The Brilliance of the Beatles

The brilliance of the Beatles and their creative process has been such a part of our lives for so long that we often forget it all began with these four kids from a working class port in England. Their music and the changes they brought to our culture is unprecedented and will likely never be repeated. To say they have been the soundtrack of an entire generation is an understatement. With the release of the Beatles Rock Band for Xbox and PS3, along with the digital remastering of their entire catalogue of music, their impact continues to inspire a whole new generation of fans.

The creativity that came primarily from the Lennon and McCartney collaboration over a period of roughly 10 years is simply beyond comparison. Whole albums of music were completed in 15 hour recording sessions and the process to create another one would begin all over again with another remarkable record due in only a matter of months.

So how did it happen? What was the secret that separates the Beatles from any other band in the history of rock, for that matter, the history of music? What creative tips and techniques can we learn from the genius of Lennon and McCartney? The answers are far too complex and too encompassing to be dealt with in a simple post on a blog, but there are some great insights that we can learn and apply in our own daily search for inspiration even if we are only skimming the surface.

Over the next few days I’m going to be sharing some of the tips and techniques that I’ve found on my search into the greatest musical and poetic geniuses of our time. I invite you to join me on this journey as we travel the back roads of Liverpool, Hamburg and America to find the inspiration behind the brilliance of the Beatles. For now I’ll leave you with a list of Seven Sources of Creativity that sparked the minds of Lennon and McCartney and unlocked a treasure trove of amazing music. Tomorrow we’ll just how many Beatles songs sprang from these Seven Sources.

1. People
2. Places
3. Things
4. Emotions
5. Environment
6. Childhood
7. Sounds

Coyotes and Creativity: Markus Pierson

“There’s no doubt in my mind that my success has more to do with luck than talent, more to do with stubbornness than vision, more to do with ignorance than insight, but the fact remains that I pursued my dream and attained it against staggering odds. I say this now to anyone who will listen: even if I had failed, it would have been worth it. Better to face a brutal truth than to grow old wondering what might have been.”- Markus Pierson

I first saw the amazing work of artist Markus Pierson on a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. His depictions of Coyotes, often dressed in zoot suits, resonated with me immediately. I grew up in West Texas with a great love of the desert southwest and the animals that roam the landscape. Pierson’s art, particularly his early pieces, were full of southwestern imagery, complete with towering saguaro cactus’, enchanted moons with wistful faces and wide open, tumbleweed lined highways. So I bought a lithograph, taped a few of his images from a calendar to my drawing board and added this statue to a shelf at home.

Clearly this was an artist who knew something about long drives across desert vistas that lead you a thousand miles to nowhere, and I could relate to that. Another reason I found Pierson’s work so compelling, is it’s almost, but not quite, humorous illustration, which is one of the genres I practice and love a lot. So I connected with his art on that level as well. But there was one more element that sealed the deal for me about Markus Pierson. It was the words.

“That many had ventured farther and done so in finer style bothered me not. My journey was my own and I found it to be quite spectacular.” from the Pierson painting Spectacular Journey.

Pierson’s paintings are always accompanied by words. Intriguing sayings that seem to call out to that part of us that says “Live Fully”. And I love that.

Markus Pierson grew up in Lansing, Michigan. Not exactly the southwestern artist I had envisioned painting Coyotes next to a Kiva fireplace in Taos and driving a 57 Cadillac through the back roads of New Mexico. A near death experience at 24 left him in a place of deep reflection. He decided that life was too short not to be doing what he loved. So he quit his job as an accountant to pursue his passion to create art rather than to crunch numbers for the rest of his life. The idea to draw and paint Coyotes was inspired by a song by Joni Mitchell called Coyote. He worked as a billboard painter during the day to build a bridge to his dream, and to pay the bills. At night he painted and bonded with the Coyotes . His breakthrough came after painting of a couple of Coyotes in the throes of passion as a wedding present for some friends, simply because he couldn’t afford to buy them one. The wedding party loved it and before you know it, Pierson goes from starving artist to selling in hundreds of galleries seemingly overnight. Well, not quite overnight, but you get the idea.

