OK, so maybe it’s because it’s the heat of the Summer … (assuming you’re in the same hemisphere I am) … or maybe it’s because I hear you, saying how you’d really love to spend more time on your art/music than at your day gig … anyway, this article might help. Especially if you take the Burnout Self-Test. Check it out …
Many thanks to Lifehacker.com for this one.
[Photo I took in the garden of Heart’s Ease Herb Shop in Cambria, Calif. 2007]
Enjoy!
A friend once described this process to me by using radio as an analogy. Let’s say your radio is turned off right now, but we all know that radio stations are still broadcasting. You’re just not ‘receiving the signals.’ Furthermore, if you are listening to a particular station, there are still many others that you aren’t hearing, because you’re focused on only one at the moment. But the others are still constantly broadcasting.
So, it’s a little like that with opportunities. They’re all around us. We’re just not always tuned in. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?
This brief article is a good reminder about how to stay open …
I especially like what they say about being grateful …
7 Ways to Help Yourself Recognize Opportunity
Enjoy!
I recall several years ago when our good friend, Derek Sivers, from CDBaby.com spoke on a panel at a songwriters’ event at UCLA. One invaluable tip he passed along was to create an elevator pitch.
That means, that when you’re at a function such as that one, and someone in the industry (or another songwriter/musician) asks you who you are and what you’re into, you can rattle off something coherent, interesting, and meaningful about yourself, in just about the amount of time it would take if you were on an elevator, not knowing when the door would open and your potential contact would leave.
This article tells you (in more detail than I think is necessary) just how to do it.
How to Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch That Will Land You Big Business
Enjoy!
Here are 3 of the most commonly asked questions about Piano Tuning:
1) How often should I have my piano tuned?
The two main factors that drive a piano out of tune are weather change and how much the piano is played, but the age of the piano has an effect also. Pianos newer than 5 years go out of tune much faster than older pianos and may need to be tuned as much as 4 times a year for the first few years. Pianos older than 30 years may not have such great action or tone, but often hold their tune very well.
If you practice more than an hour a day, you’ll probably need to have it tuned at least twice a year to keep it sounding good. I would say that unless your piano is just another piece of furniture, you should have it tuned at least once a year. If it’s used every day, twice a year will keep your piano sounding good anytime you or a guest sits down to play it. If you are a vocalist, string player, or that rare pianist with a very sensitive ear, 3-4 times a year will keep it at concert pitch at all times.
2) My piano isn’t being used. Do I still need to have it tuned?
Although it might seem unnecessary, it’s important to keep a piano at least close to concert pitch, even if it’s not being used. When your piano is in tune, a combined string tension of about 20 tons is exerted on the piano’s structure. As the piano goes out of tune, the tension of the strings changes to varying degrees in different parts of the piano. If the tension becomes too uneven from one section to another, undue stress is exerted on the piano’s frame. Also, a piano is much more difficult, and sometimes impossible to tune well after a period of neglect. For these reasons every piano should be tuned at least annually.
3) How much is it going to cost me to tune my piano?
Many people ask me this question in hopes of getting a rough estimate of what they would expect to pay for a professional piano tuning. “Pay what you can afford” is my motto. I care more about getting your valuable musical instrument in tune than I do the money. I’ve found that tuners charge between $75 – $150 here in the Los Angeles area, my average is about $100.00. I would ask that you at least cover my travel expenses with gas prices the way they are. You will not insult me by paying less than the going rate. I have so much fun tuning pianos, meeting and talking to you that it makes it all worthwhile.
If you would like to know the year your piano was born, send me the name of the piano along with the serial number and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible with your information. (Sometimes you can find it in Google, sometimes not.)
Doug Freeze
Glendora California
MasterTuner.com
Tuning pianos all over Southern California.
(Thanks to Doug Freeze for permission to reprint this. Happy to do it.)
Okay, it’s true. The copyright laws are under a great deal of scrutiny these days. And we all get a bit turned around on what the correct procedures are if you want to file … For the basic info, check out this link:
Copyrights are given for literary works, which can include articles, stories, books, novels, brochures, pamphlets, catalogs, dictionaries, dissertations, theses, lectures, speeches, manuscripts, poems, reports, textbooks, and software.
And if you’re looking to copyright a song … you can always read Chapter 8 in John Braheny’s newest edition (2007) of The Craft and Business of Songwriting.
If you don’t know Captain Beefheart‘s music, you should … he was around “back in the day” and obviously, continues to inspire in a most creative way!
Here’s the list of rules:
Practice in front of a bush: Captain Beefheart’s Rules for Guitarists .
His web site, which contains music, art, poetry and more: beefheart.com.
Enjoy!
Some of you have been asking about the status of the online radio stations … are they going to continue to broadcast, or what?
