cut the crab - stay inspired

The Kronos Quartet in Sartrouville, France

2010-11-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

I am by no means a 'professional critic' - I listen with my heart and I write with my soul. I think 'critics' prefer ears and pens...

Anyways, last night I was amongst the lucky audience of the Kronos' concert in the Theatre de Sartrouville. The first 3 pieces were a very interesting example of contemporary classical music which, I find, I have to listen to several times over and over to relate to it emotionally after a while. This is the sort of music that takes its time to grow on me.

The 4th song seemed a technical challenge and I thought you ought to be the Kronos Quartet to play it that well. During the interlude its final theme, surprisingly, still echoed in my head. I didn't expect that.

What happened in the 2nd part of the concert was much more of an emotional experience for me. John Zorn is a great example of humour in classical music - I didn't laugh that much during a concert ever since I participated in a analysis of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'!

'A Thousand Thoughts' was so very Swedish and it did feel like actual thoughts! In the piece of Bryce Dessner I was wondering what the strings would say if only they could speak... It seemed like there were four monologues in that piece which all mounted to one in the end.

And that would have been it if it wasn't for the fact that Sartrouville didn't want to let the Quartet go yet. An unforgettable interpretation of Ramallah Underground's 'Tashweesh' followed and we almost let them go...

.... but not until they played Clint Mansell's 'Death is the Road to Awe'. Amongst the general euphoria and handkerchiefs I think the audience forgot to ask for more.

And so then we had a drink:)

Erika P.

2010-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

I rarely speak about my feelings but somehow she managed to break a crack into my little shell.

I wrote my first poem in 10 years about 3 hours later.

Thank you, Erika.

Erika P. is a professional model. If you want to book her for a project, please contact her agency in Mexico: http://www.quetarojas.com

When a picture says more than words - Tylor Shields

2010-10-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

"i work more than i sleep. i sleep more than i eat. i eat spaghetti at 4 am while watching shitty mainstream hip hop videos on mtv. occasionally throughout the day i'll grab a slice of bread, untoasted, and a lemonade. my cell phone is louder than a fucking gun shot in downtown..yet i'm on it a good twelve hours a day. i won't let you smoke in my t-shirts. you couldn't pay me to drink coffee, but i know every 24-hour starbucks spot in southern california. my bedroom is the best room in the house. i won't take off my shoes or socks until i'm about to go to sleep, but if i leave a sock on the floor i claim that my room is a mess. i own two three-hundred dollar flat irons but i have no idea how to flat iron my hair. instead of taking lessons, i just chopped it all off. it looks good. i love the word amazing as much as i love analyzing the in's and out's of any and every situation. i have a bad knee but a good heart. i'll pick your brain and i won't take no for an answer. when i want something, i get it. when you're asleep, i'm lighting up spots in downtown with my pet lamp, blacky. my camera is probably worth more than your car..if you're lucky enough, you'll get to see it one day. my name is tyler jesus shields".

It's when I saw his work that I decided to create this blog. I feel like the message in his work is so... LOUD that I almost have to shut my ears with my hands!!

1) what inspires you?
my life and my mind do the work in that department
2) what impact are you trying to achieve with your art?
if someone can take something from it something positive that is amazing i just want to effect people
3) what would you like to achieve in the future? there are so many things i want to do i can't even begin to explain!

http://www.tylershields.com/

Thank you and good luck in the future!! Fingers crossed on breaking the record!!

Inspiring people: Iris Brosch

2010-09-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

Iris is one of my favourite photographers. She is of German origin and she currently resides in a breathtakingly artistic flat in Paris. I think her work is well described on her website, http://www.irisbrosch.com:

''Her photographic style has been described as “ Miuccia Prada meets Leonardo da Vinci”. Brosch’s unique celebration of female sensuality moves in fresh and fascinating directions in her ability to rework timeless classicism with a thoroughly modern twist. The work of Iris Brosch is and isn’t anything we have seen before. It is Raphaelian. It is Modern. It is mystical and ethereal, anchored by the weight of a powerful female mind.''

Inspired? Here's a short interview!

1) What inspires you?
Society , human interaction , art and culture!

2) What do you consider the most valuable lesson that photography taught you?

images are a powerfull tool in society.
each pictures we create influence our mind and create on a certian level our future.

