Finding Creativity

Creativity has never been much of a problem to me.  I know a lot of artists who need to get away from their work and gain fresh perspective or energize their battery and that is fine.  We all work in our own ways.  Personally, I find that most nights, I create until my eyes are ready to close and start again moments after I wake and even in the shower.  I go until the last moment before I have to leave for a meeting or event and start again when I return to the studio.  Of course, I have to cook, clean, write contracts, return calls, texts, emails, and everything that comes with life.  Still, while I am doing many of those things, I am still creating.  I take time away but find that I end up working most of the time I go on “vacation.”  I simply love what I do.

But where does the creativity come from?  What sparks all these ideas?  What is so amazing it drives me to constantly want to develop?  The answer is simple:  Everything.

There is so much beauty and there are so many amazing things, people and feelings that I could live 5 lifetimes and still not create a piece for everything that inspires me.  As of this writing, I have composed over 850 songs and film cues.  Even with all that under my belt, I feel I haven’t even scratched the surface.

Some forms of inspiration:

Nature and things we see:

Being out in the world is an amazing source of inspiration.  Seeing the way a cloud casts a shadow on a hill or the way leaves on a tree are blowing in the breeze can spark all kinds of ideas.  But how about the flow of the breeze?  The smell in the air?  I once composed a piece based on the ripples of the water on a small lake on a windy day.   Beyond nature, how about the things we have built?  Amazing sky scrapers or the way traffic sits in gridlock on a highway are other examples.

People:

People are an endless source of inspiration.  This does not always mean people that do nice things or give of themselves, though those would qualify, but also the mean or insensitive things people do.  The way someone’s eyes light up when you surprise them with something or the way they seem to glide as they walk across a room can be inspiring.  Someone who walks through a doorway and doesn’t hold the door open for the person behind them can also evoke ideas.  How about the things they say and the way those things are said?  What about the way they shake your hand, hug you or gently put their hand on your cheek?

Feelings:

This is a topic I could write pages about.  Feelings are, to me, the most important part of music.  Regardless what your inspiration is, it had to be expressed in a way that the listener can understand the feeling the composer is conveying.  That being said, the topic is almost unimportant.  A song I wrote years ago, which was one of the first of mine that became known more publically, was composed about having the ability to fly.  Even now, when I listen back, I remember the visuals I had in my head of soaring over mountains, rivers and valleys.  I received a great deal of feedback on the song that ranged from being underwater to relaxing on the beach reading a book.  I found this fascinating and realized that it was not important the listener understood my vision but that they all related the music to relaxation.  The feeling transferred to the listener and they saw what their mind created.  This was an important lesson for me and very different from composing music for film where my job is to enhance the emotion on the screen.  Convey the feeling to the listener and don’t tell them what to feel.  Titles play a major role in this as the title can give away the visual but that can also be a fine thing to do.  Personally, I like it either way.

With so many sources for inspiration, it is easy for me to find something to write about.  Typically, I am simply drawn to something enough to take the time to express it musically.  These are just a few ideas that are the most common for me but even the way the lines flow on a cracked sidewalk or the way dust falls from a shelf when cleaning can bring an idea.  Sometimes, though, I tend to get wrapped up in the music and get away from the point and that is a topic I may cover in a future blog.

 

Thank you for reading and I hope you found something helpful in these words.  Have fun with this and create away!

Scott

Talk About Competition

I have been seeing a lot of interesting ads and posts about the current Presidential race.  It could just be the eyes of this humble observer but it seems to me that every 4 years the real contest is called, “Who Can Win Your Vote, By Cutting Down Their Opponent The Most?”  Now, I don’t fully blame the candidates because they hire people to write their speeches, to tell them what the best strategy is and how to attack.  While they do have final say so (or their financial backers do), how would you choose not to listen to the experts you have hired?

All this has led me to remember something I think is a much more respectable approach.  This is a real life experience by a very respectable sales rep I will call Billy (because Billy is the name I use for everything when I can’t think of someone’s name or have not obtained their permission to use it).

Years back, I worked for a store that sold musical instruments, PA gear, keyboards, drums, etc.  I was just about to add an audio compressor to my home studio and I had one picked out from Company A.  Before I had saved up enough to make my purchase, Billy, a sales rep from Company B, arrived to give us training on their compressor.  I was pretty set on what I wanted but I wanted to see what I could learn (also these were mandatory to attend, even if you weren’t directly a sales person, which I wasn’t).

Billy gave a simple yet detailed overview of his product and, at the end, asked for questions.  I asked why I should buy his product over the one from Company A, which seemed to have more features.

This is brilliant!

Billy said he liked the audio compressor from Company A very much.  He praised their features and price point and said it was a great deal.  He proceeded to compare the similarities and differences and then finished with why he liked his product better.  Not only was his product knowledge through the roof but he was very respectful and even encouraging about his competitor’s product.  He never put them down.  He never said they were made with low grade parts or cheap overseas labor.  He never said anything bad at all.  He simply stated what he liked better about what he had to offer.

In essence, he did exactly what the politicians are trying to do but he did it in a completely positive and respectful way.  I really admired that and have always to try to uphold the same ideals when I am asked about music or other composers or products I don’t use or don’t care for.  Sometimes, you just have to call a spade a spade but it can be done with decency and professionalism.  What would it be like for  a politician to do this?  I would love to hear them say, “I like what candidate X had to say about his plan and I think there are a lot of solid ideas there.  What I like about my plan is…”

Thanks for reading!

Scott

The Beginning of a New Adventure

Hello!

I was going to start a simple test post but why do only that?  Why not at least say something?

With my website at www.ScottHaskin.com going down with the GoDaddy crash this morning, I realized just how much I depend on the technology I have access to.  My backup for showcasing music is Soundclick.com but, they are also on GoDaddy servers and, thus, not available.  With the intention of being quite serious, I posted on Facebook that if anyone wanted to hear a demo, let me know and I would email it to them.

What?

My initial reaction was not to have someone come to the studio or send me your address and I will mail you a demo CD, it was to stay needy with the technology and email it.  Of course, I realize I have many friends and co-workers all over the world so email probably is the best option.  Still...  it seemed odd to me I stopped thinking of ways to provide content once I immediately thought of email.

I truly am happy to live in this world of amazing technology but I think it can be a double-edged sword.  Guess I am still a bit old school.  I like it that way.  Yes, I realize the irony of saying this through an internet blog!

Over the coming weeks, months, years...  I will post thoughts, talk about exciting projects whatever comes to mind.  I have had some good suggestions about content including interviews so it will be interesting to see this all develop.

I look forward to sharing with you all!
Scott