Founder of Apple, Steve Jobs Dies Today

I just read that Steve Jobs, the Founder of Apple, just died today.

He was truly an innovator with vision and a knack for marketing intriguing products that have changed the way we use computers.

Here are some  excerpts from the article I read:

Jobs dropped out of Oregon's Reed College after one semester, although he returned to audit a class in calligraphy, which he says influenced Apple's graceful, minimalist aesthetic. He quit one of his first jobs, designing video games for Atari, to backpack across India and take psychedelic drugs. Those experiences, Jobs said later, shaped his creative vision.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future," he told Stanford University graduates during a commencement speech in 2005. "You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."


"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do," he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

Here is the entire article:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/us/obit-steve-jobs/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

It's interesting to find out that he was adopted as a baby, just as I was along with my fraternal twin sister.  Psychedelics also helped shape his future and the creative vision.  I also COMPLETELY agree with finding your passion or passions in life...and Follow Your Bliss.  Master your talents...or get real close.

I have enjoyed working on MACS for graphic design and music, but I also like the flexibility of the PC.  Both computer platforms have their pluses and minuses.  I can appreciate BOTH operating systems equally.

I love playing the time travel game where you look back in your own life and then look ahead at all of the experiences you will have with your future self.

If you are living your life correctly, you will notice how everything connects in a way that you can't perceive as it is happening.  Even in the last six months, I have seen extraordinary situations present themselves that are setting up the future connections that, only in hindsight, will be completely appreciated as part of the BIG picture.

Pink Floyd

I have been a HUGE Pink Floyd fan ever since I was introduced to Dark Side of the Moon back in High School.  To me, it is still a perfect concept album.  The engineering is exquisite and it is like the audio equivalent of a Moebius Strip: It loops back to itself.

EMI just released a 16 disc box set called "The Discovery Set" this past Tuesday.  Sonically, the albums have never sounded better.  I have owned all of the versions throughout the years.  What I really like about these remasters is that they are not overly compressed.  There is actually some audio headroom and you don't suffer from listening fatigue, unlike the Genesis re-masters, which are just too loud, abrasive and have absolutely no subtlety.

And the best part, is that there will be multi-channel surround versions of Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and The Wall!  I have fallen in love with SACD and DVD-audio Surround mixes, when they are done right.  They absolutely rival the stereo mixes and breathe new life into the recordings you already know and love.  They make it better than hearing them for the first time, every time you listen.

I have almost finished listening to all of the albums, in the order of release, and have realized how much the music has influenced me over the years.  Pink Floyd was an original in almost every aspect.  The melodies are amazing and think they captured "the intangible" in all of their music.  The were definitely pioneers of an ambient approach to songwriting. Some say their sound is nihilistic and depressing (yeah, The Wall isn't a pleasant walk in the park) but I feel the themes are more along the lines of audio surrealism.  

Maybe it has to with Storm Thorgerson's mind bending dreamlike visuals that accompany their musical work.  As an artist, I can attest to the power of imagery paired with music to compliment what you are listening to.

Being a keyboardist too, Richard Wright's keyboard wizardry, to me, is nothing short of astounding with it's understated simplicity. David Gilmour's Bluesy well-defined guitar licks are so carefully chosen and unique to him.  Roger Water's lyrics are filled with an abstract quality and his Bass lines are restrained, but perfectly placed along with Nick Mason's  impeccable yet never "flashy" drumming style.  I will never get tired of listening to Echoes...and I am still blown away by the "funkafied" jam section in the middle of the 23 minute epic suite.

Overall, I still love ALL of their music, imagery and uniqueness that still has an incredible presence and vibrancy after all of these years.  

If you haven't seen the film Pink Floyd: Live in Pompeii, I recommend it HIGHLY.  To see Floyd playing in the ancient ruins of the roman coliseum amphitheater is priceless.  I will never forget stumbling across that video back in the early 90's, when 7-11 still rented videotapes.  I had know idea what it was, took the chance because it was Pink Floyd, and became immersed in it for the next 90 minutes while watching it with a good friend of mine.  I have never regretted that decision.

Shpongle

Man, I LOVE this band!  I first heard this "duo" back in 2000 while sitting around a campfire with good friends. Someone put on the "Are You Shpongled?" album.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing as it became the soundtrack to the rip snorting fire we were all staring at it like it was a caveman television set.

