[Harp-L] Create Mail

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's what my mail program says at the upper left,,so,,I'm "creating mail".

Hmmm de hmmm,,,what shall I say,,

(Creative mind kicking into gear,,)

(Getting in touch with inner child,,)

I once read a book. A good book, I say, relating to the discussion on "creativity".


"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", by Betty Edwards. 

In this book, the author opens up, first of all, the fact that there are two sides to the brain, the right and the left sides. 

Basically, one side, the left, deals with the verbal and rational. It thinks serially and reduces its thoughts to numbers, letters, and words.The other, or right side, is nonverbal and intuitive. It thinks in patterns, or pictures, composed of 'whole things,' and does not comprehend reductions, either numbers, letters, or words. (This is an extract from "The Fabric of Mind", by scientist and neurosurgeon Richard Bergland).

In any artistic pursuit, it behooves the student to learn to free oneself from the limiting factors of the linear left brain, progressing into the intuitive sensations of the right. However, for the sake of discussion, one must use the left brain, as I am now, for the sake of producing rational, verbal thought on the subject being addressed however artistic in nature.

Betty Edwards leads the reader, as she does her art students, on an interesting journey, to find and realize the innate capacity of the "right brain" to produce works that far surpass in expressive potential the merely symbolic and "stick-figure" sketchings of the left brain. 

I was an aspiring art student at the time I read the book, working on the freeway for the California Division of Highways (CalTrans). I had already been a musician, but was now trying to find a way to rid myself of the blockades in my mind that had caused me to progress no further in my drawing skills than to produce repetitive and cartoonish reproductions of what I thought a "face" should be. There were the pre-requisite ears, nose, mouth, hair, and eyes,,and not much else, except maybe a cigarette or glasses, as "accessories" to the stereotypical "face". Again, these attempts at art were merely cartoons, not portraits of the real, or even good impressions.

Through reading, I began to see how a truly talented and skillful artist has to "see" things differently, in a sense actually "looking" at things for the first time. It was similar to when I took a class in black and white photography at the local junior college, and began "looking" at my environment, instead of simply passing it by on my way to somewhere else.

Some of the exercises she presents to her classes were very helpful to me. For instance, beginning to look at things as shapes and shadows, rather than merely objects. It is similar to the idea of considering "rests", or "silence" as a part of the music we create.

The end result, after reading the book, was that in a very short time, maybe a few weeks, I was producing really good portraits of my workmates on the freeway, drawn during lunch breaks, after work in the locker room, etc. I was surprised, and so were those I worked with.

Check out the results found in her book, at the following link, under "Gallery":

http://www.drawright.com/

My own drawings were, I would say, much better than these, having had more time.

Now why, might one say, am I sharing this here, on harp-l?

I see the recent discussion on "creativity" and thoughts concerning teaching methods as arguments back and forth relating to left vs. right brain techniques for learning music, and teaching creativity. Surely we need the tools, and many of those lie in the region of the left brain. We also need to have the means to "turn off" the left brain adherence to rules and structure at times, in order to allow our intuitive sense to foster a new appreciation of something musical. Something fresh needs to come out, or we become stale, stagnant, dead. That's where the right brain comes in. I would also say that the right brain alone cannot hope to achieve a really good awareness or execution of a musical piece, especially in the classic or traditional sense.

There's a need for both sides to come together, to work as a unit, neither excluding the other. Simply find a balance. No need to form exclusive "camps", whose sole aim is to castigate one who may be considered a member of the opposting camp.

For some, the "unstructured" types, there is, perhaps, a need to become "grounded" in a musical structure for a time, perhaps for discipline's sake. Somewhat like an apprentice Samurai training under a particular school for a time. Others, perhaps the more "geeky" types, need to learn to let loose, rather than pile up more rules to live by. It all depends on what kind of personality the student is, what balance he or she needs to find in music, or art.

If I were to analyze myself, I'd probably place myself squarely in the first category. I'm a fairly "free spirit", and could stand the discipline of a school, and technique, and training. I'm sure there must be a few "squares" out there who could be helped by just the opposite. These would probably be most helped by just getting on stage and making mistake after mistake, until they learn, intuitively, to find, get in, and stay in "the groove". It seems a paradox that the seeming limitation of a "groove" is where the most freedom is found, creatively.

I would hazard a guess that these two sides of the brain relate to the two teaching styles being discussed, with some overlap in both schools of thought.