Support the Local Arts

My dear readers,

                I must start off with pointing your attention elsewhere. J.D. Nyle over at his recently launched blog has begun serializing his story Neostriker: Shining. Now I will admit that I have been a part of the process for the development of his story. I cannot say it is great, but I do like some of the ideas in the story and I think the right kind of audience would appreciate it as well. I certainly enjoyed the second half far more than the first. I would also say the writing drastically improves then but that is only my opinion. Mr. Nyle says the story was written as a tribute to the development of his Neostriker series as well as a tribute to the various series that have played a role in inspiring it. I know Mr. Nyle hopes this will help him build an audience to whom he can eventually release his next work for. So I ask you to support him in his efforts. If you can think of people who might enjoy it, I ask you to spread the word on Mr. Nyle’s behalf. Thank you.

                Now, the whole thing above is the inspiration for this week’s topic. I believe it is very important to support the local arts. A society is built upon the use and study of the sciences, but a sign of when it thrives is the presence of its arts. Arts help convey the values of a society as well as say when it is doing well. This is why the arts flourish in prosperous times.  

                However, art does not simply appear out of thin air. While talent grants a nice jumpstart, it has its limits. A lot of great art, whether in paintings, music, crafts, or anything else comes from practice and work. Some may argue that great artists don’t practice. I, on the other hand, argue contrary. I believe that each work of art is practice, whether the artist sees it that way or not is a different story. Either way, when I hear how some simple pieces of art can take its skilled artists over 3 hours to make, I definitely will say that it took a lot of work; far more than I would give.

                As a result of the work it takes, I encourage you to support the artists from the beginnings. They may not be perfect, and they may simply play covers of popular songs or repaint the Mona Lisa. However, just the effort itself is something worth praising. And simply to receive some recognition and praise can help push an artist to become the best he or she can be.

                I recall one day as I sat outside a movie theater waiting. On a bench across from me, I saw a man playing a saxophone. It was actually very pleasant to listen to and others agreed by giving him money. Unfortunately, the mall security came by and forced him to stop. While I could partially understand why, I was very disappointed. Hearing simple music in the air helped establish some life in the environment. It was not overbearing, but acted simply to add something nice to people’s ears as they pleasantly conversed.

                I have to admit, sometimes the stuff I see makes me very much depressed. But when I see some nice music played by happy artists, it totally makes me believe in society again. This is one reason why I’m a fan of the Lindsey Stirling videos Electric Daisy and Spontaneous Me. The music is great, but the dancing completes it and brightens my mood. I hope more people are inspired and allowed to play like that and I think we should provide environments where they can be free to do so.

N.D. Moharo

P.S. You can find the story at NeostrikerShining.blogspot.com   

Creativity and Originality

To the Artists and Critics,

                What is art? Is it something the artist feels or is it his attempt to recreate what he sees? I believe a good place to start would be to define art as the “artist’s order of things”. The artist takes a number of things, like paint, pixels, words, or actual objects, and organizes them in some sort of way, randomly or deliberately. This should encompass every kind of art, whether it attempts to accurately paint a scene, takes creative liberty, or is abstract beyond comprehension.

                I say this to help remind you that creativity is not the same as originality. Being creative means simply putting things together while originality is making something unique. While being original is good, we must be careful in our pursuit of originality that we do not crush creativity.

                Consider Legos. These are miniature toys and blocks used to build other toys. They come in sets with instructions on how a set is assembled, allowing a little child to replicate it. When the child finishes the set, it is not original, but it is an accomplishment and something that makes a child happy. Likewise, if a child sees a set and builds it without the instructions, then it is a greater accomplishment. Then, if you have played with Legos know, the child will take pieces from different sets and create his own set. This is how creativity and originality work.

                 The artist can only use what he is given; those are the Lego pieces. In his training, he is given the instructions, which teach him how to put things together to make certain objects or designs. As he obtains more sets, learning various techniques, he is able to mix them together, taking the pieces he like, eventually crafting a unique set that he can claim to be his. Part of the beauty of Legos is that this happens. A child can take a ninja and give it a green lightsaber to fight against cowboys. They can practice storytelling by explaining why it makes sense, like a ninja obviously uses the Force for his amazing jumping ability and so is naturally a Japanese Jedi. Or the child can simply not care, but enjoy the fun of the world he has crafted and it is good.