I asked my friend what in the world were we listening to?  He said "Shpongle".  I said "What?".
He made the "Shhhh" sign and added "Pongle" to it :)   I had discovered something NEW for my ears.  I loved it ALL!

It kind of reminded me of my favorite Ethnic Psychedelic Space Rock band Ozric Tentacles, but very different.  By the time the Terence Mackenna samples floated in, I knew that this was going to one of my  favorite bands.  At some point during that initial listening, all reality seemed to fold in on itself taking me deeper and deeper into myself.  It actually became kind of scary.  Things were beginning to shift.

The band consists of Simon Posford and Raja Ram.


Posford is generally responsible for the synthesizers, studio work, and live instrumentation while Raja Ram contributes broad musical concepts and flute arrangements. Raja Ram stated in an interview that "Shpongle" is an umbrella term for feeling positive and euphoric emotions. Shpongle's music is heavily influenced by psychedelic experiences and frequently makes use of sonic textures that approximate psychedelic states as well as vocal samples relating to consciousness expansion, hallucinations, and altered states of awareness. The track, "Divine Moments of Truth," for example, contains a vocal sample of Raja Ram describing the effects of Dimethyltryptamine.

Even though they were hard to track down, I managed to get all of their releases, each very different but cut from the same musical cloth:

• Are You Shpongled? (1998)
• Tales of the Inexpressible (2001)
• Nothing Lasts... But Nothing Is Lost (2005) 
• Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland (2009)
• Untitled Fifth Album (2012)

Just recently, I discovered their latest venture called "Ineffable Tales from Shpongleland" from 2009.  Storm Thorgerson (the artist behind Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and countless other album covers) designed their album art.  He is a HUGE artistic influence in my art and has been for the last 25 years.  The album is amazing! The production is outstanding and it doesn't disappoint.  All of the world influences, trippy soundscapes and crazy samples along with incredible drum loops that are the most organic I have ever heard. That is why I like them so much.  Everything sounds so natural and unnatural at the same time.  A complete fusion of surreal sound textures filled with psychedelic attitudes and ever shifting, multi-dimensional morphing patterns to tickle your medulla oblongata!

Are You Shpongled, Yet?

The Orb

As a keyboardist, I listen to wide variety of music spanning many decades of styles and musicians.  I have always been a fan of electronic and ambient music.  Early Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd's spacey instrumental sections have always sent my mind into those special places and have been soundtracks to the creation of my art over the years.

But, I have recently rediscovered how The Orb has played a pivotal place in my musical listening tapestry throughout the last 20 or so years.  I remember buying The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld back in the early 90's on cassette.  I had never heard anything like it.  When Live in '93 was released, I had to have it - since it was a compilation of those tracks from Europe but really extended versions of the songs.  It really took you on an incredible aural journey into another dimension...and it was completely LIVE!

The real turning point was when Orbus Terrarum was released in 1995.  It is by far their most cohesive textural ambient album out of everything they have ever released.  I have listened to it actively since it came out and I never grow tired listening to it.

When Orblivion was released in 1997,  it was yet another amazing journey into the electronic world of these ambient master textural artists - weaving a mind bending adventure for your ears and brain to embrace.  The thing that really freaked me out was the hidden bonus music after I thought the CD was over.  I happen to be in another room doing something and all of a sudden, it seemed as though another dimension of sound had ripped through my reality and forced me to run back into the room to see what in the world was going on.  I just stood there with my jaw on the ground and a smile on my face.  "Those kidders", I thought to myself.

Recently, I picked up The Deluxe Edition 2 disc sets of The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld, U.F.Orb and Orbus Terrarum and they have completely blown me away with their newly remastered sound and bonus tracks.  If anything, I have realized how much I still love their music and can listen to these classic albums as if they are brand new and I am hearing them for the first time.

Zombies!

I just got a call this morning from my friends Ben Ward and Rendalee Singleton asking in what capacity I wanted to be involved for their latest short film trailer about Zombies!

Without any hesitation, I said: "Of Course!"

I will be an Actor/Zombie and also score the soundtrack for the film.
Great Fun!

Yet once again, how often do you have someone asking you to do something like this?
So, you say 'Yes'.

Clement Moore, Abraham Lincoln, Depression and Fear

Sometimes, I find it hard to know what actions to take when depression or fear have overtaken me.  I have felt almost paralyzed.


Lately these days, I have been so busy with creative work that it just doesn't arise.  And, believe me, I am grateful to be needed for my creative skills.  They are the gifts that keep me alive and truly present in both spirit and mind.


