My life in art.

Tomorrow.

Hi,

Well, all of you knows what inspires me most: the challenge of bringing together artists to collaborate on theme-based projects. The record label 4AD was the first time I had seen music, art and (brand) mythology brought together under a single vision. When I decided it was time to start my own creative venture, I looked to 4AD for inspiration. Dreams by Degrees was born, allowing me to share my favorite music with an international audience. The rest of you will have an opportunity to share your inspiration presentations prior to the end of the quarter (be sure to bring in your materials next week!)

I've posted the presentation in PDF format, if you're interested in revisiting to find out more about the bands. Here are a few other resources, if you're so inclined:

• Website: Wikipedia: 4AD.
• Website: 4AD (Official Website).
  
• Website: 4AD: The first 20 Years. A visual history of the record label, from 1979-1999 (when Ivo Watts-Russell and Vaughan Oliver still oversaw the label's vision).
• Book: Rick Poynor, "Vaughan Oliver: Visceral Pleasures". Vaughan Oliver is one of the most consistently innovative and significant graphic designers to have emerged in the last 15 years, a highly influential member of the small group [with Neville Brody, Malcolm Garrett and Peter Saville] that changed the face of British graphics in the 1980s. Oliver's remarkable and unmatched oeuvre as regular designer for London record label 4AD won him an international following among fellow designers and also, unusually, among music fans, who savor his emotive graphic imagery as an essential part of the 4AD experience.
• Book: "This Rimy River: Vaughan Oliver and Graphic Works, 1988-1994." Vaughan Oliver is one of the most powerful and explosive graphic designers of his time. This Rimy River is a catalog of an exhibition held at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles in 1994. Long out of print, it has been sought after by designers and collectors who have followed the work of V23. Most admired for his collaborative energy and imagination, Oliver set the stage for a graphic revolution in the eighties and nineties. His impact was left on the post-punk music industry and influenced a generation of designers exploring the possibilities of type and print.

And, here are the some of the 4AD musicians that I shared in class:

• Bauhaus. Bauhaus is an English rock band formed in Northampton (UK) in 1978 that took their name from the German Bauhaus art movement. With their dark, gloomy sound and image, Bauhaus is considered to be one of the first gothic rock bands.
• Cocteau Twins. When the Cocteau Twins first emerged, they were compared to Siouxsie & The Banshees. In fact -- as each of their records cumulatively proved -- the Cocteau Twins never sounded like anything or anyone else. Ivo Watts-Russell has always claimed that his aim was to unearth music that was timeless, free of any trend, movement or era.
  
• Dead Can Dance. Assigning a genre to Dead Can Dance is difficult, as its style is particularly eclectic. However, its early work could be considered darkwave and Gothic, with the song "The ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" achieving near ubiquitous status on play-lists at Gothic dance clubs. In their later work, Dead Can Dance would take ancient or various musics from around the world as primary sources, with Gerrard singing glossolalia, giving it a very distinctive style. They have also been labeled neo-classical, ethereal, or dark world music.
• Pixies. The Pixies' music was heavily influenced by punk and surf rock, and while highly melodic, was capable of being tremendously abrasive at the same time. The group is frequently posited as the immediate forebearer of the alternative rock boom of the early 1990s, though they disbanded before reaping any of the benefits this might have brought them.
• Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek. For many, the introduction to musician Mark Kozelek's artistry came in 1992 when after nearly a minute of whispering guitar, a pristine voice rose out, haunting and inhabiting the air it traveled. Greeting listeners with interlocking images of lost childhood and the depravity of aging, these initial seconds of "24" marked the entrance unto the romantic, reflective realm of Red House Painters -- Kozelek's first musical effort to find label support. With each deliberate note and every articulated word, a feeling hung, suspended in the memory of a talented songwriter who could, through an unshakable, natural devotion to lyrics and guitarsmanship, pull an audience into the very moment of his inspiration.
  
