Phoenix Frederick Nathaniel Close

While you are all waiting for my feature article on William Close because we are all waiting to see how he does in the next round of America's Got Talent, a wonderful event occurred in William and Sarah's lives yesterday.  It took Dad a couple of weeks to actually post the announcement, Phoenix was born on June 15th.  Everyone is doing fine.  


Please be patient.  For those not aware, contracts are things that have to be honored to the letter of the law. In this case both for the artist and the press.  William has assured me that as soon as NBC and AGT give the green light we will not only publish the feature in FourCulture but probably add a follow up interview.  In the meantime, please watch for his next performance with the Earth Harp and vote if you love it as much as I do.  William is blessed with incredible talent as a teacher, instrument inventor and musician.  

Brave! - unexpected inspiration and revelation

I'm a sucker for Pixar movies. Not gonna lie.  And when one of your children says they'll pay for your ticket to go see one of their usually exemplary animated flicks, then that's even more reason to go.  I will say though that I had every intention to see "Brave" after seeing the previews for it a while ago.  I have become very closely connected to my Celtic heritage over the last decade especially spiritually so besides being told a story about strong women, the fact that they were strong Celtic women was even more enticing.

Let me start with just a general movie review.  Most of you have noticed that what we are getting from Hollywood over the past 20 or so years, for the most part, has been 1) subpar 2) lacking intelligents plots and/or 3) repetition of the same story movie after movie.  Sometimes I think we all wonder and worry if there are any truly good writers left in the world.  But then a director comes along who has found a very good, if not excellent screenplay and convinces a studio and producers to actually sink some money into making a decent motion picture.  Jerry Bruckheimer is a producer who usually is a good bet for investing his money and time wisely.  Interesting that one studio who trusts him is Disney. So it shouldn't surprise that "the mouse" has also found a great partner in Pixar.  Some of the best investments Disney has made with the animation geniuses are the entire Toy Story series, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and most recently, UP.  But Brave was a big risk.  It is not necessarily a child's movie.  I would like to warn parents that bringing kids under the age of 10 is probably not advisable.  There are parts that are genuinely scary in the violence depicted.  However, for the middle school crowd up through adults that violence is not superficial.  It is a necessary part of the storytelling.

Someone once told me there are seven basic plots for fiction.  This is the one about trying to change ones destiny but having it backfire because your motives are purely selfish.  Yes, just like the lyric from Beauty and the Beast, "a tale as old as time", Brave is that story...but it is also that plotline, within the plot.  Our heroine sees first-hand how horribly her wish could have gone wrong.  There are also a number of subplots within this script that make it "not just your average cartoon movie".  It is indeed a hidden treasure and one that deserves award recognition but probably will not get it because "it's just a cartoon".  Sadly it probably won't be recognized for the amazing quality of the art work in it either.  My hat's off to the animators who, even though done digitally, successfully pull you into a world that is so realistic down to the blades of grass.  This rendition of the ancient highlands is gorgeous.

My experience with Brave is, most likely, very different from the average person who will see this picture.  It spoke to me on an incredibly deep and emotional level.  Recently refocusing on remaining humble and holding on to childlike wonder, this story grabbed my key and said "lock away pride and ego".   Destiny is something that must happen organically.  One must follow the path, adjusting their pace for the terrain.  Resting when necessary.  Taking time to find food and nourish one's self.  So many times I have wanted a shortcut.  I've considered dropping names or calling in favors to speed up the process.  But then I look at where I have been.  All the things that it took me to get here and I cannot discount a single person, place or event.  Pride and ego are not only the destroyers of creativity, peace, and joy.  They destroy love.  Without love?  None of this is worth anything.  I can have all the accolades in the world.  People will know my name.  But I will have lost the trust and the love of the people who mean the most to me.

To my family, my friends, my artists, my creators...I commit to keeping ego and pride under lock and key.  I commit to unlocking humility.  I give you all permission to call me out when I fail at these.  I'll also work on getting trust to unlock its door from the inside.  It pokes its head out occasionally but it's still kind of scared.  Thank you all.  I may find it hard to show it, but I do love you.   Now go see the damned movie so you don't think I'm completely nuts.  Thanks.

