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A Curious Mind – The Book And The Thing

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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!

Challenging Your Thoughts – Reminding Yourself About Who You Are

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artist 1Hey guys!

Okay, today’s blog is going to get a little bit deep and I’m hoping it will inspire all who need inspiring. That’s what I’m all about, after all!

So, I am currently working on some new career opportunities and have been sending out e-mails etc. as you do. As I was sending, I felt in my gut that I should actually be contacting people directly and all of that instead of the “To Whom It May Concern”, general company inbox thing but I’ll admit it, I was nervous for a number of reasons. I mentioned my activities to my sister, the fabulous life coach extraordinaire, and she, of course, brought up the fact that I should be digging deeper and making the connections.

I actually started shaking as I listened to her talk on the phone.

I told her that, even though I have read countless stories about positive interactions with big, important people, I kept hearing rejection in my head. I heard people saying, “Oh, everyone who talks to me wants something from me,” or, ”You music people, always bugging people, scrounging around for a gig,”

And it occurred to me. How much of this negative thought process, this perception of how others will react to me, is about how I might see myself and how much is a result of society’s perception of artists, or at least what I consider to be society’s perception of artists?

I felt, in my mind, that people who did not identify themselves as creators saw creators in the stereotypical “starving artist” light. Artists were the ones begging others to notice them – please listen to my album, please read my book – because what they did was of no real value – a fluffy little luxury, really – and, at any point in time, there would be millions of others trying to do the same thing. No matter how much I valued what I did and knew of its intrinsic worth in society – I can’t imagine what the world would be like without music or film or storytelling – I never thought that others, even those in the industry in a more executive capacity, would see it that way. I assumed that, in meeting with a film producer for example, I would be told, “You are the tenth person who has approached me about this today. I’m tired of all you people thinking that I’m going to give you a job.”

Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like others may not see what you do as worthwhile so you are afraid to approach them for fear of rejection? Am I the only one?

I realized at that moment that this was the belief I had to abolish if I was ever going to get where I wanted to go.

To achieve great things, you must take some bold risks. You can start off slowly, taking baby steps towards your goal, but, as the momentum builds, you are going to have to do some things that scare you, like making that first phone call to somebody you really want to talk to but have felt might be out of your reach. And if I was going to do that, I had to adopt the belief that they might actually want to talk to me. I had to believe that I was worth their time, had something valuable to contribute, and that they would also realize this. True, I had to be prepared for the fact that not everyone may say yes, that my reaching out may not come at the most opportune time or my work might not be to everyone’s taste, but I had to have faith that there would be a place for me out there and there would be someone who would welcome what I had to offer.

So, if you catch yourself feeling this way, like others may not see you as being worthy of their attention so you don’t even try, I invite you to challenge this thought. I have put together a little affirmation of sorts that you may want to use when you feel those doubts creeping in. But feel free to make up your own!

 

I am a talented artist who creates out of love for the good of all.
I have something valuable to contribute to the world and I need not fear reaching out to others so that I may share it.
My creativity is a gift from the Divine and it will blossom in the right place at the right time with inspired action and faith.

 

There you go! Use as you wish, have a fabulous day and keep on creating!

The Ins and Outs of Crowdfunding

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kickstarter screenshotHey guys!

 

I hope you’re having a great week so far!

As you have may have seen in the last couple of posts, I have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for manufacturing a limited quantity of Ladybug Crossings CDs to start things off.

It’s my first such campaign, it has been an interesting experience so far and I’ve realized, in talking with people, that not every is aware of how crowdfunding works or where to go to participate in it so I thought I would share some insights with you this week.

Some of this info you may already be familiar with, some perhaps not so here we go!

Kickstarter and other sites like it such as Indiegogo and Gofundme are what are known as a “crowdfunding” sites. A crowdfunding site is a place where can have everyday people donate directly to your cause or project . This is a much different process from applying for government grants where your project is judged by a panel and you submit proposals at certain times of the year and you may have to wait a long time to get approved, depending on what you are engaging in, and if you do get approved there are certain rules you need to follow . I was speaking with a writer who applied for a grant to write a novel and, yes, he received the funds and, according to the agreement, he was not permitted to actually start writing the novel for almost a year. With crowdfunding, you can create a campaign today and start receiving donations tomorrow. It’s just different ways of going about things with their own pros and cons, as you will see.

