Thursday 28 August 2014

Shipment to the Mountain #2


This post is part of a series of posts on developing creativity and sharing your art with the world; in other words its about creating and shipping, no matter what. You can read last week's Shipment to the Mountain here, or come back to it at some later time. If you'd like to see particular issues relating to creativity covered, or if you have a specific question you would like answered, please drop me a note at katrinaboguski (at) hotmail.ca. I enjoy receiving e-mails from readers and will do my best to reply with 2-3 days. If you do not get an answer by then, please resend your message as spam filters sometimes prevent messages from reaching me.

Contents:

  1. Musical Notes
  2. A list of song lyrics
  3. Hot off the Espresso
  4. A quote of the week
  5. Artful challenge
  6. Word of the week
  7. Frugal Recipe
  8. Listening Suggestions
  9. Joke of the Week
  10. Question of the Week
Musical Notes:

This week's highlights involved reconnecting with some old friends whose love of singing I've always admired. While the exchanges with them, for the most part, centered around topics other than music, hearing from them reminded me how good it is to connect with people we've known for years.

Another high point of the week was the re-discovery of my Irish tin whistle which had been misplaced and largely forgotten about. It was found under another largely forgotten about item, the bread-maker. Finding the tin whistle solved at least three problems for me. If you care to read about how these problems were solved by finding the tin whistle you can do so here; perhaps reading it might solve one of your problems too.

Finally, this week's challenge to myself was to listen to other indie singer / songwriters. I attended the open mic night at Trees Organic Coffee and Roasting House in Vancouver where I enjoyed music from a variety of local performers.  In addition to hearing these live performances, I also checked out several recordings including two music videos introduced to me by Glen Trujillo of California. The imagery on the first video featuring the song The City captured my attention and reminded me of some of the themes that were going through my head when I wrote Lullaby for the Sheltered.  Both of our songs come face to face with the issue of homelessness which can be ignored easily by many in our world. Glen is currently working on some new songs as well as revisiting some of his earlier work. I'm looking forward to hearing more of the old stuff as well as the new songs as soon as they are available. More of Glen's work can be found on his facebook page. Please take a moment to check out his work.


This Week's Lyrics: 

Oh Sitio
How to Make Friends
Lullaby For the Sheltered
Mala Malo Male Wash em All Away
Life is Like a Rocket (New Version)
Leave Your Baggage at the Station

If you are inspired to write music for any of them please drop me an email.

Hot off the Espresso:

Longer Reads:

What Does a Tin Whistle Have In Common With a Bread-maker

Letters And Songs Jimi Hendrix Shrine

Quote of the Week:
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them." Benjamin Franklin

Artful challenge for the week:

Mend it Challenge 
Songs often come to me automatically. When this happens the challenge is to get them down on paper quickly before they fade away or are forgotten. If a pen and paper or keyboard are not handy, there is a tendency to keep singing the song in my head until I can write it down. That often leads to very long songs; the longer they are sung, the more verses get added.

Participating in various song writing groups gives me the opportunity to edit the songs so that the original version can be improved...and usually shortened. I am very grateful for how feedback from songwriting forums improves weak spots that are not always obvious to me, even after reading and singing the lyrics dozens of times

It never ceases to amaze me how simply going back and mending a few small rough spots can fix the whole piece. The same thing holds true in other areas of life.

Fixing a tear in some clothes, fixing a hinge on a door, or mending a leaky faucet are all small things that are easily put off precisely because they are small. Yet, when many of these little broken bits surround us, life becomes stressful, disappointing and, well broken.

The challenge this week is to fix something; anything. Use your tools or your sewing box, some glue or a hammer and a nail. Mend something broken in your life, even a broken friendship or a fence to give you healthier boundaries. What ever it is fix it. Keep the job small to start, and move on to something else if you still have time. Sometimes fixing several small things is more energizing than tackling one big project.

After you've mended something, go back and mend your art. Make an edit, do a re-write, re-arrange a melody or introduce a new step. Mend it with the intention of making it stronger, better, more enjoyable art. Share the mended version with someone new. 

Word of the week:

"dictation"

This word seemed worth exploring after hearing a quote from G.K. Chesterton where he said, "Ten thousand women marched through the streets shouting, 'We will not be dictated to,' and went off and became stenographers."  Chesterton's observations of society are priceless and his whit impeccable. His reference to the idea of dictation made me think of  how few people dictate letters today or bother to write them at all. It made me consider the many tyrannical dictators running around the world today dictating all sorts of insanity. It made me remember the dictation tests that used to be part of French class; and for some reason it also made me thing of Dick Tracy, whose name sounds similar to dictation when spoken very quickly.