Here are some inspiring words from Rev. Michael Piazza that I could relate to:


Clement Moore was a professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia University for 29 years. He traveled in very elite academic circles and worked very hard to build his reputation as a scholar. He wanted the world to remember him for his scholarship. His hobby, however, was writing poetry. His family tried to get him to publish his poems, but he was ashamed of them and afraid of what people would think if they ever read his poetry. One day, a friend who was a publisher accidently saw a poem that Moore had written for his children. He secretly published it, and now, 150 years later, the only reason we remember the name Clement Moore is because he wrote the words:

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse.
What he feared had the power to give him exactly what he was looking for. That which we fear often comes to us with a gift in its hands.

Abraham Lincoln struggled so badly with depression that there was a time when his friends could not leave him alone. They removed all sharp objects from the house lest he harm himself. On one occasion, he wrote to a friend named John Stuart, “I am the most miserable man living. If what I am now feeling were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I cannot tell. I fear I shall not.”

Although he had to struggle all of his life against depression, Lincoln did get better. In fact, the sadness with which he struggled made him a man of such great compassion that, at the end of the most violent and deadly war in American history, he was able to write those famous words, “With malice toward none, with charity for all -”

The depression he feared shaped him into a gentle and tender leader. Some historians have suggested that if Lincoln had lived to lead us compassionately toward reconciliation, a century of racial hatred and bitter segregation might have been avoided entirely.

An old woman who was my friend loved to say, “Son, you don't drown by falling in over your head, you drown by staying under.” She was right. The very things we fear can teach us to swim, to run like the wind, or to soar like the eagle. Or yes, they may drown us, crush us, or destroy us - which happens is up to us

Follow Your Bliss Synchronicity

In the Fall of 2005, I quit my job as an Art Director for a Real Estate Brokerage company in Dallas.  I had worked there for over 9 years, the longest position I had ever had in my history of working.  It was killing me creatively, spiritually and on many other levels,  and I was filled with a general feeling of unhappiness.

I had nothing else lined up and really didn't know what I was going to do.  I just knew one thing, whatever it was, I wanted to draw, create and make music.  I had decided to (to quote the Visionary Genius of Joseph Campbell) "Follow My Bliss" and create my own dream instead of helping to facilitate someone else's dream.

That Friday, I went to my favorite music store and told them of my new adventure.  I told them I was "Following My Bliss".

Everyone was really happy for me regardless of where I would end up.  The manager of the music store then asked me if I was interested in creating a band poster for a mutual friend's band.  He loved my pen and ink work and said I could create anything that I wanted.  He trusted that whatever it was, It would be amazing.  He gave me $100!  I was stoked.  My first freelance assignment with total creative control.

I called my friend in Kauai, Hawaii, who had been telling me for quite a while that I needed to get out of that work environment because he sensed my unhappiness and frustration.  I told him I finally was "Following My Bliss".  The next day, I received a voice mail and all he said was: "Follow Your Bliss, Kistler!"  
I laughed.  What a great message - he knew that I had finally made the break into the great unknown.

That Monday morning, I woke up on my first day of freedom, casually walked downstairs and made some coffee.  I flipped on the TV to some public access cable station out of Florida.  The host was announcing that his next guest was going to be Jack Horkheimer, The Star Hustler.  I thought, cool.  I had grown up watching his show on PBS.  He was the guy in the Members Only jacket waking out out on the rings of Saturn and would inform you of what to pay attention in the night's sky for that week.  Well, I thought the interview could be enlightening at the very least.

The host came back after the commercial break and was sitting there with Dr. Jack Horkheimer and he introduced his guest to the TV audience.

Right then, Jack faced the camera (looking out into TV land directly at me) and said the following:  "I have three words for everyone out there...and that is Follow Your Bliss.  You need to find that thing or things in life that you are so passionate about that you can find a way to turn them into a career."

He then turned back to the host and explained how he has always loved science and astronomy ever since he was a child.  He knew that he wanted a career in the field so did everything that he could to make that a reality.

I couldn't believe what had just happened!  The hair was standing up on my arms.  I had realized that it was a message to inform me that I was on the right path.  The timing was too perfect.  Had it been 20 minutes earlier, I would have missed it.  If it was 20 minutes later, I would have missed it to.  I didn't even have to turn the TV on or it could have been on a different station.

