before i left for franklin i felt as if i were sleepwalking. living in a state of subconsciousness. all the pieces were connected but in a non-connected sort of way.  i was just doing, doing, doing…. flitting from task to task numbly being “productive” — a tangible product noticeably absent for all my activity.  then i read, the war of art at the suggestion of mandy’s post.  i’m glad i read it before i left, because as i listened to people talk it was quite evident that everyone in the room had not only read it, but had committed it completely to memory.  it resonated loudly within me. it’s challenge — to bring to discipline the one thing i say that i am not, that i try to ignore, that i work hard to avoid.  THAT — is likely the thing i am.  it went so far to suggest that giving in to resistance of this thing would be like… (wait, let me get this exactly right…)

“If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don’t do it, you not only hurt yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me.  You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or bid for attention on the part of the actor.  It’s a gift to the world and every being in it.  Don’t cheat us of your contribution.  Give us what you’ve got.”

the war of art
by steven pressfield
(page 165 )

ok… um, ouch!

but, what one thing…. really?  only ONE?!?!?!  i mean, i do a lot of stuff.

so, i’m back home, and i’m different, right?  i mean, i’m veraciously attacking all of the arts i hold so dear in random order:  music, design, literature…. it’s great.  but, how can i have so many loves and give them all the attention and discipline they deserve?  they are all a part of me, but it seems impossible foolishness to attempt maintenance on all these muses. surly my family, my work would suffer for such indulgence and i would go out of my ever-lovin’ creative mind.

all of these thoughts are rambling through my brain today as i was un-selectively selecting various volumes of text from the library stacks of our local biblioteca.  i pulled up a comfy chair and looked at the huge pile of books on typography, bookbinding…. writing.  suddenly and all at once i understood.  all of my loves are not unconnected.  they are totally connected. and, they all point back to my one thing.

consider…

• i am a graphic designer; but, my favorite design discipline is typography.  i love how letters look.  i have favorite letters. i’m frustrated by some words that are supposed to describe pretty things like, “nice,” or “hot.” simply because the shape of their letters and the sounds they produce are not as beautiful as their meanings suggest.
• i often think if i ever to get a tattoo… it will be words. they mean so much more than pictures and they are more lovely too.     (  …lovely is a very pretty word.)
• i sing, but i have always wanted to play an instrument.  not so much so i can perform, but so i can write music.
• the most beautiful music i have ever heard has lyrics as deep as the layers of instrumentation they were assigned to accompany.  to me, one without the other is shallow noise.
• on my iphone i have 2 bibles, 2 book readers, 1 dictionary, 1 thesaurus, 3 word games , 1 typography game and 2 creative drawing apps (both of which use typography to create art).  my favorite app is the kindle app… because i always have books with me and i can look up difficult words immediately.  the most commonly used tag in my evernote database is…. typography.
• i have a shower curtain in my house a dear friend gave me.  it has words and their definitions printed all over it.  i love it.  my husband doesn’t get it.  i think it’s beautiful.  i read it each time i go in there.  and, when i finally get around to redecorating my bathroom, it will be my inspiration.
• i have to be careful about buying art for my house.  because if don’t pay attention, there will not be a painting anywhere to be found… only words, or postage stamps, or labels or posters and such.
• my favorite game is scrabble.  i am really good at it.
• most books bore me.  i crave intelligent humor, prose and meaning that i really have to work for.
• i would rather type someone an email than pick up the phone….  a million-zillion times over.
• i really love to help people edit their writing and brainstorm with them about their writing projects.
• i have often thought if i had to change careers, i would like to try my hand at being an editor.
• my bucket list contains: #3: take a year to travel on a book project of photos, poetry and story telling; and, #4: create a font.

and, for all this evidence, writing is the one thing that makes me feel most inadequate. truly, it’s the one thing i resist the most.  i read this post and it all sounds like rambling, unbearably repetitive, in-concise, non-sense.  i have no training.  i barely do it.  i use creative punctuation.  i’m overwhelmed by new ideas.  most times, starting is like trying to will myself to draw breath under water.  i never feel i have access to enough words, or can arrange them in the right order to give my heart the platform it demands.  once i do begin, it’s a lot like giving birth.  it’s painful, it’s hard, and for all my pushing i mostly fear the only way to bring forth my passionately conceived ideas before they perish would be to cut the words right out of me.

[sigh]

….oh, resistance.

