tiffany prochera Archives - tiffanyprochera.com

The Use of Classical Music In Media Projects – Know Your Stuff!

June 1, 2023 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hello all!

This isn’t going to be a rant – though it easily could be because it’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine . Let’s call it a bit of friendly advice from one creative to another, shall we? 😉

Music can be such a powerful tool in a creative project. It can reinforce or deny emotional expectation. It can foreshadow. It can make you feel anything, really. And every genre under the sun can be placed in a project – jazz to pop to country to electronic – under the right circumstances.

If you are planning on using classical or instrumental music in your projects, I beg you, please take a minute to learn what the piece is actually about. Even if something doesn’t have words that are in English – or whatever language you happen to be working in – it doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean anything and it is to be used all slap-happy, willy-nilly-like. And if you treat it all slap-happy, willy-nilly like, you could run into problems.

Case in point…

Years ago, a well-known airline put out a campaign ad about their new comfortable seating, or something like that, and had images of passengers blissfully dozing to the soundtrack of “Nessun Dorma”, the big aria from the Puccini opera, Turandot. You can see why – it’s a well-known piece. Even if you don’t know what it’s from or what it’s about, we’ve all heard the famous rendition by the late, great Pavarotti, so why not put it in there for recognition’s sake?

Well, my friends, I’ll tell you why not. Because “nessun dorma” literally means “none shall sleep” in Italian! The hero is singing about how the whole kingdom is being kept awake under the threat of death as the princess Turandot will execute him and everyone else if she does not learn his name by morning – because if she doesn’t discover his identity, she has to marry him, and she wants to stay single. So, those who were familiar with the work were no doubt watching the ads and chuckling to themselves, if not downright guffawing, at the irony of it all.

Last year, I was watching a documentary on television about the gardens of the late Queen Elizabeth II, may she rest in peace. There is a clip when she is perusing the scene at one of her garden parties and I’m listening to the instrumental music in the background thinking, wait, is that “Get Me to the Church On Time” from My Fair Lady? You know, the tune sung by Eliza Doolittle’s father as he’s preparing for his wedding day? I mean, first of all, the gal just lost her husband of 60 + years and I’m pretty sure she’s not ready to get married again any time soon, and what does that have to with a garden party? A relatively minor infraction but it’s still just throwing something in there because.

You see, not all music is going to have specific meaning and is designed to simply create a mood, a vibe. In that case, go for it. Throw in something that sounds happy if you want people to feel happy. But if you’re going to use a piece particularly because it is recognizable, get some context for it. I’m not saying you have to do hours of research into the history and everything of it – unless you want to, of course – but don’t use a song about not sleeping to promote sleeping! Or use “Spring” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a scene about winter. Not that I’ve seen it but I’m sure it has happened somewhere. Don’t do it! It’s just embarrassing for everyone.

I will add that, the more you learn, the more you understand, the more you will effectively be able to use classical or instrumental music in your projects. You might want to ironically use “Nessun Dorma” in a scene where people are sleeping, and you will know it’s ironic because you now know what it’s actually about.

Or if you’re doing a period piece and familiarize yourself with the works from that era – maybe this is left to a music supervisor but I’m going to personalize it just the same – you can really play with it.

Say you’re doing something set at the turn of the 20th century but want a modern twist on it – like the classical covers of current hits in Bridgerton or the original rock tunes (meaning original artists, not original to the soundtrack) placed in one of my favourite movies, A Knight’s Tale – if you know the classical or instrumental hits from that era you may find modern songs that are based on those pieces. For example, Eric Carmen’s hit “All By Myself”, revived by Céline Dion for Bridget Jones’ Diary, is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, composed around 1900-1901. Playing with that knowledge allows you to not only have a better framework for the music in your project, but it allows you to drop some Easter eggs as well – I think. Did I use that term correctly? My gaming days are behind me, I’m afraid. 🙂

All this to say that just because a piece of music is in a genre you’re unfamiliar with, it doesn’t mean it exists just to be pretty or dramatic or whatever you happen to be looking for at the time. There is a context to it all and it behooves one to learn about it.

Now, in other Swimming Tigress News,

We are quickly approaching summer and, specifically, teddy bear picnic season. The official day is, in fact, July 10th but I’m sure there are picnics held throughout the summer. If you’re looking for a theme tune for your event, I humbly suggest, “Teddy!” from my alter-ego, Tofaru, a rousing tune in honour of our fluffy friends. Check out the lyric video on YouTube and go to Pond5.com to license the track for your event!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany 🙂

To Dream or Not To Dream – Why You Might Want To Establish Creative Goals

May 11, 2023 by tprochera Leave a Comment

You know, I was honestly going to write about something else this week but this has been on my mind lately.