• Mojave 3. Mojave 3 arose from the ashes of Slowdive in 1994. Rachel Goswell, Neil Halstead and Ian McCutcheon decided that while distorted, ambient soundscapes were fun, they’d made three albums worth of them, and it was time for a change of course -- for simple songs that could be written and played on an acoustic guitar. The newly-named trio recorded a hushed and magical collection of demos which swiftly brought them a new home (4AD) and subsequently emerged almost unaltered as their first album, "Ask Me Tomorrow."
• This Mortal Coil. This Mortal Coil was not a band. Nor were they a clever Shakespearian moniker for a solo artist. Rather it was a unique collaboration of musicians recording in various permutations, the brainchild of 4AD kingpin Ivo Watts-Russell. The idea was to allow artists the creative freedom to record material outside of the realm of what was expected of them; it also created the opportunity for innovative cover versions of songs personal to Ivo.

ASSIGNMENTS
Please complete the following assignments prior to next week's class:

• Complete your theme-based mix tape (actually, a CD) prior to class next week. You should also create artwork, as well a include a foreword to introduce your theme. Be as creative as possible: don't feel you have to restrict your art to the size of CD jewel case or booklet. Include a poem, haiku or a recipe to  introduce your mix. If you don't have access to a CD-burner, please work with a classmate to get your CD created.
  
• Bring three to five ads to class that inspire you. Bring digital photos of billboards or pages from magazines. Print out screen shots of your favorite ad banners. Find YouTube postings of your favorite commercials. Be prepared to share what you like most about the ad.

Field adventure suggestions for the week include:

• Thursday: Vampire Weekend @ Popscene (330 Ritch). The indie darlings of the moment, described by Randal Poster as "imagine New Order sitting down with Paul Simon and talking about the first Talking Heads record, while Pavement plays over the cafeteria loudspeakers." What?
• Friday: San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival @ various venues. The festival spreads itself all over the city, spotlighting the venues that support local players throughout the year. In addition to a square dance at the Swedish American Hall, films at the Red Vic, and various music workshops, this year's fest features performances by two progenitors of California bluegrass, David Grisman and Peter Rowan. Through Saturday, February 9.
• Sunday: Vietnamese New Year's Tet Festival @ Little Saigon (Tenderloin). January 1st may have passed, but the Tenderloin is still abuzz with New Year's cheer. The neighborhood's 12th annual Tet Festival — Vietnam's most celebrated holiday — honors the forthcoming cycle of the lunisolar calendar with a variety of cultural attractions. Pass out "lucky money," check out ceremonies and performances by local and international artists, or simply get a taste of traditional delicacies (there's more to it than Bánh mì, after all).
• Anytime: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days @ Embarcadero. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, this unforgettable drama is so gripping it plays like a thriller. Set during the last year of the Ceauçescu dictatorship, ironically called the "Golden Age of Romania," life has become a nightmare for the hard-pressed citizens. The film unfolds over 24 tense hours as a college student (Anamaria Marinca) desperately tries to arrange an illegal abortion for her irresponsible roommate (Laura Vasiliu). A political, moral and spiritual knockout. Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu.

"The Noise Pop Festival returns in 2008 from February 26 to March 2. Every year, Noise Pop takes over the best-loved venues in San Francisco for six nights to host unforgettable performances by nationally-known indie rock, electronic, punk and cutting edge musical artists teamed up with the best local bands, transforming the city into an almost week-long celebration of the finest that the underground and not-so-underground has to offer."

This year, includes performances by The Magnetic Fields, Cursive, British Sea Power, MSTRKRFT, The Walkmen, FIlm School and many others. If I had to recommend one show to see, it would be She and Him, the debut of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel's new project, on Sunday, March 2, at Great American Music Hall. (Zooey was in "All the Real Girls", which we watched in class, as well as "Almost Famous" and "Elf". Adding to her indie cred, she is currently dating Jason Schwartzmann.)