I set the intention on Friday, received a freelance project immediately, received a message from my best friend repeating my intention to me and the deal was sealed after watching the interview explaining the intention I had set.  It completely blew me away.

I created my own company called Kistler Creative and started doing Digital Photo Restoration (another Synchronicity) and Band Posters.

In the end, I realized that timing is everything.  The messages are out there, the signposts appear and then guide you on the right path.

But, be aware that the timing isn't necessarily when you want it.  But, in the end, it is perfect timing when it DOES  happen and you are ready to effortlessly move into a new adventure in this strange thing we call "life".


Note - I just read that Jack Horkheimer passed away on August 20, 2010 at the age of 72.  I am so glad that I was able to catch that interview with him.

2012

With all of the hype that has been building over the last decade over the importance of the year 2012, I have reached my own conclusion as to what the significance of the date relates to.

After reading many viewpoints from the ancient Maya to New Age beliefs, science and many hypotheses in between, I believe that we have been experiencing a collective change as a species for a while now.  It has been quickening though, paralleling Terence Mackenna's Time Wave Zero theory, a true galactic alignment of our galaxy and the influx of information today that is literally changing us into something different.

The world is not going to end physically Dec 21, 2012.  It is just changing from what we have known it be.  It has been going on for a while and will not magically change on that date at midnight.
The Maya created their calendars with a precision that truly astounds us for the time period that they existed on the planet.   Being scientists, astronomers and mathematicians, I believe that they were able to perceive the patterns and cycles that everything goes through on our planet and our galaxy.  Their calendar ends as we know it, but everything continues in a higher octave resonance of being.  That is the new beginning.

The old way of thinking and living doesn't fit and we are forced to change.  To some, it will seem like the end of the world and to others it will seem like a new beginning of existence.  It will depend on your point of view and how enlightened you have become in your journey as a spirit in material form.  Energy cannot be destroyed, it just changes form and continues to exist indefinitely.

As an intuitive, I sense that something is about.  I can feel it in the many synchronistic events I have personally experienced that are beyond simple coincidence but are particular and unique to my journey in this lifetime.

Just keep an open mind and trust your intuition, for it is one the most important aspects of your being.  You will know that which resonates with the truth when you see, hear and feel it.  Stay in a heightened alpha state by expanding your mind with Art and Music and express yourself creatively by manifesting thought and imagination in a physical form.  Meditate and embrace quiet solitude with peacefulness  and soul introspection.  And surround yourself with positive energy in your thoughts, actions and words.

This is an exciting time to be alive!

Synchronicity

I have had so many events in my life that were riddled with Synchronicity that a friend once told me in response to the latest happening:  "Of course that happened.  Am I supposed to be surprised?  I have just come to expect that from you."

I can remember back in 1997 when the guitarist in my band blurted out something about Synchronicity and I had know idea what he was talking about.  Actually, I met him based on Synchronicity!  Earlier that week, I had compiled a list of my favorite bands on a piece of paper and put it in my wallet.  That Saturday night, I ended up going to see another friend's band in a club I had never been to before in Deep Ellum in Dallas.

I started talking to a taper at the show and we started talking about music and my keyboard background and he directed me to talk to some guy who was in the crowd taping also.  He was interested in playing music and possibly starting a band.  I walked up to him and he asked what kind of music I liked.  I said "Funny that you ask...".  So I reached into my wallet and handed him the piece of paper that had something like 100 bands written on it. He started examining my list and realized that we both liked a lot of the same bands and music.  I was impressed when he actually knew who Ozric Tentacles was!  Some of the BEST Ethnic Psychedelic Space Rock this side of Pleaides!  Both of us loved Primus, Rush, Zappa, Genesis, Pink Floyd, etc.

Well, we ended forming the Dallas-Based Progressive Trance-Fusion band Magpu in 1998 and the rest is history.

Dr. Seuss and Imagination

Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor Geisel, has been a very important creative inspiration in my life ever since I was small child.

In the early 1970's, I truly lived to watch the Dr. Seuss animated specials that were broadcast on CBS sporadically throughout the year.  I loved everything about them!  The music was exceptionally funky and the stories were amazing since they came out of the mind of a creative genius that had no limits.  The Lorax, The Cat in the Hat, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, and The Hoober-Bloob Highway are classics.  Just to see the original illustrations I had fallen in love with as a child moving and alive was wonderful.  I can trace my love of cartooning and pen and ink to Dr. Seuss books being read to me by my Dad when I was 4 years old.  The stories were weird, funny and filled with outlandish story lines that had an insightful message and a lesson to be learned in the end.  I just couldn't get enough of the subtlety in Seuss' line work and the unbridled imagination behind the characters, text and imagery.