Today, I was talking to someone who was expressing her goals for her career. She’s working on a life-changing book – really, it’s going to be epic – and she has visions of being a multi-bestselling author and connecting with the likes of this luminary and that luminary and her forward will be written by so-and-so etc. I was so inspired by her aspiration and commitment and, at the same time, I felt a sense of sadness.

These days, I don’t really have any dreams with respect to my creative career.

Sure, I’ve got a bucket list of things I’d like to see and experience – like going to Eurovision, getting under dark, clear skies where I can actually see the Milky Way galaxy glowing above head – but I no longer have those end goals, those thing I want to accomplish, or those dreams that can drive and guide one into their future. I chalk it up to the fact that I feel I have failed so often that there’s no point in really trying for anything because, in my mind, it’s not going to work out anyway. So, I just do what I feel like doing, put it out there, and see what happens, like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.

The most important things that have happened in my life have happened without reaching for them, without real effort.

But I’m not sure that laissez-faire attitude is ultimately helpful.

Do you have goals and dreams with respect to your creativity, a timeline with a list of things you want to accomplish, both as projects and achievements? Absolutely, one needs to follow inspiration even if it’s not necessarily part of “the plan”, but goals and dreams can excite us and keep us focused. At least that’s what they’re supposed to do.

Imagine this. You’re a musician, you record a song and release it on social media, hoping maybe somebody somewhere will listen to it. Yaaay.

Or, you have a dream of reaching x-number of people with your music, releasing an album by the end of the year, signing with a major label within 5 years – maybe you even have a specific label in mind – and having a Grammy or two ten years from now.

Which vision do you think is more likely to get you out of bed in the morning?

It’s not about chasing the glory or even “making it” necessarily. It’s about having a focus, establishing intention behind what you are doing, working on a trajectory towards something meaningful and not seeing each action as starting from scratch to random, unpredictable ends. Wait. That sound like me. 😉

Anyway, it all allows you to streamline your activities and eliminate distraction. If you’ve determined that you’re going to create a pop album by the end of the year, you might write down the ideas that came to you for that children’s song for future reference, but you’re not going to put real energy into it – yet. No wishy-washing about it. Decision made.

And here’s the thing.

The ultimate results are not as important as who you have to become to be dedicated and focused – what kind of commitment is required that you can ultimately transfer to other aspects of your life. And honestly, things can change. In the process of working on the album or chasing the Grammy, you can discover a love of education and decide to become a music teacher. I’m not exactly sure how that would happen but it’s possible. It’s not the Grammy. It’s who you become in pursuit of the Grammy – or Booker or whatever.

And I might add, don’t be afraid to commit. It can feel like you’re missing out on other possibilities. But what if this happens? But what if I get an idea for that? OMG, have I been there! But think of it as a foundation, something to ground you, and trust that you will be led to where you are meant to be and if you are supposed to shift focus, it will be clear.

If you aren’t familiar with them, try establishing some SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (look it up if you don’t know what that all means) – and enjoy the support that comes with knowing where you want to go!

In Swimming Tigress News, I’m working on some new music that should be out on Pond 5 soon. And, in case you didn’t know, Tabitha’s Magical Voice and Idea Factory are now audiobooks that you can find on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes!

Have a great day and happy creating!

Tiffany 🙂

Do you really want to be doing this? – Questioning Your Creative Career

May 5, 2023 by tprochera 2 Comments

Now, hold on. You’re probably thinking this is one of those, “If you can think of yourself doing anything else, go and do it” lectures, one of those diatribes about how hard it is to have a creative career and if you’re not willing to give up literally everything else in your life to do it, you should just quit now.

This is not that. What I’m about to say is more geared toward career creatives and I’m not trying to be judgmental, so hear me out.

When the pandemic was in full swing, there was a lot of “I haven’t sung in months” kind of talk. And then, when things started to open up and folks started getting back to business it was, “I haven’t danced in 18 months. I have to get back in shape for this Broadway show.”

And I would say sometimes people need a break and it’s good to step back once in a while but these were pained comments. These people didn’t want the break. They wanted to keep singing and dancing.

Or at least it seemed like they did. So why didn’t they?

Maybe there was context I was missing. Maybe it was the shock of it all and there was a fear that things were never going to be the same again. But it almost seemed like, for a lot of people, the only reason they would dance or sing is if they had a show or a gig to prepare for. And these were some prominent, professional artists I’m talking about. In spite of the shock, they had to know things were going to start up again eventually. But suddenly it was, “Oh, rehearsals resume tomorrow and I haven’t sung in a year.”

I don’t know about y’all but I’m singing and dancing and writing whether there’ s a pandemic or not or whether I’m getting paid to or not. After my ballroom dance classes shut down in March of 2020 I started watching dance tutorials online and I have no one to dance with!

