Happy Wednesday, y’all. We’re doing it. You’re doing it. And by “it,” I mean navigating this old, wooden rollercoaster we call “February.” Well done, and keep it up.
This week we’re taking a peak at the pitches that are hiding in everyday sounds. If you’re feeling creatively or energetically stuck, I’m hoping this video might open up your awareness a little bit and give you some inspiration.
Yesterday I found myself at St. John the Divine, a gorgeous cathedral on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with a good friend of mine. In one of the side chapels on top of the altar, there was a triptych made by the artist Keith Haring.
Off to the side was a quote from the artist. I’m including it here not to bum you out. Actually the opposite: I found it surprisingly inspiring and life-affirming.
“Now with AIDS I don’t really have any dreams any more. Whatever dreams I did have, because of having a completely different view of the future because of being sick, there’s nothing I want to do that I haven’t done. I won’t be disappointed if there’s some things that don’t get done. Inevitably, no matter how long you work, it’s always going to end some time. And there’s always going to be things left undone. And it wouldn’t matter if you lived until you were seventy-five, there would still be new ideas. There would still be things that you wished you would have accomplished. You could work for several lifetimes. If I could clone myself there would still be too much work to do, even if there were five of me. And there are no regrets, really. Part of the reason that I’m not having trouble facing the reality of death is that it’s not a limitation, in a way. It could have happened any time and it is going to happen to someone any time. If you live your life according to that, death is irrelevant. Everything I’m doing right now is exactly what I want to do.”
—Keith Haring, May 3, 1989
Get out there and make something this week, and most importantly, share it with somebody!
Steve Reich - It’s Gonna Rain (1965). Here’s the piece mentioned in this week’s video. Give it a listen and see what you can hear. Wild stuff.
Meditation for Thirteen Air Conditioners
This is an archival episode from my pandemic podcast “32 Bars” about this same topic: teasing out music from the sonic world all around us. Remember that time the world shut down and we all made sourdough bread and sampled air conditioners?
The Museum of Bad Art, MOBA
There is no limit to the joy this collection brings me. With the tagline, “Art too bad to be ignored,” the curators are collecting “sincere art” that would never make it into a traditional museum. If anyone wants to take a road trip to Boston or Quebec City, I’ve got a full tank of gas.
Have a great week, and thanks for spending some time with me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Leave a comment if any of this week’s edition sparked an idea or thought. I’d love to hear from you. Happy making.
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