Michael Divine: creating the Glass Onion

This time-lapse of still shots shows the intricate and amazing creation process of the gorgeous "Glass Onion" by Michael Divine. In my definition of art; "the attempt to recreate emotion taking audience from observer to participant", Divine does this in the actual painting itself and in the way that he chose to archive each step of the process. I think after you watch you will have a whole new appreciation.

 

Ideat Village, New Haven, CT 6/16-7/1

Ideat Village:

Better late that never.  You still have a few days to enjoy this alternative arts festival that runs in tandem with the larger (more corporate) Arts & Ideas Fest.  THIS is where you will find the real arts.

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Fourculture Magazine

Fourculture Magazine:

Here is a brand new arts zine that features members of "the tribe" from around the U.S. and Europe.  This mag' covers the four pillars of art and takes you outside the box of current mediocrity.  The stories are intriguing and show sides of artists not usually represented in interviews or features.  Fourculture writers like to get inside the hearts and heads of creators.

Yes, I'm a little biased about the publications as it is a new outlet for my writing and a new place for me to introduce the world to some of the special people that cross my path. In the debut issue you will find an interview with Hans Haveron about his mural at Facebook and some of the work he does for the DoArt Foundation.  Then there's a feature on Calling All Astronauts which even I learned from.  I was assigned this article and went in cold.  Since then I've spent time on Twitter getting to know Dave and his musical inspirations and feelings about the state of the industry.

Please check it out.  Leave comments.  Subscribe.  Next month I have a feature on AlexanderDcD who is now one of the most complex street artists I've connected with.

Open publication - Free publishing - More alternative

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Do Creative People Age Differently?—THE FIVE-STIR: At the intersection of creativity and commerce

Do Creative People Age Differently?—THE FIVE-STIR: At the intersection of creativity and commerce:

This article explained a lot to me as recently I realized that most of my arts friends and acquaintances are much younger than I am while being more experienced.  Our communications seem to adjust naturally so that everyone is on the same maturity wavelength.  I joke that "I'm old enough to be your mom" and yet many of these people are my teachers and guides.  In the end it is definitely right-brain, non linear living.

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Scratch the surface

Today I was, again, given the opportunity to be grateful that I've grown into a person who got over assuming that I know or understand a person based on their public persona.  Over the past six years I've learned the very distinct differences between being aware of someone in the public arena, meeting them and knowing them.

Let me start with a huge thank-you to all those people who have allowed me a moment with them on the other side of the veil.  Some of you let me open you up like a can of worms.  Believe me when I say that that was never my intention.  We just found a point of trust and you showed me a little of the real you.  I hope I have and will continue to deserve that trust.  "Off the record" actually means something to me.

I'm glad that I am not formally schooled/trained in journalism.  It has allowed me a freedom to do what works for me and not be concerned about if or how "legit press" judges me.  The style I have built is more conversational and seems to put myself and my subjects at ease.  From there, I do my best to convey a better picture of that person to my readers than what they get from a stage, gallery, TV or magazine.  What gets published is, hopefully, enough for readers so learn that these people have things in common with them and are fully dimensional creatures.

Of course I need to take a moment to put a caveat on this.  Just because people choose an occupation that puts them in the public eye, doesn't mean that they want their entire private life out there for scrutiny.  They are not inviting you into their living room for coffee.  In fact, most artists are actually introverts.  One of my favorite experiences is musicians I have met that are commensurate performers on a stage but when they are out of the public view, become very quiet and almost shy.  In fact one in particular comes to mind and this happens to be an artist I actually know.  I know this is my ego getting in the way but I still think I did the best interview ever with him and it was the best because we found a little corner where he could open gently and quietly like a gorgeous flower.  An hour later, on-stage with the rest of the band he became an integral part of what I will always describe as a charisma tsunami.