Which brings me to the point of this post. Absolutely we can need to step back for a while and reevaluate things. I suppose the situation over the last few years provided an opportunity to do that. But, in general, if you aren’t interested in maintaining and expanding your skills, if you aren’t curious and learning more about your craft and getting better, whether or not there’s a paycheck immediately attached, maybe you need to look at whether you actually want a creative career. Maybe it’s meant to be something you do on your own time when it moves you, and that’s perfectly okay.

There was a controversy about a theatre festival where some of the companies involved required actors to re-audition for the roles they had before things shut down. There was outrage at the audacity! And I’m not saying there was no reason to be upset.

But a show or event wants to present with a certain set of standards, a certainly level of quality. Yes, you may have been fabulous when you were hired in 2019 but if you didn’t keep up your skills etc. and are fumbling around when someone else has been preparing all along and is ready to just step into the role, do they not deserve the chance?

And again, I’m not judging. It was tough. Life can be tough. And sometimes you just want to hang out watching TV and eating bonbons. But if, for the most part, you don’t enjoy what you’re doing enough to be consistently participating and growing, even on your own, maybe it’s time to look at why you’re doing it.

Was there pressure from the family? Maybe you come from a family of artists or you got the “we spent thousands of dollars for you to learn the bloody piano so you better make money at it” speech. Maybe you feel a sense of status. You like people’s reaction when you tell them you’re a professional author or a painter. “How cool! I could never do that!” I know I get it all the time so I imagine it’s not that uncommon for people to think of creativity as a magical gift only reserved for a blessed few and you are basically a unicorn. Maybe you became a musician because of something that wasn’t directly related to the music itself. It wasn’t really about playing the guitar. The guitar served as a vehicle for comradery and connection with the other members of the band.

It’s okay if your creativity isn’t your bread and butter. You can still create. You can still paint, write, sing, dance. Nothing will take that away from you. But work is, well, work. Joyous work but it takes commitment, nonetheless.

So, if you don’t know for sure, maybe take some time to reflect on your experiences in the creative realm and see if you can figure out what makes you happy and what situations truly suit your soul. It’s possible you will feel a renewed sense of passion and commitment for your craft but be open to the possibility that there might be other more fulfilling avenues out there for you.

Hey, I question things sometimes, for various reasons. I wonder why I haven’t read that book on film scoring yet. I wonder why I I don’t know the music from that musical that everyone seems to be talking about on my Facebook groups. I wonder why I sometimes allow other, often inconsequential things, to take precedence over my craft. But I keep trying to get better and always come back to the fact that I love what I do and I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

In Swimming Tigress News,

Did you know Idea Factory: 20 Tantalizing Tips to Turbocharge Your Creativity is now an audiobook? With ideas to help get you creatively unstuck and keep those juices flowing, it’s a fun, quick read to enhance the experience of your craft. You can find it now on Audible, iTunes, and Amazon!

What’s Working, What’s Not: Time to Change How or What You Create?

January 16, 2020 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Greetings and Salutations!

As we are enter a new year, we often take time to evaluate what has worked and not worked in our lives so we can dispense with what is ineffective to make space for things that might be more fruitful and fulfilling. You know, stop eating this, start eating that. Call some friends more, let other friendships go. It can be so easy to go on autopilot, doing the same things the same way day in and day out and, next thing you know, it’s years later and you feel like you’ve made no real progress. And, like I said in my last post, you can reinvent yourself any day of the year but a new year is kind of an appropriate time to do it, don’t you think?

Do you also apply this evaluation process to your creative journey? It can actually be a fun thing to do, even if there may be the occasional moments of sadness and regret – not that there is ever anything to regret, only lessons to learn from. J

Why not, right? You want to thrive. You want your work to be the best it can be and inspire the right people. Sometime adjustments need to be made. But you don’t have to change for change’s sake, although you certainly can. It can be exhilarating to switch it up just because but if something is going great, no need to reinvent the wheel.

So, there are various areas to look at when going through the reevaluation. There’s what you do and how you it.

What are your current creative pursuits? Do you still enjoy writing novels, sculpting? Does it still inspire you on some level? Do you enjoy composing classical music or would you like to try some jazz? I always look at the current projects I have in the works and see what still does it for me and what new ideas I might want to undertake during the year. It’s important, as well, to realize that there are some ideas that sound intriguing but you are not really ready to commit to. So, if you are maybe engaged in a project that excited you when you first thought of it but it’s just not doing it for you anymore or it’s not evolving the way you thought it would, it’s okay to set it aside for a while or do away with it altogether. Let it goooo! Let it goooo!

