(Cellar Window)

You cannot find your soul with your mind, you must use your heart.~Gary Zukav

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What are you thinking about today?
JOE: I'm thinking about thinking and its limitations. I ran across the above quote by Gary Zukav and realized the limitation of thinking in the creative process.
CALLIOPE: Please elaborate.
JOE: I'd be glad to. Sometimes when I am ready to write I rack my mind for ideas and thoughts. Sometimes nothing emerges.
CALLIOPE: Then what do you do?
JOE: Turn off my mind and seek experiences, one of which will often inspire me to write something.
CALLIOPE: How well does that work?
JOE: I'm happy with it. I often find better topics through unexpected experiences than I do by trying to force my mind to think about something.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like serendipity.
JOE: It certainly does. Even the word serendipity conveys a sense of peaceful play.
CALLIOPE: So you enjoy wandering?
JOE: I do. I like the feeling of meandering with no particular goal and no pressure.
CALLIOPE: More people should try it.
JOE: I agree. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Metropolitan Opera)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Eventful and quiet.
CALLIOPE: Both?
JOE: Yes. Saturday Carol and I attended a simulcast of Metropolitan Opera's Turandot in which her son Mike performed and on Sunday I continued reading and reflecting on Joan Chittister' book, Welcome to the Wisdom of the World.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the opera.
JOE: In addition to seeing Mike on stage I appreciated the passion of singers, actors and musicians putting their all into the production
CALLIOPE: Was reading the book a separate experience?
JOE: No. Joan wrote about the immediate distractions which interfere with our doing what matters most in our lives, such as the passion we saw on the stage Saturday.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean minutia blocking what's important ?
JOE: Exactly. The noise of living keeps us from hearing what's in our hearts.
CALLIOPE: How does this apply to you?
JOE: I attend to what is important but find myself frequently sidetracked by things which are not that important.
CALLIOPE: What does Joan suggest.
JOE: Being aware of what is important and what isn't and doing what you are meant to do rather than everything you can do. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Pushing the Limits)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Any further thoughts on Michael Jackson?
JOE: My newsletter topic this week centers on trying to make sense of his life.
CALLIOPE: How did you do that?
JOE: I didn't exactly. Making sense of something is an intellectual task which his life defied.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Thoughts of his creativity, childishness, and adolescent mentality swirled in my head and finally came together along with a couple quotes from his songs.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: "We are the world, we are the children. We are the ones who make a brighter day." from his song, We're the Children.
CALLIOPE: It sounds like you see a parallel between creativity and adolescence.
JOE: I do. Adolescence and creativity are both experiences in testing and expanding limits, ignoring boundaries and rules and venturing into new domains.
CALLIOPE: Interesting parallel. What about the rest of his life?
JOE: Creativity inclines its owner toward experimenting with personal life sometimes with0uut considering consequences.
CALLIOPE: Not entirely a rational pursuit.
JOE: That's the nature of creativity. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Triboro Bridge)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good m0rning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I was contemplating Saturday's experience.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: Carol invited me to see "This Is It", the Michael Jackson movie.
CALLIOPE: Please share the results of your contemplation.
JOE: I had a vague interest in the movie while Carol was quite anxious to see it.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: We were equally enthralled.
CALLIOPE: What captivated you?
JOE: The degree of his creative energy, much beyond what I had imagined.
CALLIOPE: Compared with whose?
JOE: Anyone else on the popular music or entertaining circuit.
CALLIOPE: What stood out the most?
JOE: Watching him craft and fine tune each detail and seeing them performed.
CALLIOPE: Sounds a bit mystical.
JOE: It was. I was trying to see how his mind worked, but it remained a mystery. Talk with you tomorrow.

 

(Moonflowers)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Where were you this morning?
JOE: Carol and I walked to the farmers' market and then drove to Batavia for my grandson's Pop Warner Football game.
CALLIOPE: A busy start.
JOE: Yes, but fun.
CALLIOPE: Did you think about your priorities with business and creativity?
JOE: Yes but I didn't reach any conclusions.
CALLIOPE: How will you approach it?
JOE: Hard to say. It's not something I can quantify. Making a list of the advantages of each does not seem like it would help.
CALLIOPE: So now what?
JOE: I recall Napoleon Hill talking about a man he once met who took time each day sitting for ideas. Maybe I'll try that.
CALLIOPE: You're not in any rush?
JOE: No one will starve to death or go homeless based on what I decide.
CALLIOPE: I guess you don't have to force a decision.
JOE: No I don't. If you feel like dropping me an inspiration, please do so. Talk with you on Monday.

 


(Columbus Circle)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's afoot today?
JOE: Decisions, decisions.
CALLIOPE: Of what sort?
JOE: Tuesday I learned quite a bit about business plans and marketing at a Score workshop.
CALLIOPE: So what's the problem?
JOE: I'm not getting any younger. Where to put my effort keeps nagging me.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more about the conflict.
JOE: Do I spend my time writing, developing my business skills or look for a balance of both?
CALLIOPE: Maybe you need to decide what's important to you.
JOE: As usual, you hit the nail on the head. I find more satisfaction from writing but would also like to earn more money from my efforts.
CALLIOPE: How will you decide?
JOE: I don't know yet. But I will put on my thinking cap, talk with some friends and consider the possibilities. Talk with you tomorrow.