Here’s Five Creative tips from the art and life of Markus Pierson:

1. Be Courageous. Markus made the defining decision of his life on from a hospital bed. Some thought he was crazy to abandon a good paying job with a relatively secure future, to follow the artists soul inside of him. Crazy? No. Courageous. Very. But it was the right choice.
2. Be in preparation for Inspiration. A song. Markus Pierson’s entire life’s work was inspired by a song. As creatives we must always be open to inspiration no matter where it comes from. John Lennon’s song “For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” was inspired by a poster in an antique store, almost word for word. The inspiration for the Peanuts comic strip character, Lucy, was inspired by Charles Schulz’s ex-wife. Could it be a billboard or a movie poster or a t-shirt, or a painting that inspires your next project. It could if we are open to the possibilities all around us everyday.
3. Be willing to Sacrifice. Each act of creation takes sacrifice. For Pierson it meant leaving his career in search of his calling. It meant late nights alone in a dingy, small apartment cranking out Coyotes. It meant taking that job as a billboard painter to build the bridge he needed until his paintings could pay the bills. For some of us, it may mean something as simple as setting aside an hour or two a day, completely dedicated to pursuing our dreams.
4. Create for Your Contentment. Don’t create something just because you think it will sell, because, it often won’t. Entertain yourself. Create something completely for you own amusement, your own satisfaction. Pierson found drawing and painting Coyotes was something he wanted to do. Actually something he had to do. He didn’t really care if no one else liked them. He did. That is all that mattered. When we create from this part of our souls, we create something totally unique. And that passion, that joy that we feel when we create at that level is what invites people to like it. They don’t see the art. They see the soul in the art.
5. Live Fully. Create Boldly. This is probably the biggest thing we can learn from the art and life of Marcus Pierson. Life is short. The chances we don’t take now are the regrets that haunt us later. When the race is over, don’t we want to know we’ve run it?

“No one works this hard and this smart – and has it come to nothing.”- Markus Pierson

For more on the works of Markus Pierson you can see his website here.

A few new additions: Cartooning 101 under construction

Just a quick note on some new additions. I’ve added a new feature, Cartooning 101, to the sidebar links. It’s under construction, but I wanted you to know it’s in the works. I get asked a lot by people of all ages for my insight into the profession, so I figured this was a good way to do that. It just might grow into an e-book someday. I’ve updated the Rhino’s Reading Room with more up-to-date recommendations about Creativity that can be found on one of my favorite places on the planet, Amazon.com. And I’ve changed a few things under the Creative Coaching Tabs at the top to encompass a broader scope of coaching options available. Now, without further ado, it’s on to Neill Blomkamp and District 9.

Creative lessons from District 9

The surprise hit movie of the summer has got to be the sci-fi thriller District 9. The film is produced by Peter Jackson and conceived and directed by a 29 year old South African named Neill Blomkamp. There are some wonderful lessons to be learned from the story of this very talented artist who began his career as a 3-D animator. Though his family relocated to Canada when Neill was 18, he never forgot the South Africa of his youth, an area ravaged by the effects of apartheid. It is the application of allegory, brought about by Blomkamp’s South African upbringing, that gives District 9 real authenticity and relevance that connects with audiences in in a relatable way. In other words, it is born from the truth of experience.

Blomkamp attended the prestigious Vancouver Film School and worked as a 3-D animator on projects like Stargate SG-1 and Smallville. As a rising young star he directed, wrote, and produced a small short film in 2005 called Alive in Joburg. The clip below is his original film that was to become District 9.

Blomkamp was tapped by Peter Jackson to direct a movie based on the popular video game Halo. When the deal to complete the film fell through, Jackson felt compelled to allow Blomkamp to direct a larger version of Alive in Joburg. Jackson arranged the financing to back the film for $30 million, a tiny budget compared to, say, Transformers 2 which cost in excess of $300 million. And District 9 is far and away a better film. Here’s a link to the trailer of District 9.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PDlMggROA

Here are 5 things that we can learn from the creative process of Neill Blomkamp.