But I digress. Then, once you assess at your actual creative projects, look at your process. Does it allow you to do your best work? Is it time to rent some studio space rather than doing all your creating in your home? Do you find performing live unnecessarily stressful and would rather stick to being a recording artist? You can do that. Maybe the writing in the coffee shop routine provides you with more distraction than inspiration. Maybe you need to work at a different time of day for maximum effectiveness. There are plenty of books and resources with tips on the best way to engage your creativity and, while you can absolutely experiment, it’s ultimately about what works best for you. Take some time to reflect on when you thrived in your creation, when you were “in the zone”.

Finally, how have you been trying to reach people (a.k.a. promotion) up to this point? This makes sense to be the last area to assess as changing your creative focus will change your target market and how you access it. Do some reading on promotional techniques for artists, watch some videos. There are plenty of people offering programs on Facebook with introductory webinars – how helpful they might be is another question but they’re out there. Are you a big social media user? What platforms are getting you the most response? What new techniques can you try to get more traction? is it time to incorporate live videos or start a blog? If you are getting lots of “likes” and whatnot, do they translate into concrete benefits for your creative pursuits? If you are a career creative, hundreds of thousands of views and thumbs ups mean nothing if people aren’t then buying your stuff. Just sayin’. Maybe you’ve been overly focused on social media interaction and it hasn’t been working. What about a more direct contact approach? Some promotional things can be fun and having fun is important – some people love doing crazy behind-the-scenes videos and such – but this is also a time to look at whether your promotional strategies are worth the time you’re investing in them.

As you go through this process of analysis, remember that you probably won’t have the answers and that’s okay. Try not to think of it as wasted time if you don’t see things happen right away or if some new idea seems to fail. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. You can’t guarantee that you’ll become a resounding success if you go from writing travel books to YA novels. You don’t know if you’ll go from 100 to 1,000,000 followers on Twitter if you start sharing your band’s fashion tips. All you can do is try – explore some new ideas and see what happens. Think of it an as experiment and have some fun as the results come in!

And with that, I’ll sign off. Now, if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you start the year off right, might I humbly suggest my book, A Candle At Both Ends: Thoughts of Inspiration for the Beginning and End of the Day, full of poetry and prose to help you start the day inspired and go to sleep peaceful and resolved. Check out more info here http://tiffanyprochera.com/candle-at-both-ends/.

Make Time For Play In 2020!

January 7, 2020 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Happy New Year!

We’re only a few days in but I hope 2020 is treating you well so far. I had such a blast on New Year’s Eve with a new group of people, amazing food in a beautiful venue, and the band played all of my favourite songs. I’m hoping to keep the party going this year!

Now, while I certainly believe that we can reinvent ourselves at any point in time – really, you can wake up tomorrow and decide to do everything completely differently if you want – the start of a new year and a new decade seems like an appropriate time to reevaluate things, doesn’t it?

I’ve been looking at my creative journey and there are certainly things I plan on changing – getting more focused with my pursuits, learning how to market more effectively. But there is one particular item I became aware of the other day that I really need to put on the agenda, and maybe you do too.

I am committing myself to making more time to play with my creativity in 2020.

You see, I remember hearing about two aspects of the creative process – and I apologize that I can’t recall where it first came up. There’s a performance mode – where you’re practising for a specific gig or working on a project – and there’s an exploratory mode in which you have no particular objectives.

And while we are often feel the need to be in performance mode in the spirit of being productive, if we’re going to be well-rounded creatives, we have to make time for both work and play.

I have often found myself, say, sitting down to play piano just for fun, going through song books, and wondering whether it’s going to matter. Why am I doing this? Am I wasting my time? Shouldn’t I be working on something else?

But that time of exploration is important. It is where ideas come from. It’s how you get in touch with what you really want to be creating rather than just what you think you should be creating. It should not be dismissed as wasted time.

So, here in 2020, if you feel like writing a short story and catch yourself doubting it, saying but where is it going to get published? Shouldn’t I finish that xyz that’s actually important? Stop it, I say! Stop it! Let yourself play a bit. Try being in that space without expectations, without judgment. You never know where it’s going to lead and, really, it doesn’t have to lead anywhere to be beneficial.

This is a commitment I’m making to myself for the year ahead and I can’t wait to see what happens! Join me, won’t you?

With that, I’ll sign off wishing you an amazing year ahead with all of the fulfillment and creative joy you can hold. Let’s rock this thing!

And if you’re looking for some inspiration to help you start the year off right, might I humbly suggest my book, A Candle At Both Ends: Thoughts of Inspiration for the Beginning and End of the Day, full of poetry and prose to help you start the day inspired and go to sleep peaceful and resolved. Check out more info here http://tiffanyprochera.com/candle-at-both-ends/.

What Do You Want Your Audience To Feel?

July 23, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

I have heard that life is essentially about emotion. We do things and want things because we think we will feel happier in the doing or acquiring of those things. We jump off of cliffs because of the rush. We eat ice cream because it makes us feel comforted. We eat kale salad because it makes us feel, well, righteous for eating the kale salad. We work out because we either get a rush from it (I actually enjoy being physical active though you wouldn’t know it to look at me) or we think it will feel good to be more fit or to look “better”, whatever that means. Think about it. It’s all about emotion.

