# What do you create?



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

There's been some high talk around here to the effect that most of us aren't exactly creators and don't know what "true artists" go through. My suspicion is that quite of a few of us -- probably almost all of us -- actually _do_ create things, and some of us even create things that would be traditionally classified as "art" (though that is a category I do not personally endorse) -- i.e. paintings, sculptures, poetry, fiction, musical compositions, dance....

So let's share!

What creative endeavors do you attempt?

Perhaps a secondary question would be whether you regard any of them as "art" or do you think of them in other ways?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Although inspiration comes in waves, I do once in a while dabble in amateur photography, specializing in abstracts - and these are artistic enough to have sold about ten prints by now in our gallery (which we mainly have for the paintings and other art creations by my wife who is a professional artist).


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I personally have a few outlets for creativity.

Most traditionally, I write fiction, and I've even been published (without making much money) -- but only under a fake name because I do not want to admit to having written what I've written! I'm proud of some of it in an artistic sense, but my stories are so cynical, violent, and filled with characters whose words and deeds are so, um, _impolite_ that were they to be published in my own name, my employment as a teacher would be endangered, and I'm sure quite a few people who I consider family, friends, or acquaintances would be repulsed. I don't think I can write any other way with any integrity because of how I see the world and what I want to communicate, so "it is what it is." Literally -- pun intended -- no one who knows me knows I've written anything like that! But if any of my stories ever makes enough money, maybe I'll switch around and people will say, "My god, this guy used to teach _children_?"

I also find teaching a creative endeavor, at least when I do it well. There's creativity in the planning, creativity in the execution, and even some creativity when I tell the parents how their children and I have done together!

I've occasionally indulged in some creative cooking, with rather mixed results. You can take a boy out of the trailer park, but I guess you can't take the trailer park out of the boy. But if you've never wondered how much butter is too much, we're just not going to see eye-to-eye in the kitchen....


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Began drawing and painting at 4 or 5, composing music at 11 or 12, with occasional bouts of poetry-writing. The visual art was my primary creative focus until college, where I majored in music and began singing as a paid church soloist, and the painting got put on hold for a while. After college I got back to painting and selling some work through galleries and shows. In my 30s I was surprised to discover that ballet schools, including Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, would pay me to play for classes, where it was my practice to improvise everything. This satisfied my creative urges and I did less and less painting. Now I'm old and lazy and just improvise at the piano for my own pleasure. I've always derived a lot of pleasure from writing as well - mainly prose, poetry seeming to require some special inspiration like falling in love, a rare occurrence nowadays.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I paint, I draw (the fundamental skill required for a visual artist) and I compose. It offers expressive waves of good fun. I consider myself an amateur artist, not a great artist. While I do take photos, I don't think these are photography art (but nothing is stopping anyone else considering it as art if they want to). It's all arbitrary if it is art or not. While I would like to be paid as an artist, I do not see that happening because I do not think I am that talented.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

I've created a good number of life insurance products in my time, and also associated computer programs.

You're seeking elegant solutions to fit within a regulatory framework while delivering optimal outcomes subject to those constraints.
One dissatisfaction with working in a commercial environment is that I would often wish to tinker endlessly to improve the aesthetic appeal of the product design or the nature of its representation in code, but the business world intrudes.

These days you also need to have a strong eye on how the solution will appear to non-specialists. If something appears not to make sense, or to be "unfair" in some sense, then you will have marketing and maybe regulatory problems. That is, you need to consider your audience carefully. It's amazing how often the most efficient solution has the benefit of technical elegance, but may need to be compromised to deliver a solution which will be acceptable to a casual observer.

I also always found that the drafting of written material to go with the product could be dull, and the best way of maintaining interest was to pay attention to style. Translating technical matters (which are largely mathematical) into words which can be understood by a non-specialist is an interesting challenge. You need to be aware that the words which you use to express the workings of the product are what you might be held to in court, so you need to be accurate, but you also have to satisfy the requirement to keep it short and use plain English. There's a definite creative aspect to achieving this. Perhaps its like poetry in reverse: the attempt to be as prosaic as possible.

I imagine that the engineers of physical solutions to problems also feel highly creative. I don't know whether the denizens of Talk Classical will want to agree that the above is creative as they might wish to construe creativity. However, that was what passed for creativity throughout my working life.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Oh, and I was involved in the process of creating two admirable new human beings.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I've been a professional musician in some capacity for my entire adult life, I'm 69. 

For about 20 years I was a jazz bassist, played with some name groups in most of the prominent jazz clubs and festivals in the US. Then in 1988 I moved to Nashville and began my songwriting career. 

