Go See ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’

“I’ve often said: the only thing standing between me and greatness…is me.” - Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s new movie, Vicki Cristina Barcelona, is not just my favorite movie of the summer, it’s one of my new all-time favorite movies. And it just came out a few days ago.

I love when that happens!

Do you know the feeling when you experience a book, movie, or piece of music, and you instantly love it as if it were always part of you?

That’s how I feel about this movie. I want to re-experience it again and again.

It’s not The Godfather or Lawrence of Arabia. It doesn’t try to be.

It’s a lighthearted romantic drama, an escape movie, a fantasy. It feels effortless. For what it is, it’s perfect.

It examines real-world dilemmas about love; specifically romantic love vs. practical love.

It’s absorbing and fun, full of surprises, with great acting and dialogue.

The actors and scenery are beautiful to look at, and the soundtrack is terrific (Spanish guitar - you can buy it on iTunes).

The plot? Two best friends, Vicky (practical) and Cristina (free-spirit) visit Barcelona for the summer, where they meet Juan Antonio, a dashing painter who whisks them away to his world of beauty, art, and wild passion. But this Don Juan is no cliche; he surprises you because he’s decent and honest.

Critics say this isn’t one of Allen’s best; that it isn’t as important as Annie Hall or Crimes and Misdemeanors. True - he hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but that isn’t his intention.

To me, it’s a terrific example of how great art can happen when you don’t try to be great…when you’re just having fun doing what excites you.

And say what you want about Allen as a person, but here’s what Woody Allen does:

He makes 1 movie every year. For forty years.

Anyway - go see it on the big screen. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Thoughts? Leave a comment.

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

What books have changed your life?

If you could recommend 3 books to us…books that will improve our creative journey in some way, what would they be?

Here are 3 that have changed my life, both personally and creatively:

1. Loving What Is by Byron Katie. If I had one book to give someone to help them overcome anxiety and become enlightened it would be this. Byron Katie’s “Work” is simple, powerful, and life-altering - like a miracle whenever I do it, which isn’t nearly enough. You simply apply 4 questions to any stressful thought. The result is clarity, acceptance and peace. You might not like or agree with everything here (I don’t), but Katie’s Work is radically changing millions of lives. All you need is a pen and paper. (Here are videos of Katie doing The Work with people.)

2. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Because it taught me and millions of people how to draw and I’ve made my entire living at it.

3. A tie: Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, both by Tom Robbins. I had to include some fiction here, and Robbins is my favorite. I remember feeling high as a kite after finishing Cowgirls, and the last sentence of Jitterbug made me pray that one day I might create something as wonderful and masterful. Robbins is an acquired taste with his wild metaphors, but his worldview is fun and magical, and my life is that much more so because of his books.

Okay, your turn! Tell us your top 3 life-changing books…add a comment!

“When you rise in the morning, form a resolution to make the day a happy one for a fellow creature.” - Sydney Smith

Here are some links to cool sites & stuff that might really improve your creative journey:

1. VideoJug: Life Explained on Film is a super-fun video tutorial website. You can learn how to do just about anything on VideoJug, and I mean anything. See for yourself.

2. Etsy is an amazing resource for creative people - especially you crafty types who need a place to sell your handmade goods. You can find jewelry, prints, pottery, you name it.

3. What can you do with a bag of rocks? This!

4. Want to improve your diet? Check out The World’s Healthiest Foods.

5. Illustrator PJ Lynch explains step-by-step how he creates one of his beautiful book covers.

Do you have any inspiring links to share? Limit to one, please. Leave a comment!

I’m sad about George Carlin’s passing yesterday at age 71. I count him among my biggest creative inspirations and listen to his comedy and interviews often.

Carlin did over a dozen HBO specials and toured relentlessly throughout his career, always working on new material, never coasting on the old stuff. I saw him live once, and had the pleasure of witnessing him flub a joke and then start it over again. He wanted to memorize it and recite it fluidly. It was a neat glimpse into his creative process.

