Low frequency musings on life, music, art, and culture.

31 Dec 2016 An Open Letter of Hope

2016 has been a year filled with much change and losses I could never have imagined. Some of us may think that half of the world has lost its collective mind on many levels. Fake news has reached such a level that it may have influenced the outcome of some elections, and the likelihood that some form of hacking may have also been involved is hardly a positive note to end the year on. I want to applaud the talented friends, writers, and public figures that continue to call out our president elect on his blatant disregard of a reasonable dialog about so many things but mainly to name one “facts” regarding real issues, policies and transparency. That said I personally have moved on from the theater of the ridiculous and at least intend to focus my energy elsewhere like health, creative works, family, friends, and what can be done to raise awareness, heal the divisiveness arrogance and in some cases violence that we have witnessed this year. We have also lost some of the greatest creative voices & actors of our time, which leaves me practically speechless and unable to elaborate on at present because I just need more time. If you have made it this far thank you and I do believe that we can look forward to a better new year and my wish is that it be more hopeful, healthier and happier for all. #nye2016 #itcrossedmymind

08 April 2015 - What to do when you feel stuck. #itcrossedmymind #music #creative

Working in any creative field comes with unique hurdles that often appear when they are least needed or appreciated. For those that create original works of music, poetry, and art the pathway is littered with writers block, loss of inspiration, self-critique/self doubt, and more. But what I’d like to address today is something that I’ve experienced that is even more onerous to the extent that it can contain all or none of the above maladies. I feel stuck, nonplussed, ensnared, and unsure of what to do next, and not personally mind you, but creatively. At times I’ve never felt more inspired, more alive, or more productive, but I still feel like I’m stationary, when I should be moving forward, and I can’t ignore it. At the moment I feel like I could write 500 pages on the subject but this is a journal entry that needs to be a little more concise, so I can only deal with one of the main culprits in being stuck; Multitasking or perhaps better put as Uber-Multitasking. I’m the first to admit that I’m a notorious multitasker, and most of the time it helps to get things done, except when I’m stuck. So what can we do about it? Some recommend taking a break, exercising, going for a walk or employing a system like Eno & Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies, but what if this all leaves you saying “I’m still stuck!” Here are a few exercises that have worked for me.

1 - Step back! And take stock of your workspace. Is it time to declutter, fix that broken chair, or update your tools? If so, do it now! Even a minor shift can make a huge difference.

2 - Download your minds multitasking silo. Grab some blank sheets of paper, and a pen or pencil and write out everything that is on your mind. While this is primarily about your creative or professional work, personal items may creep in, and that is fine. Do not edit, organize or pay attention to priority just write whatever comes to mind, and keep writing until nothing else comes up. Projects, song ideas, crazy ideas, want to climb Yosemite’s half dome, fix the bathroom faucet, whatever is fine just get it out of your head. I strongly recommend physically writing these out, if you want to transcribe them to your computer later that is also useful, but there is something about physically writing them down on paper that is meaningful and transformative. If for some reason you are unable, or unwilling to write this out, an alternate method that can work is to use the voice recorder on your smart phone to record your voice explaining everything that comes to mind, but in this case it is very important to transcribe the recording to text so you can see all of the things, and thoughts that are no longer on (or in) your mind. Ideally this should take about 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes in case you need a time limit.

3 - Since you were stuck it might be difficult to assess your current state. I sometimes call this the state of “I Don’t Know” after a song I wrote, but here is where we shift toward our “desired state”, and all you need to do is ask yourself “what is my desired state, what end result do I want, what is MY desired outcome?” If you a are working with a partner, or a team, and you are collectively stuck ask them “what do we want to achieve” I know this might sound familiar to the common refrain from the gurus of mission statements and goal setting but to me this is more elemental, more focused, and more concise. The goal here is to let go of the multitasking silo, get you out of your internal thoughts and re-engage physically with your desired outcome.