I am very grateful for him being alive on this planet and inspire young minds to dream big and grow their imagination through nonsensical concepts.   In the end, his style of creativity forces your mind to challenge what it knows and understands in a completely different light and produce new thought and ways of looking at the world around you.

Harry Nilsson

As a musician, I absolutely admire the musical legacy left by Harry Nilsson.  Having grown up watching "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" back in the 1970's in reruns, I was introduced to Harry's music.  I really didn't know who he was for many years after that until I stumbled upon a copy of Nilsson Schmillson that had been ripped from an original Quadrophonic recording into 5.1 surround.  I loved everything about the album!  The keyboards, vocals, drums, bass lines etc.  It has been etched into my consciousness as a perfect album.  I finally listened to "The Point" the other night while working on some artwork.  It too is a work of art with a nice touch or sarcastic wit and imagination.  It brought a smile to my face with it's ironic sense of humor.  Originally, I thought that since there was narration on about half of the album that it wouldn't be as strong.  But it really works and the visual picture he paints works well.  I really enjoyed the groove variations between the actual songs under the narration.

Spiritual Synchronicity

Here is some valuable insight from an article I ran across by Linda Mackenzie:

Spiritual Timing is what I call God's Timing. It is a time when everything is in synchronicity. The right time, the right place and the right action all manifests when it is exactly right for everyone and every thing in the universe.
Everything is comprised of energy and we are all one. Therefore, every thought or action affects not only us but the universe as well. Negative thoughts produce negative energy just as positive thought produces positive energy. Universal truths (e.g., the power of love) are not perceptions and have their own energy.
Our perception, which is another energy, is just that -Our Perception. Every thing and everyone's perception is different from each other and is dependent upon their individual life path journey. When you think about the magnitude of all this perceptive energy it can be overwhelming. Think of the energy of a flower growing, an ant busily living its life, the earth's energy or the individualized perceptive energy of the billions of people on earth. Each and every thing with its own energy!

Synchronicity or Spiritual Timing?

Spiritual Timing orchestrates this energy for the good of all. Not just for the individual but for everything, everywhere. You may be coming from the right place, doing everything right, having the right thoughts and providing the right energy, but perhaps somewhere some thing is not ready for what you are to manifest. Synchronicity is missing, so Spiritual Timing comes into play.
When Spiritual Timing is the cause of lack of movement towards your goal, patience and acceptance can help you cope with the delay. There are no mistakes and there is a reason why everything happens or does not happen. Remember that we are comprised of body, mind and spirit and some or all of these areas can be addressed to help you wait until theSpiritual Timing is right. However you choose to cope with Spiritual Timingis exactly right for you. Here are some hints that I use when I get into Spiritual Timing.

Reduce Your:

• Physical Stress by taking care of your body - Eat a proper diet - Take the correct dietary supplements and herbs - Get enough rest and sleep - Exercise
• Mental Stress by quieting your mind - Accept that things are exactly right and stay positive - Understand that there are no mistakes and things will manifest when and how they are supposed to - Let Go and Just Be without expectation - Meditate and Pray
• Emotional Stress by releasing attachment - Maintain an attitude of love, joy and happiness - Know you will be provided for and everything's all right - Practice patience - Gain comfort knowing that things are happening for the good of all
• Spiritual Stress by cleansing yourself of negativity - Feel and connect to the Oneness and Universal Love - Trust your inner guidance always - Know that everything is exactly right and the solution is being taken care of

Following these hints doesn't mean that Spiritual Timing will work any faster. After all time is man-made and not a prerequisite to the master plan. What will happen is that you will feel part of the whole, gain understanding and peace and be able to assist with even more positive energy.

Dr. Seuss Quotes

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)

"So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) 

Kid, you'll move mountains."

~ Dr.Seuss  (Theodor Geisel)

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

- Dr. Seuss  (Theodor Geisel) 

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through th wrong end of a telescope.  Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

~ Dr.Seuss  (Theodor Geisel)

 

Inspirational Quote

The person who follows the crowd, will get no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find themselves in places no one has ever been before. Creativity in living is not without its attendant difficulties, for peculiarity breeds contempt. And the unfortunate thing about being ahead of your time is when people finally realize you were right, they'll say it was obvious all along.
You have two choices in life: You can dissolve into the mainstream, or you can be distinct. To be distinct, you must be different. To be different you must strive to be what no one else but you can be.
- Alan Ashley-Pitt

Are you an Eagle or a Chicken?