“scalpel!”

it’s a non-traditional #recreate11 unpacking for sure
anyone else out there discover their one thing?

desperate and wanting, you are undisciplined!

i’d teach you manners like, “speak when spoken to, and not out of turn.”

or, “sit quietly until summoned to the floor.”

but, suppression is a cruel asphyxiation.

absolution from such polite prison releases a deranged sound.

an unlovely disgorging of heart, mind &  soul.

your unbridled assertions are raw and uncouth.

but, there is awakening on your lips.

an unburdened passion in your articulation.

so, you must speak.

and, i must give you voice.

one perhaps more refined… but not civilized.

taking 100 photos of my day.  click here for the slide show… updated as each photo is taken.

yesterday, i was backstage when i saw an old, but never used califone set.  i’ve known it was there.  i have to move it every time i reach for the “bin of brokenness” (clear rubbermaid tub of faulty cables).  but this time i had stored in my sub-conscious my growing need for a clear-com system.  when i picked up the box i thought… man, there’s 10 perfectly good sets of headphones.  so, i opened it and put a pair on.  they fit snug and the noise cancellation was fairly decent.  then i noticed the set came with a hub for the set of 10 headphones which had a 1/4″ source connector.  so, i started rummaging for other spare parts.  i know, i know…. bubbles.  but this time my a.d.d. moment paid off big as one hour later… i had a crystal clear clear-com system… for no money.  i am so serious.  i think this is one of my proudest mcgyver moments ever.

so, you want to know how?  (i know you are all on the edge of your seat.  but, i’m going to tell you anyway. just humor me, i’m really proud of this. )

ok. this is what i did.  fyi, we have a yamaha pm2500 sound board.

listening set up:

1. i came out of an available matrix channel on the board with an xlr cable into a rolls pm50s personal monitor amp.
2. i plugged the 1/4″ cable on the califone hub into the rolls pm50s headphone jack.  this provided the pre-amp and power for the hub.
3. i used additional 1/4″ cable and adapters to extend headphone cords to needed length.

talk set-up:

1. i used the wireless mic we use for recording audio to video.  i just ran the mic signal to a channel the board as if i were using it for the house mix.  i could add a few  wired mics on stage as well if i ever need someone stationed backstage.  a mic you can turn off and on is really helpful as you can kill the open channel when you are not talking.
2. i sent the signal from my mic “clear-com” channels to an available sub-group.
3. i sent the sub-group to the matrix but not to the stereo channel on the board to keep it out of our house mix.
4. i turned all the sub-group knobs down on the “clear-com” matrix channel except for the “clear-com” sub-group.
5. i went through other matrix channels and turned “clear-com” sub-group down as not to send our clear-com banter to the nursing mother’s room, house recording, and so forth.
6. viola!  strong signal… and crystal clear.

now, i had all of this stuff laying around.  but, this is how much it would cost if i were to buy the pieces to build this:

1. comparable califone system new: $188
   but, i found one on ebay that sold for: $69.99
2. 1 xlr cable: $15 (i didn’t have very far to go – longer the cable, higher the price.)
3. rolls pm50s personal monitor amp: $50.00 (this goes before the califone hub so only one is needed no matter how many stations you use.)
4. 1/4″ cable – i used about 60′ for 2 stations:  $20.00 ea. ($40)
5. I had to use 2-1/4″ mono-f to mono-f adapters: $3 ea. ($6)  (this is what i had on hand… though i might consider buying some of these instead to reduce the number of links in the chain that could degrade the signal.)
6. microphones:  this sennheiser is modestly priced and has an on/off switch: $55.00 (but use whatever you have)
7. TOTAL:  about $250 for two listening stations and one talk station. (price of adding additional listening stations is in 1/4′ cable only.  additional talk stations require cable and mic.)  this is about the price for each head set in a true clear-com system.
   

downsides… this system is definitely not a perfect clear-com system.  but it will do in a pinch.  here are the disadvantages i forsee.

