G.W. Zouck …expressions from a pure stream

Sometimes I wonder why we put so much effort into things. To write a short one-page article may take me three days. I’ll write a first draft with a face like I’m turning an imaginary vice into my head, then tweak it and walk away. I’ll come back later that night with a glass of fine Merlot and check it again (Why is my Merlot always “fine?” I’ll explain later), then the next day I’ll re-write, touch up and tweak again and on the third day, it rises to published eternity. All of this for a few hundred bucks?

Well, the way I see it, we put so much of our soul into what we do because in between all the crappy comments people make and struggling paychecks, there are times when we absolutely love what we do. The success of being an artist is knowing that you live in a different world in your head and celebrating it…actually getting down to it. Like doing some filthy dub beat thing–(I had no idea what dub beat was until yesterday…thank you 19 year-old daughter.) My point is that sometimes you just have to dance in front of the pig. Celebrate your dream, no matter how crazy.

Speaking of crazy, yes—the “fine” Merlot thing. A few years back while sitting on a bench in Baltimore, hurriedly eating my bagged lunch because I was a copywriter and time was money chop-chop; an older gentleman came over and sat next me and politely offered a sip of his fine Merlot, which was also in a bag. He told me I looked like a nice fellow and because of that, I could even take the first sip. I told him I was a “beer man” but thanked him all the same. He just smiled unaffected and looked up at the sky and said, “Yes sir…it sure is a fine, fine day.” I stopped for second, fingering the other half of my peanut butter sandwich, and thought…yeah, it is a fine day. And that—sir, is a fine wine. And time isn’t just money. It’s just…time.

This is my all-time favorite movie scene. Hey Chloe, is this like dub dancing? Please watch, it’ll make you happy, I promise… Plus, it’ll make the title of this post make sense.

http://videosift.com/video/The-farmer-sings-to-Babe-favorite-scene

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This message was inspired by “Big Daddy” Merlot. This blogger’s choice for when you have all the time in the world, and no job… and no job prospects. (Actually it’s quite good. It has a woodsy after-bite with hints of patchouli, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and my favorite Jack Purcell sneakers that I lost at a Dead show in 1983.)

I had a discussion with a close friend about money and business the other day. She said she felt like people took advantage of her. She said, “Maybe I attract it? Could that be so?” We sat in silence for a few minutes, both thinking of our own lives. I looked down at my scruffy black clogs and brown corduroy coat and thought about what confidence actually means. It surely can’t be attached to just looks and material stuff. What I came up with is that confidence is simply a strong sense of self-worth. It doesn’t have to involve ego at all, really. It just means you place value on your time because what you do, or even what wish you could do, makes a difference. It’s a good thing. A necessary thing; if you want to make any kind of impact.

But artists get lost in the whole deceptive world of relating to everyone. Yes, I want to write a song that makes the whole world sing and yes, by the very essence of that it shows my obsessive need to connect. But this doesn’t mean that because I don’t come across as guarded that somehow all work is fun or easy— not worthy of the higher buck. I envy those who can fix pipes all day at $60 an hour and then relax next to a smoking Webber at night. Creative people are never off. It may take me two hours to write some advertising copy, but I thought about it for two days—or maybe twenty years.

So to successfully live the creative life, it’s important to value confidence. With confidence comes respect and higher pay. Think of that money as a tool to do great things in the world. Maybe help a lot of people. If you deny yourself that, or if let others deny that path to you, you may think you’re being humble, but you’re really being ungrateful for the gifts you have, and worse, self-serving and against the needs of those you love. Think about it…it’s true.

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Okay, on a lighter note, some of you know about my ever-growing love affair with the ukulele. This week I found out that the ukulele is actually tuned exactly like a lute!  The instrument was brought to Hawaii by Spanish sailors in the 18^th century, so it probably is a direct ancestor of the medieval instrument. This makes it perfect for playing Renaissance court music… which is so much fun to play and beautiful. Who’d of thought!  Check this out. The song’s called: Galliarde ” I’m learning it now… but don’t have it down like this Renaissance groove cat!

The age of philosophy is dead. We live in the age of opinion. No one wants to hear about the layers between whether something is right or wrong. Say it and defend it.

Why has this happened? First, modern society has a limited attention span. They want the “How will this affect you” line right up front and center on the nightly news. Secondly, there are just too many people on the fence. But not on the fence as in waiting to agree or disagree. No, no, no…this is a far more insidious fence. It’s the fence where people just pick an “ideology” and stay with it, no matter what their side ends up doing, or not doing. Most people are sold on a broad label like liberal or conservative and they leave it at that; letting those whose job it is to carry out the “agenda” either fix the world or screw it up.

Remember, an ideology is different than a philosophy. According to my Webster (and I still use my paper one, thank you) – an “Ideology” is a “…body of ideas characteristic of a particular group.”  A philosophy is a “…critical study of fundamental beliefs and the grounds for them…” Big difference!