Hi,

This week, we moved our focus from identity to perspective. As I mentioned in class, understanding ourselves and defining our unique personal philosophy can sometimes be difficult. While it's not something that we'll perfect by the end of the quarter, it's important for us to continue challenging ourselves... the more we know and understand about ourselves, the more effective we can become as artists and individuals.

We started class by writing about our first day in college. How did it feel to step on campus for the first time? Who was the first person you met? Your first friend, enemy and crush? What professors made an instant first impression?
Everyone had a first day in college. But for all of us, it was a completely different experience. It is your unique experience that constitutes (...drum roll...) perspective. In class, we defined perspective as a "unique way of life" and "a personal creative philosophy". And just like identity, our perspective never stops evolving (so keep feeding it healthy amounts of culture).

For some artists, perspective is as transparent as scotch tape (I'll fill in a better analogy when I've got more time). To illustrate this point, we watched a few films and discussed the director's uniquely stylized perspective. Perhaps in time, all of you will express equally powerful perspectives in your work. And, there is no better time than to start with this week's assignments.

ASSIGNMENTS
Please complete the following assignments prior to next week's class:

• Learning To Love You More, Assignment #23: Recreate this snapshot (see photo). Work with someone else and try to photographically recreate this snapshot, to the best of your abilities.

• Write an original story that uses the following five phrases:
1. Tokyo's fashionable Harujuku neighborhood
2. slim ankles
3. the cold, indifferent waves of fate
4. time passed with shocking swiftness
5. "A sad story, don't you think?"

• What five artists, musicians, filmmakers, painters, etc. inspire your work? (The definition of "artist" is up to you: feel free to consider scientists, philosophers, presidents, etc. Anyone who lived life on their own terms and changed the way you see the world.) Is it the way that an artist dresses, their artistic process or their philandering ways that inspires you? Bring examples of their work as well as your own (inspired pieces) and be prepared to talk about them. (If I don't hear a passion in your voice as you present their work, then I know you just arbitrarily selected them from a book.)

• Start compiling a themed mix tape. Be original and bold. This mix should reflect you, but can be inspired by anything. (For example, "songs that I made out to in the neighbor's yard during the summer of my 12th year" or "songs I'd like to hear playing at my funeral--from heaven, of course") You will have two weeks to work on your mix tape before sharing with the class as part of our inspiration assignment.
  

Field adventure suggestions for the week include:

Here's the link to Flavorpill, a weekly newsletter focused on all the cultural haps around San Francisco. It's a great way to find out about concerts, art openings, book tours, street festivals and what such.

The Flavorpill Network also keeps kids in the know regarding music (Earplug), art (Artkrush), books (Boldtype) and world news (Activate).

Hi,

Now that we've spent time defining creativity, it's time to focus our identity as artists/writers to understand how our ideas originate. Jen S. brought a great quote into class:

"To create is to potentially embarrass oneself in front of others. It is about the courage to be oneself and to be seen as oneself." (John Madea)

We're all used to a comfortable level of transparency of self in our wardrobes, conversations, writing and art. But, artists that stay at a comfortable level (or distance) from their true creative impulse never reach their potentital.  For some of us, it's fear that keeps us from expressing that deeper level of identity; for others, it's just a matter of knowing how to channel the deeper level. For the rest of the quarter, we'll work on various creative assignments with the hope of channeling our identity/personal philosophies into our work, and then raising the volume to 11... after all, it's our creative perspectives that differentiate us as individuals and make us marketable as artists.

With this thought in mind, it's time to be creative and courageous in front of your peers. Let's start overcoming our shyness as individuals and artists. Abandon that layer of protection we wear over our ideas and selves. In summary, feel comfortable naked.

We started class with the following exercises (please make sure to include in your journal):

• Start a page with the phrase, "What I know most about..." Don't take the time to think about what you know most about--just start writing the first thing that comes to mind. (Sometimes, when we think too much, we're trying to say something that someone wants to hear.) So, you answered that you know a lot about romantic comedies. Tell me which ones you've seen the most. Which ones you'd take with you to a desert island. Which are your favorite heroines, and which "princes" you would love to meet. In describing these items, your true self will be captured on the page.
  
