This beautiful piece, your painting, and the music all resonated deeply with me Michael. I’ve been in a dark place emotionally lately, struggling with depression and negative self-talk and Steven R. Smith’s music almost feels like an auditory prescription. Despite being open to just about anything, this isn’t the sort of music I’d typically listen to. But tonight I’ve found myself connecting with these musical palettes and finding some degree of peace as a result. Thanks for that.
The creative journey is one I’m looking to embark upon in retirement. I never considered myself any good at art in high school but, having said that, I was an arrogant and self-centered jerk that was way to school for school, especially for an art class. My art teacher also did little to inspire us to care about the arts, despite being a good artist himself.
I’m excited to try different things, from knitting or felting to stained glass to mosaics and print making. I think that just throwing myself into something without regard to a result will be liberating though I have to admit to fearing the surrender a little bit. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold for me.
Thank you so much, Mark. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. I am sorry you have been in a dark space recently. I always find that music and art are places of solace for me. When I am in those darker spaces, music and art more often than not become the guiding light to help me find balance and peace.
I hope that you find that space, free of judgments and a willingness to learn from creative mistakes, take risks, and, as you say, surrender yourself to the act of making art. It can be scary, but I agree that it is also very liberating and can also be tranquil and meditative. I, too, will be interested to see and hear how things go for you!
I'm also so glad you enjoy Smith's music. I have a few on LP and a few that I bought as digital downloads (WAV format), which I burned to a CD (I always prefer listening to music on a stereo where it fills the room and has space to breathe).
I wish you well and am glad you stopped by and left such a lovely comment. Thank you! 🙏
I wish I could sit in on your art classes, Michael. Your students are so lucky to have you. I wish I had had an art class like yours when I was young. Do you bring music into your classroom as well? I can imagine it would make some interesting prompts, to paint what you hear.
I also like what you say about art being a conversation. I often felt that way when making art, like I was listening to the colors and shapes that I was putting down and hearing where to go next with the composition. It's true of writing as well. One of my abstracts (above my desk as I write) is entitled "A Conversation Between Two Lovers."
I love your painting, the colors, the face hidden within, those long, lush strokes. I'd love to see more of your artwork.
Thank you again for introducing me to Smith's music. I will be adding it to one of my playlists. It's beautiful.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Deborah. Music is always playing in my classroom during studio time. Some listen while others choose to listen to their own. I have done a one-day prompt where I play music, and they improvise and paint what they hear. No rights, nor wrongs, and no judgments. Just express yourself. The music varied from acoustic, rock, funk, jazz, classical, blues, electronic, and ambient instrumentals (I didn't want lyrics to have any influence). The results are always so fun (and to hear the students discuss it afterward is brilliant)!
I really appreciate your thoughtful engagement with this space and your willingness to explore new music. It means a lot to me! Thank you! I'd also love to see your "Conversation Between Two Lovers" painting (or have I seen it in one of your writings?).
Thanks, Michael. I haven't shared that painting here, but I did share it on another site, if you are interested, where I wrote an essay about it. Perhaps I'll share it here one day. The trouble with the piece is that the photo I took of the work really didn't capture it well. But if you'd like to take a look, here's a link. No, perhaps I will share it in my next post. I just took a couple of photos of the framed painting, that don[t look too bad. Often I cross-post from to the other site. You've inspired me to share, Michael.
Thanks for the music shares and for sharing your thoughts on the creative process. Yes, it's so important to trust the process, isn't it? To turn up for it, even when you're not sure if anything will come of it--perhaps especially then. I didn't know Steven R. Smith's work. I've added Triecade to my ongoing 2025 album playlist, which is starting to populate quite well over the last couple of weeks.
Everything I wrote (except the Steven R. Smith portion) is what I say to my students. Daily. I felt it was time I got it written!
I am glad you enjoy Steven's music. I have Triecade on LP (and Spring), and it sounds gorgeous! I also have a few others I purchased as digital downloads, either because they are digital only or the physical copies have long sold out. But I download them as WAV and then burn them to a CD so I can play them on my stereo. Music always sounds better to me when it fills the space.
Thanks, as always, for reading, listening, and commenting, Richard!
