inspiration Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Mozart Effect and Using Art to Heal

March 1, 2016 by tprochera Leave a Comment

mozart effect Hey all!

So, I am revisiting a book called The Mozart Effect by Don Campbell. It’s all about the power of music and sound to heal and largely follows the research of Alfred Tomatis, a French physician who discovered ways of treating everything from Alzheimer’s to autism with sound. And there’s more. Different genres and even the music of specific composers can be used to boost creativity and subconsciously reorganize the brain. As the saying goes, there’s something in it for everyone!

I actually 5 weeks one summer at a listening therapy clinic in Toronto. I was helping the therapists working with kids with autism as they were listening to recordings of their mother’s voice with the lower frequencies taken out. The intention was to recreate the sound of the voice in the womb and, hopefully, increase communication. It was a fascinating experience. I actually had a little girl take my hand and, with determination in her non-verbal little voice, lead me around the room. According to the therapist, she was trying to arrange me, put me in my proper place in her space. I was a part of her tableau! While I was a little miffed at being bossed around, I was pleased that she at least wanted me in her picture! 🙂

But I digress. So, there are so many things that are coming up for me as I continue reading this book. How can I help others heal with my work? How can I use music to help others, even if it’s not mine? How can I help improve my own life with these techniques?

Have you ever thought about how you might be able to use your art form to heal – not just through the stories you tell, but through the technical processes of your medium? There is a growing interest in art therapy – with people working in hospitals and clinics to promote recovery and wellness. To practice music therapy, you actually need to get a degree and I imagine that’s pretty common among the art forms. But if that’s quite your thing or you’re not really interested in working in a clinical environment, you might want to consider at least doing some research into the field to see what techniques or applications you might want to incorporate into your work to make it even more impactful.

Just a thought!

candle cover shadow oct 2014

And in Swimming Tigress Music Land, I am super happy to announce that we are now On The ‘Zon! I think that should be a new hashtag – #OnTheZon !

Anyway, I have finally released three Kindle ebooks on Amazon – A Candle At Both Ends, Tabitha’s Magical Voice and the original story of Mocha And The Moon – along with the paperback version of Candle.

There is a load of inspiration and fun in these reads to I invite you to check them by visiting the links below and get your copies today. And you can spread the word while you’re at it! Enjoy!

Candle At Both Ends: http://www.amazon.com/dp/b01c3j0x02

Tabitha’s Magical Voice: http://www.amazon.com/dp/b01c4jqnfa

Mocha and the Moon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/b01c3k6xfk

Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic” and Weighing Down Your Creativity

February 3, 2016 by tprochera Leave a Comment

big magic 2 Hey guys!

Right now, I’m watching Eat Pray Love for about the 6^th time on TV. I love the sense of adventure and reinventing yourself! And, well, who wouldn’t enjoy eating a margherita pizza in Naples?!

So, of course, today’s blog post has to be about Elizabeth Gilbert.

I recently read her latest offering, Big Magic – all about the mystery and magic of creativity – and every chapter seemed to bring a new revelation or point to ponder. Some ideas I am absolutely on board with, others I’m just not sure how I feel about them yet.

Have you ever thought about what you expect from your creativity? Do you expect your creativity to bring you world fame? Have about millions of dollars or at least a reasonable living? How about a different understanding of the world, a greater sense of meaning that you can then share with others?

Well, how about this? Gilbert’s take on creativity is that it, in fact, does not owe us anything.

According to Gilbert, each idea is is a living, breathing entity looking for a place to happen, on a search for expression, and you should feel incredibly honoured if it chooses you as its channeling vessel. If you ignore it, it will move on to someone else – she has a crazy story about an idea that left her and found a new home – and if you expect anything from it other than the joy and frustration that comes with the act of creation itself, you are stifling it and potentially scaring it off.

Can’t say I’m not guilty of all of this myself. I have passed on ideas because I didn’t take the time to write them down and then, of course, forgotten them later on. I’ve had expectations that a work is supposed to be my break out thing, that it’s supposed to make me x amount of dollars within the year, that it’s going to affect specific people. I’ve even wrestled songs and stories to the ground to make sure they convey the message I want them to convey, which may not be the message they came here to convey.