• If you could wear your identity/personal philosophy on a t-shirt, what would it say and how would it look? What do you want to say to the world about yourself? I passed around a template, which you can download here (or, just draw your own in your journal and add a pair of pants or a skirt if you feel the need). I saw some of you drawing longer sleeves and putting rips in your shirt--feel free to customize it however you would like. If it helps, think of yourself as a brand, and the t-shirt as your slogan/lockup (For example, the NBA slogan is "Where amazing happens." And now you know that I'm a basketball fan).

During our class discussion, we settled on the definition of identity as a personal philosophy, which constantly evolves due to the friends, family, experiences and environment that surround us each day. Who we are today as artists may be different that who we will become in two weeks, at the end of the quarter and ten years from now. But, knowing where we came from and how our ideas have been shaped will leave us in a better position to understand and grow. Which leads us to the next class topic (drum roll)... perspective.

ASSIGNMENTS
Please complete the following assignments prior to next week's class:

• Read the "I carry with me" handout from Sabrina Ward Harrison's "The True and the Questions" and compose your own story, starting with "I carry with me." Feel free to experiment with your prose (use stream of consciousness, poetry, sentence fragments, illustration, watercolor, etc.)--whatever matches your personal philosophy and mood. Be as true to yourself and the assignment as possible... this in an exercise through which I want to know who each of you are: those dreams you hold close, those fears you hold closer and everything else you carry between.
• Write about three moments in your life that helped to shape your current personal philosophy/identity. Think back to those special moments shared with your family, friends, teachers, or childhood pets... perhaps it is the advice you received, or the way they handled a situation. Or maybe you learned everything you needed to know about life from "The Legend of Zelda" or Backstreet Boys lyrics. Whatever the case, I want you to choose and write about three moments (consider starting with stream of consciousness to get all the ideas and details down, then edit). These moments should help me understand who you are as an individual, for better or for worse.
  
• Create a "Post-Secret" inspired post card, focused around your creative/artist self. Since post secret cards are sent anonymously, it provides an opportunity for the writer/artist to confess something secret about themselves. For example, you may choose to admit "Sometimes, I don't know what certain words mean, but I use them in my writing anyway... because they sound good and make my prose sound sexy." Review the Post Secret website, or wander into a bookstore and check out one of the three books that have been released over the past couple of years. (A great extension of this idea was used by Method for their highly successful "Come Clean" viral website). Don't forget, all of your postcards should be anonymous--and will be reviewed in class.
• Give advice to yourself in the past... this exercise is taken from "Learning to Love You More" (#53). As we get older and more experienced with life and love, we imminently remember a time in our past when we weren't so smart. If you could build a time machine out of an old Delorean (or be lucky enough to find a mad scientist with one is his garage), to which moment in your life would you return, and what would you tell yourself? (Along with the advice, be sure to describe the moment).
• Field adventure (see recommendations below).
  

 
Field adventure suggestions for the week include:

• Friday: Grant Gee's Joy Division documentary at Yerba Buena Gardens. In 1976 after attending a Sex Pistols concert, four young men from ruined, post-industrial Manchester founded Joy Division. Though the group achieved only modest success during their career, they have proven to be one of the most inventive and influential bands of their era.
• Saturday: Plaid at Mezzaznine. "Sanguine sonics alternating between bouncing baby boisterousness and grown-up sobriety, sino-exotica and digital gamelan, wonky hip hop and Tex-Mex melodrama."
• Anytime: Persepolis at the Embarcadero Cinema. With amazing wit and heart, this award-winning animated feature tells the poignant story of a young girl coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
• Anytime: DIving Bell and the Butterfly at the Embarcadero Cinema. From one of the most exhilarating and luminous bestsellers ever written comes the true story of a man who took an adversity beyond all imagining and transformed it into a testament to the irrepressible human urge to love, create and dream.
• Anytime: Dine About Town, at participating restaurants in San Francisco. Try some of the city's most exclusive and delicious restaurants through prie-fixed meals for 21.95 (lunch) and 31.95 (dinner).
  