So if you find yourself stuck in a creative or professional quagmire. Take stock of your work environment and make changes if needed, download the silo of what’s on your mind onto real paper, and the final key step that boils down to one question is “what do you want to achieve?” Once you answer that question, write it down, post it on the wall, and take action. I hope this helps you in some small way. Comments always welcome via social media. - Art

15june2014 On Father's Day

Since my father died I have difficulty seeing today as some kind of cheery holiday. I remember how he taught me the importance of quality. A well made pair of shoes, a simple home cooked meal, made with love and care. I will take a moment wishing well to others like I, to those friends that are now fathers celebrated this day, and to your children who bring meaning to the word happy into the future.

24may2014 When does an interaction with a friend in person or on social media cross the line and become akin to meddling or worse?

We of the social media community love to interact with each other through posts, status updates, comments, pictures and the like, but let’s face it, sometimes your going to offend someone. A comment innocuous to you somehow wreaks havoc on someone else’s world. A friend seemingly good intended wants to “fix you up” with someone, ugh! Or some other helpful gesture get’s taken totally the wrong way.

For a start I’m guessing you already know that once you share something online, it’s out there essentially forever. You can delete, untag, or request the takedown of some content, and you may even be successful if only partially so, but if what you posted caught anyone’s attention it will probably resurface again like it or not. Another key point is what you put out there and how it is interpreted, received, applauded or hated is entirely beyond your control. So the message here is be careful about what you post and once you do, take a step back and temper your reaction to the outcome, or better yet, take a breath and consider whether or not to respond at a later time.

There’s always going to be that distant relative who thinks your food picture is “gross”, the old flame that “hates on” a song link you posted, that contrarian friend who posts snarky comments & needs to be “right” all the time, and the most horrendous of all, the lonely orphan post that dies without acknowledgment, these are some examples that are just part of the daily social ecosystem. If any of these are bothering you, it’s not personal folks, and you need get over it fast.

But when does it go too far? Some might say there are no rules, and if popular culture is any gauge… wait, point made, I’ll save that for another time. I propose that it goes too far when it makes you uncomfortable. Expand your horizons if you like or take a breather, but if you don’t like that one comment or post, hide it, if it happens multiple times and it’s a good friend, or friend outside of social media, before you un-friend them, send a private message or mention it next time you see them in person. Talk about it. You might be surprised that they had no idea whatever it was might bother you, and you might even learn something or become better friends in the process.

Also realize that being a well adjusted member of the social media, if not the world community may require you to let go of your need to agree, or like, (i.e. control) what your friends & family post, or even how they live their lives. And even if you talk to them about a particularly sensitive subject there will usually be more to come from them in a similar vein.

On to the main point of today’s rant... So when does an interaction cross the line and become meddling and more importantly what can you do about it. You know that friend that is always bugging you about being single, and says things like, aren’t you lonely, I have this friend you should meet, wouldn’t you love to have a (dog, cat, hamster, or komodo dragon) I saw one at the pet store that would be perfect for you… I saw this profile on datingsite.com, STOP! This is where you need to nip this in the bud for good and let them know this is intrusive and un-welcome. Let’s add one more scenario familiar to artists and musicians; you know that moment when a “friend” says, “why don’t you get a REAL job?” Well I suggest it’s time to tell them to STOP THAT! or perhaps something stronger. Love life and creative aspirations are areas where the love & support from real friends is fine, but interference from busybody meddlers, naysayers and ego-tripping control freaks is never welcome. The latter group can consider themselves on notice. #itcrossedmymind - Art

16march2014 He woke up from one of those coma like sleeps where you feel totally refreshed yet experience a momentary amnesia about what happened the night before, including anything else that occurred in the last 20 years. Looking around the room as if for the very first time then having an oh! I’m home moment nudges him partially awake. The nearby heckle of a mocking bird that sounds more akin to wounded chimpanzee, adolescent squee, and car alarm shocks him back to a waking reality one might rather forget. It’s after 10 on Sunday morning so the first goal of the day has been achieved. An aroma of someone cooking breakfast becomes apparent, must be the neighbor… As he glances in the direction of his phone eerily a message appears that makes working all weekend seem to make more sense with such beautiful weather lately, “want to meet for happy hour ?” The aroma seems to be getting stronger so he gets up to investigate. Remembering his earlier amnesia moment a mild paranoia sets in as he recalls the events of last evening which didn’t involve going out or meeting anyone, or did it? Opening the bedroom door he realizes the aroma is coming from the kitchen, he doesn’t hear anyone moving about but the aroma intensifies. Taking a deep breath and clasping the doorknob while thinking, “this should be interesting”, he pulls the door slowly open to see… another waft of aroma hits his nostrils strongly and turning the corner to finally glimpse the source of his concern, he finally sees that his slow cooker is filled with steaming lovely Porridge. #sfstories - Art