Consider this word and its different meanings. How many other words have the same root...hint on the first one, you can look in the dictionary to find many more.


Frugal Recipe:

These recipes are intended to help you explore being creative in the realm of cooking. They are intentionally vague in order to get you to experiment, either by researching more precise recipes, or by just winging it until you're satisfied with the results. My cooking tends to be pretty spontaneous, and the results are usually better for me when I follow my intuition rather than a recipe book.  If you prefer step by step instructions, there are lots of recipes available on line for these sort of pancakes. I started enjoying these simple but delicious pancakes after hearing Dick Proenneke mention them on the PBS documentary Alone in the Wilderness. If you haven't had a chance to view this stunning work about Proenneke's largely self-sufficient life in the Alaskan wilderness, be sure to check it out the next time it is aired, or you can purchase the DVD of it online. It is pure art.

Sourdough Pancakes:

Sourdough Starter
Flour
Sugar
Salt
Oil or butter


In a bowl mix the sourdough starter, flour, sugar and salt until it is the consistency of pancake batter. The amount you mix will depend on how hungry you are. The proportions of ingredients will depend on how sweet and thick you prefer your pancakes. The thinner the batter the thinner the pancake.

Add oil or butter to a hot frying pan, pour in the batter and cook until the top of the pancake starts to bubble. Flip the pancake and cook until it is golden. My pancake flipping technique could use some work. There is about a 50/50 chance of my breaking up the pancake at this point, and every now and then they work out perfectly. The fact that I'm only showing a photo of the pancake in its "pre-flipped" state suggests how this one turned out. The good news is that with 50/50 odds, my next one should be perfect.

Serve the pancakes hot. You can add syrup and butter if you prefer or some fruit. I tend to eat mine plain because they taste so good on their own. (If you don't have some already, you can find instructions for how to make sourdough starter in here.

Listening Suggestions:
  1. Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes Paul Simon
  2. Folsom Prison Blues  Johnny Cash 
  3. The Gambler Kenny Rogers
  4. The Log Driver's Waltz Written by Wade Hemsworth (this is a well known Canadian folk song that might be new to readers from other areas)
  5. The Sourdough / Miner's Song  Written by Bill Staines
Joke of the week:

A musicologist was wandering the hills of Kentucky collecting old folk songs. As he met with one family of musicians he would ask to be introduced to other families in the area who were also known for keeping their musical traditions alive. These families were dirt poor, but incredibly talented musically.  He began noticing that despite their poverty each of the old women wore an enormous diamond ring on her wedding ring finger. He did not want to be rude, but finally his curiosity got the better of him. He asked an old woman who was wearing the biggest diamond yet how it was that amid the poverty of the Appalachians, the women could afford such rings. "It's not all women who's got these" replied the old lady as she held up her ring-clad hand. "It's just us old women. When we was young our husbands were too poor to buy us gold and diamonds so they fastened a lump of coal to a brass ring" "How did you end up with the diamonds then,"  Asked the confused musicologist. The woman replied, "A diamond ain't nothing but a lump of coal that's been under pressure for a lot of years. Nothing has more pressure and lasts as long as a marriage in these hills."

Question of the week:

Every week I get questions sent to me that cause me to ponder my work from a different angle. It was the desire for this sort of exchange that inspired me to start writing a blog in the first place. 
This week's question was a real game changer for me. It came in response to an e-mail I had sent to an acquaintance whose music and photography had acted as a source of inspiration for me a few years ago. I was looking for a cheap guitar and asked if he could keep an eye open for a castoff, used one that might be floating around among his music friends. While he obligingly agreed to keep an ear open for a hand-me-down guitar, he replied with the question,  "Why don't you just buy a good guitar?" I replied immediately with some line about not wanting to spend money on an expensive instrument right now; but somehow after pushing the send button I was was not quite satisfied with that answer. The question tumbled around in my head for a few days until I realized that I was avoiding an expensive guitar in part because I was not sure what sort of guitar to buy. I wanted to hone  my skills on a cheap one before making the commitment to purchase something better.

It seems many people may be in the same predicament when considering what instrument to commit to, and might like the opportunity to learn more about how each instrument might meet their needs. This idea of trying out and researching several guitars led to the idea of writing product reviews to share with readers who may also be considering a new instrument. The first of these reviews will be available shortly. Sellers and manufacturers of instruments wanting to have their products reviewed can e-mail me at katrinaboguski (At) hotmail.ca for details on how to submit your products.


Next "Shipment to the Mountain" ships on Thursday for anyone who wants it. Please share this post with others who may enjoy the read.

