In thinking about what type of creative person I am, I have to first take a look at my habits.
For as long as I can remember I have been a mess. I have a hard time keeping schedules straight, things in order, etc. I have always wondered why I can never find anything. It wasn’t until I got to college and had a roommate that it was pointed out to me that I walk into a room and literally just throw my things. I just drop unconsciously drop them. I kick my shoes in opposite directions, and toss my keys into a corner.
Another of my strange habits that I must look at in order to determine what type of creative person I am is this weird tendency I have to wait a strangely extended period of time before answering upon someone asking me a question or simply making a statement to me. This is not something I do intentionally, or something I am even aware of. I just get so absorbed in what was said and what I was already thinking that sometimes I take an extra few seconds to process. Again, it was not until this was pointed out to me that I knew it even happened.
I have found that these neurotic tendencies have something in common. They stem from the fact that I am a person who gets completely lost in thought. I am so distracted by this world going on in my head that sometimes reality takes a back seat. Not in profound ways. Just in strange little manifests throughout the day to day. And that’s what type of creative person I am. My creative process is all consuming. When I have an idea I can become obsessed. Absolutely absorbed. I began enamored by it. I can think about the same exact thing for days and days and days. I am a messy creative person. I find beauty and reality in disorder. I find that organization and logic stifles my creativity, and makes me feel caged in.
As far as inspiration goes, I am particularly fascinated by words. I feel extremely inspired by song lyrics. There are a million bands that have lyrics that entice and fascinate me, but there is one band in particular who has a way of putting words together so brilliantly that it amazes me time and time again. That band is Atmosphere. I put the link to their song “scapegoat” below. Pay no attention to the stupid video that accompanies it. It’s the lyrics to this song that are important to me.
What I love about this song, is the different levels to it’s meaning. I love the relationship between the text and subtext. The text of this song is the lyrics on the surface. He is listing things about this world that affect how he feels. The subtext of this song is found in the length of the list, and it’s never-ending nature. The things he speaks about are said one after another after another with no pause in between, and with no defined relationship between one and the next. This gives the listener a sense of chaos as they are bombarded with this overwhelming list. The increasing intensity of his voice gives the listener a sense of building tension. The release comes when the chorus is played. The listener has a break from the list of stresses and can mull them over for a second before it continues again.
Another person who inspires me is Christopher Guest. He is a writer, actor, director, musician, and composer. His movies have always made me laugh so hard. His dry sense of humor pokes fun at the world, and distorts it in such a brilliant way and honest way. My favorite Christopher Guest movie is Best in Show. This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It makes me laugh ridiculously hard every time.
This scene of the movie employs contrast and affinity. The contrast comes from the difference between the calm nature of the dog and the extremely uptight and insane behavior of its owners. The affinity comes from the fact that the owner’s are continually upset, no matter what situation they are in. They are always in a crisis throughout the entire movie.
One last thing that inspires me is the movie Almost Famous. This is one of my favorite movies of all times. It was written and directed by Cameron Crowe. I am inspired by so many elements of this movie. The sound and music is beautiful, as well as the acting and the writing.
This is one of the most classic scenes in the movie. One of the lead characters, Russel, is on acid and is about to jump into the pool from the roof. In this scene active and didactic information is told to the viewer. The viewer is told actively that Russel is on drugs. The viewer is told didactically, however, that Russel is very egocentric and somewhat out of control.
You have a diverse set of creative influences! Awesome, Emily!
ReplyDelete