 


(Coconut Palm)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well. I got some exercise yesterday morning and went to say goodbye to my brother Bob and his girlfriend Carol who are returning to Hawaii this morning.
CALLIOPE: Any further musical adventures?
JOE: As a matter of fact yes.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Carol takes lessons and is in a traditional Hawaiian Hula group. She performed a couple dances for us last night.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: I thought so. It went beyond the typical Luau dancing. She also took time to introduce and later explain the movements of each dance.
CALLIOPE: A treat.
JOE: Indeed. It reminded me of the unbounded creativity across the world.
CALLIOPE: Any personal message for you?
JOE: It encouraged me to continue exploring my own creative side and express whatever you and the other muses might bring me as gifts.
CALLIOPE: Glad you appreciate them.
JOE: I do. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Portuguese Street Tile)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What news today?
JOE: I continued my creative restoration program yesterday.
CALLIOPE: How?
JOE: Carol and I spent the afternoon at her cousin's cottage on Canisus Lake, one of the New York State Finger Lakes.
CALLIOPE: And you relaxed all day?
JOE: For the most part. However the afternoon was punctuated by a musical surprise.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Zack, a thirteen year old grandson of one of Carol's cousin's friends, began talking about his interest in opera. It turned out to be more than an interest.
CALLIOPE: How so.
JOE: He had amassed quite a bit of knowledge about opera, favored Mozart, particularly La Nozza de Figaro and Die Zauberflaut. In mid discussion he broke into song favoring us with several arias from each of his favorite operas.
JOE: How a mature baritone voice could emanate from a thirteen year old boy astounded me.
CALLIOPE: I wish I had been there.
JOE: Some of your more musically inclined sister muses would have been impressed.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps one of them had a hand in drawing him to opera.
JOE: Perhaps. In any case it was a pleasant surprise, bordering on a peak experience.

 

(Swimming Racehorses)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine. I feel rested, relaxed and energetic.
CALLIOPE: How nice.
JOE: I think so.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do with the state in which you find yourself?
JOE: Good question. I can always count on you for a little prod.
CALLIOPE: Well?
JOE: I was thinking earlier this morning about how technology has drained all my energy lately.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: Patience! Patience! I'm getting to that.
CALLIOPE: Not very quickly.
JOE: That's just the point. There's no rush.
CALLIOPE: Proceed.
JOE: My plan is to take some time in the second half of summer (such as it is) to recharge my creative batteries.
CALLIOPE: Now we're getting somewhere. How?
JOE: My art supplies are getting dusty. I plan to get them out and get to work painting and drawing. I also plan to delve into reading to start my creative juices flowing again. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Barbary Apes)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. I thought about what you said yesterday about Michael Jackson. Have you had any further insights?
JOE: Indeed. I woke up very early today pondering the relationship between creativity and madness.
CALLIOPE: What do you think was the relationship with Michael between his art and mood?
JOE: I don't know. I haven't seen any speculation about this and am not aware of anything he has written or said about the issue.
CALLIOPE: So that remains a mystery. Do you know anything else about it?
JOE: One artist I knew painted only when he was depressed to express his mood. His color blindness further darkened his art. Another time I met a sculptor who only worked when he was not depressed to avoid contaminating his art with his dark moods. I recall my son struggling with taking his medication and thinking clearly or not taking it and having his hand steady enough to draw.
CALLIOPE: Do you think creativity and what you call madness are interrelated or just exist in parallel dimensions.
JOE: I wish I knew.
CALLIOPE: What's your opinion?
JOE: I think it could be both. Some people seem to write about wrestling with their demons while others wait until the demons recede so they can listen to the angels (or muses)whispering in their ears.
CALLIOPE: Very interesting.
JOE: I agree. I don't think mental and emotional turmoil give one a corner on creativity but they do seem to be paths to it.
CALLIOPE: I think you might be right.
JOE: I don't know if I am but you asked my opinion. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Walking with Dinosaurs)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Welcome to a new week.
JOE: Thank you.
CALLIOPE: What's this about dinosaurs?
JOE: Saturday morning I had a chance to see the much ballyhood Walking with Dinosaurs.
CALLIOPE: Did it meet your expectations?
JOE: More than that. I had questions about how lifelike giant puppets could be.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: The combination of excellent technology and imagination based on historical research resulted in a very entertaining and informative experience for my son, grandson and me.
CALLIOPE: Any lessons for you?
JOE: The point of bringing together technology and creativity is to reach the audience and connect with their needs and interests.
CALLIOPE: So it's the same process with the dinosaur show and with writing?
JOE: As far as I can tell it is.
CALLIOPE: Keep this in mind as you work on your website.
JOE: I certainly will. Talk with you tomorrow.

 
(Old Factory- Leroy, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Matching the weather.
CALLIOPE: Which is?
JOE: Overcast.
CALLIOPE: How so?
JOE: No particular reason. Sometimes I'm affected by my surroundings. Today is one of those days.
CALLIOPE: How do you plan to handle it?
JOE: This morning I will be busy helping a friend open his pool.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE: Hard to say. Perhaps I will be in a more creative mood when I get back.
CALLIOPE: Does your mood bother you?
JOE: No, Sometimes I think a little down time gives me a chance to regroup and return to creativity.
CALLIOPE: We shall see.
JOE: I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.

                                                             (Sunset- St. Lucia)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Inspired. By the way, what time were you at work this morning?
CALLIOPE: Why do you ask?
JOE: I was up at ten to five with two inspirations floating in my consciousness.
CALLIOPE: Well...
JOE: I thought so.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the inspirations.
JOE: One was about inspiration and perspiration which had thought of for my next column. I realized I was on the right track.
CALLIOPE: And the other?
JOE: My friend Gerry had suggested a conversational tone for my publicity flier I am preparing for Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I wasn't quite sure how to do it.
CALLIOPE: And that was your second inspiration?
JOE: It was. Since I am distributing my flier mostly on the internet, why not embed a video where I can introduce myself and my book?
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good idea.
JOE: I think so. I'm on it. Talk with you on Monday.