So, apparently, a more effective goal might be to embrace and invite creativity – even woo and seduce it – and if you somehow get paid or get recognized for it, great. And if that happens on a relatively frequent basis, you might be secure enough financially to quit your day joy and engage in it full time. But you should never place such pressure on it because the work, the creativity, needs to be what it’s going to be and not what you want it to be.

So, my question is, what is your relationship to your creativity? What kind of expectations have you placed on it? Are those expectations working for you or is it time to, perhaps, re-evaluate, reschedule and reconfigure so that you get the best of all worlds?

I will leave you with that thought for today. Enjoy and please share your thoughts in the comment section below! I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

Write What You Know or Leave It All To The Imagination? Points To Ponder Courtesy of John Irving

January 14, 2016 by tprochera 2 Comments

So, I was recently listening to an interview with the celebrated writer, John Irving, author of The World According To Garp among many other great novels.

Near the end of the interview he said something that intrigued me greatly. He said that he has essentially led a boring life, one free of any serious traumatic events, and this has given him the freedom to imagine things much more horrific that have ever happened, or could ever happen, to him in real life.

Isn’t this an interesting concept? I’m sure we’ve all, at some point or another, been encouraged to work from our own experiences somehow, to “write what we know”. Irving seems to counter that idea, suggesting that, if “what you know” is too intense, you can become stuck in those moments and unable to venture outside of them. But if your reality is, well, dull and unremarkable then you have a blank slate and all possibilities are open to you. At least that’s how I’m interpreting his comments and I apologize to Mr. Irving if I am mistaken.

What do you think? Work from imagination or work from experience?

I think I get what he’s saying. If you have been through something worthy of building a piece of art around it (well, anything can really be seen in a creative light but we’re talking epic events here) I imagine it would be tempting to recreate everything as it happened from your recollection. And, coming from reality, the images would certainly be vivid. But the whole story might not make for the best piece of art in the long run. Maybe the essence of the event is fascinating but it would be even more so if x character were added or it took place in a different location or a different point in history.

It makes me think of The Silver Linings Playbook. I was absolutely mesmerized by the book – couldn’t put it down – but there were just enough details changed in the movie version to demote it from amazing to pretty good in my mind. It’s not the same thing but it is. Anyway, I get his point that, when you feel confined by reality, you might not be able to make the most compelling story possible.

What is your take on this theory? I’d love to hear your thoughts so put them in the comments section below!

Have a great day!

A Curious Mind – The Book And The Thing

November 6, 2015 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hey guys!

So, I recently had the pleasure of reading A Curious Mind by Brian Grazer, the highly-respected and spiky-haired producer behind TV shows such as 24 and movies such as The Da Vinci Code and Frost/Nixon.

Grazer attributes his success in work and life in large part to his curious nature. He’s not afraid to ask questions and he intentionally seeks out inspiration and understanding. For decades, he has made a point of finding people whom he considers to be interesting for their life experience, their knowledge, and going to great lengths to arrange meetings with those people to learn from them in some way, shape or form – from Fidel Castro to Oprah Winfey. He calls these meetings “curiosity conversations”.

While I was reading this book I thought to myself, how curious am I? Certainly, I would consider myself an intelligent person and I read a fair amount, But how often do I let myself follow the breadcrumbs? How often do I seek out information from people? And when I am engaged with others, do I really dig in and ask questions or do I just sit back and let the other person talk, sharing what they will? What could be gained from that new mindset?

And so I thought I would try really digging in and approaching every interaction with a truly curious mind and I realized that I had been missing so much! There was so much to learn that I was letting slip by because I wasn’t as engaged as I could have been.

It’s rather new development but I’ve already been inspired by it and have noticed a difference in my creativity. I have been asking more questions of people and where they come from and it gives me new ideas to think about. When I come across something that intrigues me, I’m trying not to put it in my back pocket and say, “Oh, I’ll check it out at some point,” knowing that I probably never will. I’m trying to follow up and check it out.