CLASS MEDIA
The following media was shared in class:

• Music: Nyles Lannon, "Pressure". Lannon choreographs his swirling emotions into a series of well-crafted, intelligent pop songs that twist and morph, weaving memorable melodies with electronic flare and soulful guitar playing.
  
• Books: Rob Sheffield, "Love is a Mix Tape". Sheffield was a "shy, skinny, Irish Catholic geek from Boston" when he first met Renee. Southern born and bred, "she was warm and loud and impulsive." They had nothing in common except a love of music. On May 11, 1997, everything changed. He was in the kitchen making lunch. Suddenly, she collapsed, dying instantly of a pulmonary embolism. Devastated, he quickly realized that he couldn't listen to certain songs again, and that life as he knew it would never be the same.
• Books: Chuck Klosterman, "Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story". Armed with 600 CDs in the back seat, a task of gargantuan rock ’n’ roll proportions, memories of three dysfunctional relationships (an ex, a sort of ex, and a true love), and a wild imagination, Klosterman’s in good shape for his cross-country death trip.
• Books: Sabrina Ward Harrison, "The True and the Questions". In her new book, Harrison invites readers to allow themselves to "spill open" and create their own illustrated journal, and leaves plenty of space for them to do so. Sabrina's gorgeous art and moving text are interspersed with thought-provoking prompts to readers, encouraging them to draw, paint, collage, and journal.

Hi,

Our first class is finally over. Did I intimidate all of you enough into requesting a transfer to the other brainstorming course? Well, for those of you brave (dare I say foolish?) grasshoppers who have decided to anoint me as your "vessel" to the creative promised land, get ready for quarter of melodrama: yes, you will laugh, cry and hurl.

The creative mind is a lot like an Indiana Jones adventure--in order to reach the ark/stones/grail (or, in our case, at least three great ideas in our lifetime), we'll need to spend a lot of time navigating through cobwebs, falling boulders, poorly-executed traps, snake pits, mine shafts, invisible bridges and zombie crusaders that stand in our way. Oh, and let's not forget about the anxiety, doubt and self-deprecation that will pull on our sleeves when we're trying to spell the lord's name (according to the OT, it starts with an "i") or attempt to re-win the heart of a former lover. I guess this is my long-winded way to say that this quarter is going to be a journey for all of us to a better understanding of who we are as artists, and how our ideas and perspectives fit into the surrounding world.

Of course, no ten-week course or a sensitive, opinionated instructor will be able to teach you everything you need to know about yourself. But, it's a step in the right direction and something positive to grow on, like the after-school specials used to say.

I've posted the Course Summary in PDF format which you've already received it as an in-class handout. Please take a moment to review again, and let me know if you have any questions. As I mentioned yesterday, the "Class Outline" is still a work in progress--I may change some of the topics and/or assignments based on how the class is moving.

ASSIGNMENTS
Please complete the following assignments prior to next week's class:

• Selection of a class journal, in which you will keep all your in-class activities, assignments and field adventure reports
• Completion of our in-class "creativity" activity (summarized below)
• Completion of Identity exercises (described below)
• Field adventure (recommendations follow below)

Completion the in-class "creativity" activity.
During class, we all shared our ideas of creativity.  As your first journal entry (or second, if you would like to include your class introductions), I'd like you to reconsider your definition of creativity based on our class discussion, as well as answer the following questions:

1. How I define creativity:
2. How I define creativity, creatively (How does being in the presence of creativity make me feel? Come up with an analogy or metaphor that is 100% you.)
3. The last time I witnessed creativity was...
4. The creative experience inspired me to...

Completion of Identity exercises (three total).
Our next class topic will be identity. Please complete the following assignments to get you into into an "identity" mindset.