From 1992 - 2005 I was a published songwriter, having had some songs recorded and made some money, and still receive ASCAP checks every other month. The reason I stopped was because my wife and I began living an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle, for the next 13 years.

In 2017 and continuing to the present I have been developing a website called Highway 80 Stories. US 80 is a highway that crossed the country from Savannah GA to San Diego CA, and went through my home town of Shreveport LA. In the '60s it was decommissioned west of Dallas TX, although it remains open for travel.

The settlement along Highway 80 included colonial pioneers, plantations and slavery, the Civil War, history of personal whiskey distilling, bootlegging and moonshine, the civil rights struggle, and historical events like the ambush that ended Bonnie and Clyde’s crime spree and the Selma March.

These songs and stories focus roughly on nine fictional family lines, with characters appearing in a number of songs, as well as their ancestors and descendants. I've written about 75 songs so far and have recorded them as guitar-vocals.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I create controversy and sometimes trigger thought.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Being creative is fun! These days I play around with soft synths and make silly music I share on soundcloud. I do it only for fun, no real composing there...I also record myself on classical guitar in my basement. Making it sound proper is a creative process. 
From my long single-life I have maybe 10 kg. of poetry, written when hungover or lonely (or both). A friend called my "style" for "antipoetry"...I stopped writing in 2001 <3 Also when I was a teenager, people thought I made cool riffs. I didn't have the patience to finish songs. I have made some nice classical guitar pieces, so I finished a few things.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2021)

science said:


> I personally have a few outlets for creativity.
> 
> Most traditionally, I write fiction, and I've even been published (without making much money) -- but only under a fake name because I do not want to admit to having written what I've written! I'm proud of some of it in an artistic sense, but my stories are so cynical, violent, and filled with characters whose words and deeds are so, um, _impolite_ that were they to be published in my own name, my employment as a teacher would be endangered, and I'm sure quite a few people who I consider family, friends, or acquaintances would be repulsed. I don't think I can write any other way with any integrity because of how I see the world and what I want to communicate, so "it is what it is." Literally -- pun intended -- no one who knows me knows I've written anything like that! But if any of my stories ever makes enough money, maybe I'll switch around and people will say, "My god, this guy used to teach _children_?"


I'm curious, how have you been published? Traditional publishing, periodicals, internet, self-published (Kindle, etc)?


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## Chilham (Jun 18, 2020)

...............


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

[ab ot8151]...............[/quote]


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Baron Scarpia said:


> I'm curious, how have you been published? Traditional publishing, periodicals, internet, self-published (Kindle, etc)?


A periodical. Obviously I've put some stuff on the internet here and there too, but I'm not aware of how to get paid for that!


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## Conrad2 (Jan 24, 2021)

I dirty my hands with gardening. I tried to model my backyard on the Roji (露地) garden that I saw during my stay in Japan. Here's a picture of one:










As you can see from the example, the arrangement is simple, and there is use of moss, ferns, steeping stone, and shade from the tree.

For my garden, I added a plum tree (Prunus mume), where in the future I can use the fruits for my own consumption and to admire the flower. I added a bamboo water fountain (Shishi-odoshi), a criss cross gate, and stone lanterns (Toro). I also cultivate a grove of bamboo. I'm still in the process of finishing (probably never) my garden, as it's a new house and I still have space. I was thinking of adding a small hut (Chashitsu) that can act as a social gathering place, but it will take extensive planning, time, and cost, so I'm holding it off for now.

I'm an amateur but so far I'm satisfied with my effects. I'm still learning the philosophical aspect of the art from books. I found _ Chado the Way of Tea: A Japanese Tea Master's Almanac_ by Sanmi Sasaki and _The Book of Tea_ by Tenshin Okakura to be helpful guide for me. I also rely on YouTube videos and other sources for information and inspiration.

Another thing I pursued is the cooking, where I aimed to try a new dish at the start of every week. I like to plan out my meal, where I used bento boxes as a schema for what I'm eating during work week. Today I ate jasmine rice, grilled mackerel, seaweed salad, and egg custard soup. Today and to Friday, grilled chicken with rice and sauteed vegetables and pea soup.

I recently got into stained glasses, where I'm interested in the floral motifs and the geomantic arrangements used in the Middle East.










I used online tutorials to help me, and about two months ago I created a small glass pane based on the Bluebell flower. It's a slow endeavor but it's relaxing for me. I do hope I will get better at it as soon far I enjoy the task.

I also play Go. It's an interesting game that in my view favor strategy over tactics and is a symmetrical game.