Thanks,

Katrina


Wednesday 27 August 2014

What Does a Tin Whistle Have in Common With a Bread-maker?


Originally, the title of this post was intended to be ironic. The answer was going to be "Nothing, except for the fact that I found my tin whistle under my bread-maker this afternoon." However, the more the idea was considered, the more similar bread-makers and tin whistles began to appear. Both tin whistles and bread-makers can be easily forgotten about; they have the potential to make life easier when used; once you learn the basics of how to use them, you will be able to produce an endless amount of variations; both can be purchased for very little money, and are the type of items to be found at garage sales where often you can find them still in their packages; people are always surprised by what they can produce and happy to find someone who actually uses them. There are probably other comparisons, but for now this list will suffice. My intention was not to sing the praises of bread-makers but of the tin whistle; this most humble of instruments that has brought the gift of music to countless people around the world.

I've had three memorable introductions to the Irish tin whistle. The first occurred many years ago when a young catechism student of mine brought out his tin whistle at the end of class and asked if he could perform a tune. He knocked our socks off. This little kid had an incredible command of the instrument and had only been playing it a short while.   He no doubt had a natural gift for music and reverence for the instrument. The fact that both of his parents were from Ireland may have meant that he was taught to appreciate its music from the cradle and I'm glad that he helped pass that appreciation on to me. His music gave me great respect for both the instrument and the people who play it.

My second introduction to the tin whistle came when I discovered the online tutorials offered by the Jesuit Ryan G. Duns. Duns taught a course called the Introduction to the Irish Tin Whistle as part of the Irish Studies Department at Fordam University. I can't remember exactly how I stumbled upon these videos, but do remember it was shortly before leaving for Nova Scotia in 2010. Duns' simple videos somehow captured my imagination and the spirit of why I was moving to Nova Scotia in the first place. I was seeking a gentler way of living and wanted to nurture a life where there was still time for things like music, writing and simple pleasures that are often forgotten in our high tech world. The penny whistle traveled with me to Nova Scotia and back home to Vancouver a year later. Although I did not play the whistle much while in Nova Scotia, Ryan Duns' other lessons were never far from my mind. In one of the videos he said something akin to 'find your own voice'. I could not find the precise reference to quote him directly; these may not have been his exact words, but this was the lesson I took from the videos. In Nova Scotia I believe I did find my own voice, and much of what is posted in this blog comes from that voice. It is easier to understand the necessity to find our own voice when encountering people like Duns who are using theirs in unique ways. Through his voice he is passing on not only the tradition of the tin whistle, but many other worthwhile traditions which have been forgotten or are perhaps being heard for the first time by many.

A sample the Duns' tin whistle tutorials can be found here. I would encourage you visit his other videos if you want to learn this instrument, or if you are curious about the other things you may learn from his clips.


The third encounter with the tin whistle was today when I took a break from writing to tackle some other chores. As the sad thought of summer slipping away started to develop, it was quickly replaced by the thought of making bread in the fall. That led to organizing the counter on which the bread-maker sits, which very happily led to the rediscovery of the tin whistle. My Clarke's Original tinwhistle  was nestled underneath the appliance that hasn't been used all summer. I'm not sure when I last attempted to play the tin whistle, but likely it was some time around the last time I made bread in the bread-maker. I was not consciously looking for the whistle, but subconsciously it was precisely the thing my heart was set on finding. Its appearance not only brought back a flood of happy memories, it solved three problems which were beginning to cause me some frustration.









The Problems Solved by Finding my Tin Whistle Under the Bread-maker



The first problem has to do with the need for a musical instrument. Writing this blog has introduced me to many fine musicians who have begun setting my words to music. While I've enjoyed the experience of communicating with them by e-mail and Skype, my frustration has been in not being able to play a musical instrument along with them to convey the melody I had in mind. Although I took piano and trombone lessons as a kid, I don't currently have either of those instruments in my home. Besides it's been a long time since I played either of those instruments and was (as music teachers and former band members will attest) never very accomplished at either one. I wanted to take up a new instrument that would serve the purpose of passing along a few musical ideas. The tin whistle does that very well. 


The second problem has to do with wanting to research instruments used in folk music and bluegrass. I'm particularly interested learning about older instruments that have have influenced modern music. As I research the history of these instruments I also wanted to experiment with them and write product reviews. I was itching to start writing these reviews, but am still waiting for the first new instruments to arrive. Today I began researching the tin whistle, and the first product review will be written on the one I have.  (If you sell or manufacture instruments and want to submit one for review please check out the product review page for the instruments currently being considered). 

