Here's a riddle for you.... What do I have in common with this guy?

Well, not a whole lot unless you consider that we're both musicians. I mean, how could I compare myself with the great J.S. Bach? I couldn't. He composed amazing, rich compositions that have traveled the world hundreds of times over and he's been passed on for hundreds of years! That's the kind of music that inspires generations... It certainly has inspired me.

Bach lived in the Baroque era and shaped the sound of that time. His signature is so strong, that when you hear a piece he composed you may envision people in powdered wigs in big ball gowns and tailed coats walking with stockings on.

Yeah! Like these dudes.

At least, I think they're dudes.

(Ooh la la! Check those saucy blue pantaloons.)

And so, what does jazz have to do with the Baroque period? 

I was thinking it might be cool to break up some Baroque with some Jazz. Here's my current inspiration:

By now you may be thinking, "Amy, you've gone off the deep end."

~ A long time ago, my friend. ~ 

But this is exciting to me! I'm looking at combining two styles into one of my final pieces for the musical. 

I'm hoping it'll be like, like, like this:

Just imagine the Grandma as the Baroque part and the guy with the pillows to be the jazz part. 

Exciting right?

I'm so happy to be working on this piece. It's challenging, compelling, and different. As one of the last parts of the musical, it promises to be a showstopper. 

I hope you're working on something that inspires you. If you are, I'd love to hear about it. 

Keep going. Keep working on it. Maybe you walked away from it, but need a little push to get back. This is your push. 

Do something weird. It inspires creativity. 

Make a helmet out of tinfoil. 

Grow mushrooms in your basement (the legal kind). 

Think how it would look if your high school science teacher wore Lee Press-On nails... 

Wow... (I just went there. That's a mental image I won't soon forget.)

Keep moving forward,

Amy

The Joy of a Good Scene

On top of trying to compose all the music for the musical, I have to write the lines too. But that's ok. I love it! And I'm no stranger to writing plays.

I wrote a show called "Remembering Radio" which was performed in the style of the old radio shows. It was campy and crazy and most of all, fun! Sometimes I wish I were another Garrison Keillor. It would be a great career. 

To listen to excerpts from it, you can follow this link:

http://wcrp.yolasite.com/audio.php

Here are some of the voices you'll hear from the show: Donna Rickles, Dave Larson, Susan Dyer, Eric Hendrickson, John Hammond, and myself.

Recording made at the Gerold Opera House by Ian Teal of Wega Arts.

You may be thinkin', "Quit yer braggin', Braggy McBraggerson! Before you end up with egg on your face!" Or since it's fall, pumpkin pie... like this guy.

Yeah, he's a mess.

But I wanted to tell you that I've had a breakthrough! I was struggling for such a long time with how to end my musical. Even with an outline, you can go round and round and think... 

"This will never get done." 

I've spent months trying to come up with an ending.

I almost gave up. 

I've cried.

I've struggled.

I've been soooooo frustrated.

But, today the wall came down and I got someone to thank. 

God. 

That's right. 

God. 

The big guy. The big, Holy, Awesome guy... God. 

Father of Christ Jesus. 

Yahweh. 

El Shaddai.

Emmanuel.

The very same. 

I prayed. He answered. 

Boom. 

So, this isn't really a brag about me, because every creative idea I've ever had, has been from Him. 

Thank you, Abba.

Go create something, but don't forget to give credit where credit is due. 

Hugs to you,

Amy