A story:

An ornithologist was visiting a farmer. He noticed an eagle amidst the chickens, so he asked the farmer, “Why is there an eagle with your chicken?”

The farmer answered, “Well, I found this eaglet and did not know what to do with it, so I started to feed him chicken feed, raised him with the chickens. He seemed to like the feed, so he stayed.”

The scientist asked the farmer if he could try an experiment with the eagle. He took him in his arms, told him “You are an eagle; you belong to the open skies,” but the eagle flew back to the chickens. He took the eagle to the top of the barn, and told him again, “You are an eagle; you belong to the open skies,” but the eagle escaped again and went back to the chickens. The scientist took the eagle again, but this time he went to a high mountain. He told the eagle, “You are an eagle; you belong to the open skies, to the great spaces. Glide.” This time, he threw the eagle into the open air.

The eagle protested a little at first, but then he quickly spread his majestic wings, screeched, and soared with great majesty to the heavens. He started to do what he was made to do: reign over the open skies, glide with majesty, and be the most beautiful creature one could ever behold.

Are you the eagle, living with, and thinking you are, a chicken? Or are you meant to spread your wings and fly in a different way?

Take Wrong Turns...Talk To Strangers

I have always been a fan of turning left when you would normally turn right.
Intuition guides many of the choices I have made in life.  Synchronicity appears when I have made these choices and life becomes amazing beyond a sheer coincidence.  Only in hindsight do I realize how everything is truly connected and that you need to "keep on keeping on".  Don't let situations in your life paralyze you - believe me, I know how difficult it is to try to keep positive in the midst of darkeness.
And be sure to discover your passions in life.  Follow Your Bliss!

Here are some amazing words of inspiration from Randall Munroe and Rev. Michael Piazza:
Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. - There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.
~ Randall Munroe

While we seek to discern God's vision for our lives, it is easy to get caught in inertia, to be frozen in place by the sense that we can't move until we know exactly where to go. This is tempting: to take a break from the journey until we have checked all the maps, the GPS, the Internet for directions, and are absolutely certain of our direction and next steps. However, many of us have stories where we did all of those things and ended up at a dead end or, in my personal experience, in the middle of a field.
Even when we feel certain of the future, the future is never set in stone. God does not need us to have it all figured out to call us toward a particular vision. We don't have to stay still to know God. God calls us to live, to love, and to learn as much as we can in the process.
Visioning can take time, if we do it right. In the meantime, we must worship joyfully. We must pray without ceasing. We must build community by laughing and weeping together for days, months, years on end. We must continue our adventures in living and loving that brought us here and will carry us into our future. It is in worship, in prayer, in community, and in life and love that we will most clearly hear God's call, see what God's next steps for us might be, and find sustenance for our journey toward God's vision. This is the way it always has been for God's people, and this is the way it will be for us.

God of action and reflection, keep us unfrozen as we seek your vision for our lives. Dare us to move, challenge us to adventure, urge us to journey on. Be with us on all of our adventures of life, showing us your way whenever we are able to see you in our midst. Amen
~ Rev. Michael Piazza

Surrealism

I have always been drawn to the artwork of surrealists and surealism.  The imaginative, dreamlike imagery that conjures a world without limitations has intrigued me ever since I was in a teenager.  I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth back in 2004 and view the exhibit "From Caravaggio to Dali".  It was an extraordinary collection of surrealist artwork by Max Ernst, Caravaggio, Dali and many others.  This was the first time I had ever seen these pieces in person instead of an art book.  The colors and technique blew me away.  Some of the work I had never seen before so it was really exciting.

I couldn't believe the photographic detail by Caravaggio.  It was like stepping back in time into a village during the renaissance.  He apparently was one of the first artists to employ a photo realistic art style during the 1500's.  I had never seen the art of Max Ernst before and was enthralled by his creativity and vision.  And of course, to see original pieces by Salvador Dali was a dream come true.  He has been such a powerful influence on my own artistic style.  He truly knew how to capture his dreams in oil and really didn't care what anyone thought.  I have never seen anyone else so far advanced for his time, way before computer generated imagery, that was able to paint the intangible with grace and beauty mixed with the abstract quality of nightmarish subject matter.