The third problem finding the whistle solved has to do with the direction I want to take this blog. While I want it to be a place to hang my words, I also want it to be a place to interact with creative people and especially with people who are nervously venturing into creative projects for the first time, or revisiting with them greater resolve than before.  Often people suggest lack of financial resources as an impediment to creativity; my experience has been the opposite. As necessity if the mother of invention, poverty is also the wellspring of creativity. In addition to posting my own creative fruits for collaborative work, my aim is to remind people what they can do with resources that are readily available to them. In order to remember what it feels like to try something new and challenging creatively, I resolved to push myself to try new forms of writing AND learn a musical instrument well enough to jam with some of my favourite musicians. The penny whistle will be a good starting point to refresh my knowledge of music before launching into the guitar. It is available to me today, so that is where I am beginning.

While considering how happy I was to have these problems solved so swiftly, it occurred to me how important music has become in my life and how grateful I am for what musical training I did have as a child. I was fortunate to live in a school district with a very strong music program and was also provided with lessons by my parents. At the time I did not fully appreciate how lucky I was to receive these opportunities, and as an adult I've come to realize how difficult it is for some parents to provide these resources for their children. If you are preparing to send your kids back to school and wish that music was a part of their education, consider offering your children music lessons via the many online resources that are currently available. In fact rather than just offering it, why not insist on it. Establish the habit of scheduled online music lessons and take them as seriously as you would private personal lessons. Learning music does not have to be expensive. Find a cheap harmonica or better yet a tin whistle...if you've simply misplaced the one you have already, check under the bread-maker.    Before you lament the end of summer, consider how welcoming your home will be this fall when it is filled with the smell of fresh bread baking and music from your children. Neither of these simple pleasures need to be expensive, but both are priceless additions to a life worth living. 




Leave Your Baggage at the Station




Musical Influence: Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues
Content Influence:
Sign at Train Station

Main and Terminal Vancouver
Trip to Fluevog shoes in Vancouver


I wandered through the alleys
And the back roads of my mind
I carried too much baggage
Only some of it was mine

Wandered through the streets
Praying for a sign
Wandered to the station
Could not believe my find

Right up on the wall
There for all to see
Was a sign that seemed posted
Just especially for me

It said “Unattended baggage
May be destroyed”
When I read it
My heart was overjoyed

I took my baggage and my mess
A lifetime full of stress
I left it right beneath the sign
Now everything is fine

That unattended baggage
Was no longer mine
I left it unattended
For someone to destruct

I had so much baggage
That they had to bring a truck
My whole life turned around
Beginning with my luck

I left behind my baggage
I left behind my shoes
I left behind my bluejeans
And all of my bad news

I wore nothing but my long-johns
And a great big happy smile
I hadn't had such freedom
In really quite a while

I walked on down to Fluevogs
And I bought some brand new shoes
Good roads ahead 
And even better news

Now I'm whistling Dixie
And don't ever sing the blues
Who ever knew? So much to gain 
From losing so much pain

If you want a happy life
It's your baggage you must lose
Leave your baggage at the station
And walk off in brand new shoes





Tuesday 26 August 2014

Steel Drums in the Summer


Many thanks to Anthony who managed to make a sunny Sunday even brighter by sharing his musical talents with passersby. Anthony is originally from Trinidad, and is available for performances at weddings, festivals, birthdays, and other events in need of a little music to feed the soul. If you enjoyed this performance, be sure let Anthony know by leaving a comment for him below the video.

Life is Like a Rocket (New Version)



Music Influence:
Kenny Rogers "The Gambler", Paul Simon's "The Boxer"
Content influence:'
Mickey Rourke on Jimmy Kimmel
David Letterman's tribute to 
Robbin Williams


Life is not a box of chocolates
It's more like a rocket
Takes all your strength
Getting off the ground

You feel alone in the corner
You ain't go not choice
Just when you give up,
You hear a voice

Hit the ball like Mickey Mantel
Come back Mickey Rourke
Soar high Commerce Comet
The whole world's missing Mork

Mend your friendships
Mend your fences
Strengthen your defenses
Batten down the hatches
And sail in to the storm

Don't go picking fights
Pick the battles you can win
Pick the friends you can count on
Time and time again

You do like David Letterman 
You count to ten
You get on up and come on out
Time and time again

Life is like a yo-yo
Going north and going south
Be tough and you remember
No one punches Mickey's mouth

You're a boxer, you're a fighter
You're a wrestler, you're all right dear
You don't just lie there,
You get up off the ground

You only throw a punch
When you don't have a line
You crawl back inch by inch
You let your own star shine

We're missing Mickey Mantle
The whole world's missing Mork
We need more comeback kids
So thank you Mickey Rourke

Life is not a box chocolates
Life's not that sweet
Life's a lot about
Getting on your feet

Life's a one way ticket
No refunds or exchange
The best that you can do
Is make it back by making change

Life is like a rocket
Flying to the moon
If you ain't there yet
You'll get there soon

Once you get into the sky
You let that rocket fly!

