Random Thoughts

Wednesday morning at the breakfast table. Three days after the choir concert I still wake up with a mixture of melodies by Billings, Barber, Copland,Shaker tunes and Spirituals in my mind, playing a musical guessing game with myself, trying to match each fragment with the right piece. It’s raining, pouring - if it pours like that next Tuesday, I can’t go to the meeting on my bike. The leaves have come down from the treetops in the back yard, clusters still left around the stems. The “Coco Pebbles” cereal is disgusting, but I ran out of other options so I’ll eat it anyway.   

Stream-of-consciousness-writing, musical notes strewn around at random. It is the way the spirit flows, sometimes a source for creative ideas. The spirit wanders around, looking for places to stop, for ideas that resonate, for sparks that light a fire strong enough to carry you through the long journey of a new creative project. 

Writing like that throws a light on the process. Then, you set out on the journey of finding the right words, notes, colors, shaping and refining the idea, so it can be shared. 

Frames of Reference

Recently, I joined a writers’ group. People come together once a week and read excerpts from their writing. I’m awestruck by the way they handle the English language. It’s an entire symphony of overtones and undertones, shades of color and subtle twists of meaning.

Different personalities reveal themselves not only in their writing, but also in their critique. Some people seem to need more information than others in order to tune in to a scene. 

Who is this character, where is this happening? Knowing that it is happening in a town nearby makes all the difference to them. To me, the town nearby is no more than a location on the map. 

My tolerance of ambiguity is high. I have learnt to accept everything as given. I listen, I ”feel it out,” and if it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably my own fault, at least to begin with. The worst mistakes are those you don’t even know you are making.

It is the way you live in an unfamiliar environment: a new job, a new neighborhood, a different culture. You try to fill information with meaning, and gradually find solid ground under your feet.

Home Studio (2) - Announcement from the Cat

This is to notify everybody that Cappuccina has appointed herself 

studio assistant 

to Birgit’s Piano Studio

Responsibilities include:

Writing e-mails

Answering the phone

Entertaining the studio giraffe

Taking care of the music library

Assisting with the production of advertising materials.

 Here: First attempt, hand crafted. 

In the meantime, we have upgraded to computer design.