In fact, as soon as I returned home, I was inspired to finish a piece of art I had been working on for the last year entitled:  "Expand Your Mind-Feed From The Tree".  It was one of the largest, most complex pieces of art I had made up until that point.  It contains over 150 record albums ranging from The Allman Brothers to Frank Zappa and everything in between.  If you look at the base of the smiling tree right next to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, you will see my cat Floyd (a black Bombay that was named after my favorite band) who sat in my lap as I painted.  He died within weeks of the exhibit at the ripe old age of 14.

As an intuitive artist, I love to be inspired by other creative minds and concepts.  I also trust the process of executing the imagery and juxtaposing it in such a way that no one has ever seen before to inspire others.

The Genius of Leonardo Da Vinci and The Flower of Life

Leonardo Da Vinci has been such an inspiration to me in the last few years.  Back in High School, I really wasn't very good at math, especially Geometry.  I just didn't get it and I didn't buy the excuse from my teachers to learn it just because they said to do so.  That philosophy didn't resonate with any truth whatsoever.  I had a few aha moments in Algebra where, with some extra tutoring from my teacher, the light actually came on.  I started to kind of understand the abstractness of numbers.

Shoot ahead to 1997 and the concept of Sacred Geometry.  The guitarist in my band threw out the phrase to me in casual conversation and assumed that I knew what he was talking about.  I thought he was crazy.  I wasn't ready for it yet.

In 2008, I received a book by Drunvalo Melchizedek called the The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life Vol.1.  It completely blew me away.  I was ready to understand why this concept was so powerful in the evolution of the human mind and was very instrumental in many inventions over the centuries that were first envisioned by Da Vinci.

Apparently, all matter is created out of this shape.  In fact, one of the earliest known versions was found burned into the interior stone wall of the Saqqoro pyramids in Egypt!  It is proposed to be at least 10,000 years old!

Where did this knowledge come from?

When I found out the Da Vinci spent the last third of his life studying all of the different ways the symbol could be used to create form, I instantly knew that it was important.  People thought he was crazy for devoting so much time to a series of overlapping circles.  I was completely intrigued by the idea.  And I realized how mathematics, especially geometry can be effectively used in the creation of artwork.

The human being begins life as two overlapping spheres called the Vescis Pieces and then the cells continue to divide exponentially billions of times.  So, we actually resonate on a cellular level with this ancient symbol.

In 2010, I was moved to create my own version of the symbol in acrylic on canvas.  I wanted it to be based in spirit of the original, but not the typical pattern that you see everywhere.

I called it "The Flower of My Life" because, when I finished it, I counted the circles  and they totaled 41, which happened to be my age at the time!  I didn't plan on that whatsoever.

The funny thing about working with this symbol creatively is that you can't think about what you are doing.  There is no logic.  It follows a precise mathematical measurement to create it that requires no thought, just repetition in action.

In the end, the symbol presents itself.  And it changes the way that you look at everything in nature...and yourself.

Boards of Canada

A friend gave me a copy of Boards of Canada's "Geogaddi" back in 2005.  It took a while to really begin to appreciate them.  I couldn't tell where they were coming from as artists.

When I finally bought the album "Music Has The Right To Children" did I truly love what they were expressing musically.  It clicked.  Immediately, I had to track down as many of their albums as I could find and wrap my ears around their sound.

I love their low-fi, imperfect analog loops and the audio tapestry they hypnotically weave between your ears.  I describe their style as a snowflake puzzle falling into place.  Each piece of the puzzle is totally different than the next and before you know it, everything is firing on all cylinders and has fallen into it's perfect place.  The musical picture appears, it is timeless  and filled with a nostalgia-filled stroll down memory lane of old PBS shows and nature documentaries from the 1970's and fuzzy, haze-filled color textures.

As a keyboardist and drummer, I can't get enough of their electronic wizardry, rhythm samples and loops.  They are a completely creative inspiration to me.  I really wish they would release more music because I can't get enough of what they create.

Frank Zappa

Well, where do I begin?  I remember someone trying to turn me on to The Mothers of Invention back in High School.  I believe it was the album "Freakout!".  I just didn't get it.  I liked some of the music but really couldn't get into it musically.  Another friend let me listen to "You Are What You Is".  I had the same reaction.  I just couldn't understand where Frank was coming from.  The dirty humor, politics, and humor in the music kind of turned me off.  I wasn't ready at that time to appreciate the music.