Mala, Malo, Male, Wash em All Away




Musical Influences:
Alarm on phone ringing
Content influence
St. Augustine's reply to
Why prayers are not answered


Aren't we all the same
Watching fame and
Fortune, washing
Down the drain

No answered prayers
Just a life of pain
Hear Augustine say
Mala, malo, male

Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away

Didn't we once believe
We would make it too?
Didn't we one conceive
We could make it through?

Where did the future go?
Now it's only present
Why's the present tense?
Where's the heaven sent?

Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away
(Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away)

Are the prayers unanswered
Or are they never heard?
Did we ask for goodness?
Did we keep our word?

Did we mend our ways?
Did we send our praise?
Did we start again
At the break of day?

Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away
(Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away)

Oh what we'd receive
If we just believed
Time to persevere
Wash away the tears

(Mala, malo, male
Wash em all away)

Monday 25 August 2014

Letters and Songs Jimi Hendrix Shrine Vancouver




While collecting material for some songs based on the Downtown East Side, the sign for the Jimi Hendrix shrine caught my attention. I'd seen the sign many, many times before, but somehow it never seized my attention long enough to look further at what the sign was pointing to; finally it did. Although Jimi Hendrix has never been on my top ten list, his contribution to music is indisputable and knowing his connection to Vancouver now makes him and his work all the more meaningful. 

The small shrine is located on Union Street just off of Main Street and is definitely  worth visiting. Don't expect some fancy tourist attraction, it isn't that at all. It is a small, oddly decorated building steeped in history and love for the man whose music and memory are being honoured there.  The building is what remains of the restaurant known as Vie's Chicken and Steakhouse. Jimi's grandmother cooked at the restaurant which was visited by legends such as:Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday,and B.B. King to name just a few. Jimi would come up from Seattle to visit his grandmother and would play at the restaurant. Hendrix is quoted as saying "Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens". It seems he likely had many influential musicians to listen to during his visits to Vancouver. 

The shrine has copies of handwritten letters and songs penned by Hendrix himself, as well as numerous photos of the great jazz, rock, and R & B singers who visited there over the years. Guitars are suspended from the ceiling and time itself seems suspended in this place. Strangely the experience of visiting this shrine reminded me a lot of visiting the small chapel at St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal founded by Br. Andre. While the comparison may seem an odd juxtaposition, for me it is not. The shrine also displays a picture of the Vancouver church attended by Jimi and his grandmother; so maybe the similarities between Br. Andre and Hendrix are not as great as  you think. Perhaps the suspended guitars reminded me of the crutches suspended at the Oratory Chapel, but I think it was something more than that. Both places remind us that people of humble origins can accomplish  great things with the talents they had been given and when witnessing those talents in use, people are often healed in some way. When we reflect on these humble beginnings, we might well wonder what greatness is currently taking root in a setting just as lowly. We stand in awe of our rock stars, our idols, our super heroes, and our saints asking how did they reach such heights? It seems to me the answer is they were willing to.   . 





Outside of the shrine Thomas Lavigne from Cape Breton played the guitar and sported a Hendrix wig. To his right in the photo is Luke Friis of Lawrencetown Nova Scotia. Friis was there to answer questions and knew a lot about the photos and artifacts they had on display. Both young men are travelling; somehow I think their summer spent working at the Jimi Hendrix shrine will be an important stop on their journey. Their East-coast hospitality added to the charm of the Hendrix shrine experience.  
Admission is free and donations are gladly accepted if you want to contribute. 

For more details check out the Jimi Hendrix Shrine Facebook page





Saturday 23 August 2014

Lullaby for the Sheltered




Musical Influence:
Neil Young's Long May You Run
Content influence
Conversation with a man at Main and Hastings


Homeless shelter
Helter-skelter
Bad moon rising
Evil creeps

Fights erupting
No keeping peace
No getting tucked in
No getting sleep

Song rises sweet
Above the anger
And the counting
Of the sheep

Fall asleep now, fall asleep
Fall asleep my friend

The day is done
And its troubles are all gone
Get some sleep
And tomorrow you'll be strong

Fall asleep now
Let your sweet dreams
Take you far from here
Fall asleep now

Fall asleep now
Fall asleep now
Fall asleep to
Angels singing your ear

In the morning
I'll be long gone
Moving forward
Heading on

But tomorrow maybe
You can sing this song

Fall asleep now
Sing to everyone

Cold dark alley
Couldn't  find a place
The old man died
Full of grace

As angels took him
Homeward bound
A thousand shelters
He called home sang out this sound

Fall asleep now, fall asleep now
Let your sweet dreams
Take you far from here
Fall asleep now...



