The Short Version
Most artists, regardless of their medium, experience that insidious bastard we call writer's block. The entries you'll find on Wrestle the Muse are intended to help outwit this and other maladies that keep creative people from, well, being creative.
The Longer Version
Over the last five years, I have been writing, recording and performing with the Detroit-based band, FUR. We've had some "minor successes" (notice the quotes): We recorded two EPs, one full-length LP, and garnered a small, but loyal fan base. We had humble goals, so it was a pleasant surprise when several of our tracks were licensed and appeared in several television series and in a commercial.
But for all the reasons every band goes there separate ways, we have decided to do the same. This is both liberating and strange. Although I penned a good deal of the FUR catalog, I always had four other people to use as a sounding board. When I was stuck or ready to scrap an idea, I appealed to my friends to help me pull the warped bones of a song from the gutter, deconstruct, reconstruct, and watch it grow skin. Not so anymore.
So this blog serves a couple of purposes:
First, I have always been intrigued by the often complicated, frustrating and transcendental process of creativity. Every artist works differently, of course, but in my experience, creativity and creative moments rarely come easy. More often they are the result of what I like to call "wrestling the muse"--which simply boils down to hard work, revision, repetition. Through writing, I hope to further develop my own creative skill set and learn to better wrestle the muse.
Second, I hope to meet creative people and learn from them.
Where the entries go, I have no idea, but I'm looking forward to writing.
Most artists, regardless of their medium, experience that insidious bastard we call writer's block. The entries you'll find on Wrestle the Muse are intended to help outwit this and other maladies that keep creative people from, well, being creative.
The Longer Version
Over the last five years, I have been writing, recording and performing with the Detroit-based band, FUR. We've had some "minor successes" (notice the quotes): We recorded two EPs, one full-length LP, and garnered a small, but loyal fan base. We had humble goals, so it was a pleasant surprise when several of our tracks were licensed and appeared in several television series and in a commercial.
But for all the reasons every band goes there separate ways, we have decided to do the same. This is both liberating and strange. Although I penned a good deal of the FUR catalog, I always had four other people to use as a sounding board. When I was stuck or ready to scrap an idea, I appealed to my friends to help me pull the warped bones of a song from the gutter, deconstruct, reconstruct, and watch it grow skin. Not so anymore.
So this blog serves a couple of purposes:
First, I have always been intrigued by the often complicated, frustrating and transcendental process of creativity. Every artist works differently, of course, but in my experience, creativity and creative moments rarely come easy. More often they are the result of what I like to call "wrestling the muse"--which simply boils down to hard work, revision, repetition. Through writing, I hope to further develop my own creative skill set and learn to better wrestle the muse.
Second, I hope to meet creative people and learn from them.
Where the entries go, I have no idea, but I'm looking forward to writing.