Thank you for writing this beautiful piece. The beauty of art, in all its forms, created, curated and crafted by humans may be imitated but will never be duplicated. Thank you also for reminding us of the importance of allowing freedom into the creative process.
Thank you, Andres! You hit the nail on the head with AI being able to imitate but will never be able to truly duplicate. Much of that is down to AI not (nor will it ever) having the ability to express or show genuine empathy.
So true for any creative process. You get to the magic point where it creates itself. AI and its binary choices will never replace the depth of the human imagination.
Beautiful. I'm reminded of frequent jams with a particular circle of musician friends about 20 years ago. Another new one for me. I'll be looking to add some of his work to my record collection.
Thank you, Phil! Those jam sessions must have been so much fun!
Steven R. Smith is very prolific. You can check both his Bandcamp and his label (Worstward Recordings) for his music. Not everything has a physical release, but I own a few (and I have bought a few of his digital-only releases, which I then burn to a CD so I can play on my stereo). Also, when he does press to vinyl, they are often a small run and sell out quickly.
Great description of the creative process. When I wrote my first novel, I mapped it out in detail chapter by chapter, then, when I started writing, found it go where it wanted to go. It's an incredibly fun ride once you give up control because you never know what's going to happen.
Thank you, Ellen! Much of what I have written is what I tell my students. However, for a young student in their teens, giving up control is very difficult as it often means venturing into unpredictable spaces. In a world of standardized testing, schools rarely, if ever, promote this kind of learning or embrace "trusting the process." Thus, why art education is so incredibly vital.
Thank you, as well, for your kind comment on my painting. I'm also glad you liked Smith's 'Portico Tiles.' He is very prolific, so there is a lot out there. The songs I added are some of my favorites.
Yes, I can relate to not being able to give up control, don't think I was able to do that to any extent when I was young. (And of course I had no real art education.)
This beautiful piece, your painting, and the music all resonated deeply with me Michael. I’ve been in a dark place emotionally lately, struggling with depression and negative self-talk and Steven R. Smith’s music almost feels like an auditory prescription. Despite being open to just about anything, this isn’t the sort of music I’d typically listen to. But tonight I’ve found myself connecting with these musical palettes and finding some degree of peace as a result. Thanks for that.
The creative journey is one I’m looking to embark upon in retirement. I never considered myself any good at art in high school but, having said that, I was an arrogant and self-centered jerk that was way to school for school, especially for an art class. My art teacher also did little to inspire us to care about the arts, despite being a good artist himself.
I’m excited to try different things, from knitting or felting to stained glass to mosaics and print making. I think that just throwing myself into something without regard to a result will be liberating though I have to admit to fearing the surrender a little bit. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold for me.
Thank you so much, Mark. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment. I am sorry you have been in a dark space recently. I always find that music and art are places of solace for me. When I am in those darker spaces, music and art more often than not become the guiding light to help me find balance and peace.
I hope that you find that space, free of judgments and a willingness to learn from creative mistakes, take risks, and, as you say, surrender yourself to the act of making art. It can be scary, but I agree that it is also very liberating and can also be tranquil and meditative. I, too, will be interested to see and hear how things go for you!
I'm also so glad you enjoy Smith's music. I have a few on LP and a few that I bought as digital downloads (WAV format), which I burned to a CD (I always prefer listening to music on a stereo where it fills the room and has space to breathe).
I wish you well and am glad you stopped by and left such a lovely comment. Thank you! 🙏
I wish I could sit in on your art classes, Michael. Your students are so lucky to have you. I wish I had had an art class like yours when I was young. Do you bring music into your classroom as well? I can imagine it would make some interesting prompts, to paint what you hear.
I also like what you say about art being a conversation. I often felt that way when making art, like I was listening to the colors and shapes that I was putting down and hearing where to go next with the composition. It's true of writing as well. One of my abstracts (above my desk as I write) is entitled "A Conversation Between Two Lovers."
I love your painting, the colors, the face hidden within, those long, lush strokes. I'd love to see more of your artwork.
