in downtown Victoria. It was the first gig we've had since we got back this school year, and it went quite well. Our musicianship was at a new level, our energy was high and there was a solid crowd in front of us. After this gig, perhaps the morning after, I asked myself why things seemed to go so well. We played better than we ever have before.

I believe it is because of two main factors:

1. We have been rehearsing 2-3 times a week, which is more than we rehearsed last year.

2. More importantly, the members of the band have all grown a little older and a little wiser, and I feel I'm starting to hear this in the band's sound.

It brings into focus the amount of rehearsal and maturing it takes to "make it" in the music business. Being a professional artist is not easy. It takes 10,000 hours of rehearsal and motivation to never give up. But then again, isn't this a requirement of being great at anything?

Check out my bands mypsace!!!
http://www.myspace.com/thenovamatics

Journal 2 - Week of the 21st

With relation to Dr. Bain’s questions of who’s more creative - children or adults - I thought to thinking about a performance I did this week.

Uvic music was fortunate enough to have guest lecturer and performer Velvet Brown. Velvet is the instructor of Tuba at the Pennsylvania State University. She was to perform at Uvic as part of her lecture, and I was chosen to accompany her on the congas.

I was very grateful to have this opportunity. I practiced very hard to learn my part, and did so very well. When it was time to perform, it was just me and her onstage. This of course made me a little nervous. Here I am sitting onstage in front of my peers with a world renowned musician. I’d like to say nerves don’t get to me, but I was indeed a little shaky. This in turn made my performance not what it was in the practice room.

So the question was then sparked - if I was a child, and did not feel the “peer pressure” felt by adults - would my performance have been better and my creative output been stronger because I wouldn’t be as nervous?

I worry this may be the case.

Does modern society create tension between audience and performer and thus diminish the possible emotional impact the performer can give?

Journal 1 - Week of Monday September 14th

For this week’s creative act, I thought focusing on my solo Marimba work as a good way to channel my creative self. As I had mentioned in my “Expectations” paper, I am a third year music student studying percussion. This year I am expected to learn a great deal of music to add to my repertoire. This week I have been digging very deep into “Mexican Dances”, a solo piece for large Marimba. It is typical for most third year percussionists to learn this piece. So now I am expected to get it under my belt, and fast. It will not be an easy semester, for this piece is very challenging. Sometimes my arms allow me to do what is needed - practice for extended periods of time and be intensely focused throughout the practice session. However I have had days where I am unable to play what is needed, or memorize much if any of the piece.

However the technical aspect of learning music such is this has boiled up a question that has been bouncing around in my head ever since I got back to school.

Am I being creative when I play music written by someone else?

Or does the emotion I put into the music when I play it mean I’m creative?

An over powering urge to know if I’m creative even though I don’t write music was sparked by the questions asked by Peter in this weeks class.