These are the more interesting creative hobbies I have.


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2021)

science said:


> A periodical. Obviously I've put some stuff on the internet here and there too, but I'm not aware of how to get paid for that!


I see.

You can self-publish an Kindle book directly through Amazon and get paid. At one point I though of doing something along those lines. Problem is there are a zillion self-published Kindle books out there. To get people to find your book and actually read it requires a real publisher with marketing skills, or a big social media footprint.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Baron Scarpia said:


> I see.
> 
> You can self-publish an Kindle book directly through Amazon and get paid. At one point I though of doing something along those lines. Problem is there are a zillion self-published Kindle books out there. To get people to find your book and actually read it requires a real publisher with marketing skills, or a big social media footprint.


I looked into that for about 5 minutes one day and decided basically the same thing you did. I still have some hope of going the traditional route of submitting stories to periodicals, etc., if I ever get really serious about it.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Nothing..................


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2021)

arpeggio said:


> Nothing..................


I think your participation in this site belies that.


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

I studied music composition in college (B.M./M.A./Ph.D.) and am always working on some pieces…currently a symphony for strings and timpani, a Kyrie (five-part), and a piano piece.

I returned to painting in January 2020 after a decades-long break. I work primarily in acrylics. I have 40+ paintings on the Saatchi Art website…and as soon as I get all the shipping materials needed I will be putting prices on them and, it is to be hoped, selling a few!

I was a software developer (web and database) for 17 years and a few years ago I designed and built a website for a close friend of mine who is a composer.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Haydn70 said:


> I studied music composition in college (B.M./M.A./Ph.D.) and am always working on some pieces…currently a symphony for strings and timpani, a Kyrie (five-part), and a piano piece.
> 
> I returned to painting in January 2020 after a decades-long break. I work primarily in acrylics. I have 40+ paintings on the Saatchi Art website…and as soon as I get all the shipping materials needed I will be putting prices on them and, it is to be hoped, selling a few!
> 
> I was a software developer (web and database) for 17 years and a few years ago I designed and built a website for a close friend of mine who is a composer.


My pleasure to read your post, Dr. Haydn70.

Speaking of Ph.D. and Haydn, your favorite composer received an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford University. I guess the university thought Haydn was good, per chance? Subjectively of course .....


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## Tikoo Tuba (Oct 15, 2018)

These days and nights I create visions and have no skill to make them real . Should I try , I will feel inept . When I do anything people weep for the beauty . What am I to think about this ?


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## Haydn70 (Jan 8, 2017)

ArtMusic said:


> My pleasure to read your post, Dr. Haydn70.
> 
> Speaking of Ph.D. and Haydn, your favorite composer received an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford University. I guess the university thought Haydn was good, per chance? Subjectively of course .....


Many thanks for your kind words, ArtMusic.

Yes, those darned subjectivist Oxford dons! In this case, they got it right!


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

I trained as an actor for quite a few years and briefly pursued a professional stage career in New York, before realizing that life wasn’t for me. I’ve directed college theatre productions, both as faculty and on a more informal basis. In recent years, I’ve focused on writing, in a genre I like to call “high-brow cheesy melodrama,” and am currently at work on my fourth novel.

Given my temperament and ability level, I’ve never made a sustained, successful effort at a career in the arts, but have resigned myself to being a confirmed dilettante. I would have been perfect in an earlier era, as a noble patron of the arts who dabbles myself, to the flattering praise of the true artists who depend on my bounty.

Oh, I’ve also composed random songs and other musical fragments on the piano, without any formal training. And I invented an elegant, Sudoku-like puzzle I still may try to market some day.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

My musical education never reached high levels but till few years ago, I used to improvise and compose some simple piano pieces.
Last three years I started writing again after decades. I have completed two poetry collections and now I'm working on a third one.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Joy wherever I go!


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

science said:


> There's been some high talk around here to the effect that most of us aren't exactly creators and don't know what "true artists" go through. My suspicion is that quite of a few of us -- probably almost all of us -- actually _do_ create things, and some of us even create things that would be traditionally classified as "art" (though that is a category I do not personally endorse) -- i.e. paintings, sculptures, poetry, fiction, musical compositions, dance....
> 
> So let's share!
> 
> ...


I am trying to learn how to paint with watercolors and composing something. I have some themes in mind, I don't really know how to develop them properly.


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## Luchesi (Mar 15, 2013)

Tikoo Tuba said:


> These days and nights I create visions and have no skill to make them real . Should I try , I will feel inept . When I do anything people weep for the beauty . What am I to think about this ?


We should conclude that the artifice of art is above most people!


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