3) What would you like to achieve in the future?

Bringing female values to the industry,creating images where women DEFINE THEIR OWN IDENTY IN THEIR OWN FEAMLE WORLD, AND WHERE MAN ARE INTOUCH WITH THEIR FEMININITY with out loosing their masculinity.

Thank you, Iris!

(Note: all pictures are copyrighted by Iris Brosch)

Inspiring people: Jeffrey Zeigler

2010-08-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey has been the Kronos Quartet's cellist for exactly 5 years now. I posted a video of him earlier where he is performing Michael Gordon's 'Industry' and had the occasion to ask him some questions. Below his replies!

1) What inspires you?

I tend to find inspiration from many different directions. Whether it is a book that I am reading or a song or a band that I am into, I feel that the most important quality is to be as open as one can be. At the moment, I am reading a set of short stories by Stacey Richter entitled, "Twin Study". In addition to being expertly written, her stories are cleverly sculpted with twists that are often pretty shocking. But most of all, what I like about her writing style is that it is personal and in a voice that is completely her own.

2) In what ways did your musical repertoire and lifestyle change after having joined the Kronos Quartet?

Musically, the range and scope of my performing required a good amount of expansion. Working with Kronos means being a part of an organization that is constantly challenging itself artistically and technologically. In addition to playing the cello, over the years I have bowed fences and gongs, played the harmonica, an arsenal of percussion, water bowls, and the electric bass. I have also become fluent in working with amplification and electronic effects. My learning curve was quite steep but the rewards have been tremendous.

Lifestyle wise, the biggest change that occurred for me was having to deal with the travel. We are on the road approximately 5-5 1/2 months a year. As grueling as that can be, everything became much more complicated when my wife and I had our first child a couple of years ago. Jugging our time together is a huge challenge.

3) What kind of artistic projects would you like to be part of in the future?
My wife [Paola Prestini] is a really wonderful composer who is constantly finding inspiration from so many sources. Finding the time to work together hasn't always been easy. And when I am not working with the quartet, I usually prefer to just stay home and be together with my family. However, I am always trying to find ways to collaborate with her as she is an extremely brilliant and inspired artist.

Thank you, Jeffrey, and I wish a lot more expansion to you, your family and the Kronos Quartet!

http://www.kronosquartet.org/

Karolina for president!

2010-07-31T00:48:00.000-07:00

''[..] I mean, I never did stuff just for me anyway. I've always kind of done it for everybody around me, to help people and make them happy.''

Truths are simple because they are true and simple.

To read more http://www.wmagazine.com/w/blogs/editorsblog/2010/05/25/this-weeks-model-karolina-kurk.htm

Photo from Karolina's official MySpace http://www.myspace.com/karolinakurkova

best energy

2010-07-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

I love the energy that occurs between 5:30-7:00am. It just seems like I get the best portion of work done during that time. 7:30 is great for exercise and 10:00 is the best time to enjoy a pain au chocolat with a big bowl of cafe creme ;))) Mmmmh:)))

Inspiring activities... for gal's :)

2010-07-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

All right, I admit: I took 1/2 of the morning off to pursue something creative. In the last weeks I had been on a bit of a crazy schedule (but more about that later in that post as it actually forms an excellent transition between the last one and the reason I'm posting this).

So! I took some time to do THIS: Seasonal Colour Analysis. I did it on this website:

The Chic Fashionista

It's great fun! The next thing was assessing my body-shape and then my basic style. The simple joys are often the greatest joys in life.

My major issue has always been establishing my colour palette - each season, be it spring, summer, autumn or winter, divide into 3 more types. It seems to be light spring which seems to be fitting with my type (the soft autumn looks good too though). Now this is exciting because.... ***warning, now the following is really more for girls than for boys***.... I said I was on a crazy schedule earlier in the month, right? Right. I meant mainly the week of shooting 'Gossip Girl' in Paris earlier in the month. Mind you, I only found out a week after having passed the casting what it was for.

''Gossip Girl'? Oh, is that that American TV series? I think I've heard about it somewhere!'

Yeah, it was only when the fans and paparazzis started coming in higher and higher volumes with every day of the filming that made me kind of realise that not knowing what this series was made me part of a minority.

