Imperfection is a Gift
Is imperfection a gift? Imperfection hardly seems like a gift. In fact, it seems undesirable. Something must be flawed if it is not perfect. But is that true?
Have Art in Your Life
To survive we need food, water, air, and shelter. While art may not be vital to fulfill our basic needs, it makes life better. Having art in your life brings joy and keeps you in touch with creation. Art is everywhere and often costs nothing to enjoy.
Driven to Create
I feel driven to create every day. However, I do not always have the ideas, energy, or momentum to follow through with a creative project on a daily basis. I often tell myself I don’t have time or that other things are more important. My inner voice tells me that if I don’t have hours to devote to creativity then I may as well not be creative at all.
Songwriting Workshops
Along with the song camps that I attended during 2007 and 2008, I took part in songwriting workshops sponsored by my local and other NSAI chapters. Our Birmingham chapter held monthly meetings with opportunities to play our songs and have song critiques. They sponsored several concerts at local music venues where we could showcase our songs as singer-songwriters. Sometimes there were special events where professional songwriters from Nashville presented workshops.
NSAI Song Camp 301 Songwriting Journey Part 11
NSAI Song Camp 301 was held October 21-23, 2007. This song camp was the last in the series and I was very excited about going. I also ordered tickets to the Bluebird Café for the late show on Tuesday night.
Make Some Art
Make something that did not exist before you created it. Make some art: compose music, write a poem, draw, or, live as only you can. You are the only one living right now, in this moment, with your experiences, with your dreams, with your abilities, and with your unique perspectives. The world needs your art. You need your art.
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
I wrote this anthem in January of 2018. The text by Frederick William Faber is one of mercy, inclusion, and love. This image he uses of God’s mercy being like the wideness of the sea is the seminal idea for the anthem. And, it is also the foundation for the tone painting throughout the anthem.
“The Day Is Done”
I wrote “. . . As the mist resembles the rain” for Flute and Piano in 2002 for friend and flutist, Jane Weigel. The piece is a lyrical work for flute and piano inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Day Is Done” (1844).
Be a Songwriter. Now What? – Songwriting Journey Part 3
On the night of November 24, 2006 I decided to become a songwriter. I wrote the word “songwriting” and the date on a sticky note and put it by my computer as a constant reminder. So, I want to be a songwriter. Now What?
Blank Canvas
Staring at a blank canvas or page can be intimidating. Can you make tangible the images, words, or notes in your head? In your mind’s eye? In your imagination? It takes courage to believe in yourself and let your true inner voice be heard.
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