Then, one day when I was a sophomore in college, there was a guy who lived down the hall from who looked like Jesus.  In fact, he was a born again Christian, which suited his looks.  He gave me CD entitled "Apostrophe".   I couldn't believe what I was listening to.  It was a like soundtrack for a cartoon!  I instantly became a fan of his music in one fail swoop and, in retrospect, I realized I had stumbled upon Frank's Jazz Fusion period of the whole "Project-Object" of his life's work of 65 albums.  I couldn't get enough of George Duke's keyboard wizardry, Chester Thompson's amazing drumming sensibilities, Ruth Underwood's xylophone dexterity, Napoleon Murphy Brock's Sax and wild vocals, Tom Fowler's organic bass grooves and of course Frank Zappa's guitar and musicianship.

This album launched me into digging deep into everything I could wrap my ears around in the Zappa Universe.  From doo-wop, modern classical, avante garde, rock and jazz fusion I became a Zappa fanatic and had soon realized that there was sooooo much music to listen to!

I had the wonderful opportunity to see The Grandmothers perform in Dallas at a small club in Deep Ellum back in 1999.  There must have only been about 30 people in attendance, but everyone knew what was going on and really wanted to be there.  The 2 sets were great and I was so happy to finally have witnessed the music of Frank Zappa LIVE in person by some of the original members of The Mothers of Invention.  How often does that happen?  I got to talk to Don Preston, Jimmy Carl Black and Bunk Gardner and thanked them for doing what they do.

More recently, I have had the opportunity to have witnessed Dweezil's latest foray into his father's musical legacy with Zappa Plays Zappa back in 2006, with the kickoff of the first tour, and in 2008.  I can honestly say that seeing them is about as close to seeing a Zappa concert back in the day.  His band is amazingly tight and filled with an incredible virtuosity of musicianship.  I am totally looking forward to seeing them again this September as they are opening up for the jazz fusion legendary supergroup Return To Forever.  What a treat!

Peter Gabriel

I have been a fan of Peter Gabriel ever since I heard the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway on a double cassette in 1988.  At the time, I was a huge Genesis fan and knew nothing about this album.  It didn't even have any liner notes and this was way before the age of the internet.  I remember listening to the album and thinking to myself:"Phil Collin's voice sounds really strange."  I had no idea who Peter Gabriel was because I had grown up in the period in which Phil Collins was the leader of Genesis.  I really liked "The Carpet Crawlers" and a few other tracks but couldn't really get into the album.

in 1987, I discovered the album SO.  I instantly became a fan and someone showed me the Peter Gabriel connection within Genesis.  It was the same thing with Steve Winwood and Traffic.  I knew the solo act, not the former group.  Thank God I knew that Paul McCartney was with the Beatles before he was with Wings!

I went away to college and came back that next summer and found the tapes in my dresser drawer.  In that last year, I had some major upheavals in my perception and revisited the album.  It completely "FLOORED" me.  I completely "got it".  I have been actively listening to it for the last 20+ years and it still amazes me.  As a keyboardist and drummer, it provides many musical moments that have become a part of my being.

Peter's musical sense is beautiful.  He is a vocalist, keyboardist, plays the flute, recorder, percussion and performer.  I am simply awed by the multidimensionality his music provides and the depth of concept he pursues.  I don't care that it is usually about a decade between albums these days.  It just shows that he wants it to be right, not rushed for the sake of producing a product.

The moment I will never forget was seeing him in 1994 in Dallas during the Secret World tour.  The concert was amazing and it was a dream to finally experience his music live.  10 years later, I had the chance to see him in Dallas again.  I was meeting a group of friends who had my ticket and accidentally ended up on the wrong side of the stadium.  I didn't want to miss the beginning so I hurried to get to the other end and while doing so, I noticed an opening in the wall surrounding the venue.  I glanced in and intuitively slowed down to witness Peter and the rest of the band coming out of the backstage door.  I made direct eye contact with him, smiled and waved.  What perfect timing.  I am sure I was one of tens of thousands but I will never forget that moment.

I have made a point of seeing all of the bands and musicians that have inspired me to play music.  So far, I have crossed many off the list and, in a handful of instances, have actually met my musical  heroes and thanked them for their music and creative inspiration.

One day, I would love to have a conversation with him face to face and just talk about creativity.