1. Create from the core of you. This single factor is what sets Blomkamp apart from so many young creators ( and old ones as well) and why his movie is so fresh and feels so original. He incorporated his own personal reflections of the environment he grew up in and translated it into a new story arch. He not only wrote what he knew and what he had experienced but found the right kind of story to share those experiences.
2.Follow your bliss. Blomkamp combined his love for science fiction, his affinity for video games, his talent and background in special effects together with his own life experience to create something real.
3. Let your influences inspire, not conspire. Blomkamp’s creative influences are apparent in District 9. The basic premise for the movie is taken from 1988’s Alien Nation, as well as other science fiction classics like The Day the Earth Stood Still and Independence Day. Even his love of the game Halo is a part of the making of this film. But Blomkamp puts a fresh, new original spin on the genre, and makes it his own. Though the influences are there, they are part of the creative process, not than the creative outcome. It takes creative confidence to achieve that, one that is born from a lot of experience. Sure, Blomkamp is only 29, but he started as a 3-D animator at 16. He listened to that internal voice to create from. The inspirations were only a part of the mix.
4. Give the process time. The gestation period for creative projects varies, but it is often years in the subconscious before it comes to the forefront. I’ve read stories about creators who work amazingly fast (John Hughes, for instance, in one our previous blog posts), but rest assured the seeds for stories, paintings, songs, comics, and screenwriting are planted long before they blossom. Blomkamps short film Alive in Joburg was done in 2005, but it’s story was conceived in the miind of the creator years before it came to the big screen as District 9 in August 2009.
5. Don’t let a defeat dictate your destiny. Creativity of any kind faces obstacles. The moment that Blomkamp learned that the film he was supposed to direct ,“Halo”, had been shelved, my guess is he probably didn’t consider it one of the greatest days of his life. But it was. He went on to direct District 9, a more original film, one that will better position him to achieve more as a director and creator. Every act of creativity takes courage. The road is never easy. In 1982, I had a newspaper editor tell me that I had absolutely no talent, and that I needed to get out of the cartooning business. Rather than let it defeat me, I used it as a driving force to land a cartooning job for a paper in Colorado. It kept me motivated during my 26 year career there (the paper folded in February 2009) and still pushes me to continue to create in new ways as I continue my career. So standing firm in the face of adversity, believing in your creative product and persevering until it comes alive makes the outcome so much sweeter.
Remember: Be Fearless. Create Boldly.

A look into the brilliant art and wisdom of Sandra Boynton

Photo by Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

“If you don’t know the answer, fill up the space joyfully anyhow.”
SANDRA BOYNTON

I have long been a fan of the art and words of Sandra Boynton. The simplicity in her line work and drawings communicates in an amazing way to a great many people. How many? We’re talking about a woman who has sold over 19 million books and over half a billion greeting cards. And here’s the key. For her it was never about the numbers, the money, the fame, the accolades, or in her case, the chocolate. OK, maybe a little about the chocolate. But what It was, and still is, is all about the art of self expression without compromise, without concessions.

Boynton says in a recent article in the New York times “I don’t do things differently to be different; I do what works for me,” she says. “To me, the commodity that we consistently overvalue is money, and what we undervalue is our precious and irreplaceable time. “

Time. As I grow older I’m more aware of the clock ticking on the time I have left on this planet. I’ve lost enough loved ones in the last few years to know that time is precious. It’s one of the reasons I’m relishing this season of creative reinvention. I want to make the most of it. For 26 years I’ve been a sports cartoonist. But I have always wanted to do more with these gifts and talents. Something more than a cartoon about some recent sports story. Something that impacts people in a very real and authentic way. I want to create something, as Hugh MacLeod best explains it, that doesn’t require someone else’s money, or someone else’s approval.

“The Sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will. Your idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours alone.”
Hugh Macleod from his bestselling book “Ignore Everybody”

Read that quote again. Let it sink in for a moment.

Sandra Boynton is the perfect shining example of someone who has held steadfast in her quest for creative sovereignty.