Anyways, even though I still don't know what the rest of the story is, I know pretty much every detail of episode 401 and 402. And here comes the important part: Blake Lively is a light spring, too! So that makes it easy, I just need to watch closely what colours Eric makes her wear and Bob's your uncle.

Some of his choices for the Parisian episodes were very inspiring. I'd never think of wearing anything bright green but that one dress... Thin, classy stripes are great, too!

Neither would I ever consider wearing peach or even electric blue trousers...! However, the one that I found the most inspiring was the red/orange gown that Leighton was wearing on two occasions:

The photo doesn't give it justice, it was the 'in-between colours' bit that caught my eye. Sigh.

All in all, this entry was dedicated to stylist Eric Daman as I wanted to thank him for having given me a moment of inspiration. You can actually get a book on his styling tips so that's great! I found this interview: http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2010/01/gossip-girl-stylist-eric-daman.html

One-of-a-kind vs 'The Crowd'

2010-07-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

The trade of my job is that I meet people. Used to be a loner ever since I'm born - hah! Oh irony.

Luckily, some 2 or 3 years ago, I actually found some interest in character studies on human creatures. I also learned that it's one thing to observe... and another to judge. (hear, hear!) See, when you judge someone it's as if you viewed someone through... oh I don't know... some kind of weirdly distorted window you put yourself in front. Whereas when you only OBSERVE there is nothing inbetween. You can always go but at least you have a clear view.

So anyways. People and character studies. I know a few people whose mere presence makes me D R E A M, who inspire me, teach me, who bring me into higher stratas of existence!! One of them is Jack Servoz, tutor, muse and friend (the dancer on the top left in this entry)

I love his painting of Iggy Pop:

This is one of a series of paintings exposed in Place des Vosges, Paris:

And then there is the exact opposite, those people who make you feel uncomfortable, tired and they just have something uber-slimy about them. Then you have the type that.. just is. And that's all. He lives his sad little life and fine - that's his right. BUT WOULD YOU DO THAT?? I mean it's not like you don't have a choice. You always have a choice. Like someone dear to me said yesterday:'you could even stop breathing if you decided to'. Not like I was going to do that but it's true that 'I had no choice' is in most cases a lame excuse. And it just means you didn't look enough for other solutions.

Now, I went a bit off the subject.

I was actually inspired by the note 'A good muse is hard to find' on www.tylershields.com To read the full article go here: http://www.tylershields.com/2010/02/25/a-good-muse-is-hard-to-find/

And even if I hadn't found that particular entry there's loads more to get excited about. Like this one, with it's note at the bottom:

"Never let someone tell you that you cant do something because they will until you do it!"

or this one!

"If you leave the knife in my back longer then 24 hours I am keeping it!" - cheeky b...

Hope to see you in Paris soon, Tyler.

Perrrforrming Drrracula.................... Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet in Lyon

2010-07-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last week or so I got touched by this performance:

Dracula
envoyé par NuitsdeFourviere. - Regardez la dernière sélection musicale.

Already the venue was gave me goosepimples as it was in an ancient Roman theatre! Ha! I love open space performances when the weather is as beauiful as it was that night.

During the showing/conert I closed my eyes several times just to hear the music better and not get 'sucked' into the film. What I loved listening to was the music in combination with some spoken parts of the actors. In old films the sound gets distorted in that characteristic way. And even when the music stopped at some points so that the actor could utter his phrase - these solemn reminders of long-gone times got me nostalgic.

Looking at the female outfits in 'Dracula' - gee, those guys knew how to dress a woman!

Ahh... I wonder what they'd say if they saw what was going to happen to fashion 80 years later?

Before the concert we went for dinner with Jeff - that was fun. I love trying different desserts :]] He said to check out his video which I did. I wish to hear more of his projects; this one got me inspired:

The why and wherefore of this blog

2010-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Because I waste too much time 'earning a living', being stressed, being uninspired, doing the right things, etc etc.

Hell, if life isn't about creativity then why bother at all??

And so this will be something purely for my own artistic pleasures. Whatever interests ME, IS NOT FOR SALE, whatever's beautiful or interesting, INSPIRING and mine. No chronology - this is art, not history, it doesn't have to be labeled correctly.

Amen.