Here’s an excellent article about what’s going on as of today (July 16, 2007):
Music On Hold by Kurt Hanson on his (RAIN) Radio and Internet Newsletter.
For those of you who are songwriters and musicians … stay tuned! Things are looking up … at least for now.
I saw these mega sticky notes last weekend, in a gift store in Santa Monica … and forgot about them until I saw them again today in Lifehacker.com.
They reminded me of when I was doing a large and complex writing project … and got weighed down by all my notes and scribbles … finding that working just on MicroSoft Word, going from screen to screen, wasn’t allowing me to get an overall feel or direction for what I was doing.
So, I went to my good friend, Linda Feinholz, who is also a “visual” person, and she had me write each basic idea or category for my project on a PostIt note. Then she attached all of them to her wall, so we could start to move them around and organize them into a system that made sense. Until then, I hadn’t thought about that..
I suggest trying this if you’re a writer, a songwriter (move those verses around), or to organize any project. (I’ve always used them on my wall calendar, so that if a deadline needs to be moved, it’s easy.)
Put the basic plan on the wall, closet door, or your largest mirror — so you can get an overall picture. Things pop up that you hadn’t noticed before. And gaps make themselves apparent too.
And to think we can now buy these large notes at megasticky.com … priceless.
Enjoy!
Continuing with my tribute to Peggy Van Pelt, who brought us so many valuable guest speakers and resources while we worked together at WDI, I thought I’d make a list of some of them for you (in no particular order).
Jean-Philippe Lenclos, expert colorist from France, who discussed how to apply color based on what is found in Nature, particularly in various regions of the world, during different seasons. He also taught that certain color combinations (i.e., red, white & blue) impart a specific meaning to different cultures. I’m grateful to learn he has written a book: Colors of the World, The Geography of Color.
Peggy Van Pelt also brought in (the late) Judith Crook, who also taught Color Theory at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Judy always arrived with several trays of color slides, providing us with a tremendous assortment of photos of buildings from all over the world. Photographed at various times of day, she showed us how the reflection of the sun, and the color of the sky, dramatically affected color on the surface of buildings. She also showed us, by using color gels in spotlights, how the opposite color (from the model) is reflected in the background. An artist, a scientist … and a great teacher.
Peggy Van Pelt organized yet more art classes, bringing the perfect teacher, Ron Pekar, to coach artists to grow “from where they were.” The hands-on class included those of us who were just beginning to familarize ourselves with art tools, all the way to those who were already exceptionally talented, experienced artists. Ron challenged us see just how far we could go. Ron taught us to see with an educated eye.
Peggy brought in a wonderful program for building team skills. Leader Effectiveness Training designed for managers, had several artists participating as well. These workshops taught us how to observe differences in our work styles, and to maximize those qualities when working in a group.
Peggy’s colleague and dear friend, Lucia Capacchione, provided multiple training sessions … and changed many lives with her classes and her now-classic book, The Power of Your Other Hand. [Lucia has developed complete training programs, for artists, for healers, etc. Check out her books, including Putting Your Talent to Work, co-authored with Peggy, and CDs.]
Peggy Van Pelt introduced us to Dr. Valerie Hunt. I could go on, telling you much more, about this enlightened teacher and New Age Scientist … but will let you explore on your own. Valerie’s work in the area of energy bio-fields and healing with color vibrations is (and has been) waaay ahead of her time. You can start with her ground-breaking book: Infinite Mind.
It was Peggy Van Pelt who brought in (the late) Betty Bethards. Betty was a seer, a gracious, fun lady, who reminded us of the universe beyond, and one who inspired us to explore all that we can do while we’re still here. Her fine organization and teachings are still available.
A good friend of Peggy’s, Will McWhinney, from Enthusion, Inc., Venice, California, came to teach us about Career Path Patterns and continued to develop his many writings throughout the years. One of his valuable lessons was to acknowledge how artists’ careers do not typically follow the “corporate ladder” model established back in the 1950s. He identified several other motivators for artists and those who feel they have a creative leaning.
Kurt Wenner was invited by Peggy to speak to us about painting on a large scale, in murals, and sidewalks … using the ability to see in “3-D.” Kurt taught us how to make our own crayon-chalks!
Peggy brought in another good friend, Arthur Joseph, expert vocal coach … who guided artists in how to present themselves and their artwork. We observed employees as they blossomed before our eyes, growing from ‘hardly able to speak’ to being perfectly comfortable, explaining and demonstrating complicated projects to an audience. Vocal Awareness.com.