Boynton’s career started with selling her own line of Greeting cards while still and English major at Yale. She hit a trade show in New York city with her designs, signed on with a company called Recycled Paper Greetings, did the cards her way and the rest is history. Billions of greeting cards, books and CD’s later she still has no agent, no super fancy business set up, no one else calling the shots. When she started merchandising her work with things like stuffed animals, mugs, jewelry, sheets or towels, she maintained control over the finished product so it didn’t stray from her vision. What she has is, in a nutshell, is freedom. I think that is what all creative people crave.

Boynton didn’t stop at cards and books. Her first love was always music and she set out to create songs for her children’s books that didn’t make parents go crazy having to listen to it. Her book and CD packages are not only great but they fill a niche that is still somewhat untapped.

Here’s a great peek into that musical direction and creative process she is following.

And now a few creative insights that we can learn from Sandra Boynton:

• Write for yourself. Strive to stay in touch with your own childhood. That is where the voice of authenticity speaks loudest.
• Read and look at other creatives who inspire you most. Think Sponge Bob here. Soak it up but don’t fixate on it. That way you can find your own voice in the mix of the inspiration.
• Work at it. Though it may look that way Boynton was not an overnight success. She worked at her craft hard. Hard work is a common thread in creative work. Good stuff doesn’t come without some long hours and focused effort.
• Stay true to yourself. Do your art or writing for yourself first and foremost. One thing I love about Boynton is the underlying personal passions she shares in her cards and stories, hence the love of Chocolate. It’s what make her stuff real and authentic.
  
• Do what comes naturally. Boynton has never professed to be the greatest artist of all time. She played to her strengths, which in her case happened to be adorable Hippos with a lust for chocolate.
• Creative in a good environment. For her it’s an old barn next to her home, filled with old jukeboxes and stuff that sparks her to create. It doesn’t have to be fancy. But like your art, make that space yours.
• Innovate, innovate. Sandra didn’t stop at greeting cards. She went to books, After books she went to her music and book compilations. Next. She’s talking about Broadway.
• Don’t sell yourself or your talent short. Respect your creative talent enough to fight for it and stand up for it. If you don’t, no one else will.
• Strive for freedom and sovereignty over your own creative work.

For more on Sandra Boynton click on the icon below. Trust me, her world is worth the trip.



And to see the rest of the New York Times article about her go to

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/business/17boynton.html?em&ex=1203656400&en=44905da235897c33&ei=5087%0A)

“Sandy Boynton is someone who understands the profound importance of nonsense and silly beans.” – Meryl Streep

The Creative Mind of John Hughes

‘Life moves pretty fast – if you don’t stop and look around, you could miss it.’ Ferris Bueller

National Lampoons Vacation
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Sizteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Home Alone

John Hughes created some of the most indelible and memorable movies of the last 30 years. He defined an entire genre of films that resonated with teenagers and their parents alike, because they were based on truth and authenticity. Hughes believed in creating strong characters that were anchored by honesty and some serious inner soul searching. It’s the biggest reason why the movies that John Hughes made had such an incredible impact on an entire generation of moviegoers.

There’s a lot we can learn from the John Hughes creative process. He was uncompromising in his method of storytelling, refusing to write movies and projects he did not believe in. He worked fast, but only after research had finely tuned his initial spark of an idea.