1. not everyone will be able to talk due to mic availability.  but the key positions can talk easily by simply picking up a mic.  not perfect, or as convenient as true, two-way clear-com, but it works.
2. eq, trim and faders all play a role in volume and clarity and are not conveniently located for video producer to adjust in a live environment without disturbing the foh guy.  however, it really shouldn’t require any adjustment once set up.
3. there’s no individual volume control.  but on the other hand everyone hears the same thing so whoever is talking can gauge their volume accordingly since they are hearing the same thing everyone else is.  i’ve been nearly deafened on true clear-com systems due to the differences in everyone’s volume adjustments.
4. the headsets are made of heavy plastic, but plastic none the less. so they will have to be handled gingerly from week to week.  but they fit snugly, are washable and do a fairly decent job of noise cancellation.  plus, they are cheap and easily replaceable.  sound quality is irrelevant – clarity is my only concern and they are clear as a bell.

i’m so thankful that part of god’s provision for us is giving us really creative ways to solve problems.  it makes life more interesting, i think.

what really creative ideas has god given you?
what is your greatest mcgyver moment?

this is one of the coolest things i’ve ever seen…. i so want to do this.  abbye, i think we should make this a gafa project.  seriously.

a few weeks ago i blogged about wordle.net.  i was certain i could find some great way to put that little piece of fun to good use.  our next sermon series was perfect…more.  i couldn’t actually use wordle to set it up since it doesn’t work so well with just one word.  but it was really easy to execute.  we ordered 4 custum gobos.  i only got 2 of them installed for the first week.  i just installed the other 2.

just when i start to think that the time i spend reading blogs is a waste… my time is redeemed back to me on projects like this.  we were really down to the wire on artwork for this series.  i got it knocked out in record time.  what inspires you when you are under the gun?

free the creative chaos…

every 4th pb puts on an amazing demonstration of pyrotechnics in his back yard. good food, great friends and this year had the added bonus of fabulous music…. it’s a real “blast” – [har, har].

pb annually takes advantage of the fact that i am a photographer who doesn’t own as nice of a camera as he does and cheerfully offers, “you can use my camera if you want to take pictures”.  he doesn’t think i know this, but the truth behind his generosity that his hands are full blowing things up and he can’t take them himself – - but he still wants pictures . so, of course i took him up on his offer. and since last year i didn’t get to see them for several days [much less edit them], i took the cf card so i could have first view and first edit!  .

about 11 o’clock i get a text…. ‘did you take my cf card?’  [he he he]

about 9 o’clock the next morning i sent him a text…. ‘check your front door’.  [it was an empty cf card.  lol. more texts ensued.  it was fun.]

so, i fully intended to post these way before now.  here you go pb.  these are the best of the best.  thank you for letting me use your camera!!!!

[you know you’ll ask — ‘er, i mean…. let, me do it again next year.}

i’ve known millie since she was a teenager bitten by the shutterbug, feverishly taking pictures of anything or anyone who would step in front of her camera. over the years and during a time where everyone is a photographer, millie has emerged as a truly astounding artist and a remarkable business woman; pushing the envelope daily and rising as a true leader in her field of wedding, engagement and family photography. and… she gives all the credit to her Creator. and so, millie holloman of millie holloman photography is my next foolishnotions.net featured artist, redeeming excellence in art for God’s glory.

i knew as soon as i saw this shot that it was one of my favorite “millies” ever! this picture alone makes me want to save all of my money and go let her capture my family. why?

1. first and foremost…. i love the fact that she even did it. expensive cameras and torrential downpours typically don’t mix in most photographer’s worlds!!! but one of my favorite things about millie’s style is that she often takes risks and creates brilliance out of the unexpected.
2. i love how she framed the shot from behind the bushes for privacy. anyone can take a picture of a couple kissing. but only an artist can trick you into thinking that no one was there to take the shot.
3. it’s black and white – on purpose. not every shot has to be color. not every shot has to be black and white. and the really great artists know why.
4. i love the rain. i just love it. i love that it’s not all about the amount of makeup and choosing clothes that won’t go out of style in 10 years – it’s a timeless moment. who the flip cares about the hairstyles? let it rain!!!
5. millie has such an innate ability to make people feel absolutely comfortable around her. as a photographer i would say that’s 90% of the battle. but if you met millie you would instantly know why. her whit, her laughter, her love for life is immediately disarming. when you meet her you instantly feel as if you you’ve known her forever. it is truly a remarkable gift.

now. you’ve heard my 2 cents on this shot.
go here to read millie’s commentary on this image.

check out her site.

subscribe to her blog.

give her your money.

you’ll be glad you did.

so, this is my thursday creative chaos contribution.
go pay the ragamuffin a visit to see even more chaos!

