IdeaJones

Blog

  • “The Last Waltz”

    “The Last Waltz” may not be the greatest name for a used record sale, but at least it feels musical. And who knows? You’ll probably find some Strauss waltzes in the classical section, if that’s what you’re after.

    Capital Public Radio has had a yearly used record sale fundraiser for the past umpteen years, but this one will be the last. The Record Sale Preview Party starts at 6:00 this evening. The sale continues through Sunday, and then everything must go.

    Why will this be the last sale? Declining returns. It takes a heck of a lot of work to stage a sale like this one, and so many people these days aren’t collecting music in physical form. This is the age of the download, and people who do buy music tend to buy it online.

    There’s been a massive shake-up in the record industry in the past decade, and record companies are struggling with relevancy in an age where almost anyone can produce a record at home with minimal equipment, and distribute directly to their listeners via downloads or small press-runs of CDs. There’s also a retro movement where some artists are distributing albums on vinyl. Where it will all end is uncertain, but we do know for certain that the Capital Public Radio Used Record & CD Sale will end Sunday.

  • The Value of a Smile

    Getting started in the arts is hard. There’s the work involved, which, if you really feel a passion for it, takes time, energy, research, planning and a certain amount of faith. Will anyone get what you do? Will anyone like it?

    You sit by yourself for hours at a time.  An artist works in solitary confinement in the hopes that he will, some day, communicate with someone else.  He may never even see that other person, or hear from him. He may never know that the communication happened.

    It makes you realize how undervalued simple human things can be. The person who takes an extra minute on the phone to not just “process your call,” but help you. The person who reaches out to tell you your work touched him, or her. Meant something.

    In the end, we are social animals, even introverted artists who work like hermits in their cells. We want to make contact, be seen, be valued, be heard. Or even just smiled at, over the phone. The little things count, and they always will. The world becomes more technical, but we are still human.

  • “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”

    The challenge was for a new post each day in June. I expect at this point that the challenge will be met, even if all the posts (this one?) haven’t been stellar.

    I’ve been seeing a lot lately that could be considered stellar. Singers and top-notch dancers. Musicians who can jump into a tune with a great harmony, even when they don’t really know the song. Writers who can paint a word picture so evocative it brings you to tears.

    What all these creators, technicians and workers have in common is passion. A passion for doing the job they’re doing, or just a passionate need to be at the top of their field.

    It’s often not easy, but it’s a worthwhile exercise. Enjoy what you do. Do what you enjoy. And put your energies to the task at hand.

  • Now Appearing

    There’s a neat fine arts center tucked away in a decommissioned school in Carmichael, CA. The Sacramento Fine Arts Center has lessons in various crafts that can be used as take-off points for artistic endeavor, and also has exhibits, shows and sales. Currently, there’s a juried show called Inner Visions, with works in several and mixed media done by local artists.

    Joey’s sculpture is included in this exhibit. Previously shown at Capital Public Radio’s multi-artist show, but in a slightly different form, Where It All Starts interprets empathy with a visualization of personal communication that includes mirror neurons, the mechanism behind empathy, and the breathing in of shed cells from other people, with the result that each of us is actually made up of  ideas and matter from others.

    Shown this time with a different title and different working of the connection between the two figures, Where It All Starts: The Beginning of Empathy is shown as part of Inner Visions through July 12th.

     

     

     

  • Control Yourself

    I saw a recent cartoon where the character was searching all over, lamenting the fact that it now took three different remote controls to be able to watch TV, when in the “good old days,” it took only one.

    Yep. Been there, although I can sometimes get by with just one remote if I turn on the TV locally. (Little-known fact: most TVs have  an on/off button or switch on the set itself.)

    Most of technology seems to be going the other way, with one device being used for multiple functions. Your phone is now also a camera, a map, a video game – oh, and can also be used as a remote control for your TV (also your home alarm system, lights and coffee-maker.)

    In the “good old days,” if one device failed, you still had some capabilities with your other devices. Now, when the battery fails on the MP3 player, it often takes the camera and phone with it. (I’ve been eyeing those little outboard battery packs that provide emergency power to the phone, but what if the problem is more serious than just a dead battery?)

    Multi-tasking is a myth, although some people are better than others at being able to switch rapidly between tasks without losing their place(s). Not me. Once distracted, I may not get back to the other task until much later. I am good at prioritizing, so it’s still safe to drive with me. Just don’t try to negotiate a deal while I’m negotiating a turn.

    Machines are great at “multi-tasking.” Computers actually only do one thing at a time, but they do it so quickly, to our slow human senses, it seems that everything’s happening at once.

    I’m still not sure if it’s better to have one multi-device, or multiple separate devices. I am sure of one thing. It’s always best to have devices that can make use of common-sized batteries. The ones you can find at any grocery or convenience store. Until there are significant advances in mobile solar or wind power, a spare set of AAs is your best safety net in keeping all your devices under control.