Different sites will have different foci depending on who their target demographic is. Kickstarter and Indiegogo, for example, are specifically designed to support creative projects so you wouldn’t start a campaign there if you were raising money for a family in crisis, for example. That’s more of a Gofundme kind of thing.

But if you were wanting to raise money to record an album or produce a film, these sites could definitely be an option.

It works like this.

First you have to clarify the goals of the project. You need to know how much you need to raise, exactly why you need to raise it and by what date. For example, I wanted to raise $3000 to design and manufacture some CDs by the end of September.

Then you set up a page on the site with details about yourself and the project. Potential funders need to know your past experience, what you are looking to achieve, etc. If you make a film, who is involved in the production? Have you produced a film before? What are you going to do with it once it is completed? The site recommends that you use a video to really help make a connection with your audience.

Once you have your details about you and project worked out, you need to put in some potential rewards – kind of like PBS! If someone donates $40, they might get a copy of the CD, for example. If they donate $100, you might want to give them a shout out in the liner notes as well. There are lots of options and it’s a great chance to be creative. I saw a musicians campaign where for a donation of x amount, she’d get together with you and play video games or something like that. And funders aren’t obliged to take the rewards and can always choose to donate just because. Awe!

But here are a couple of things to remember about this system.

  • Don’t forget the fees.

It doesn’t cost anything to launch a campaign but the organization that runs the site does take a small percentage of the money raised and they may charge you for credit card transactions etc.. It is a business after all! So, it’s important to take that into account when setting your goal amount. If you actually need $10,000 to complete your project, you might want to add another $1000 to cover fees.

  • Be real about the rewards.

Remember that you are trying to raise money for your project! If the cost of fulfilling on your reward exceeds the cost of the donation, you’re kind of missing the point of the whole thing.

On Kickstarter you need to indicate the scope of the reward – can you deliver on it international, locally etc.? I came across a campaign for someone trying to raise money for an album and, for a donation of $2500, they would put on a house concert. On the surface that might sound reasonable but, according to the specs on the rewards, he was willing to put on the concert anywhere in the world! So, if someone from Europe supported him with such a donation he would be committed to traveling there to perform. You add up your flight, hotel etc. and there goes your $2500!

So make your rewards reasonable to ensure that you still get something out of it.

Once you officially launch your project you need to gather all your resources and get the word out. Facebook, Twitter, ask family and friends. All of that. As you continue to work on your project – the planning etc. – you can post updates so your funders know that something is happening and you can get them emotionally invested in what you are doing.

There are companies who will, within minutes of launching your campaign, contact you offering their services, telling you that they have x number of thousands of Twitter followers and, for a fee, they will send out the details of your campaign to them.

I have not used these services as yet and I advise you to be wary of them. There may be legitimate people with legitimate contacts but you don’t always know where those tweets are going. If you can find a group that has real human followers that actively invest in creative endeavours it might be worth looking into but do your research first.

Here’s the catch with these crowdfunding systems.

If you raise enough money, you’re golden. Once the campaign is over according to the date you specified, and you have reached or exceeded your goal, the money is taken from the funders – usually through credit cards – and deposited into your account and you then go through the process of a) finishing your project and b) fulfilling on your rewards obligations. The rewards can obviously take some time because the album has to be recorded before you can send it out to anyone!

However, if you don’t reach your fundraising goal, no money is transferred and you are back at square one. That is, obviously, the potential problem.

But even if you don’t ultimately raise the money, is it still an opportunity to connect with people and get the word out there. That’s why I did it. It was another avenue to reach out to people.

So, if you haven’t already tried it, explore a little, check out the sites. You might just find it’s a new way to make things happen!

Don’t Let The Tech Get You Down!

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frustrationHey guys!

 

So I had a blog post already to go for this week and then something happened. In my attempt to lift my laptop off of my ottoman on Wednesday, I managed to drop it. My foot broke the fall but, apparently, it was enough of a jostle to cause the back light to go out so it would boot up but the screen was completely black. I brought it in and, because of a few other issues that were already present, the fellow told me it wasn’t worth fixing and I should just get a new one.

So, for the time being at least, I was unable to post the blog but that’s okay because this scenario inspired a new topic altogether!

Now, this might get a little woo woo but I’m all about the woo woo so stick with me here.

Most of us use technology to create or at least support our creativity. Whether you write or compose music on a computer or you use social media to let your fans know about your next art show, technology is a part of what we do.

And sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes things go wrong at a critical moment when they really need to be going right. Your hard drive crashes just before your album’s about to drop. Your audio software won’t let you make the mp3 files that you need to send to a voice client asap.

At moments like that, thoughts can be going through your head like, “Maybe I’m not meant to do this. The universe is giving me a sign that I need to change my direction.” Trust me – I have had those thoughts many times!

But here’s the thing. The universe is not giving you a sign that you should quit.

If you have the desire to keep on, then you’re supposed to keep on. What the universe is telling you is it’s time to upgrade so things run more smoothly for you in the future. The universe is telling you to release the album next week when it will be better received because of some event that will make it the perfect time for your music to get out into the world. The universe is telling you that you might want to listen to that audio file again because you somehow failed to delete some profanities that you dropped after you made a mistake while you were recording.

And sometimes these things just happen because they happen.

When I was studying music at university, one of my professors said something I will never forget. He told us to not let our work be limited by technology. In that scenario, he was referring to the capabilities of certain software and how we can always find a way to do what we want to do but that advice applies here as well.

When you experience those crisis moments, after you’ve shed the necessary tears and cursed the gods above, sit still for a moment and ask yourself, if this wasn’t happening right now, do I still love my work? Do I love creating music/writing/making films? If you can say that, if you acknowledge that you still love the essence of the craft, than you are still supposed to be doing it.

Maybe there is a way of working that uses less technology if that’s more comfortable for you. Maybe it’s about upgrading your tools so you can work more effectively. Or maybe it’s about learning to be patient, keep calm, know that these things happen and you can work through them.

 

In Swimming Tigress Music news,

It’s September, 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!

Who Are You Talking To? Knowing Your Audience

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who are you talking to rainbow pngHey guys!

Some time ago, I posted a blog called “Who are you as an artist?” which looked at what we want to represent as an artists and the message we wish to send.

Today, I would like to add to that conversation by asking the question, who are you talking to when you create? What type of person you are looking to reach with your artistic expression? The answer to this question will affect the way you create your art as well as the way you market it and release it into the world.

Of course, who we are talking to , or our “demographic”, may change from year to year or from project to project as we are constantly seeking growth and new experiences, which can also mean trying on new methods of creative expression. The point is, a performer of children’s music who decides they want to try their hand at writing a book for young adults will likely approach the work in an entirely different way.

You may not always have an anticipated audience in mind at first. When you first conceive of a book, you may simply have a vision of a character or a situation and not be quite clear as to how the story will evolve.

However, over time, you will hopefully recognize the story that you are trying to tell and have some concept of who that story is for, whether it be adults, teens, or children. You might also want to look at the specific type of adult, teen or child who will benefit from your work. Is it directed at a particular type of person – say, someone interested in sports or someone interested in spirituality? We can often be be inclined to think big and say our book or our music will appeal to everyone so as to cover all the bases and gain the widest possible audience but you are really doing yourself and the work a disservice and run the risk of the work being unfocused and, ultimately, not appealing to anyone.

Knowing who your audience is can clarify the language you use, the themes presented, the complexity of the work and much more so once you’ve got that figured out you may want to go back and make some adjustments.

This is not to suggest that you need to squelch your creativity or that you have to cater to anyone, per se. Rather, it is an understanding that certain language may not be appropriate for, or understood by, young readers or a song with many key changes may be complicated for younger ears. Or realizing that a certain demographic will appreciate subtle nuances, subtext and plot twists whereas another might be completely baffled.

It’s not giving in or selling out. It is creating something that people will enjoy and find meaningful. And that’s the goal after all, isn’t it?

As a singer and composer, I have a rather diverse musical background and I have enjoyed it all. But I have to remember that my style of writing in an operatic aria will be different in many ways from my style of writing of a pop song or a children’s song. The chord progressions will be different. The melodic lines will be different. I have had family members listen to a pop song I had recorded and tell me there is just “too much” in there – too many words, too much going on musically. It took some time for me to realize that, while some unique twists are fun and interesting, I was writing a song, not a symphony.

And I have found myself using a somewhat different singing voice with my children’s work. I feel young ears will relate to a sweeter sound rather than a big, booming opera voice. Not that the styles never influence each other but singing Doodley Doo with an operatic tone? I’m not sure how that would fly. 🙂

Similarly, if you are an artist who has been asked to create paintings to hang on the walls of a fine dining restaurant, the subject matter you explore might be different than if you were working on painting for a children’s hospital. You are setting the tone for that space and must be cognisant of how that space is being used and by whom.