Sometimes we only see how something is the same as another and we neglect it is still a work of creation. Just because two children used the same pieces for the base, doesn’t mean their work isn’t good. Likewise, if a child uses his first creation as the basis of the second, it is not enough to criticize the second, especially if it’s part of a series in his mind. Condemning a work because both are simply using a ninja with a lightsaber against cowboys would be an injustice. It ignores the rest of the set, including the child’s story for the set. It is good simply for being a work of creation. It is great if it can be enjoyed.

I say to you that if you want to be creative, do not disregard copying as purely evil. Everyone must do it to a certain extent. Sometimes the best works depend on copying something as a base. It is also necessary for the practice to be able to craft your own creation. If everything created needed to be original, there would be no creativity. So remember this: Whatever is created is art, regardless if the idea was already used.

From the Creative Juices of

N.D. Moharo

To the Graduate: Transitioning

To the Graduates,

                Now is a time of change. No longer will your life be fully planned. No longer will your future be so determined. The leash has been released. Will you go home as a dog with no other purpose? Will you wander aimlessly as a stray? Or will you pursue a path to live?

                Transitions happen all the time in life, some where they are planned like graduation, some where there can be no preparing, like an unexpected death in the family. It every case, it is the same; there is no going back. We can only move forward, but how we do is our choice. Do we accept the opportunities presented to us? Must we seek the opportunities buried deep in the ground? Or shall we create the opportunity and run with it? In every transition, there is a choice whether to accept the change and move forward or not. I ask you to move forward and live.

               

N.D. Moharo

Chasing Love

My friends,

                Recently, I received a quote from my lovely significant other. It was a quote from Lord Byron saying, “In her first passion a woman loves her lover. In all the others, all she loves is love.” She asked me to help interpret its meaning and it got me thinking. Perhaps society today has trained people to love the idea of love instead of the people they should love.

                My beautiful friend told me a friend of hers had recently broken up with her boyfriend but now has another. The shortness of time has had me worried that the quote applied to her. She truly did love the first, but when they broke up, I worried she acted in haste to find another instead of letting it develop. I do hope that her current relationship is good, but nonetheless I am worried.

                If all we do is seek the idea of love, how will we know when we have it? Will we be blind in our desperation? I do not think it is necessary to have actually loved to be caught up in this. There are plenty of movies and friends who show us a concept of love even if it is not perfect. We should not be so desperate, for if we act only in desperation, the “love” that we cling to will likely fall apart.

                To find real love, we must first focus ourselves to learn what it means to truly love. We must learn to truly care for another person, for his or her own good. As long both parties consider the other more important, there is a strong foundation for a good relationship.

With Love,

N.D. Moharo

Value the Present

Dear Readers

                It could be said the perception of time is an inverse correlation to our age; the older we grow, the faster it flies by. Memory tends to compress our experience by summarizing the long and boring parts while highlighted the exciting times. Though the perception of time can also change depending on how we look to the future. If we dread something, it seems to come faster, but if we look forward to it, then it goes by slowly; both appear to be crafted to make us miserable.

                However, we are able to enjoy the present. When we focus nostalgically on the past, or hopefully look to the future, we ignore the present joys to be found. It is like a Christmas present that is good, maybe not what we were hoping for, but once we learn to appreciate it, then we acknowledge its goodness.  

                Students, now is the time when people graduate. Value the time with your friends before you reach the point where you may never see them again. Do not waste the time you have free, because there will soon be none.

                My dear brothers and sisters of the world, let us not dwell on the past that we drown in sadness. Let us not look so far into the future that we neglect our current graces. Life is now and a gift; that is why it is appropriate to call it The Present. There are joys and sorrows, peace and worries, love and hate, but this is life. Let us enjoy it.

N.D. Moharo