Right now, my city is holding its annual Fringe Festival – a time when theatre artists get to experiment with their craft and audiences get to enjoy their offerings in a fun-filled and low-risk environment (tickets for fringe shows are quite affordable so you’re willing to take a chance on something out of the ordinary) .

Now, I’ll try to make my point here without giving anything away about the show in case it comes to your town as fringe performers often travel from city to city. Anyway, I went to this one-man show that involved no speaking. There were sounds – grunts and “ohs” and such – but no actual words. And I was totally okay with that aspect of it.

But there was something that confused me about the whole thing. While the performer conveyed emotion, I as an audience member could not tell where it was originating from. I knew he was angry, but I didn’t know why. I knew he was excited but I didn’t know why. At least much of the time. So there may have been a narrative but it was essentially lost on me and I was left somewhat frustrated. And to be honest, the character was actually a little creepy, which is I’m sure not what the creator intended.

As artists, yes, we want to explore, to express, but we also have an audience to consider. I’ve thought about this in comparison to sports where the goal is simply to win. Sure, a basketball game may be exciting. But a player is not going to intentionally bounce the ball off of the rim for the sake of drama. They want it to go in and if an onslaught happens right at the beginning of the game and seals the deal early on, they’re okay with that. They aren’t striving for a dramatic ending or a photo finish. In the arts, we should be considering the emotions of the viewer. That’s why we are sharing our craft, after all, isn’t it?

When you are putting your work together, take the opportunity to get out of yourself a bit from time to time and see things from the audience’s perspective. What are they experiencing? Do they understand what you’re trying to say or have you at least given them enough to go on that they can create their own story? It’s fine to have some inside jokes but make sure that those who aren’t in on the joke will still enjoy.

It’s not about creating something of mass popularity and it’s not about catering to something that is not true to you. It’s about creating something meaningful that tells the story you want to tell. It’s about asking yourself, “What do I want the audience to experience with this work? What do I want them to feel?” and doing the research, getting the feedback to find out if it’s actually what is coming across so people don’t leaving the experience wondering, what was that? Unless that’s exactly what you’re going for. 😉

Happy creating!

You Can Do It Over Again

July 9, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Do you ever look back at your creative trajectory and wish you could have done things different? Followed a different path? Taken advantage of those opportunities that have passed you by? Do you find yourself ever wondering if you should have moved for that job, taken that gig, focused on youth literature instead of adult novels?

Years ago, I had an album that had made it on the radio in my home town. Even though I hadn’t been living there for a few years, it felt pretty good to hear that I was the Song Of The Day! So, I got a phone call one day from someone asking me if I wanted to be the opening act for a popular Canadian group that was going to be performing at the local theatre in two weeks. I was flattered, to say the least, but I also panicked. I hadn’t been planning on performing these songs out anywhere. I hadn’t been practicing. I didn’t think I could have a credible set ready in time so I respectfully declined the offer.

Now you might be saying, what was she thinking? That could have been her big break! Why did she turn it down?

Honestly, I can tell you what was going through my head but I don’t know if it made sense or not. It just made sense in the moment. I’m not gonna lie – It crosses my mind from time to time. Who knows what would have happened after that show? I could have become the pre-Taylor Swift. The show could have been a total disaster. My life could have become a total disaster even if the show itself was successful.

But here’s the thing. Regret doesn’t do us any good because we can’t change what happened. As the saying goes, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. We have to trust that we somehow made the right decision for ourselves. We followed the path we followed because it seemed like the best thing to do at the time so it doesn’t serve us to get down on ourselves about it.

We can’t redo the past but guess what? We can learn from it and create an amazing future. That’s what we do, right? We create stuff. And every day we are creating our lives for better or worse. There are still plenty of opportunities out there. There are plenty of gigs to play, plenty of places to move to. We can still evolve and change direction anytime we want to. We don’t have to stay stuck. As the saying goes, it’s not over until it’s over. And while, at my vintage, I’m not likely to become the ‘next’ Taylor Swift, that doesn’t mean I still can’t get out there and perform if I want to. There are plenty of household names that only gained their popularity in their forties, fifties, and beyond.

So, here’s a fun exercise.

When something doesn’t work out the way I intended or I decide not to do something, like go to a concert or other event, I sometimes imagine what awful things might have transpired if I had left the house. Especially when I see people’s Facebook posts about what a great time they had at said event. It kind of helps soothe my FOMO a bit.