Even though I didn’t care for his recent material (I found it too bitter and unfunny), Carlin was one of those rare talents and geniuses who always knew what he wanted to be. He had a gift.

If you’re interested, you can download a great interview he did, On Comedy, from iTunes. It will give you tremendous insight into the creative process in general.

Here’s a video of George at his controversial best. I particularly like the ending, when he gets almost spiritual. This was taken from his Jammin’ In New York special, one of his best performances ever.

Be warned - there is profanity in this vid - so don’t listen at work!
Thank you George, for all the laughs.

(* Thanks to Copyblogger I found this - the last big interview Carlin gave 10 days before his death. )

So what kind of music are you listening to right now?

What songs are you loving? If you could take 3 albums to a desert island, what would they be?

What music brings back powerful memories for you? What band do you want us to know about?

Turn us on to the music that turns you on! Expand our horizons…

Leave your comments!

(Here’s one my all-time favorite songs (video below) - Feel Us Shaking by Sean Kelly of The Samples, one of my favorite bands. If you like it you can download it from iTunes. It’s from the album Seventeen.)

Today at Creative Journey Cafe, I thought we’d hand things over to Alan Watts, the late, great philosopher. I spent the summer of 2000 reading his books and listening to his lectures, and they instantly changed the way I view life and the meaning of it. If you’d like to download his lectures from iTunes, I recommend Do You Do IT or Does IT Do You. I also recommend his books, especially The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, This is It, and The Wisdom of Insecurity.

Here he is talking about work as play. (There is also a part 2 and 3 to this talk on YouTube.) Enjoy. (And feel free to leave your comments.)

If Creative Journey Cafe was a real cafe, I’d hire these talented singer-songwriters to come and perform, and at the very least I’d play their music constantly for your enjoyment. You’ll find their albums available on iTunes, but here’s an introduction:

1. Eddi Reader

(Watch this video of Eddi performing Kiteflyer’s Hill.)

The first time I heard Eddi Reader I was driving on the highway when this beautiful song came on the radio that gave me goosebumps. I literally had to pull over and listen to the whole thing. It was called Kiteflyer’s Hill. Not long after I heard it, Eddi came to Boston and I got to meet her and give her a bunch of sketches I drew of her while she performed. She was super-cool and has a voice like an angel. I recommend her albums Angels & Electricity and Eddi Reader.

2. Kaki King

(Here’s a video of Kaki doing her magic.)

Her new album is called Dreaming of Revenge and it fulfills all your dreamy, hypnotic, acoustic-pop needs. She’s a guitar virtuoso of sorts, whacking the fretboard and doing all kinds of crazy stuff she probably shouldn’t be doing to her instrument, which is what makes her stand out.

3. Christine Kane

(This video is quintessential Christine.)

I saw her perform for the first time 10 years ago at a popular Massachusetts coffeehouse and I’ve followed her career ever since. Why wouldn’t I? She’s one of the best singer-songwriters out there. Her lyrics are tender and evocative, and she tells hilarious stories while she’s tuning up.

When she’s not making great albums and touring, Christine maintains a popular blog, teaches creativity classes to the federal government, and offers her “Great Big Dreams” retreats for women. She’s a true example of how amazing things can happen when you follow your heart.

Be sure to check out these incredibly talented artists! Do you have any you can recommend that we might not know about? Leave a comment…

“Work is love made visible” - Khalil Gibran

For those of us who create for a living, there are times when we’re not particularly inspired about a project. It might be something that pays the bills yet doesn’t come from our heart. In these situations, it’s tempting to rush the project and give less than our best effort so we can move on.

The problem with that is, we’re putting something into the world with our signature on it, and it’s not very good. We’re not showing enough love and respect for the people we’re creating for.

Not everything we create will be a hit, but there are 3 things we can do to summon our best creativity when we need a lift:

1. Imagine that what you’re creating is for someone you have tremendous admiration, love, and respect for.

Ideally, that person should be you. But if you’re not feeling particularly proud or inspired by your project, ask - Would I give this to my mother? My spouse? My creative idol? Jesus Christ? George Clooney? Would my peers respect this? Is it the best I can do?

