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Resonant Thoughts: Lewis Hyde’s “The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World” (1983/2007)
“Where there is no gift there is no art” (13). “Usually, in fact, the artist does not find himself engaged or exhilarated by the work, nor does it seem authentic, until this gratuitous element has appeared, so that along with any true creation comes the uncanny sense that ‘I,’ the artist, did not make the… Continue reading
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Music and Energy
Paul Klee, Ancient Sound (1925) Music is all energy. From its oscillating sound waves to its emotional effects on listeners, music encapsulates and compresses energy and then unleashes it back into the world. The orchestra, the choir, the DJ, the percussionist–musicians are energy artisans who use sound to build fleeting structures of feeling. Composing, a… Continue reading
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Fragments
Combining your strange tastes often leads to interesting artistic results. There’s no precise slot for art-making in everyday life. Sneak it in. The best-sounding tracks are one-offs. Making multiples of works–for example, by keeping their instrumentation or structure identical–frees you from options. Music lessons: aim for a maximum sound whilst being maximally relaxed. Musical sounds… Continue reading
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Resonant Thoughts: Ian Penman’s “Erik Satie Three Piece Suite” (2025)
“Certain pieces by Satie are like someone took the lovely opening minutes of Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert and cut away all the subsequent faff and bore and chaff and chore and ego moan.” (54) “IN-BETWEEN All those in-between emotions it’s hard to name. Old time feelings in danger of disappearing. Staring into space vs… Continue reading
