Brainwashed

Brainwashed is another online article feature on www.changethis.com. The manifesto contains helpful information to reinventing yourself as a creative person.  Seth Godin, the writer of the article, gives seven main points when reinventing creativity. These seven points are, connect, be generous, make art, acknowledge the lizard, ship, fail and learn.  The article seems to be very helpful.  As i first read the article i was pondering over the "acknowledge the lizard" key point.  Godin explains this "lizard" to be a part of your brain; the part that worries and will release anger.  You must control this "lizard." When someone critiques or laughs at your creative work, you must not be discouraged and fight the resistance to stop you from using your creativity.  The second key point from Godin that I pondered on was his "connect" section.  Being in a creative industry, everything is about connections, connections, and more connections!  In school teachers encourage everyone to be social because you never know who can help you in your creative endeavors.  If you are the only one to notice your creative work, that creative work will stay with you and will not get a chance to put an impression on anyone if you dont get out and talk!  My entire blog applies to both of these points very easily.  As i add on to this blog, I will not be discouraged if someone disagrees with any of my statements or inputs.  Thus "acknowledging the lizard" as Godin states.  This  blog will also help my career with connections (hopefully). I want this blog to help me make connections.  I would like other creative individuals to look at my creative works, ideas, and opinions that I list here. I love to express myself through my works, and I hope everyone enjoys them!

James Watson/Ryan Heitkemper Songs

"Holy Diver"

Ronnie James Dio- "Holy Diver" (1983)
Killswitch Engage- "Holy Diver" (2009)

Covering songs, believe it or not, is a very complicated thing to do.  Being an active musician, I can somewhat understand the process.   When covering any song, most bands today try and put their own flavor and taste into a very popular song.  It is hard to do so without “ruining” the original.  Since music is vastly different then it was back in say the 80’s, many techniques and styles have been generated since then, and incorporating a specific style into a song that is already reputable is difficult.  My favorite cover to this day is the cover of  “Holy Diver” re-mastered by Killswitch Engage, a present day notable Hard Rock/Metal band. Ronnie James Dio originally wrote the song in 1983 on his debut full length, and it quickly became one of his most famous and relatable songs. When first listening to the cover of “Holy Diver” by Killswitch Engage, it is noticeably different but the comparable in many ways.  The first thing that I noticed upon hearing it was the pitch.  Killswitch Engage drops the pitch (or tuning) down to the key of Drop C, which is significantly lower then the original composed in 1983.  The second thing I noticed was that Killswitch Engage kept the same melody for the song (just dropped lower to match the tuning).  This is crucial when covering a song.  If you intend to use the song as a tribute you must keep the basics the same.  The intensity of the song reflects Killswitch Engage's style which is "harder" or an "in-your-face." feel. The rhythm is kept to its original tempo in the cover as well.  Any faster or slower might diminish the songs feel, but a more modern sound and with the different style, it helps give the song a contrasting feel.  The timbre in the song is moderately the same as well.  The song was originally recorded with the basic rock elements: electric guitar, bass, and drums, but again with Killswitch Engage’s modernized sound helped give it a more “noisy” effect.  The last thing to notice is the lyrics.  With “Holy Diver” being a song of such magnitude, the lyrics are very catchy and memorable.  I think Killswitch Engage did an outstanding job on keeping the lyrics the same but adding their own grungy vocals to let the fans of Dio and Killswitch Engage understand that this was a tribute song but imitated in their own way.  Musicians and listeners appreciate what Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P) has done for the Hard Rock and Metal of today.  With out Dio, the Rock music we hear today could be significantly different than what we know and love in this decade.  I think that is the reason Killswitch Engage has covered the Dio classic “Holy Diver”.  After watching interviews of Killswitch Engage regarding this song, it seems that if this song was re-mastered more for tribute to Ronnie James Dio, even before his death, rather than just another band covering a song just because they like it, and that is why I this is my favorite cover. Killswitch Engage has done an outstanding job of covering “Holy Diver” without diminishing or ruining the classic, and I think the cover will also start a trend of modern musicians covering their influence’s classics to pay tribute to the Hard Rock we hear today.

Soundscape- Melancholy

"Finding Your Howl"

"Finding Your Howl" is an online article that can be found on www.changethis.com.  Originally i was going to do an audio post for for this assignment, but i have been having a hard time with that.  After reading "Finding Your Howl", I was impressed by the fact that the writer, Johnathon Flaum, conveyed a moral by setting up scenes and dialoge with wild animals such as deer and wolves.  The article was all about a wolf named Munson who if trying to find his howl, but it is hidden by regret and hard times.  Flaum makes Munson's howl and feel like your personal inner drive and creativity.  Throughout the short Munson goes through more difficult times but eventually finds his howl in the end.  I feel as if this story is a good inspiration to never give up, and also that hard work and dedication pays off in the long run.