Here’s just a few highlights and insight into the creative mind of John Hughes

1. He took a risk.
Much like last weeks Incubator spotlight on Bone cartoonist Jeff Smith, Hughes had a very defining moment when he decided to follow his dream. After tremendous success at a Chicago ad firm, Hughes had an epiphany, He simply did not want to come to the end of his life not knowing if he could have been a writer on his own terms. So Hughes left his job at the ad agency, even with his wife expecting their second child. He made the final decision after a snowstorm kept him homebound for a week with nothing t do but write. It was then he knew he had to give it a go.
2. He set a time frame. For him it was three years. His wife agreed and he set out to follow his dream.
3. He built a bridge. He did freelance work for the National Lampoon, writing one piece called Vacation that went on to spawn several hilarious film movies starring Chevy Chase. So even though he quit his day job he still had the bridge of freelance to help pay the bills.
4. He worked fast, believing that good story telling begins with not censoring yourself along the way, instead refining the piece only after getting to the end. How fast? Two days to finish Sixteen Candles, and eight hours to polish off the last 40 pages of Home Alone.
5. He worked off of what he referred to as “benchmarkmoments”. Those times in life when we find ourselves having to adapt to change. Marraige, Death, Gruduation, the birth of a child. He also believed in upbeat endings which is perhaps one of the reasons we find his movies so appealing.
6. He wrote knowing which audience he was writing to.
7. He wrote what he knew but also believed in writing as a “process of discovery”, Writer Joshua James explains Hughes process best when he says “If it’s going to be any good, you’re going to have to find your way in to a part of yourself that you didn’t know existed, so that reading it, your readers can go to places inside themselves that they didn’t know existed.” James continues “He created characters who had the spark of life and truth which only comes from going deep into those unexplored places — if a writer doesn’t do that, he/she will never create anything but cliches and cardboard cutouts”. Planes, Trains and Autombiles was loosely based on an actual incident in his life. His movies based on his memories as a teenager were actually filmed at his former High School.
8. He kept “idea books” jotting things down, generally from his sponge-like observations of his own experiences as well as the experiences of others.
9. He made movies for himself. If your writing is based on authenticity it will resonate with its intended audience.
10. He believed music was a key component to creative storytelling. If you haven’t seen Breakfast Club in awhile, do so now and you’ll see a perfect example of why.

Jeff Smith and Bone: Lessons of creativity

During my recent trip to the San Diego Comic-Con I sat in on a panel that featured a wide variety of people who have created Graphic Novels for children. Jeff Smith, the creator of the amazing graphic series Bone, was among them.

An example of Pogo by Walt Kelly

I’ve been a huge fan of Bone for years, attracted initially by its art style, reminiscent of legendary Pogo cartoonist, Walt Kelly. Kelly was the cartoonist’s cartoonist, an old school guy who rendered each panel of his strip in glorious detail and who made tremendous use of black and white contrast to make his strip pop off the page. Clearly, Jeff Smith felt the same way I did about Walt Kelly. But Bone quickly became more than artwork to me. His sense of graphic storytelling is powerful and engaging, two qualities I would like to strive for as I set out to create my own Webcomic.

Here are just a few creative tips that impacted me while recently watching the documentary about Jeff smith called The Cartoonist.

1. Take a risk. Smith left his day job as a co-founder of an animation studio and gave himself a year to try and make Bone successful. Bored by the constant grind of commercial work, Jeff and his wife decided together to take a leap of faith. Jeff Smith faced the fear and took the chance.
2. Have a Plan. Smith put together an actual business plan, with set goals and a definitive sense of making his dream viable creatively and financially.
3. Do the research. Jeff immersed himself in learning to tell a story. He did this by reading Huck Finn, Moby Dick and books by J.R.R. Tolkien. His intent was not to emulate but rather to learn the art of narrative storytelling. I might add J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis to that list if I were doing the research today. Learn from the Masters.
4. Find your own voice. For Smith it was in his three protagonist characters, each reflecting a different part of his personality. Be authentic, not opportunistic. Don’t try to create something because you think it might sell. Create something because you love it, and quite frankly, don’t care if anybody else does. Authenticity like that resonates with people.
5. Do the work and Don’t give up. In the case of creating Bone that meant working often seven days a week, sometimes 20 hours a day. Nothing great is birthed easily. Think of the creation process as labor pains.

For more on the fascinating world of Jeff Smith and Bone visit his great website at http://www.boneville.com/

No Fear

Dreams cannot reside in the house of fear.

Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.
There’s a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.
Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops.
That’s where you’ll find me.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then – oh, why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh, why can’t I?