If the answer is no, you know you’ve got to amp things up in the quality department. You will suddenly see every imperfection in your creation, and know exactly how to improve it.

Think of a food critic who sneaks into a restaurant. The cooks and waitstaff have no idea who it is. Are they trained to automatically give their best effort to every customer, or are they slacking?

When we infuse our creativity with love, it usually shows. And when it does, people return to us.

2. When faced with a creative dilemma, ask yourself, If I were the person who knew how to fix this problem, what would s/he do?

Stepping outside of ourselves and pretending we’re some other genius can produce surprising results in a pinch. Try asking the above question the next time you’re confused about something and see what answers you get. Then detach and carry out the solution. When we ask specific empowering questions, we usually get specific empowering answers. It’s pretty cool.

3. Practice, practice, practice.

I hate to add this obvious one, but it’s impossible to leave out. The only way we get great at something is to do it over and over. That’s how Kaki King has become one of the best new guitar players around, and why her hypnotic new acoustic album Dreaming of Revenge is one of the prettiest things I’ve heard all year. (Watch her videos!)

Practice is the reason the B-52’s sound better than ever on their awesome new album, Funplex. (Get it!) They’ve been practicing those infectous grooves and gorgeous harmonies at the Loveshack for decades, and it shows.

Practice is the reason Seth Godin provides the most cutting-edge marketing advice in the world. Are you reading his blog? No? If you provide a service, you better be! His insights will help you tremendously.

Summoning our best creativity doesn’t mean being perfectionistic. It means doing the best we can, now, with our current skills. Imperfection is always acceptable when we give our best. When Prince screws up the lyrics to Kiss because he’s doing splits for us, we forgive him and call it soul.

What about you? What are some ways you summon your best creativity? Leave a Comment! 

“I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public want - you play what you want and let the public pick up on what you doing - even if it takes them fifteen, twenty years.”
                                                                - Thelonius Monk

There are a lot of books out there about the creative process. These are the ones that have influenced me the most and maybe they’ll help you, too…

1. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

I consider this a Bible for creative people, especially those who suffer from procrastination. It changed my life, and now I give it to all my professional creative friends and refer it to aspiring writers. In a nutshell, it describes the insidious ways “Resistance” prevents us from creating our soul’s work and offers solutions for beating it. It’s written in short, kick-ass paragraphs that will have you nodding in recognition and then making a b-line for the drawing board.

2. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

I recommend all her books, but Bird by Bird takes you step-by-step into the writing process. Anne teaches you how to write “sh*tty first drafts” and offers unusual advice you won’t find in other books, like how to deal with jealousy when your friends become more successful than you.  Hiliarious, helpful, and poignant, it will make you a better writer and a better person.

3. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

This is the How-to-Draw Bible - the book that taught me and millions of others how to draw realistically. My middle school teachers, high school teachers, and college professors all taught me lessons from this book, and now I teach from it. Even if you don’t know how to draw a stick figure, as long as you have a little patience and a sharp pencil you can learn to draw a realistic picture of your hand after 3 chapters. You’ll suddenly see the world with brand new eyes, the way an artist sees, and no more stick figures, ever.

4. If You Can Talk, You Can Write by Joel Saltzman

I love this book. The writing is so good and conversational it feels like a friend is giving you advice over the phone. The tips are extremely helpful, funny, and inspirational. The book is packed with relevant quotes from famous writers that will make you laugh. The title says it all.

5. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

The only fiction book on the list. You’ve got to read this thing if you haven’t already. It’s about an architect named Howard Roark - the embodiment of artistic integrity - and his battle to stay true to himself in a world that rewards mediocrity over ingenuity. Sure, it’s almost 700 pages long, but the writing is beautiful, there’s a twisted love story, and the characters are terrific. It will teach you how to set creative standards for yourself, and you’ll never look at a building the same way again. 

I’m sure you have some books you can recommend. What are they? Leave a comment!