Could you be more curious? What do you think would happen if you saw life as an adventure, something to really explore and investigate?

When you approach life with curiosity, you can be taken down roads you never expected. And, as a creative person, the new and unexpected is always fun, isn’t it? So, let’s take a page out of Brian Grazer’s book – literally! – and begin cultivating our curious minds!

Have a great day!

The Beauty of Creative Cross-Inspiration

August 20, 2015 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hey guys!

So, a couple of weeks ago, I talked about trying on other creative roles, suggesting that we often identify ourselves in a certain way and it can sometimes keep us in a box so it can behoove us, if you will, to try something new to inspire us and to see things from a different angle.

Today I’d like to talk about being inspired by art forms other than those in which we currently engage.

As a musician, for example, I am often inspired by the music I hear, by the elegant poetry of the lyrics, the unexpected chord progressions or the effective production of the recording. And, while I would never attempt to take from another’s work, it is only natural for a person to learn from the work of others in their field.

But I can also learn and grow as a musician from things that are not music related. My musical inspiration can come from many places, and by that I do not mean seeing daily events as thematic material for my work. There’s more to it than that.

Sometimes dancing can make me think of music. Sometimes a scene in a movie can bring melodic motifs into my head. These are obvious pairings as most dance is performed to music and there is a musical score behind most films.

But it’s not even about these art forms working together in an expected way.

When I was directing a musical earlier this year, there was a character in the show who was a refined and, yet, passionate man of Russian background. I suggested to the actor portraying him that he view videos of the amazing figure skater, Victor Petrenko. I gave him this homework because I wanted him to sing and act like Petrenko skated, with that technical perfection infused with emotion that was both moving and mesmerizing to watch.

When you watch a great new film or one of your existing favorites, notice the pacing of the action of the dialog. Notice the setting. Can you use any of the stylistic or linguistic techniques to enhance your own work? What would the bold colours of a film from the 1960’s look like as a musical piece? Does a brush stroke in a painting make you think of a haunting cello line? Does that small statue of a little girl in the museum inspire a poem or, perhaps, an entire novel telling her story?

This is all about creating a kind of artistic synesthesia, if you will, whereby the different art forms inspire and fuel each other. More about synesthesia in a future blog post.

In Swimming Tigress Music news, I am excited to announce our that I have just finished the last track for the Ladybug Crossings album! The lyric video for Mr. Willywallywolowitz will be out shortly and I’m expecting the album to be released at the end of September!

Speaking of September, it is almost the start of the new lesson season. So, if you or anyone you know is looking to experience the joy of learning to sing, I am currently accepting students in person and via Skype for the upcoming year. You can find more information on the Music Lessons page on this site and then contact me through the Contact page if you have any questions.

Well, that’s all for now. Have a fabulous day!

Sometimes It Just Takes a While – Give Your Dreams Just a Little More Time!

August 5, 2015 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hey Guys!

So, most of us, when we take on a creative career, want to reach as many people as possible. As humble as we want to be, on one level we would love to have people all over the world singing our songs, reading our books, enjoying our paintings.

So when we put something out there, when we release our child into the world, we can become discouraged and dismayed if there isn’t an immediate response – if we don’t have Hollywood directors or major publishing houses beating down our door the day after the launch. I myself have boxes of books and CDs that I’m actually pretty proud of but, for a variety of reasons, have not as yet been commercially successful, though they certainly have inspired those who have been exposed to them. 🙂

I say they have not “as yet” been successful because I am well aware that circumstances can change. I was recently watching an interview with the lovely Rachel Platten, the singer/songwriter behind the inspirational hit of the summer, Fight Song. She spent years working regular jobs and playing gigs until the wee hours of the morning and was on the verge of giving up when she came upon one of her old journals from her childhood and found herself inspired by this young girl who had such faith in herself. And now she’s performing in front of thousands of people every night all over the world!

Check out the clip from the show and I bet you’ll be ready to make your dreams happen!

I also want to share a tasty tidbit from Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday when she interviewed the fascinating Paulo Coehlo, author of the inspiring philosophical novel, The Alchemist.

