Archive for July, 2010

The Road

So, I was thinking about energy saving bulbs. Then I took a shower. After shower, I paced slowly to the kitchen, turned the tap and filled a bottle of water. At that moment, I was thinking about my parents.

Menu. Subtitles. Play.

For a minute or two I was wondering if the audio was ‘on’. This movie starts with no sound. Well, you’d expect a score – a background score of sorts. Well, score one! No score. So I sit in silent concentration. I moved from my bed, about 7 feet away – to my desk chair, about a feet away from the screen on which The Road plays. I’m glad I did that; and did that quite early in the show.

So the story unfolds. The movie… is intimate. Fearful. Captivating. Hopeful. Redemptive.

Reflective. Urgent. Profound.

Re-Creativity

I’ve been in a pretty pensive state lately about creativity and its applications, namely in the realm of communicating abstracts, like faith. Without tactile sensations, nor proof of existence – the creative outlet is underrated and under-understood, especially when called upon to bridge that gap. Here’s a compilation of thoughts that resonates with me. I think I’ve found a natural frequency to my raison d’etre… Enough to know how to propel. Enough to doubt (maybe even despise?) convention. Enough to hope.

When it comes to creating things (and things of art). It’s usually manageable when it’s purely a functional object. We cannot not care about being eco-friendly. We need pieces of innovation to represent the character and creeds of its creator. When that happens, one has to stop and rethink ye old method of production. Economics is secondary. Risk follows change. Yet, it is needed. For “when you see an object, you make so many assumptions about that object in seconds.” If perception is intrinsic, then explanations become plan B. The creative work itself, needs to be persuasive. We need to meta-design. Watch this.

I’ve stumbled upon a film about the change in production, distribution and consumption of creative works. “A new generation of global creators and artists is emerging, equipped with other points of reference and other tools. The teachers arenʼt certified schools anymore – itʼs web sites, discussion forums and a “learn by doing”-mentality. We see the children of a digital age, unspoiled or uneducated depending on who you ask. Collaboration over hierarchy, digital over analog – a change in the way we produce, distribute and consume creative works.” More about the film here Press Pause Play. Meanwhile, here’s the teaser…

(Appended on 8 July)
And then, here’s proof… Natalie of Community Channel speaking at Ideacity…

And some time ago, I found Elizabeth Gilbert on TED. She “muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses – and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person ‘being’ a genius, all of us ‘have’ a genius.”

Sometimes, we need to defy physics. Don’t we? Some time ago, ‘fact’ was that the earth was flat. Till they discovered otherwise. Curiosity. Doubt, a precursor of faith. I think we need to be child-like (as opposed to being childish). We could all use some Peter Pan moments, flying into the open sky. (Where’s Tinkerbell?) Away we go into Never-Never-Land. Here… watch Sigur Rós’ depiction of the said concept:

Creativity could also take strides in making a difference in society. And this, we need more and more and more…

Check out Favela Paintings…

We could all use some peace don’t we. I’m so gonna make some Peace-In-a-Boxes too. The idea is to give it away.

And there are times when creation meets creator, in perfect creativity… it’s like, “my hands they float up above me, and you whisper you love me. And I begin to fade into our secret place. The music makes me sway. The angels singing say we are alone with you. I am alone and they are too with you. I’m still alive…”

Do you not see the beauty that is? It’s everywhere. May we not be stuck in yesterday’s Flatland. Transcend. Avant. Like, “when we’re still holding on to how things were, our arms aren’t free to embrace today,” -Rob Bell.

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” -Albert Einstein.

I suppose I’m just recording fleeting moments of creative. Creativity, like faith, is intangible, but attainable. I experience, I art, I believe, I live – in no specific order.

Masel tov.