Tag Archives: creative

Group Vid: I am ___________.

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Hola!

I recently had one of those late-night blog ideas that don’t show up in my brain nearly as often as I’d like ‘em to–match this thought with a very pivotal moment for me at Recreate last week, and we get this neat way to celebrate who we really are.

Remember the dance video from a while back? yeah. This isn’t going to be a dance video, but we will be making a group video filling in the blank about YOU, so you finish this sentence about yourself:

I am  _________.

Your answer can be anything. A picture. A video snippet. A word on a piece of paper. It can be sincere, sad, serious, smart, or some other s-word for funny. (I’m a songwriter. My mind sometimes jumps to alliteration. Sorry.) But it’s GOTTA be less than 5 seconds. mkay?

Aaaanyway, if you don’t have a video-camera, don’t get all “mandy won’t let everyone participate uggghhhhhhhh” on me. Just take a picture with you and your answer. It can be as simple as writing your phrase on a piece of paper (well-readable) and holding it up in the shot. Or you can sign the whole thing in a series of photos and I’ll take it from there.

All files (vids, images, what-have-yous) should be sent by Friday, Feb 18th to “groupvid[at]mandythompson.com” through yousendit.com. Very user-friendly site. Go ahead, check it out now.

By Friday night Feb 18th, you send me a pic, vid clip, or something completing this about YOU:  I am ________. And we’ll celebrate!

So, ok kids, that’s the plan. Go.

Write with me.

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Repeat after me: “I’m more creative than I realize.”

I have a late-night idea! Let’s do a weekend writing challenge together. Not that recent-and-impossible 800 words challenge; but more like 80. I know you can type out 80 creative words today.

Let’s use my favorite - object writing: short time of writing about a word, using the senses (touch, taste, sight, hearing, feeling, smell)

The word? LOST

Oh, if you’re wondering just how LONG 80 words is, it’s the exact length of this post.

Go!

#92: On NPR

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Well, y’all.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a song on here. Believe it or not, I’m up to 93 now.

Here’s #92 – submitted to NPR in response to their weekend songwriting challenge… The song had to be original, written this weekend, and use at least one of the following words: Japan, firecracker, dog, lampshade, NPR. I’m one of the nuts who actually jumped at the chance – grabbing headlines and ideas from the NPR.org website.

Some of the others’ entries are fantastic. But, who knows? Maybe this’ll end up on the radio!

For all you songwriting geeks: I’m trying to grow in writing “story songs.” From what I hear, they are very … captivating. I’m also making an effort to use more descriptive words and very specific details. They say that detail draws the listener in and makes the song more believable. (“They” being the writers of all these songwriting books, articles, and blogs I’ve been ingesting as of late.) (“Ingesting” being a more descriptive and interesting word than reading. See? “They” would be proud! ;) )

For all you music geeks: This is the first time I’ve employed the trick of playing a bass lick on the acoustic, then churning the tone down 12 notches to get a bass guitar feel out of it. I don’t know if it’s convincing – but I’m all about experimenting as I go.

ON NPR
~mandy thompson

I ran into his shop just the other day
crying for a cut&color or else I’d pull a lampshade
over this maddening mop of messy hair
A bombastic fog of fashion error

he started telling me about insurance for his dog
grab a green apple to get the whole Beatles catalog
David Archuleta is like the green bay packers
And all the chemicals packed in fire crackers

I had to stop … and ask him where he got
all this & he said

On NPR on NPR
It’s the kind of thing you hear about on NPR
between Keillor telling stories about Guy Noir
Edelstein reviewing Where The Wild Things Are
Scott Simon interviews Kareem Abdul Jabbar
It’s the kind of thing you hear about on NPR

& he styled & talked about Renee Montagne
and Earth and Sky and Day to Day
Echoes and Talking Plants and Lost and Found Sound
and Hearing Voices and Future Tense and Here and Now

And the American Battalion in Afghanistan
and Obama’s alliance announced in Japan
& when he finally finished with my hair
I thanked him & tipped & climbed out of his chair

& when I started my car I spun my dial to NPR

CHORUS

THIS talk changed how I create

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I don’t remember how long this video is, but if you’re a creative type, you may want to pause and listen to this. Come back when you have some time. But listen. Listen well. And learn about “the muse.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, the writer of “Eat, Pray, Love” rocked me with this one:

The muse. I’ve always felt like it was outside of me – like the songs come from somewhere else – and now I know I’m not crazy. This is obviously how artists from ages past have felt as well. Now I know better how to approach what I do. I make space for “the muse” and time for “the muse” and wait for “the muse.” I don’t know what it is, but it works. It faithfully shows up. And I create.

How do you find “the muse?”