How To Make Friends


Musical Influence:
Woody Guthrie
Content Influence
New friends made recently


Go find one guy
Who's hurting more then you
Be kind to him
Follow through

Smile a little kids
Even when you're sad
Be kind to them
They'll be glad

Don't judge a man
Til you've walked a mile
In his shoes
More than you are hurting too

Don't take selfies
With your camera or your phone
Call someone up
Who's all alone

Find just one friend
Be kind to him
Go back time and time
And time again

Don't be a follower
Don't seek them for your own
Walk side by side
You won't be alone


At 3:00 PM 
Remember all your friends
And the stuff their going through
You've got a friend coming back for you

Friday 22 August 2014

Oh Sitio



Written for Male Vocals,
Guitar and Harmonica

Musical Influence: Mumford and Sons
"Hopeless Wanderer";
Tracy' Chapman's Fast Car
and Springsteen's "The River"
Content Influence:
Samaritan Woman at the well


Oh sitio, Oh city oh
Oh city girl
Hocking your wares
At the Ivanhoe

Give me a drink
Pour me a glass
I will pay for it
Next time I am past

You don't know who you're talking to
I'm a prophet, I'm a king
Oh sitio
I thirst for everything

Oh city girl
Your soul is bare
Don't be taking thirsty men
To your room upstairs

You've had six men
Since Sunday
Not one was your own
Oh city girl, oh sitio

Those men you've been taking in
Cry sitio
Everyone is thirsting
Not knowing where to go

You don't who you're talking to
Get me a drink
I'd die for you
I'm not who you think

Come walk away with me
Come drink me in
You won't cry sitio
Another time again

Urbi et Orbi
The city and the world
I cry sitio
Come drink me in




Visit to the Jimi Hendrix Shrine

Stay tuned for a look at the Jimi Hendrix Shrine in Vancouver...

Thursday 21 August 2014

Shipment to the Mountain Package #1


The purpose of this post is twofold: firstly, it's intended as a gift to you to help you make your art; whatever art you are making, even if you call it something else. Secondly, it's intended to push me to ship some things I've been meaning to get out into the world for a long time, a very long time. Knowing someone might find it helpful now makes this work something I'm excited to do. It's a chance to push myself outside of my comfort zone by trying writing styles that are new to me; taking the risks however small helps us grow. Shipping that work, untested is terrifying; but the commitment is to ship, so the terror will have to find another home. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your struggles this week, they are helping you fill a well that you (and others) may draw upon.


Contents:

  1. Musical Notes
  2. A list of song lyrics
  3. Hot off the Espresso- A Short Story in Draft Form (The Needle and the Knife); Where is your Well?
  4. A quote of the week
  5. Artful challenge
  6. Word of the week
  7. Frugal Recipe
  8. Listening Suggestions
  9. Joke of the Week
  10. Question of the Week
Musical Notes:

This week I heard  a song in my head which will likely end up with the title "Pearls from a Poor Boy" although my working title was originally "Shucking and a Shucking Down in New Orleans". In working on this piece, and throwing myself into the process of songwriting, a bunch of other stuff emerged. As I was priming the pump for one project, from the tap came out many other things. I grabbed a bucket (a.k.a. a pen and paper) and tried to capture as many of them as I could. Most are still works in progress, but I'm sharing them so that they can be polished more from the process of exposing them to constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who helped me with my work  this week by offering suggestions, resources and encouragement.

In addition to improvements that came from this very helpful feedback, my work was helped by the opportunity to notice the work of others. Correspondence with readers this week suggested a similar theme for other people. Noticing what another is doing in their art helps us get unstuck from the roadblocks we may have created in our own road to success. I noticed that people who were most pumped about their art and inspired to share it with the world had a tendency to pause and appreciate the work of others. Those who were bitter seemed to be caught up in the fact that not enough people were looking at their work.

Besides receiving e-mails from readers who daily sent me questions and links to their music, one of the highlights of this week was receiving an e-mail from Ingrid Croce of Croce's Park West. Ingrid's contribution to the world of art and music has been incredible; she is a role-model from whom many of us could learn much. Besides contributing her own art and musical work to the world, she and her husband Jimmy Rock work tirelessly at keeping alive the music of Jim Croce. They also help discover, promote and encourage emerging artists. Somehow between all of this they operate a thriving restaurant where great music is served along with great food. Dinner at Croce's Park West is the final destination on the Life is a Rocket Tour planned for 2015. Hope you will join me then; I can hardly wait!

