Artist as muse

There are countless ways I foster my inspiration. One of my favorites is through other artists. Not just from the work, but from listening to their insights on what they create. Music is my religion and from time to time I like a good "fire and brimstone" sermon to flick the switch on a few dormant brain cells. This is not exclusive to artists I really love. Just because someone's work doesn't resonate with me doesn't mean a technique or viewpoint of theirs wouldn't be an asset in my own creations. I highly recommend scouring YouTube and the web at large for insights from all types of artists to expand your own creative horizons.

One artist I am a fan of is Daniel Lanios. He is one of the most talented producers music has seen in the last 35 years. During his career he has worked with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and created iconic recordings with both U2 and Peter Gabriel. He released many of his own albums and scored several films including the highly acclaimed Slingblade. I stumbled across this interview a few days ago and could not wait to share it. I hope you find it as rich a resource as I have. For those of you that aren't musicians, it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of creativity. Consider yourself forewarned though, there will be naked women involved in the interview.





What I found most striking about this interview is how many "Big Picture" career pointers he touched upon during the 40 minute conversation. Here are the points that struck me:

• How to build a career: just work with as many people as possible 
• Making connections: you have no idea who will introduce you to Brian Eno
• Your studio is a laboratory: don't rely on past successes, move forward, experiment
• Realize your weaknesses, educate yourself: you will create more when those holes are filled
• Preparation: never walk into any situation blind if at all possible
• Idea Orphanage: from beats, to hooks, to lyrics - a good home will come to those ideas
• Strive for originality: for Lanios it's the reason he wakes up in the morning
• Soundtrack music as a supportive element: a great way to learn musical restraint 

The Creative Process

I must confess I am not a regular NPR listener. Not because I have no interest in the content, I just don't have a good environment to really enjoy it. My impression was everyone listened to NPR on the car radio, or on their iPhone while trying to avoid the middle seat on the commuter train. I don't own a car and the commute from the couch to my chair in the studio is about 24 feet, not nearly enough time for All Songs Considered. Oddly enough I like to get my informational content from visual sources such as The Charlie Rose show, The Colbert Report, or South Park. Thankfully some of the really great stuff finds its way into my consciousness via surfing the Internet. I'd like share one such gem with you.

The creative process is a complicated one. It's a daunting task to create something when you are starting with a blank piece of paper, a lens without a subject, or the sound of silence. Early in your career you will come up with countless ideas and just as many reasons why every one of those ideas are shit. It won't end there. These thoughts will have a return engagement deep into your career when you stretch creatively and try new things. Perhaps you have been writing kick-ass poetry for years but that novel you just started is at a "Paris Hilton" reading level. Your Cello sonata is masterful but there isn't a hit of ecstasy large enough to make that dance remix palatable. I hope what you are about to hear will put all that self doubt where it belongs, into perspective. It certainly did for me.

So without further ado, wisdom from the host of NPR's This American Life, Ira Glass.




The wonderful animation was done by filmmaker and designer David Shiyang Liu.