31july2013 After releasing the advance single July 26th via Soundcloud the album is now live digitally on Google Play. As you can imagine this is an exhilarating time for me and a major milestone has been achieved. While I want to share what's going on please know that I do practice a certain level of restraint since I don't want to get all spammy in my interactions here. I also know that there is a ton of new music out there and some of my friends are jaded by the overexposure (i e "ho hum another album came out...") in the mass and social media today. As the album goes out into the world like a defenseless child walking on a bed of nails and burning coals in the winter I would ask you to be kind if nothing else. If you embrace it or ignore it I put the work into it. I climbed mountains, slayed a few dragons and metaphoric demons to make it happen. And while I have plans and ideas of where it may go from here, ultimately as Valmont said repeatedly and so poignantly "it's beyond my control". - Art

26july2013 - If you are new to my journal welcome, for those that have been following along I thank you for your patience. I never imagined all the twists and turns I would have to endure to complete the record but it is finally done, finished, mastered and being manufactured for physical release somewhere in California. I now truly know why it can take teams of people to make and release a record, and a few of my friends in the business seem to enjoy reminding me "that it's just the beginning!". That's ok, here we go. The album "Earth9" expected release date for physical CD's is expected August 9th. Digital is still pending but likely the week before that. I also plan to post the first single "Beneath the Surface" on Soundcloud in advance of the release. I promise not to keep anyone waiting any longer than necessary... Art

04april2013 - I sometimes feel like I’m climbing a tall mountain, or an endless march into a dark cold forest, what is it I want to convey today? I never thought it would take so long to produce the album, and I decided a while ago that I needed to take a break from talking or posting about the process and just do the work. I always knew for me “it” is about putting the work into a song including the production, and that matters more than any other aspect of what I am doing. Since I am truly independent and responsible for every aspect of the project that means I had to take some time to learn how to produce something vaguely close to what I hear in my head. Knowing how to engineer wasn’t enough. Sometimes the cleanest well recorded tracks are completely void of any sense of emotive energy and have no ability to communicate the core meaning of a song, or the voice of a singer. On the other side technical flaws that distract from an otherwise great performance, and are not fixable even with the best tools can be a time wasteland. This is where I’ve been for a while and it was a painful lesson learned, time to move on. I also suffered from a malady some would call demoitis on a few songs, another time waster, obstacle, barrier to progress that you just have to set aside and banish to oblivion along with those friends that have been less than supportive, but I will save that topic for another post. Have I learned how to produce? That will have to be left to the listener and perhaps the critics, bloggers, and eventual haters. – Art Robinson album “Earth9” expected in June - Art

09may2012 Hi all, still toiling away in the studio, had to make some technical changes and updates to achieve the "sound" I am aiming for in an engineering sense, I Created a new acoustic treatment for my piano, and had a minor modification on a guitar for example. The desired outcome is to achieve an air of dynamism in each song. Thanks for your interest and patience, I believe in this work, for what it's worth. I may be a bit silent for a short time until this spaceship is ready to fly. Thanks again for your support and I will continue to tweet and share on facebook where possible. Art

29dec2011 While completing the last two tracks for the album I published my second serial tweet micro novel from November 2 thru December 24th. 49 episodes were posted on twitter entitled #6wordstories. Hemingway provided one of the earliest examples of a six word story in response to a challenge, the details are available elsewhere on the web so I won't repeat them here. The chronology of the tweets and some additional details are available on both my twitter and Facebook page (links below). For the curious there are two stories with hidden anagrams among the group. Can you find them ? Had a lovely holiday in the Detroit area, looking forward to completing the album and sharing the final mixes with you up here. A final note on this series of #6wordstories try reading some of them to see if something resonates for you... Also the reason I did this is because I believe that the power of words and how they are used is vital to our understanding, how we see the world, and experience a better life. Art