This Week's Lyrics: 

The Well Runs Deep

If you are inspired to write music for any of them please drop me an email.

Hot off the Espresso:

Short Fiction:

The Needle and the Knife (still in draft form)

Essay: 

Where is your well?

Quote of the Week:
"To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless." G.K. Chesterton


Artful challenge for the week:

Photo Challenge

Select one of the following photos and do something artful with it. Write a story, write some lyrics, write a tune, sew a quilt, create a new recipe, paint a picture, make a drawing, write a poem...just do whatever inspires you. These are all photos took myself; I took them because they suggested to me a story or a song. Perhaps they will do the same for you. 

Share it with an audience. If you don't have anyone to share it with, go to your local nursing home or soup kitchen. Talk to someone there about your art and why you made it. Watch their face light up. Having an audience will change your art. Don't look for a better audience, be better for the audience who is already looking at your work, no matter who small and humble that audience may be. The next time you show up in front of them, show up better than the last time; your audience grows at the same rate you do.  Millions of people want to connect with you. If they are not already doing so, perhaps it's because you're sending the message that you do not want to connect with them. Change that message by connecting with any audience who does show up. 










Word of the week:

"dulcimer"

If you don't know what a dulcimer is, look it up the word. If you do know what it is, ask yourself how well you know it. Can you describe what one looks like? What it sounds like? How heavy it is? Who uses dulcimers?  If you feel inclined to do so, write something about or for a dulcimer. Listen to one and enjoy it.

Frugal Recipe:

There are many reasons to include a recipe. I love to cook, but surprisingly I rarely write about cooking. I use recipes like other things, as a jumping off point for somethings else. I take a quick glance at them to get the basic idea, and then wing it based on the ingredients on hand, the time available and the occasion. I forget that a lot, perhaps even most, people don't cook that way. They expect something spelled out step by step or simply eat what has been prepared for them by someone else. My childhood was spent watching cooking shows every Saturday afternoon and perhaps because I did not know otherwise, I learned to cook from experts whose food came from the heart, not from the pages of a cook book. Learning cooking as an art influenced the way I do other art.

One Saturday after watching my favourite cooking shows, I decided to make a pot of carrot soup, which had been the recipe featured that day. It was the first thing that I really remember cooking on my own. It was a terrifying adventure into the unknown. I made a small pot at first. It was delicious, and very rich. On the heels of this success, I made a huge pot of it, thinking that I would share it. Nobody wanted it; carrot soup does not look that appealing and I couldn't convince anyone it was worth trying. I didn't want to throw it away, so I ate the whole pot over a few days. After days and days of carrot soup, I grew tired of it and have never made another pot since. Yet somehow I always think I'm going to. I made a rule after that to eat what I made; throwing it away was not an option. This rule made me more cautious about the quantity of stuff I was making but also about the quality. I don't like eating things that are burned and consequently, this rule has made me an attentive cook. Having a few rules helps art. Now I know that if the first few people turn down your offer, for carrot soup or other things, you can widen your market; someone is always hungry enough to eat carrot soup.

The other reason I'm including a recipe is because "carrot soup" is something I hear myself saying in my head every time I try something new. The phrase "carrot soup" means to me, I can make this if I know the basic steps. I can make this if I put my heart into it. I can make this if I believe I can. I can enjoy the fruits of this labour if I keep working at it. "Carrot soup" means, I have tried something new before which once was risky and now is a memory of a time I was successful. "Carrot soup" means try making a small batch of something first. If it works and you like it make more to share.

The recipe section is here also because I want each "Shipment to the Mountain" post to have something useful for everyone, not just songwriters, but everyone. We all eat and most of us cook at some point. Learning how to cook artfully is a skill anyone can develop. It is no surprise that many musicians, artists and actors are also great cooks. I decided to keep the recipes simple and frugal for two reasons: firstly, there is the practical consideration that many musicians and artists are living on tight budgets. I wanted something that was accessible for everyone. Secondly, it's a reminder that no matter how big our bank accounts get, returning to simple pleasures now and then can feed the soul.

This week's recipe is not one for carrot soup, but rather for sourdough starter. Not sourdough bread, now sourdough biscuits or pancakes just the starter. It's the base from which all other sourdough recipes emerge.

