Finding inspiration

Post to reply to Rothberg’s 2/14/23 email about finding inspiration.

I often jump to parallel or adjacent mediums for a new perspective. For example, I often make music. So I might go to a gallery of paintings and see a Rothko and wonder “what would this visual image sound like?” or go into nature and see droplets flying off of a waterfall and wonder “if those were notes in a song, what would the composition be like?” or in a science context, looking at DNA protein and think of “what sound would a muscle building protein make as opposed to a cerebral / brain protein?”

Switching mediums myself also helps my ideas stay fresh. If I feel burned out on making music, I can make some drawings or small paintings (doesn’t matter if I’m good at it, just draw anything like a daily practice, get ideas out, get used to a new way of expressing ideas, even if its scribbles). Also switching tools helps me. If I’m always making beats with a drum machine, what would it be like to make a beat with just synthesizer sounds instead? Or just using field recording samples?

Another key elements is restriction. It’s one of the best ways to get my mind to think more creatively. Imagine the task of “make a painting” and it may be hard to choose a subject or style. But what about “make a painting with one color” then I really start to be creative. Let’s say I choose red. Is it all the same red? Do I cheat and add a little black or white paint to get different tones of red? Do I cover the canvas all with red, or just make a red shape? Suddenly I have way more ideas than if my palette is unlimited. Same with music: make a composition, vs make a composition with one instrument, or one drum sound. It pushes me into a place where I need to be creative with my problem solving.