Tag: Creativity

Quote of the Day: The Year of Creativity

Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn
117
 

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo

The year 2021 has been filled with disappointments, disasters, and death. We’ve seen confusion and fear escalate over the coronavirus, lies and distortions continue from the powers-that-be, and it’s hard to fight a sense of helplessness as we approach the new year. Each of us, in our own way, however, has a way to fight through the passivity and the frustration that has dominated our country. We must face government ineptness and the indifference to the struggles of our citizens. We have to remember that as the most creative beings on the face of the earth, we have the ability to transcend our problems and breakthrough our perceived boundaries.

We may not see ourselves as great artists, but we have the potential, each in our own way, to “see the angel in the marble” and release ideas that will free us from those who want to imprison us with their malignant ideas. We can create beauty, possibility, and we must fight the doldrums that are tempting us to just give up and give in.

Preview Open

How Creative Are You?

Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn
9715
 

From a very young age, and well into my adult years, I didn’t think I was creative. I wasn’t into craftsy things. My efforts to sew my clothes did not go well, and my knitting products were a mixed bag. At one point I wrote poems on my parents’ Royal typewriter. I wrote one poem about a bull, and have no memory of what I wrote, but at the time I had apparently mixed up bulls and cows. My parents were amused and explained the difference. I felt embarrassed by my mistake, and for a while I stopped writing poems.

But writing seemed to call to me. I certainly loved to read the writing of others. Most of my writing efforts were pretty straightforward. I’ve always been a left-brained, linear thinker, so that’s how I wrote. My writing is workman quality.

Preview Open

Beautiful Dark Things – Desire from Nature

Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
207
 

Earlier, @iwe wrote on desire and creativity as a holy act, on how humans are called, not to pagan imitation of nature, but to make things entirely new. And yet, for many of us, learning to imitate nature seems a necessary part of artistic discipline. Most conservatives are unlikely to be impressed, to put it mildly, by painters and sketchers without good observational-drawing skills. Music and literature, too, benefit from observant imitation of the natural world. Neither the sound of the sea nor the sight of the Milky Way could be imitated exactly in a song or poem, of course, but an artist may find that the only reason a work of his exists is because he attempted to record these natural features faithfully.

Matsuo Basho wrote a haiku sandwiching an island between the turbulent sea and the River of Heaven – the Milky Way. Music for that haiku might spring from hearing, over and over, the relentless beat of waves in your head, from the desire to imitate that sound, the desire to imitate, sonically, the frosty light of so many stars, to imitate nature’s creation of a beautiful dark thing:

Preview Open

Quote of the Day, Feb. 25: Keep It Simple, Stupid

Jon Gabriel, Ed.
Jon Gabriel, Ed.
2618
 

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can play weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” — Charles Mingus

When looking for quotes, I was considering some lofty sentiment from a philosopher or war hero. But I’ve found that musicians offer some of the best quotes I’ve come across. In providing the advice above, Charlie Mingus doesn’t only speak to his fellow jazzbos, but to every writer, professor, architect, and anyone else trying to communicate in any medium.

Born in the border town of Nogales, AZ, Mingus was steeped in church and classical music. Since it was tough for an African American to play a cello in an orchestra, he switched to bass in a swing band.

Preview Open

Member Post

Stina
Stina
1010
 

Inspired by DocJay’s post How Do You Like Your BBQ Ribs, SHE asked about cheese cake recipes. Rather than derail BBQ Ribs, I thought a new post would be apropos because who doesn’t like cheesecake? And I’m sure there exists someone with more experience than I on the subject. Preview Open
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

Are You Giving Up on This Country?

Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn
9529
 

shutterstock_80235292Today many people fear the death of this country as we know it.

I’ve been thinking a great deal about the state of the union. We have one candidate who has promised to destroy the status quo, alarming many people who don’t know what institutions, ideas, and policies will arise in place of the old. We have another candidate who has promised more of the same, suggesting increased expenditures and entitlements, yet destruction of the norms and laws that still frustrate the progressive movement. From my viewpoint, both candidates are promoting destruction in one way or another.

In the face of potentially devastating outcomes, some of you are contemplating leaving this country. Perhaps you think that the death of our democratic republic is imminent and you can’t bear to watch. Others of you are certain that the country was in such a shambles even before this election that you’d rather live in a country that is vibrant and offers new opportunities that are better than we enjoy in the United States. Good luck with that.

Preview Open

Member Post

Aaron Miller
Aaron Miller
1410
 

Do you take pride in your work? I mean not only your occupation but all of your labors, around the home and beyond it.  From what does that pride stem? Is it the effort or a successful result? Do you give yourself “an A for effort” even if the endeavor fails? Perhaps your answer depends […]
Join Ricochet!

This is a members-only post on Ricochet's Member Feed. Want to read it? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.