Thank you again for introducing me to Smith's music. I will be adding it to one of my playlists. It's beautiful.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Deborah. Music is always playing in my classroom during studio time. Some listen while others choose to listen to their own. I have done a one-day prompt where I play music, and they improvise and paint what they hear. No rights, nor wrongs, and no judgments. Just express yourself. The music varied from acoustic, rock, funk, jazz, classical, blues, electronic, and ambient instrumentals (I didn't want lyrics to have any influence). The results are always so fun (and to hear the students discuss it afterward is brilliant)!
I really appreciate your thoughtful engagement with this space and your willingness to explore new music. It means a lot to me! Thank you! I'd also love to see your "Conversation Between Two Lovers" painting (or have I seen it in one of your writings?).
Thanks, Michael. I haven't shared that painting here, but I did share it on another site, if you are interested, where I wrote an essay about it. Perhaps I'll share it here one day. The trouble with the piece is that the photo I took of the work really didn't capture it well. But if you'd like to take a look, here's a link. No, perhaps I will share it in my next post. I just took a couple of photos of the framed painting, that don[t look too bad. Often I cross-post from to the other site. You've inspired me to share, Michael.
Thanks for the music shares and for sharing your thoughts on the creative process. Yes, it's so important to trust the process, isn't it? To turn up for it, even when you're not sure if anything will come of it--perhaps especially then. I didn't know Steven R. Smith's work. I've added Triecade to my ongoing 2025 album playlist, which is starting to populate quite well over the last couple of weeks.
Everything I wrote (except the Steven R. Smith portion) is what I say to my students. Daily. I felt it was time I got it written!
I am glad you enjoy Steven's music. I have Triecade on LP (and Spring), and it sounds gorgeous! I also have a few others I purchased as digital downloads, either because they are digital only or the physical copies have long sold out. But I download them as WAV and then burn them to a CD so I can play them on my stereo. Music always sounds better to me when it fills the space.
Thanks, as always, for reading, listening, and commenting, Richard!
Thank you for writing this beautiful piece. The beauty of art, in all its forms, created, curated and crafted by humans may be imitated but will never be duplicated. Thank you also for reminding us of the importance of allowing freedom into the creative process.
Thank you, Andres! You hit the nail on the head with AI being able to imitate but will never be able to truly duplicate. Much of that is down to AI not (nor will it ever) having the ability to express or show genuine empathy.
So true for any creative process. You get to the magic point where it creates itself. AI and its binary choices will never replace the depth of the human imagination.
I completely agree about AI! Thank you for reading, Wendy!
Beautiful. I'm reminded of frequent jams with a particular circle of musician friends about 20 years ago. Another new one for me. I'll be looking to add some of his work to my record collection.
Thank you, Phil! Those jam sessions must have been so much fun!
Steven R. Smith is very prolific. You can check both his Bandcamp and his label (Worstward Recordings) for his music. Not everything has a physical release, but I own a few (and I have bought a few of his digital-only releases, which I then burn to a CD so I can play on my stereo). Also, when he does press to vinyl, they are often a small run and sell out quickly.
Great description of the creative process. When I wrote my first novel, I mapped it out in detail chapter by chapter, then, when I started writing, found it go where it wanted to go. It's an incredibly fun ride once you give up control because you never know what's going to happen.
Really taken with your painting.
Smith's Portico Tiles was quite affecting.
Thank you, Ellen! Much of what I have written is what I tell my students. However, for a young student in their teens, giving up control is very difficult as it often means venturing into unpredictable spaces. In a world of standardized testing, schools rarely, if ever, promote this kind of learning or embrace "trusting the process." Thus, why art education is so incredibly vital.
Thank you, as well, for your kind comment on my painting. I'm also glad you liked Smith's 'Portico Tiles.' He is very prolific, so there is a lot out there. The songs I added are some of my favorites.
And lastly, do you have a link to your novel?
Yes, I can relate to not being able to give up control, don't think I was able to do that to any extent when I was young. (And of course I had no real art education.)
Re my novels, I never promoted them, so my plan is to change the titles and re-release them with promotion so they show up in the algorithm. You can check out the series here -- https://www.amazon.com/stores/E.Z.-Prine/author/B0B85NDBGK?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Thank you for sharing your novel series, Ellen! 🙏😊