49 #6wordstories by Art Robinson
1. Hello, dinner, dating, married, divorced, goodbye.
2. Marriage no, dinner no, mint yes.
3. First saw you, walking Luxembourg Gardens.
4. While passing, bench birds, a smile.
5. Phone rings , a voice , it’s you .
6. Breath Lost, feet ache, Adventure begins.
7. I dreamt , breakfast aroma , gentle breeze .
8. He recollects , mutual sentiment , was not .
9. Striking one , effort none, Beauty waned .
10. Clearly , times were , against us , love .
11. Internal war ended , air of change .
12. Midnight , distant birds , sleeping , wide-awake .
13. Her tearful murmur , about the boy .
14. Eighteen hours , teardrops fell , nothing left .
15. Twilight carriage , uncertain course , until dawn .
16. His experiments , bore , dark secret results .
17. bicycLe brOkeN, pEbble fields , wAlking forever .
18. Bird sounds , bLoOdy crash , Sirens, flowerS .
19. Time separated us , despite transient happiness .
20. H8R talk, useless bully, without reason.
21. Shared discontent , together singing, we heal .
22. Big problems , Greater Aspirations, apocalypse no .
23. Your Essence , without Ego , Ran Free .
24. Signpost reminder , no person , is property .
25. From Great Distances , We Invented Understanding .
26. Farmhouse windstorm , wandering lost , epiphany-return .
27. Clamorous partygoers , Impervious cat , daybreak kiss .
28. Limitless words , veiled emotions , message incongruous .
29. life adversity , the myth , we overcame .
30. Habitual control , She realized , ultimately fails .
31. What He wanted , was always unavailable .
32. He sensed , Imminent danger , and vanished .
33. Intolerant plea , come back , It’s Ok .
34. She's unsurprised,and un-likes ,His re-departure .
35. Pathological egomainia, exploitive treachery, was he .
36. Bewildering puzzles swarm , until the end .
37. They always , did everything wrong , dependably .
38. Passion didn’t , always transcend , dreadful timing .
39. Everyone knew, he wasn’t , the one .
40. Deserted highway , auto breakdown , everyone dies .
41. Everyone loved , that notorious , unfunny comedian .
42. Beloved by many , that colorless voice .
43. They worshiped him , emperor of wrong .
44. Wandering time's wasteland , attracted to ambiguity .
45. His peculiar haircut , hinted of trouble .
46. Crowded airport, sophisticated style , misplaced bag .
47. That monstrous ego , was his everything .
48. Ancestors couldn't abandon , their consumerist needs .
49. Imagination , the art , of letting go .
all rights reserved Art Robinson/Eye Art Records

03sept2011 After a long productive summer with only a short break I have decided to push the album launch to the fall. Things are going well and there are only a few more songs to complete. Some of my close friends and colleagues are getting impatient but I'm not willing to compromise my vision because of outside forces. For those that are familiar with creative endeavors I am not stuck or unwilling to let go, or striving for some unrealistic perfection I just need to put in the additional work to make it complete. I am so grateful for the support and kind words from my family, friends, colleagues, and I have to say that I am astonished and inspired by the people I have heard from via social media on Facebook and twitter. I will do my best to have the privilege of your attention from time to time. Art

09may2011 Thanks for visiting my journal; On Monday May 9th I completed my first, and perhaps “the” first serial tweet micro novel on twitter. The name of the micro novel is “Conspicuous”. For my inaugural journal entry I have compiled the entire 21-day micro novel here. I have some music I’m working on to go with the lyrics presented here so this may become a complete song in the future. Worth noting is that this was an experiment with this form of writing and not representative of my typical writing style. Do you think it is confrontational or thought provoking? Comments are always welcome via my Facebook artist page (links are at the bottom of each page). Art