All posts tagged: Beauty

Thoughts on how to serve your community.

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As I mentioned in my previous post, serving your community can be some of the most rewarding work we can do as artists. Here are some thoughts about ways you can roll up your sleeves and serve your community. What to do…….. If you want to serve but don’t have the time — This is the biggest reason people don’t serve a cause they care about. Here are three quick suggestions to help you carve out time to get involved: Incorporate work that you’re already doing into an initiative. For example, if you perform in a chamber music series, consider donating all proceeds for a specific performance to a local charity. Block off time in your calendar to serve — Instead of thinking about your service as an ongoing thing, commit to two weeks a year of intensive work for an organization, let them know your intent to serve, and show up. The trick is to schedule it ahead of time and keep the time sacred. Consider other types of service to an organization — The …

Using Your Art To Answer The Call To Serve Your Community

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As artists, we often feel a calling to serve the community in which we live. Showing up to serve can be, and is some of, the most fulfilling and rewarding work we can do. This can be incredibly difficult as we balance family/friends, work, and the constant pursuit of perfection in our art. For the past fifteen years, I have been passionately working with individuals and organizations to help them identify a strategy to serve their community. Here are three rules of engagement to help you as you consider how to serve your community: Show Up — In order to serve, you have to be willing to physically and mentally show up in a place and commit to serving a cause that is way bigger than you. There are a multitude of areas in which to get involved, your job is to pick one (only one) cause and dive in. Tip: Before you commit to helping an organization or a cause, take several months to explore the different service organizations that inspire you. There are likely local, regional, …

Long Tail Sessions, Vol 11–Wednesday, December 6th with Vijay Gupta

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This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vijay Gupta, friend, Violinist with the LA Phil and Founder of Street Symphony. In our discussion, we cover the work Vijay has been up to with Street Symphony, his upcoming Messiah Project at the Midnight Mission on Skid Row and a growing partnership we’ve created between Colburn and Street Symphony.   In addition, Vijay has contributed an amazing Spotify Playlist for you, as well as a few recommended books and resources to help you in your life and career. Enjoy! Here’s where you can find Vijay: Facebook Instagram Twitter Street Symphony Website About The Long Tail Sessions: Last winter, I traveled from LA to NYC on a Virgin America flight and loved that the in-flight entertainment featured musicians in alphabetical order. At first, I found it jarring to see Beethoven next to the Beatles, but then I thought “Of course they’re featured side-by-side, that’s how we enjoy music these days.” With this in mind, I’m pleased to present a weekly series of playlists dedicated to those of us …

Long Tail Sessions, Vol. VII—Wednesday, October 25, 2017

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Today’s mix features two musical greats who, unfortunately, passed away this week. Gorde Downe and Fats Domino were amazing artists that leave an incredible legacy! I’m also sharing one of the best covers I’ve ever heard, Joni Mitchell covering her own song Both Sides Now, decades after she released the original recording of the song. Both Sides Now was already one of my all time favorite tunes, and this rendition tops the original. Hope you enjoy!   About The Long Tail Sessions: Last winter, I traveled from LA to NYC on a Virgin America flight and loved that the in-flight entertainment featured musicians in alphabetical order. At first, I found it jarring to see Beethoven next to the Beatles, but then I thought “Of course they’re featured side-by-side, that’s how we enjoy music these days.” With this in mind, I’m pleased to present a weekly series of playlists dedicated to those of us who are not genre specific in our listening habits. Just as your listening habits have changed dramatically over the past 20 years, so have the ways musicians …

Finding Balance Through Beauty

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I noticed the small gesture of love and beauty in the above photo as I was waiting to catch an uber yesterday. The circle of hearts crocheted to the tree contained the following note: Instagram: @spread_love_crochet! #LosAngeles #CrochetHearts #SpreadLove #ResistHate Simple instructions with a powerful message. Artistic gestures such as this can play a huge role in helping us find balance in our stressful world. As you go into the weekend, I’m curious to know what artistic gestures you have seen that provide beauty and balance in your life? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.  Have a great weekend.