So, why not look at all of the things that you regret not doing in your creative life – those choices that, when you revisit them, make you cringe and you wish you could go back and do them over – and write down all of the horrible things that could have happened if you had made those other choices? You know, you could have ended up hopelessly addicted to drugs, divorced from your spouse. Your private plane taking you to the Oscars could have crashed. Have fun imagining all the possibilities! 🙂

As you then review the carnage, you will hopefully realize that you don’t know what would have happened and, really, you could have it much worse than you do now. You may even be filled with a sense of gratitude that you didn’t take those roads. So, at the bottom of your list you can add, “Thank goodness I am where I am! Now I can create the awesomeness from here! “ , reminding yourself that every day is a chance to start over, a chance to make different choices and take new paths.

Have fun creating!

And in Swimming Tigress news, just a friendly reminder to the music teachers out there that fall is approaching fast and it’s time to look for some new repertoire for your young students. Why not check out my songbooks, Bad Moods and Brain Freezes , with songs that are as fun to teach as they are to learn. Available through this site and Sheet Music Plus!

Location, Location, Location – Where Should You Really Be?

July 2, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Do you ever wonder if you’re living in the right place to explore your creative gifts? Do you think location even matters? Having lived in the same city in the same apartment for 22 years now, I’ve been struck by some wanderlust of late so this is has been on my mind. Is there an ideal environment for building a thriving creative career or optimizing your creative expression?

There are a lot of factors to consider when one looks at location as a creator, aside from the mythical tales of the now legendary writers gathering together in a café in Paris or painters flocking to Nice. As dreamy as it sounds to envision yourself as part of that legacy – and yes, Nice is noooice 😉 – it’s really about finding the right place for you – if there, in fact, is one.

Before you begin your search, you might want to write down how you want to feel in your home – in general and with respect to your creativity. Do you want to feel inspired? Surrounded by beauty? Connected to the cultural community? Respected for what you do? You see, I heard once – well, probably more than once – that we do things or want things because of the way we think they will make us feel. So, when you focus on the way you want to feel, which is what it’s all about anyway, you can leave the door open to the possibilities. I mean, you can say, “I want to live in Paris.” Cool. And it might be just what you need. It’s a really fun place. But – and not that this will necessarily be your reality – after you’ve moved into your 100 square-foot apartment and stepped in your fiftieth pile of dog poop you might reevaluate things. But you wanted to live in Paris, right? Or maybe you wanted to be surrounded by creativity, culture, history. And there are lots of places where you can find that that might be more comfortable for you.

In some fields, especially solitary ones like writing, you can live anywhere. In this age of technology, it is possible to live in one country and conduct the majority of your international business remotely. Heck, if you really wanted you could conduct all your appearances by Skype or something and never leave the house. In collaborative fields, like film making, it helps to live in a location where the people you are inclined to work with are going to be, where an industry is already established. Unless you’re already famous and wealthy and don’t have to hit the pavement. Then you can live on a ranch in Texas and let the job offers come to you and you just fly to set on your private jet.

Dreams aside, there are cities that are known for dominating certain creative fields – Los Angeles for film, New York for theatre, Paris or Milan for fashion. But, depending on your ultimate goals, you may not have to pay half a million dollars for a 600 square-foot flat.

There are places with thriving film industries outside of L.A. – not that L.A. isn’t great. You might not get paid as much, if at all, but you can certainly have fun getting connected, gaining experience, and learning about your craft. After a few years you might want to go to the big city but maybe you’ll find that where you are is just the right pace for you.

You see, even when we have a passion, we can choose to engage it on different levels. It can be the all-out I-want-to-be-the-best-in-the-world kind of thing, it can be an as-long-as-I-can-pay-my-rent-I’m-happy kind of thing, or it can be an I-don’t-want-to-spoil-it-by-worrying-about-making-money-so-dabbling-on-weekends-is-just-my-thing kind of thing. So, you can still participate even if you’re not in the thick of it.

Whatever your intentions, there may be locations – whether they be other cities or simply other neighborhoods – that are more conducive to pursuing your creativity. Do you need to be around certain resources? Do you do your best work in a coffee shop but there’s nothing within walking distance? You can change that. Have you put the bulk of your money into recording gear so you can’t afford a car but the public transit system where you’re currently living leaves something to be desired? You can change that. Are you inspired by art galleries and museums and your town is a little lacking in that department? You can change that. I know, for myself, even if I’m not in London or New York, I probably couldn’t live in a place that didn’t broadcast the Metropolitan Opera and other world-renowned theatrical productions in the local movie theatres. I would feel like I was missing out on too much.