I just returned from the San Diego Comic-Con, a place where some dreams come true, while others are shattered. Talent is everywhere. Creativity abounds. It is an electric environment for those in the comic industry as well as the fans it attracts.
You may find yourself at a place in life where those dreams you once held have been stored in the attic somewhere within the recesses of your soul. Occasionally, maybe after seeing a great movie, reading a great book or viewing a stunning piece of art, that dream is allowed to briefly come to the surface, like some reclusive groundhog in hibernation, only to see it’s shadow of fear and return to it’s protective burrow for six more months of “I can’t do that”.
Why not? Why can’t you do it? Someone whose work you have just seen in that book or movie or comic book that stirred those dormant dreams inside of you did it. They chose to embrace the fear and do it anyway. They chose to put in the long hours, the grueling deadlines, to face the insurmountable odds to reach their potential and the dreams that were most likely planted in them as a child. Probably like the ones inside of you. What’s holding you back? The mortgage? The ridicule of colleagues, friends, sometimes even spouses? You cannot silence that voice inside of you forever. The one that tells you “Do it” “Do it Now”. The one that keeps telling you to go for the glory of creating that part of you that no one else on earth can possibly create. Feel the Fear. Stare it down and beat it like some overgrown Goliath in front of you. And get on with it. Fly. Fly now before it’s too late.

“But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight –
Got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight”
-Bruce Cockburn-

Inspiration: Imagine

So you ask, why start a blog about creativity? The seeds for this started long ago during my first trip to New York City back in the summer of 1994. Being a huge Beatles fan one of my first stops was the area in Central Park known as “Strawberry Fields” which is a memorial to John Lennon with the word Imagine in the middle, located just across the street aways from the Dakota where Lennon lived, and unfortunately died. After spending some time at the memorial I went into a corner bookstore and found a book about the Last years of Lennon’s life.

The most compelling part of the book described Lennon’s creative process for his upcoming album “Double Fantasy”. It was surprisingly deliberate and intentional. He first set out to do something he had never done but had dreamed of doing his whole life: go sailing (just a note but it is one of my unfulfilled dreams and is on my bucket list). He put together a crew and set sail for Bermuda learning to sail on the way. In the midst of a serious storm at sea, Lennon proved himself to be a natural born sailor instinctively knowing the way avoid possible disaster. For Lennon it was a freeing and confidence building experience. Arriving in Bermuda, a rented villa awaited him with a full staff to cook and clean for him. The catch: No one was to speak to him and he could not speak to them in return for a solid week. Lennon drank no coffee, cut down his nicotine intake and ate only an organic macrobiotic diet prepared each day by a staff chef. At the end of the silent period Lennon headed out on the town in search of local records made by musicians hugely influenced by the Reggae movement of Bob Marley. After immersing himself in the sounds of the Caribbean he then pulled out the guitar and the note pads and the music simply poured out.

That story stuck with me, mostly because I was stunned at the intent of the process. So years later here I am, with this blog, set to explore all things creative. To give others some tips, tools, techniques and insightful stories like the one above that might prove helpful in someones quest to create. Here’s to the adventure that awaits. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

The Rhino Recommends

After starting this blog a few weeks ago I went on an online shopping spree at Amazon and bought a few books about the creative process. While browsing I came across this great new book by fellow cartoonist Hugh MacLeod. I delved into it after I got it last week and it’s a terrific resource into creativity that really cuts right to the heart of the matter in so many ways. Hugh started doodling cartoons on the backs of business cards as a way to pass the time while having a drink at the bar (see my own napkin sketches on character concepts I did while waiting for my wife to join me at a bar while in Las Vegas in a post below. Must be something about sitting at a bar passing the time that brings out the creative muse). He also has a great website at http://www.gapingvoid.com.

I love this quote from the book:
Everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, “I’d Like my crayons back please”.

I remember early on in my career as a staff artist at the El Paso Times, my cousin dropped by so we could head out to the movies after work. I was just cleaning up my drawing board, picking up scraps of paper, and paste and scissors and cartoons and he just stood there shaking his head.
“Kindergarten” he said, “You never left kindergarten”. He was right and I want you to know I’m quite proud of that fact!