I have an idea that is gnawing at me. I return to it and chew it over like it’s an odd new food that I can’t figure out the taste of. I am unsure as to whether I like it or not. Is it a rotting mistake or a super-food? I am not even sure of how it started, half in night-dreams and half in day-dreams but the initial idea has become something else and in examining it I think it comes down to this.
How do you go about maximising the artistic moment of conception?
This means that you could find a process where everything you need to do, in order to make the most of a given creative moment, could be condensed and cultivated to occur in a very short space of time. When I normally go through a creative process there is no-one to really put any pressure on me about whether it is good or not. I do these small art projects now and again because the idea wants to get out. I create it. It’s done. I can take as long as I want, even to the point of never finishing. I know there is no-one to really be an audience for it so I just enjoy the process and I set it out in the sun to go its merry way.
I woke one morning from the half dream with the idea that I could win an hours recording time in Abbey Road studios and from that initial idea a whole scenario unfolded. The idea that I would turn up and waste that opportunity was the part that gnawed at me. I started to go over the scenario again and again on how I would prepare and make the most of that hour. Cram the artistic experience to the gills, for good or bad. In that thought experiment I understood certain kernels of truth were hidden.
First thing I did was to go and have a look, virtually speaking. I asked around. A day of recording in Abbey Road Studio 3, which seats around 20-40 is £5,000 plus VAT. That would be 08:00 to 22:00 and I doubt they would let that time by the hour. If they did it then it would equate to £358 an hour, rounded up, which is still really expensive in my books. That should calm my pockets and let you know that this was just a thought experiment.
The first part of my plan was to convince a cascading series of celebrity to attend. Sending out tweets and posts to a wide range of people. Each new person that showed an interest may become a twitching worm of celebrity bait convincing the next person along that it might be fun. All that was required was to get one good name as a badge of quality, someone who knew what they were doing to act as advisor. I know that there would be an unending list of general musically inclined people who give almost anything to be able to record in that studio, such is its historic quality. I quote the hype here:
“It was Pink Floyd’s favoured studio in the late 1960’s, and was also used by The Beatles for the recording of the Revolver album. It has since been used by artist as diverse as Lady gaga, Jay Z, Florence & the Machine and Mumford & sons, and was the studio where Amy Winehouse made her last ever recording.”With that I know I could get a host of artistic and musical types who would be up for recording anything. Which brought me to the next bit, the what. With such a short period of time and the cost so high, I would need to make sure that every second was adding to the power and quality of the recording. That every second was wrung for its merits and captured. With that in mind I would go in with the knowledge that there was no down time. Every moment would be ‘on’. Every moment ‘doing it’. The thought of standing about and planning or discussing would be terrible, you would feel the money and chances slipping away.
So I would create a primary atmosphere where the whole creation process was part of the event. This would essentially be a long term free-form jam. I played that scenario out in my mind and it was a disaster. People running around gabbling, what about this? or this? A long string of nonsense with moments of greatness, sure, but a whole heap of rubbish. It is so easy to get caught up in the process sometimes and not actually step back and see what is really going on. Convinced in the moment that it is gold dust only to come away and discover nothing but leaves and dirt.
I countered this chaos with the idea of a form of conductor, a principle director to govern what was good or not. That conductor would be there to get the chaos into some form of structure, a semblance of something worthwhile. I struck upon the idea of a projected conductor. A projection of images and light pulses that would act as a changing and structured temp with a series of motifs and visual cues that could govern everyone. As long as everyone took their inspiration form the projector/conductor then the entirety would take on a completeness. The grand structure could be embedded in the projection and then the details could just be improvised.
Then there was the idea of not being ready. A slide show of ideas passing by and everything not quite working. The dreaded blank could occur at any stage, another dead end creatively. My counter for this possibility would be to bring prepared material in all forms. Words, lines, images, ideas, dialogue and poems. Lyrics that could be adapted to any possible use, a quick reference of idea expansions that could be used by anyone to develop. Instruments and items that could be improvised into noise makers. Anything lying around that may be of use. I would over prepare those items, so there was an abundance of inspiration all around. This all leads back to control of the moment. You can prepare and you can bring ideas but in the cutting edge of that moment you have to surrender to the chaos as that is where the best material occurs. You have to let go. To share.
In turn this brings to mind the punk ethos behind music, and jazz, of course. There is an ideal to aim towards and rough map to get there but you have to just let go and have fun on the journey.
None of this is going to happen, obviously. I am not going to get a day in Abbey Road, nor any kind of celebrity musician but that was not the point. It was a mental experiment to work out what I would do with an opportunity. The process of thinking it through is an exercise in itself and a valid one. This brings me back to the start and the kernel of truth again. This thought exercise brings out a list of statements for a designer or artist. If I was setting up a studio it would be based upon these concepts and I would have them set in every employee handbook.
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Look half in night-dreams and half in day-dreams for the initial idea.
Maximise the artistic moment of conception. Enjoy the process.
Make sure that every second was adding to the power and quality of the process.
There is no down time. Every moment is ‘on’. Every moment ‘doing it’.
It is so easy to get caught up in the process sometimes, so make sure to step back and see what is really going on.
Counter the chaos with a robust plan and get the chaos into some form of structure, a semblance of something worthwhile.
Prepare material in all forms, so there is an abundance of inspiration all around.
You can prepare and you can bring ideas but in the cutting edge of that moment you have to surrender to the chaos.
There is an ideal to aim towards and rough map to get there but you have to just let go and have fun on the journey.
Thinking the impossible is good practice for the possible.