1. If you had to select a theme song, what would it be and why? (When do you need a theme song? Before a night out, or each morning before work? It's up to you to decide.) Bring a copy of the song to class.
   
2. If you could have any artist, photographer or illustrator create your portrait, who would it be and why? (Your reason should be more than just, "because I like the colors she uses and all her paintings have skinny people.") Bring examples of your chosen artist's work to class (it could be Picasso or your great aunt--just make sure to have some digital photos).
3. Make a flier of your day. Write a paragraph describing a typical day in your life. Bring enough copies to share with class (15 total). Be as creative as you would like... perhaps visit a community bulletin board or collect fliers on Mission or Haight Street (don't forget to consider at the lamp posts, too). This exercise was taken from Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July's "Learning to Love You More" book.

(Rainy) Field adventure.
As part of the course requirements, you are required to go on eight field adventures prior to the end of the quarter (see the Course Summary for additional details). Please make sure that you complete one field adventure and write-up prior to next week's class, as I will be selecting students randomly to provide a report.

This week's suggestions include:

• Thursday: Kate Nash at Popscene (330 Ritch). She's the latest teenage pop sensation from the UK, following the footsteps of Lily Allen and Lady Sovereign.
  
• Anytime: Olafur Eliasson at the SFMOMA. Last fall, I went to the MOMA to see the Joseph Cornell retrospective (he's one of my favorite artists), but after seeing the Eliasson installations, I was saying "Joseph who" as I walked back into the rain. Eliasson's installations will be on display through Feb 24.
  
• Anytime: There Will Be Blood. Paul Thomas Anderson's latest epic is a cautionary tale around capitalism and greed. Some critics are hailing it to be the most important film of the century (it's only eight years young, but that's still a pretty bold statement).

Remember, your field adventure should be a new experience for you, be it a film, artist, musician, or skydiving. And, feel free to drag along a classmate or two.

CLASS MEDIA
The following media was shared in class:

• Book: Griffin and Sabine (Trilogy) by Nick Bantock. Few books are more romantic than this trilogy, nor more surreal. Griffin Moss is a rather doleful, lonesome, gaunt, and haunted postcard designer in London. Sabine Strohem is an illustrator of stamps living on an island in the South Pacific. One day Griffin gets an extraordinary letter from Sabine revealing that she knows all kinds of things about his life and work--somehow, she can share his soul from afar.
  
• Book: Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link. Link offers strange and tantalizing stories--contemporary fiction with a fairy-tale ambience--that explore the relationship between loss and death and the many ways we try to cope with both.
• Book: Willful Creatures by Amy Bender. Fifteen stories bursting with heart and marvel make up this daringly original collection. Opinions differ on whether to call Bender a dark writer or a magical realist, but nobody has unkind words for her prose.
• Book: Learning to Love You More by Harrell Fletcher and Miranda July. In this selection of art and personal stories from their website, artists Fletcher and July present a jumble of the poignant and slapstick. Founded in 2002, the website provides its visitors with arty "assignments" and asks that participants post their responses online.
• Music: Shocking Pinks. Shocking Pinks veers... for an emotionally vulnerable highlight reel of scruffy Jesus and Mary Chain dream-pop, ecstatic My Bloody Valentine haze, droning C-86 confessionals, and bedroom New Order bass lines. Oh yeah, and cowbell.
• Music Video: Steriogram's Walkie Talkie Man directed by Michel Gondry. is a French Academy Award winning screenwriter, film, commercial and music video director. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène.
• Film: All the Real Girls by David Gordon Green. David Gordon Green's films, which are usually coming of age tales set in small rural towns, have been categorized as belonging to the Southern Gothic tradition. Green's dialog often has an obtuse, semi-poetic quality.
  

 

Hello MAS students,

This will be the future home of the Brainstorming class, which will include class recaps, homework assignments, "Field Adventure" recommendations, and class material references. Please bookmark this page and be sure to check on the site weekly, if not a few times during the week.

Jonathan