for those of you who know me from a distance, my references to the work i do at glory academy of fine arts may be a little confusing. i work for the rock, right? yes. well, i also work for glory academy of fine arts. here you go – - in a nutshell…

• glory academy of fine arts (gafa) is a non-profit fine arts academy.
• gafa is an outreach of the rock. we share the same building and we share the same core vision, but we are technically separate…. it’s a fine line, really. basically, we have a fully functioning school in our church complete with it’s own staff (some of which also work for the rock).
• i work for the rock and for gafa, doing pretty much the same thing… graphic design, web, sound, lights, video – basically if it has a button or a chord i’m in charge of making sure it’s doing what it’s supposed to. i get two different paychecks… but if you look at my weekly task list it’s pretty much a mishmash of the two jobs.
• gafa’s largest division is dance, but they also provide instruction in music, creative writing and drama and have plans to expand into other divisions such as art, graphic design and so on.

so, does that make more sense?

ok – - it’s may. and every may is the glory academy of fine arts annual production. this is no dance recital. it is an original full length production complete with lights, haze, set design, costumes, make-up and bobby-pins. lots and lots of bobby-pins! it is the fruit of an entire season of praying, brainstorming, planning, rehearsing, meeting, writing, communicating with parents, coordinating volunteers, creating sets, choosing costumes, make-up and crazy eye-lashes [gasp]. our goal each year is to communicate God’s love for humanity through the arts. our goal each year is to reach the lost with God’s creative genius. it all starts in august and after the 3rd week in may, we all collapse in a heap of physically spent creative bliss. and on june 1st we all can’t resist thinking about what next year’s theme will be.

last year our theme was ‘seasons’. it was a powerful depiction of the season’s we go through in life and in our pursuit of God set against a backdrop of spring, summer, fall, winter…. and then spring again. leaving everyone expectant of another year of growth, excitement, harvest and strengthening. it was absolutely amazing.

this year our theme is ‘creation’. i have been feverishly cutting music, pulling together video elements and learning our new lighting system. the costumes have been coming in and alterations are underway. the backdrop was delivered early – so we get a little extra time to experiment.

i am excited every year but this year is different for me. i really think this one is going to be my favorite ever. i love the creativity of God. and nothing illustrates it better than this beautiful earth he fashioned out of the love of His heart in just 7 days. and this year God has blessed us with a brand new lights of our very own. no more renting!!!!

the rock and glory academy have a deep desire to redeem excellence in art back to the Creator and to equip people, young and old, physically and spiritually to use the talents God has blessed them with as a tool to spread God’s love. the installation of our new lights has been a difficult transition for some in our church. there has been concern about where we are headed with all of this new technology. are we trying to put on a show each sunday? are we exalting technology over worship? no, the heart and vision of the rock is the same as it has been for years… to make a difference in wilmington. to be effective in reaching this community teaming with such rich creativity, we need first and foremost to know our Father’s heart for his people; to reach this community of artists we need to speak their language; and, to be truly effective in our efforts we must add to our genuine worship – excellence. this is why, for us, these new lights are not only important – - but absolutely essential to accomplishing what God has set us here to do in wilmington. i am so excited to be right in the middle of it.

if you live within driving distance of the rock, don’t miss ‘creation’. friday, may 16th at 7pm, or saturday, may 17th at 3pm. go get your tickets today.

i am sooo excited about my newest feature at foolishnotions.net. it was an idea born out of the comments section of one of my recent posts.

i love art – all kinds. photography, painting, videography, graphic design, typography, music… all of it. and i love finding new artists. are you an artist? want some free exposure? send me your art… if i love it i will feature it prominently on my homepage, again on my featured artists page and also in a post. it will beautify the halls of foolishnotions.net and send the link love right on back to you. sound good?

there are guidelines… so if you want to play – go read the rules.

my very first featured artist is my good friend, matthew ray. matthew is one of the most multi-faceted, artistically talented i people i have ever known personally. and, it was my conversation with him in the comments section that started this whole thing. you will be seeing much, more from him here. go check it out.

now, fill up my inbox with
beautiful music, art, photography… whatever!
i can’t wait to see

from the artist…
I took this shot from my lap while sitting on a moving train in the NYC subways. I was drawn by the contrast between the care-free and the care-full. There are several of these prints floating around the States. I would love to see the expression on this ladies face if she ever stumbles on a print. – matthew ray