Now one of the most popular books of all time, having sold 65 million copies, Coehlo will be the first to admit that The Alchemist was hardly a phenomenon when it was first released. The book had a slow start, to say the least!

After selling next to zero copies of the book over several months, he went on the search for another publisher..

Then, when the book was reissued, the word started to spread like wildfire, with A-list celebrities singing its praises, and history was made!

I want to say this. Certainly people can change paths and there may come a time when it would be best to move on to something else that will ultimately prove to be more fulfilling for you. But if you truly believe with all your heart that you are doing what you are here to do on this earth, do what you need to do to make sure you have a roof over your head and all that and give your dream just a little more time to percolate! You’ll be glad you did!

And don’t forget to add your two cents or a nickel to this conversation. Did you have a dream come true just when you were ready to quit? Did you just know something was meant to be even though you weren’t seeing the results you wanted right away and then suddenly it all came together? Let us know!

In Swimming Tigress Music news this week, I’ve posted a bunch more fabulous and fun material on Pinterest, including sheet music, demos and more, so check it out and enjoy!

Have a fabulous day!

The “What If” Game – A Fun and Effective Tool To Spark Creativity

July 8, 2015 by tprochera Leave a Comment

Hi guys!

So, when you think of “what if”, your mind might drift to thoughts of doom and gloom and the ways in which people will assess all forms of potential threat to hopefully avoid catastrophe. They figure if they can anticipate every possible danger they can counter that danger and stay safe. And this is certainly one way in which the term can be applied even if, as I have found, it can cause you so much more worry than it’s worth!

But did you know that “what if” can also be an amazing tool to spark creative ideas?

A few years ago, I was writing in my journal before bed as I do most nights – unless I’m really tired and just can’t bring myself to put pen to paper!

I was writing away – about my day, about my desires and concerns – and I felt like I was sounding like a broken record, rehashing the same old things night after night – When is x going to happen? Why do I feel y all the time? And, frankly, I was getting bored with myself.

So, I decided to shake things up and play a game. I thought it would be fun to pick something, anything, in the world and make it different from how it currently was and look at the implications of that change. For example, what if the sky was yellow instead of blue? What would that mean? What else would be altered because of it?

I had no idea what was going to come up but, for some reason, the first idea that popped into my head was, what if cows really could jump over the moon? I’m not sure where the thought came from – it was likely a reference to the popular children’s poem, “Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon” – you know the one – but the poem hadn’t presented itself to me in recent memory.

Anyway, I went with it. When the question arose I immediately countered it with another question – Would they even know to try? Would a cow be aware enough to make the attempt to jump over the moon even if they were physically capable of doing it?

I immediately started writing a story about a young cow named Mocha who wondered about everything and lived her life full of grand ideas and possibilities. One day, the farm where she lives is visited by a fiddle-playing cat named Jeb heading to a nearby town. Mocha, never having left the farm, starts to ask herself where she might like to go if she could go anywhere and discovers her mission to travel to the moon – for reasons I won’t disclose because they are pretty funny so you should probably read the story!

I found this story so engaging and endearing that it eventually became my first musical for young audiences, Mocha And The Moon, which, incidentally, you can read more about on the website if you would like your theatre company to perform it. Wink wink!

The point is, I made a conscious effort to get my head out of its hamster wheel and something wonderful and inspiring happened!

When you think outside the box, you never know what is going to arise. I just did the exercise this morning and found an entirely new world to explore – a little darker than my usual style but fascinating none the less!

So, I encourage you, when you are feeling like you are in a mental rut, to shake things up a little and see what comes pouring out. There are things you can do too – like walking in an area of town you’ve never explored before, trying a new activity. Anything that puts you in unfamiliar territory can get those creative juices flowing. You never know when inspiration is going to strike so why not give it a little room to play?

In Swimming Tigress news, I’ve just put up a lyric vid for the latest song from Ladybug Crossings, Bug On My Bubble! It has been a favorite in my family for years so I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with you all. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Swimming Tigress Music YouTube channel to see the ones I’ve already posted. Enjoy!