In my hometown, I was heading to a concert last week – a concert which I was ultimately not allowed to attend for reasons I won’t get into but are unfortunately not at all scandalous on my part – that took place in another area of town I have been in before but rarely visit. And I was pleasantly surprised. It occurred to me that it was within walking distance of the main theatres and entertainment centres – right now I have to travel at least half an hour to go to most events which isn’t far for some people but seems kind of tedious to me. There was a lovely park across the street. There were plenty of cafes and restaurants to hang out in. And, since it’s the city’s French quarter, I would get to speak French, a desire that has been in me since my trip to Europe. So, while it’s possible a different city is the only way to cure my restlessness, sometimes a small change can make a big difference.

I wrote in a previous post about honoring your excellence, and part of that is finding your tribe, that community of people who will support you, help you grow, and think you’re awesome. And sometimes a place just feels right… or wrong… and I think it matters. I was recently musing about how you can, in fact, fit a square peg into a round hole if it’s made of something soft like marshmallow but it doesn’t mean it belongs there. We can struggle trying to adapt and morph ourselves to suit our surroundings or we can find a place that suits our natural way of being. A place where we really fit in. A place that feels like home.

If you’re an aspiring make-up artist for film and television, say, and you’ve been trying to get connected to your community – attending networking events and offering to volunteer your services and all that to get more experience – and it’s just not working, consider this. Maybe you’re going about things wrong way – you might want to assess your approach and see if maybe you’re a little too aggressive or not forward enough or just acting unprofessionally. But maybe you’d be more successful somewhere else. Maybe there’s another place where you will fit right in and be welcomed with open arms and you can thrive.

Now, not everyone has the freedom or finances to move, but if you do and you feel like you’re just not gelling creatively with your current environment, why not make a wish list of what you think you need and have some fun exploring. It’s a big world out there! And let me know what you come up with. 🙂

When Do You Speak Up? Expressing Opinions on Professional Online Forums

June 25, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hey all!

This post is going to be more about more about exploring a topic as opposed to offering any real insight or solutions. Of course, I’ll try to say something useful here but I’d love you to comment with your thoughts on the matter.

I’m a member of some industry-related Facebook groups for people looking for creative opportunities. You know, people will post jobs, questions, etc. and, if you’re interested, you can comment or send a message. I’m sure there are many other online forums and such that serve the same purpose.

Anyway, I’ve seen all sorts of posts of varying degrees of legitimacy offering varying pay scales, if you catch my drift. When something seems a little off, occasionally people will comment. Like, they’ll say, “Well, you’re clearly getting paid for the job so why can’t you pay your assistant?”, or “Yeah, sure, I can pay my rent with exposure” or they’ll advise readers not to work with the poster or, sometimes, it’s the poster who gets on to vent and warn about a person or company they’ve worked with.

And it got me wondering – when is it, or is it ever, appropriate to call somebody out in a supposedly professional environment like these online forums?

I have seen people respond to these dissenting or cynical comments suggesting they should just not apply for the job if they don’t like the terms – I don’t particularly agree but fair enough, I suppose. When job seekers questioned the terms of a potential opportunity, the poster even commented back accusing they cynics of racism. I thought that was a rather creative interpretation of the situation and I wonder how many people are going to want to work with him after that.

So, when does the voice of reason become the whiner? And when can being outspoken have an effect on your career? Is it worth it?

I’m almost inclined to say it might be.

I mean, I’m all in favour of making sure people get paid unless there’s a really good reason why everyone should be volunteering their services – like it’s for charity. “I feel like making a movie and I have no money so everyone involved should do it for free” is not really a good enough reason in my eyes. And if the vast majority of opportunities you see are volunteer or you know the person posting is making money off of it, you can get frustrated if you’re trying to make a living at your craft. Isn’t it in the industry’s best interest for someone to point these things out? As I’ve said before, getting paid means we can further our skills and become better at what we do, after all, and if people are always willing to do jobs for nothing, then eventually no one will be able make a living. And maybe if more people speak up, someone will get the hint. Just today I saw a posting for an unpaid voice artist to narrate promotional videos for a known creative post-secondary school. And it didn’t look like it was for a class project. I was this close to writing, “Come on. Really?”

And there are situations where safety is a concern. If a potential employer has acted in an abusive manner in the past, shouldn’t those considering their opportunity know about it before they get in too deep? There was a post from someone the other day saying they would discuss payment “in person”. While some commenters were concerned that they would then be roped into doing the job for free, my mind went to kidnapping and being sold into a trafficking situation.

It has happened. A job posting for a make-up artist, for example, will promise a great opportunity with a well-known movie production company, the new hire travels to the city to meet them and they end up at an abandoned building. You can take the story from there. Wouldn’t you want to be warned of a situation like that? Wouldn’t you want to warn someone of a situation like that, even if it made you look like a complainer? I know I would. By the way, just be aware of opportunities that look good to be true. They might very well be.

You see, you can state these things in ways that are less inflammatory than an outright accusation. For example, asking why a project might be volunteer is more a request for clarification than a commentary on the pay scale, wouldn’t you say?