So if we’re stuck in the age of ideologyland (which is not far from Disneyland)… then what do artists and writers do? We can yell back? Put crucifixes in urine and burn flags and all that headlining crap. Or we can tell it or show it as we see it—on a human level. We can show a child trying to play in a playground with armed gunman walking nonchalantly behind her. We can show a boy dreaming of walking a tightrope over a destroyed city. It’s all about visuals, poignant images representing those human emotions none of us can argue with.

As long as artists can write or paint what they see, unfettered by media or governments, maybe we have a chance to reach people. But we’d better do it soon because a fence is just a fence. It wasn’t built to hold all this weight.

Palestine art

The inspiration this week came something I stumbled on from a friend in Jordan. It’s called “Palestine: The Graphic Novel.”  Their motto is “Unbound Your Creativity.” This is a project where artists have come together, mainly through Facebook, to get their message out through art. I truly believe that social media is only just starting to change the world. In this case, change may come through visual understanding and hopefully, discussion—not revolution. CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE and check out the Facebook and glance through the pictures by clicking the photo bar.

(Painting by Jessica Damen – “Epic Wrestlers,” 63 1/2 x 127, oil on canvas, 2009)

The world is in a serious state of affairs this week. Freedom fighters (not “Rebels” as the U.S. media likes to call them) in Libya are getting pounded while the world debates. And in Japan yesterday, the Prime Minister actually said to Tokyo Electric Power something very direct and in your face…“What the hell is going on?” It leads to the question of honesty. Do we really go after truth in everything we do and say?

In Betsy Lerner’s excellent book, “The Forest from the Trees” she addresses the burning question of honesty in writing. Can a writer be a writer, or an artist an artist, without offending someone? Truth is, after all, something most of us hide from. For instance, my publishing offices are in a garage… paint Zouck Publishing like a garage and I’ll be hurt. But compare us to Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer sitting in their garage in 1975 and all of the sudden I’m happy again. A writer or artist can tilt towards potential or pathetic with a slight turn of the pen (or brush.)  Lerner used the example of J.D. Salinger who told a young biographer that, “Honest writing always makes people nervous and they [the publishing elite] will think of all kinds of ways to make your life hell.”

So this week, for all those poised to finally say “What the hell is going on?” in whatever it is they create, I sought out an artist and asked this very question of honesty. I came across Jessica Damen’s work and was instantly caught by the intensity of emotion in her images.  Why does one of her subjects look so distraught, even tormented, and another rests on a couch in an ordinary youthful nonchalance? Surely some family member would say, “Hey!  Is that supposed to be me!” What does one say? If in one of my many failed novels I had written about a character who secretly wished he were a farmer instead of a writer, wouldn’t my wife look askew at me out here in this office, tapping away on this black box? Actually, I do wish I were a farmer and I’m sure she wishes I’d write about being an accountant, but you see my point. If I were to obsess over people’s reactions, I couldn’t write at all.

Jessica has some wonderful insights into her own experience as an artist and I recommend clicking on the link below and reading her reply to my question. She’ll also explain the motive behind the painting shown above.  Click here- ARTIST COMMENTARY

Also check out her website. I think she’s one of Baltimore’s most talented artists and someone to watch.

In my ongoing obsession with motivational books, I sat down last night with Donald Trump’s intensely cerebral “Think Big and Kick Ass” when I was stunned by something he said. He talked about how we shouldn’t go for a “win-win,” but in reality, we should always go for a “win-lose” in business. I was saddened by this since so many creatives fall victim to the losing side of that equation.

Truth is; it’s all in how we negotiate…how we hold ourselves. For instance, a few months back a client asked how much I’d charge for a project. I was responding to his email with my usual professional, though witty and insightful formalities—all the while sipping some fine Merlot (it being past the five-o’clock hour) when my wife walked by on her way to the laundry room. Trying to remain the supportive partner, she said in her sweet, though strained voice, “How much are you charging this time, dear?” Needless to say, I had grown excruciatingly tired of this question, having heard it repeatedly for nearly 25 years and never having quite the right answer. So in true Trump fashion I typed in a completely unrealistic number. “Ha! Look at that…we’re goin’ to Disney Land!” She shuck her head and slowly moved on down the hall to the sound of my most irritating donkey-like laughter and I, wallowing in my sarcastic cloud, tinkered on with the reply, forgetting to change the amount on my offer. What did it matter? I had no intention of sending the email that night. Good gracious, no.

But of course, later that evening, after yet another glass of fine Merlot, I was drawn as if by mythological Sirens back to that unfinished email. What is it with wine and emails? It’s like buzzed driving; after three glasses of wine it’s insane to even consider mounting a huge gas-fired inferno that hurls us towards a host of blurry inanimate objects. The same is true of buzzed writing. Hell, I can’t control all those words wobbling around. I’m no damn Hemingway. I should be back watching 30-Rock. But no matter…off it went without so much as a proof read, complete with the demand for more money than I’ve made per hour since I was a male stripper for Thunder Down Under… okay, I lied… a waiter at Outbacks.