"14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas"

14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas is a manifesto created by Mitch Ditkoff and the work is featured on www.changethis.com.  Ditkoff's beliefs are that present day artists get make their ideas from convergence, and also that ideas are already made, its just a matter of putting them together to create your own.  After reading the article, I agree with the points that Ditkoff makes.  I am currently in a band, and this is my creative expression that I yield. My bandmates and I are always trying to think of creative ideas and we pursue some of these points without thinking of them, but on the contrary, we neglect some of the others as well.  Ditkoff makes all of these points seem valuable, I feel that if you follow these points you will see a positive increase in your creativity; whatever that may be. I believe that Ditkoff's fifth point- Fantasize- is the most important.  Before starting a project, you will need to brainstorm, but within the brainstorming you need to fantasize. If you use your imagination and create ideas off of your first idea, then you will find yourself not only creating what you imagined, but also altering the initial idea to make the project even better then you imagined. Ditkoff's second point - Immerse - is another favorite of mine in the article.  Once you have your initial idea, the only way to alter that idea is to immerse your inside of the entire project.  I understand that Ditkoff's point of "Taking A Break" is important, but on the same token, once the "creative juices" are flowing, there is no need to let up until the "juice" stops flowing.  Inside of a creative project, you need to indulge yourself inside and think about what direction you want to take to make the final draft exactly what you imagined. The third most important point Ditkoff makes is to "Make Connections." In the creative business, connections are crucial.  Any type of connection could help you in numerous ways such as converging ideas or taking your creativity to the next level. You could have written the best song ever created in your basement, but if you have no connections how could you expect that song to leave your basement?  Making connections is not the only way to be successful, but being in a creative business means that everyone thinks there idea is the best and making connections will help you better your chances of succeeding and making a better final product.  At the end of point twelve -Looking For Happy Accidents- there are two questions regarding the point.  The point explains how bad ideas can sometimes turn into good ideas or influence you in different ways.  As I said that I am in a band, and my creativity fails me many times.  The times that I think a good idea is flowing, its ends up being a disaster.  When coming back to my idea sometime later, I have a new perspective which will lead to a different path than I had intended before.  I feel that any idea is a good idea in the creative business, but failing does not always mean giving up. In most cases my initial ideas seem broad or unorganized but turn out to be good idea in my opinion. If I still have trouble satisfying myself with the idea, I reach out to my bandmates and see what they can put on the table to help finish an idea.  I believe that collective intelligence is a very powerful thing and if pursued, your project will come out more complex from the different ideas and also you could complete it in a much faster time rather than on your own.  I encourage all of my viewers to read the article, especially if you are looking for help on your creativity.  I feel as if one abides by these 14 points, they will see a significant increase in their creativity.

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk's character was formed in 1962 by Marvel Comics.  In the creation of the Hulk, Marvel decided to use one of the most iconic leitmotifs in my opinion. It rivals the "Jaws" leitmotif but it is the same concept. In "Jaws", when you hear the iconic theme song, you can understand that Jaws is coming and something bad is susceptible of happening.  The same concept of a motif is applied to the Hulk.  As we all know, when Dr. Bruce Banner is angered, the is bad consequences to whoever has affected him.  Thus, the transformation of "The Incredible Hulk" is made.  This is perfect example of a leitmotif because in the comics or the movies, when tension is building up towards the Hulk, he gets angry, all of the readers and viewers can understand that the transformation will occur as well as destruction.

Fight Club- Arnon Milchan

Fight Club is another favorite movie of mine. Arnon Milchan is a very creative person that i aspire.  His use of subtext throughout this film is outstanding.  Fight Club is a movie that you may have to watch numerous times to understand the meaning and what exactly is going on at certain times.  The reason I admire this film is for its ironic subtext.  I have only watched the film twice and it was hard to grasp what really happened in most parts, but Milchan really made it possible to keep the viewer's attention occupied because the second you stop paying attention is the second you do not understand the rest of the movie.  I love how he incorporated the use of the main character's split personality/his schizophrenia. In my opinion, Milchan is one of the most creative filmmakers and Fight Club is one of the reasons why i aspire his creativity.

Tim Burton

Tim Burton is one of my favorite filmmakers.  His style is much different then any other's, and his movies are usually dark movies but have time where things happen that you didn't expect.  You could say that Tim Burton uses a tension and release feel throughout his movies also.  In "Nightmare Before Christmas" the main Character, Jack Skellinton, decides to bring the Christmas spirit into Halloweentown. Throughout the film, Tim builds tension by trying to capture Santa to bring the spirit to Halloweentown.  Sally, another character, try to stop Jack of doing such a thing and eventually gets captured by Oogie-Boogie.  While still building the tension, Tim creates a numerous other attempts to build the tension before the release.  In the end Jack is shot down by the military in a graveyard (the release of the film). Jack realizes that he needs to save Christmas before next Halloween in Halloween town and this is where the film ends.

Why I chose Audio Production

Basically, I chose Audio Production for the music and all of the things you can do to it.  There are endless amounts of ways to produce music and I enjoy finding new ways to produce the most creative sound art that I know how.  I also have an interest in electronics.  I like understanding how electronics operate and with Audio Production as my major I will hopefully learn how to use different softwares and electronics to help me with my creations.