How can these comments affect our professional status? Well, it depends I suppose. I, for one, think it’s hugely important to be courteous, polite and well-spoken in any professional situation, online or offline. I have seen horrendous grammar, spelling and just general tackiness from people even posting job opportunities, seemingly unaware that they too are being judged. So, comments should refrain from profanity or personal attacks and do check your spelling. But, if you do it right, isn’t is possible that you might be closing one door but opening a bunch of others? I mean, people could witness your passion, eloquence and all round awesomeness and be dying to work with you! Right? I don’t really know but I suppose anything can happen.

All that being considered, remember that potentially thousands of people will be exposed to your comments so:

1) You need to walk the walk and stand by what you say. People will find out if you’re being hypocritical, like if you rant about an employer treating you badly and then stories come out about how you’ve been nasty and difficult to work with. That’ll come back to bite ya in the tukus!

2) Keep it to the subject at hand and don’t go on and on about every time an employer has done you wrong or whatever. Nobody cares and that’s the straight up definition of a whiner.

2) Realize that certain ideas expressed may limit some opportunities for you and you need to be okay with that. I applaud those who comment that artists should be getting paid for their services. I do. And when a really cool job comes up that you would do for nothing (good thing because that’s what they’re offering) don’t be surprised if the poster responds. “Saw your other posts and you don’t like doing things for free so no.” That’s what comes with taking a stand so you have to be ready for it.

So, what do you think? Is expressing your opinions on professional online forums a worthwhile thing to do – if you do it tactfully, of course? Or should you keep your comments to yourself and let everyone else deal with their own stuff? Let your voice be heard!

Originality – Nice, But is it Necessary?

June 18, 2019 by tprochera Leave a Comment

As creators, we often wonder if our ideas have been done before. Are we reinventing the wheel, so to speak? Certainly, this is something to consider with copyright infringement laws and all of that. Nobody wants to be sued.

And, on one hand, it doesn’t hurt to ask yourself if you’ve seen this kind of thing before. I remember watching a made-for-TV film released by a well-known production company that shall remain nameless and I was like, seriously? This is Sister Act without the homicidal boyfriend. Maybe the writers were inspired by the hit movie. Maybe it was intended to be an “original” concept. I don’t know for sure and, hey, I don’t have a script in with a major production company so who am I to judge? But it would have been virtually impossible to not notice the similarities. And I can think of more than one songwriter who would have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they had taken a moment to ponder the question. I’m just saying.

Someone once said there’s nothing new under the sun. Now, I don’t believe that’s entirely true – there are truly ingenious, refreshing, new ideas that reveal themselves all the time – but I do think that we might want to be a little easier on ourselves if we are inspired by an existing idea or if our concept is not 100% revolutionary.

I mean, look at history. Back in the day, it was common place to try to paint exactly like your mentor. Composers took segments of other musical works and inserted them into their own – yes, sampling was happening in the 1800’s and earlier. Convention was so strong in some respects that there were only so many ways to structure a melodic phrase. I’ll admit I’ve heard a bit of classical music in my time but, even so, I can listen to a completely unfamiliar piece from certain periods and tell you pretty much how it’s going to end, because that’s simply how you ended things. And nobody had a problem with it.

And, when you think about it, there are common ideas in life so why should their not be common ideas in art? I mean, guys meet girls in bars all the time so if you see the scenario in a lot of movies, there might be a reason for it.

I’ve been thinking recently about how we all have our own gifts as artists. Some of us are the innovators who bring in the new techniques, the new future conventions, the iconic tales, and some of us take existing techniques and conventions and execute them brilliantly. When I was a composition student, I arrived at my lesson super excited because I was going to write a piece that used a scale of alternating whole tones and semitones. I thought I was brilliant! My teacher kindly pointed out that my concept was, in fact, the octatonic scale, which was already very much in existence. Now, I could have berated myself for not knowing about the scale already but I chose to see it as, hey, I invented a real scale! How cool is that? But perhaps I’m of the second type of artist?

Some years ago, there were two films about Snow White released in theatres at the same time. At first, you might say well, that’s kind of going overboard, isn’t it? Yes, it’s a popular tale but to have two major motion pictures come out at the same time? But they were completely different! The creators took entirely different approaches to the story and, while I’ll leave it up to the individual to determine which was the better film, having watched both, I personally didn’t have a feeling of repetition.

You see, the concept is only part of the equation. What’s just as important is how you take the idea in a unique direction. How do you make it yours and put your spin on it? I mean, someone could have written a really crappy story about a kid going to wizard school and then where would we all be?

So, my point is, craft is just as relevant as concept and, even if your story isn’t entirely revolutionary, your expression of that story is still worth telling, keeping in mind of course, that there are legal ramifications for intentionally ripping somebody else off. So let go of some of the pressure and just create already! 🙂