There are thousands or recipes for sourdough starters and I encourage you to check out several to find the process that works for you. Some involve adding yeast, others rely on the fact that wild yeast will eventually emerge under the right conditions. I like simple things so I tend to opt for the later type of recipe. I like wild things and I like patiently cultivating conditions for the wild stuff to wander in. Most people focus on cultivating the thing they want to have. Cultivate the conditions and you will have enough of the genuine wild stuff to feed yourself and many others besides.

As with your art, you need to keep feeding the starter. You need to tend to it every day; when you do it grows. Be patient. Cultivate the conditions and the sourdough starter will grow on its own. Don't let it get too hot or too cold; keep it at room temperature. If you are inspired to make something with it great, if not just take care of it. Nurture it like a good idea and check back next week for a recipe where you can use it.

Sourdough Starter:

Bowl
Something to cover the bowl like a towel or a plate
Flour
Water
Sugar

In a bowl place equal amounts of lukewarm water and flour add a bit of sugar and stir. The sugar feeds the yeast like a melody feeds good lyrics. Stir it up. If using a drum stick to do this, be sure you have cleaned it first. Each day add a bit of water, a bit of flour and a bit of love. Keep it covered to keep flies out but let a bit of air in for it to breathe; a towel on top works well. Watch it grow.

I can hear the questions already. How big should the bowl be? How much flour? Exactly what temperature is "lukewarm" and how much is "a bit" of sugar? There are countless recipes that will give you these answers but you won't get them from me. It's not the way I learned to cook. All I know is that I've been making sourdough starter this way for a long time. The only time it doesn't work is if I forget to do my part in tending it.

We long for simple ingredients to ferment. When we get a simple recipe that works, why complicate it?

Listening Suggestions:
  1. Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley (Did you know Frank Proffit was flat broke before getting royalties for this song?)
  2. If I Had a Hammer (Did you notice the repetition of  a simple theme?)
  3. Leroy Brown by Jim Croce (Bet your foot starts tapping. Music is a powerful. This is one of my "go to" songs any time I need a mood boost.)
  4. Steve Martin on the banjo (You might think of Steve Martin as a comedian. I prefer to think of him as a world class banjo player who also happens to be funny.)  

Joke of the week:

A musician goes up to a talent agent who has many top recording artists as clients. Thinking this is his big shot at success, the musician asks, "Can you give me some advice on how to take my career to the next level?"

"What do you play? asks the talent agent. "I play a little bit of the banjo and some guitar." replies the musician. "Keep practicing." replied the agent. "Professional musicians know how to play the whole instrument, not just a part of it."
 
Maybe it's your elevator pitch not your musical pitch that needs work. Keep practicing that too!

Question of the week:

This week a  couple of  people asked me if I have a melody in mind when I write my lyrics. The answer is yes, but I am never tied to that melody for very long. It changes and adapts; I rarely share the melody with anyone and instead let other people supply the music since that is their strength. My challenge last week was to shorten my songs to make them more commercially viable. When the reader asked this question, it made me consider experimenting with other melodies from songs I like. I started with the first few bars of a song and then kept that in mind as I was writing; I didn't follow it exactly, but returned to it more closely at times when I was temped to wander off.  I'm using the melodies of other people like I use recipes. I check them at the beginning for inspiration and follow them closely enough to make sure the songs ingredients get held together, but freely enough to make use of what I have on hand to make something that fits my tastes. To the readers who asked this question, thank-you. It really helped me consider my own writing process and helped me overcome a challenge I had been having related to keeping songs shorter.

Please send me other questions if you want to. I enjoy the dialogue.

In case it isn't obvious, this week's package is about finding joy in what you have been given and about having the patience to let your art grow into something more. One of the primary reasons people become happy, successful, and respected is that turn what they have into something of value for others. If you want an audience of millions, go share your art with the millions of people who have no one to comfort them today. You will find a loyal following who will stay with you (and your art) for a long haul. Go make something wonderful for them. Don't spend your day wishing you had more friends, more followers, more fans more money or more talent. You have enough, you have more than enough so go share what you have. Somebody wants it badly.    

If you found this package helpful, I'd love it if you could post a comment on the blog. If you would like to see something different in next shipment please drop me an e-mail at katrinaboguski(A T) hotmail.ca. 

Enjoy your climb up the mountain wherever you are. The view from the top will be worth it when you get there. And remember where you are right now has it's own beauty and comforts to get you and your art through the day; make the best of what you have and share it. Somebody is waiting for your package to arrive, so don't disappoint them ship it, not when you're ready, not when it's ready, but when you said you would.

Next "Shipment to the Mountain" ships on Thursday for anyone who wants it.

Katrina