If this is not a work for hire, which would already have a pre-determined home, once the project is complete it is a matter of knowing how to reach those people for whom your work is intended. An entire book could be devoted to the topic of marketing alone, of course, and certainly that has been done. But for the purposes of this discussion, I would like to suggest that if you have, for example, written a book on spirituality, you may find that there are many other ways to reach your audience outside of libraries and bookstores.

When you know who your work is for, then you can find creative ways to get your work out into the world. Does your audience use social media? Does your audience go to farmers markets? Does your audience attend Com-Con every year?

So, as you work on your next song, story, painting etc., think about who you want to reach and see if that changes anything. When you know who you’re talking to, they’re more likely to listen!

 

In Swimming Tigress news, I’ve just put up what will be the last lyric video from Ladybug Crossings for Loud! So much fun! I hope you enjoy it!

 

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

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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!

 

 

 

Busting Out Of The Box – Trying On New Creative Roles

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Hey guys!

So, I just finished working on a theatrical production currently running at our local Fringe Festival. Yay! This show has been such a journey and such a learning experience for me as it was the first time I have taken on the role of stage director.

And that’s what I want to talk about today.

Sometimes we can have the tendency to put ourselves in a box. When people ask us what we do we say, “I’m a writer” or “I’m an actor” or “I’m a country singer”. There may be a few items on that list if you consider yourself a multi-disciplinary person but many of us are very quick to declare what we do and what we don’t do and where our skills actually lie. And it certainly simplifies things to define ourselves for others in that way.

But a part of being creative, what can fuel us, is trying on new roles, expanding our horizons, flexing muscles we’ve never used before.

Here’s the thing. You don’t have to be great at it. It doesn’t have to signal a career change. In reading Creativity, Inc. – a book about the rise of Pixar Animation, which I have raved about in a previous post – we learn that Pixar encourages every employee, no matter what their role,  to take a class in using their proprietary animation software. They don’t do this because they want everyone to become great animators. The rationale is that, by being exposed to animation and drawing, employees will be encouraged to use their brains in ways they may not have been used to, helping them to approach their jobs and the world around them differently.

Whether it’s exploring a new area of your field or trying something completely different, you will undoubtedly be inspired and hopefully carry that knowledge into your area of expertise.

When I went to study music at university, the focus was on contemporary classical music, a genre I was somewhat unfamiliar with. As a composer, the idea of writing a piece that was not in any key or that used symbols and pictures instead of musical notes was a completely foreign concept to me. But what my education taught me more than anything was to conceive of sound in a different way, that it was not only the familiar structures and formations that could be considered beautiful. It was truly eye-opening for me and I had a blast in the process!

Yes, I have somewhat gone back to writing in more popular styles but the works are so much more dynamic because of my studies and what I’ve been exposed to. I have used my education to add some unexpected twists to what I already do.

So, even if you are a painter who has professed to have two left feet, why not try a dance class on for size? You’ll have fun, get some exercise, and connect more with your body and see what it’s capable of. If you are a dancer who swears they can’t draw stick figures, take an art class. You might find you can relate the stroke of a brush across the canvas to your feet gliding across the stage. If you are a die hard country singer, why not experiment with some classical or jazz or hip hop, even if it’s just on your own at home? You might even come up with an entirely new genre of music. You never know!

Who’s to say if I will ever get the opportunity to direct again or if I will ever chose to take on that role again? But I know that I have grown and learned so much from the experience – about leadership, about teamwork, about storytelling – and have had the opportunity to connect with some lovely, talented people whom I likely would not have met otherwise had I not taken the chance to try something new!

Speaking of new – in STM news, I have just released a new lyric video for Thanks from Ladybug Crossings. It’s a song all about showing gratitude. Enjoy!

 

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

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mocha_iconHi 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!

 

The True North Strong and Freakishly Creative!

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So, today is July 1st, Canada Day, a day to enjoy time with family and friends and celebrate the great nation into which I was born.

There are many things I love about Canada – the warm, friendly people, the variety of landscapes – no matter what natural experience you want to have, you are sure to find it here – and the cultural diversity. Every August, my city of Winnipeg hosts Folklorama, the largest and longest-running multicultural festival in the world. Always so much fun!