But here is the point of this post.  Scratch the surface.  America has become a nation of moving too quickly.  People are suffering from entitlement on one hand while accepting low quality goods and information on the other.  Corporations work hard to brainwash the masses into being too fearful to ask for better or gods-forbid, the truth.  We are not encouraged to go beyond eye level except to look up either in awe of people who are not worth the attention or in fear of what will fall from the sky.  But looking beneath the veneer is, possibly, number one on the list of things that are super scary and should be avoided.  This is why sub-par performers, fine artists and writers are making millions and monopolizing the headlines while the really good stuff lingers in the shadows.

I challenge you to first, scratch the surface of what you are being feed as good art.  Turn off the radio, the TV, ignore the magazine rack and steer clear of your local cinema.  Grab a copy of the local free weekly paper and look for neighborhood galleries, small clubs and repertory theaters.  Open your eyes and your ears as you travel in your area.  Oh!  You didn't know that gorgeous mural/street art graced the side of that building?  You hadn't heard that really cool gal who plays guitars and keys then uses computer loops to make crazy good music?  You weren't aware that the guy down the street from you was a goldsmith and has a trunk show going on at a local boutique?  See?....  You're starting to catch on.

Next is the beauty of getting into that part of the arts world.  These artists are passionate.  They love what they do and they'll tell you about it if you ask and then really listen to what they have to say.  I smile at the number of indie artists I've interviewed and because they don't have a manager or a publicist breathing down their neck will talk for twenty, forty-five, sixty minutes or more.  They'll talk as long as you are really listening and asking good questions.  Today, I talked to a street artist for an hour.  We covered every base possible.  I followed my gut and went into this one cold...no list of questions.  I just felt like this guy would have a story to tell and I just needed to chill out and let him tell it and tell it he did.  A few weeks ago I sat down with a musician, who six years ago was literally a pretty face and a nice voice to me.  But he's so much more than that.  Again it was intelligent questions and listening.  Most girls still think of him as just a pretty face.  But I've done my part to show them and anyone else who reads my columns, what is inside that pretty head, heart and spirit.

We are all so much more than our high school yearbook photos and quotes.  We all have a story.  We've seen good and bad.  We have something to add to the human tapestry.  We are all a piece of the puzzle.  We need to get past fear, probably the most primitive emotion.  Fear cuts us off from so much.  Not every experience will be happy.  We will cry.  We will be angry.  We will be bored but unless we pull back the curtain, we don't know what's on the other side.  We cannot trust others all the time.  True, it's not a good idea to throw a lit match into a pail of gasoline or jump off the top of a skyscraper without a parachute.  But honestly, there are enough photos and videos of that stuff that you didn't need someone to tell you not to do it.  But when someone tells you to be afraid of another person because they're a different color, follow a different spirit path, make more or less money than you, speak a different language or are of a different sexual orientation when there is no basis for their argument?  That's just stupid.  The same with venturing into the arts.  Just because radio's not spinning it, network TV's not showing it, it's not on the best seller list or it's not hanging in the MoMA doesn't mean it's not good.

I challenge you this week to scratch the surface.  Pick a person, a genre of music, a style of painting, a theme of storytelling, whatever and go deeper.    If someone intrigues you but you've been avoiding them because they're some how "different", say hello.  If they say hi back, strike up a conversation.  Pick your favorite music style and Google it.  Pick a track from an artist you've never listened to before and listen...openly.  Do the same with a genre of fine art.  Google images will introduce you to all kinds of things.  Then see if an artist that "speaks" to you has work on display near you and go see it.  Learn something new about your favorite actor.   The more of the picture is revealed the better judgment you can make.  I'm not saying that you're going to find out that someone with a horrible public persona is actually the Good Witch Glinda in disguise or that you'll suddenly become a die-hard fan of post-modern cubism.  At the end of the day, I don't like asparagus.  I've tried it raw, grilled, steamed.  Still don't like it.  At least I faced my fear.  I can go to my grave saying I tried it.  I respect people who love the stuff.  Good on them.  Doesn't make them any lesser people in my eyes.   Still not going to eat it ever again.  However, I will die being able to have told people what it tastes like, the nuances of different preparations of it along with what it looks like and why it's good for them.

SCRATCH THE SURFACE