The list goes on and on … as you can see … including many others like Theo Wells, who taught us that it’s healthy for creative people to have a ‘down’ cycle, that one can not possibly be 100% productive every day. In fact, Theo taught us to value that time when we can rest. Peggy Van Pelt brought us information about The Inner Child (and the all-important Inner Critic). She exposed us to the workings of Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) simply to clarify how some of us are more visually-oriented, and others are more auditory or kinesthetic. It was back in those days, she inspired us to study Joseph Campbell‘s classic The Power of Myth).
Of course, Peggy Van Pelt provided many classes and training sessions about the corporate culture, the inner-workings of Disney and its history — not just who’s who (she organized several in-house art shows of some of Disney’s Nine Old Men) — and co-authored a book with the late John Hench, Designing Disney and the Art of the Show.
Thanks to you, Peggy Van Pelt, for all the good times. You will be missed!
I lost a great friend a couple of weeks ago — Peggy Van Pelt.
She was my mentor and teacher, when I worked as her assistant in the Talent Development department at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) from 1988-1992. However, Peggy had worked there for 30+ years…
Her title, when I worked there, was Creative Resources Advisor. (She had turned down the title “vice president” on more than one occasion, as she felt it would alienate her from the creative artists who would come to her for advice.)
Many artists will recall bringing their portfolios to her office for review … how scared you were initially and how surprised you were to find her so un-threatening, so helpful.
Our department provided on-going training, via workshops and events, for the artists and other employees at Disney. It was a ‘dream job’ for me, working in what felt like an art school atmosphere, with world-renowned designers and artists.
I remember Peggy as being a powerful catalyst, someone who would see into an artist’s work- style, taking into account what the artist had already accomplished, and where her/his ultimate goals were, and then helping to form a bridge between the two.
For example, when I first met Peggy, I had worked only in the music business before … with songwriters, in music publishing, working with copyrights, contracts, listening to song demos, and so forth. When she asked if I would be interested in working for her at Disney Imagineering, which designed and built theme parks worldwide, I confessed that I knew very little about visual arts. Her response was, “Don’t you know that holding a note (singing) and drawing a straight line are the same thing?”
She convinced me that what I already knew through my work with songwriters and musicians, (beginners to pros), would translate perfectly to working with visual artists. So, I accepted her offer, not realizing it would kick off one of the most broadening experiences of my life.
She provided me with access to every department, working with artists in all media, all disciplines, graphics, model-building, interior design, environmental design, audio-animatronics (robots), architecture, engineering, illustration — and summed it up by saying, “Basically, what we do here is dig a hole and put a building in it…” She left out the obvious … the part where magic is stirred into the mix, and people from all cultures, can explore their fantasies, their hopes and dreams, and revisit their childhoods … all in a package called “Disneyland.”
She allowed me to discover that certain artists are happiest when working in certain environments (just like the musicians I’d known before) … adding that we must become more familiar with our own individual creative process. For example, she would ask, “Where are you most happy in a project’s life cycle? Would it be at the beginning (the concept phase), or perhaps in the middle (during the organizing and problem-solving phases), or maybe at the end (in the production phase), where things get made real.”
She explained how some people like to be involved in the whole enchilada … from the initial idea or concept to the graduation ceremony. And yet, others are most comfortable in only one of these phases … and how they should be working alongside, in collaboration, with others who are happiest in other parts of a project’s life cycle.
Much of her work was putting together teams for projects. In fact, she and Lucia Capacchione wrote a book … Putting Your Talent to Work: Identifying, Cultivating, & Marketing Your Natural Talents
She brought in the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, and the Myers-Briggs tests, so we could learn to appreciate the differences in our co-workers … controversial, but so helpful!
Magically, Peggy got the budget to bring in guest speakers on a regular basis. There was quite an impressive parade of them … experts who spoke on everything from Color Theory to How to Present Your Artwork to Painting Murals to Storytellers to Creating Special Effects to Roller Coaster Design to … you name it. And each meeting was inspirational, creating a stir with the artists (and other employees), and providing us with new resources.
Peggy also was an artist in her own right. She designed and made costumes, and was brilliantly adept with fabric and beads, fur, leather and feathers. Her stained-glass masks won awards, even in competition with other mask-makers at Disney …and that’s saying a lot.
Peggy certainly had flair, a sensitivity, a gentle way about her, and was one of the best listeners. She was in tune with the planet … easily recognizing other seekers as they came into view.
Those who knew her will continue to keep her memory alive in all we do.
In fact, a lot of the material in the workshops and classes I teach today (on creative process) is based, in some way, on the things that Peggy made available to us. Some of you will recall her popular creativity workshops at the Songwriters Expo in Los Angeles, many years ago. I know you do, because you still talk to me about them! wrote a book, [Those were sponsored by the no-longer-existing LA Songwriters Showcase.]
I’ll share some of Peggy’s resources with you in my next post…
And you’re invited to comment by clicking on the “comments” link below.