The point is that lo and behold, they accepted the offer. Most likely because I sounded so confident, my audacity proved my worth. So take that as a lesson, artists and writers; carry forth with pride and confidence—or march forth—whatever sounds more “kick ass.”

I’ve been on this tangent lately about getting into the groove of what I do. Maybe it’s because I’m seeing a Growth Coach (Susan Katz) who’s opening my eyes to just how mixed up I’ve been for most of my creative life. She’s taught me about those messages we’ve been programmed to hear in our head every time we think…even just for a second…that we could actually entertain someone without expecting some type of  judgmental backlash. It’s the programmed negative expectation thing that kicks my butt every time.

So as an experiment, I thought I’d write down a list of artistic endeavors, and then capture my immediate thoughts when it comes to the potential to actually earn a living doing something creative…

Writer: “Dostoevsky…swinging light bulb…kill my landlord.”

Fine artist: “Chop off my ear, have girlfriends until about the age of 32 then live alone, kill my landlord.”

Musician: “Drinking problem… gotta show the pain like Kurt Cobain, kill my manager.”

Dancer: “What…like maybe a professional cheerleader? Kick my landlord.”

Poet: “Hahahahaha!”

Actor: “Too bald for Hollywood… Shakespeare in the Park maybe? Somebody always gets killed in Shakespeare, so it don’t matter.”

See!!!  This has got to change. And it will. Just watch this video of Sigevalee and know that it’s not just about making the buck, it’s about the love of what we do.

Sigevalee

Sigevalee

I remember back in the mid-eighties a friend of mine who owned an alternative rock recording studio (back in the days when there was an “alternative rock”) told me that there was no need for me to play my banjo. He could reproduce the sound from his synthesizer. He gleefully told me about the rising complexity of drum machines and the demonstrated popularity of groups like Genesis and Thomas Dolby. The earthy, back-to-the-land twang of Neil Young and The Grateful Dead was fading into history. 

In reality, they didn’t fade away at all. Only seven years later Neil Young went on to influence the whole Grunge Movement out of Seattle and even with the demise of Jerry, Dead spinoff bands still fill arenas. The truth is that people like a pure experience. They like to feel connected with other souls.

So with this mindset, it is our prediction that new media technologies like the iPad will not pull us away from the purity of an art museum or live musical experience, it will in fact enhance our interest in them. The more virtual I get, the more I’ll want to stand alone in a room at the Stadel Museum in Frankfurt on a rainy afternoon as I once did, transfixed by an original Cranach (Venus and Baby). I’ll never forget that day or even the way I felt in those passing hours. I could replay the whole experience in my head down to the echo of my footsteps.

So all I can say for the future is…let the iPad point the way!

Local Baltimore artist of the week, Sheila Delaquil. These colors take me away! Please check out her site at

http://www.sheiladelaquil.com/home

Blake said, “I will not reason and compare, my business is to create!” I understand that Blake meant he wouldn’t reason or compare his art with other artists, but in a creative business, we have to reason and compare. Right?

I don’t know, but all I can say for those entering 2011 with the “What the hell am I gonna do” attitude is, stay true to yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Think only about how YOU are original. I read in one of my motivational books (I had a stack of them under the tree this year) that the best way to look at yourself or your business is to concentrate on what you do well, and to hell with the rest. And be honest about it!  Say, I stink at this…but I’m really, really good at that. Yes, I’ve taken a new vow, total honesty. When I’m with a client, I say…this is where you want me. That other stuff….pfft! Every time I got in trouble, be it in business, my career, or my life, it’s because I tried to fake or yawn through the other stuff.

So is the creative life worth it? If it’s part of your soul and what makes you hop out of bed in the morning, then I say hell yeah!

So here’s to a creative 2011!  And in keeping with Zouck’s tradition of music, I posted a band I think is truly following their passion. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are highly trained muscians who could have done anything…but they stayed true to their souls. I’m sure Rhiannon Giddens, the lead singer, a classically trained opera singer from Oberlin College whose father was also classically trained, got a big ol’ “Wha’…” when she ran from the house, fiddle in hand!

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Emersonsings Click here: Emerson Probst and Lauren Knatz sing Woody Guthrie

With 2011 approaching there’s lots of talk about things getting better. Three cheers for America’s untiring optimism. For us here at Zouck, we have a ton of dreams for the new year. One of our projects involves playing music at senior centers to support an oral history curriculum being developed by Lauren Knatz.

Her program will build oral history into at-home caregiving to bridge the relationship between caregiver and senior. Lauren is devoted to improving senior care and she sees caregivers as an untapped resource able to capture the stories that’ll show today’s anxious youth how anxious every generation was. The media calls them great–yes, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t, well…scared as hell! There may be a tech gap, but there sure isn’t a soul gap. We all experience love and loss, winning and losing, living and dying.

Lauren hopes that by playing music from those”interesting times,” she’ll be able to learn a bit and with a little luck, spread the word that the over-70 crowd is growing fast and here to add some insights.

More on this as it develops. Our next challenge is to find corporate sponsorship.