But one thing Canada is known for, even if the rest of the world doesn’t actually know it, is its creative people. I was thinking about this recently while watching the adorable romantic comedy, My Best Friend’s Wedding with Julia Roberts, which featured songs by not only one but two Canadian songstresses, Jann Arden and Amanda Marshall.

Now, many of us claim that it’s because we need something to do during the cold winters but there is such an abundance of artists here that have taken the world by storm over the years, from musicians to actors to authors to filmmakers to comedians.

And here are just a few.

Where would we be without the brilliant Jim Carrey and Martin Short making the whole world laugh hysterically?

Remember the trinity that was Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Victoria, BC’s Nelly Furtado?

The voice of a generation, Joni Mitchell – wishing you lots of love and healing in your recovery!

The stunning Shania Twain – who remains the best-selling female country artist of all time

The Group of Seven

The authors Margaret Atwood and Lucy Maude Montgomery. Seriously, who doesn’t know and love Anne of Green Gables?

Winnipeg’s own The Guess Who

James Cameron – the film director who dreams big and does what others think is impossible

And, of course, there’s the gossip darling, Justin Bieber and his protégé, Carly Rae Jepsen? I mean, if you can get Tom Hanks to feature in your music video, you’re doing all right!

And I could go on and on.

 

What I’m saying is that a lot of amazing talent has come from this country and we need to celebrate it. We have made a global impact in every art form and that’s nothing to sneeze at. Sure, there may be something to be said for humility but it behooves us to be reminded that we have the ability to inspire and entertain people the world over and we owe it to them to do just that.

Because we rock!

Sorry…. but we do!

 

In some Swimming Tigress news, I’m excited to announce that we are finally on Pinterest! So, head on over to check out all sorts of inspirational quotes, videos, music and more! And more great stuff is being added all the time so keep coming back. So get your pinning finger ready!

Have a fabulous day!

Inspired and Enlightened – What I learned from Creativity, Inc.

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creativity inc cover 2Hi guys!

So, I have just finished reading Creativity, Inc. by the president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation, Ed Catmull. I can’t tell you how much I adored this book! Well, I guess I just did!

Anyway, on the eve of the release of the company’s latest production, Inside Out, which I can’t wait to see tomorrow, I thought I would share with you some insights I took away from it.

Now, if you have read it I’m pretty sure you’ll agree with me how fabulous it is. And if you haven’t, you may be thinking it’s about the history of Pixar. And that is certainly part of it – and that journey is fascinating in its own right – but it’s so much more than that!

Creativity, Inc. is a story about how to make an impact in the world, be financially successful and still maintain your creative integrity. It’s a story about innovation and taking your art form “to infinity and beyond!”. Okay, I had to put that in there! It’s a story about leadership – about taking a group of people who each have their own gifts to offer and drawing the best out of them so that the company prospers and the employees go to sleep at the end of the day feeling like they have been a part of something meaningful and magical.

Who wouldn’t want that, I ask you?

But how did they do it?

They created an environment where people were heard and they felt like their opinions were valued. These days, I have been taking on my first directing gig for a theatrical production and I learned a lot about how directors are encouraged to deal with input from everyone involved in a film. When you feel like you are a valued contributor to a project, you will be more inclined to give your all to it.

They allowed employees to decorate their workspaces however they wished, realizing that one’s surroundings can help or hinder inspiration and creativity.

They created a workplace that encouraged connection and collaboration among people in different departments, acknowledging the fact that being aware of how other people do their jobs can affect how you relate to them when it comes to doing your job.

And one of my favourites, they allowed for, even encouraged, mistakes with an often used phrase being “be wrong as fast as you can” so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t and try something else. There’s an understanding at Pixar that, in order to be innovative and unique, you are going to have some things that don’t turn out so well. That’s part of the deal. If you want a failproof system, you will just end up regurgitating what was successful in the past and you won’t grow or learn from it. To move forward you have to take risks!

These are just a few lessons I took from Creativity, Inc. – there is so much more in there – and I wholeheartedly encourage you to read it if you haven’t already. It’s inspiring and enlightening and you might find you become a better artist because of it.

Okay, that’s it for today! I hope you’re enjoying the download of Ladybug Crossings I posted last time. More to come!

Have a great day!

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