1A Who Influences You Creatively?

Creatively, I have no idea what type of person I am. I know what movies I like and music I listen to and books I read, but other than that, my creative ability seems a mystery. Half of the reason might be that I have not had an opportunity to explore my options or to experiment with what I have wanted to do. I have not been able to design a video game or create an animation. All I have really been able to do to express myself is admire others. My three personal favorite creative outlets take place in cinema, in music, and in books. My favorite movie is Brick, the director and writer for which is Rian Johnson, also the director and writer for Breaking Bad and The Brothers Bloom. My favorite artist is Modest Mouse, and has been for years. My favorite author is David Sedaris, who I meet two years ago at a book reading in Pittsburgh.

Brick is a movie I stumbled upon recently, and was completely taken aback. It is completely unique, done like an old film noir from the time of early film, this movie is fast-paced, witty, and something a lot of youth nowadays never get to experience. I loved the dialogue; I thought it was insanely creative and nothing I had ever experienced before.  The movie is the perfect example of how tension and release is not always the best dynamic, because most of the movie is edge-of-your-seat tension; there is not a dull moment, and the audience is constantly on edge, constantly paying attention. I love movies, have seen many, but am very strict on what specific movies I enjoy, what movies I will add to my favorites on Facebook, what movies I will actually admit to liking. Not because I am a snob, but because I am too critical, if there is such a thing. There’s certain things I like to see in a movie, and Brick offered it all. Here is the trailer for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cVzHeJ0Z3I . I think loving this movie, studying it and appreciating it, will help my own creative side.

My favorite band, Modest Mouse, has inspired me in every way possible. I have wrote countless papers on their music, their lifestyle, and their message. One of the best parts of their work, however, is not just their ability to create great music and beats and lyrics, their greatest attribute is their ability to remain aloof. You can read their words over and over, yet the meaning can change for whoever the audience is; it can fit any situation and mindset. That is the kind of work I love, the debatable kind. Modest Mouse would be a good example of text and subtext. Their music will lead you in one direction, and completely change it up halfway through the song. One of the best examples of this is one of their relatively newer songs, “Spitting Venom”. When I play this for some of my friends, they always ask about six minutes in, “Is this the same song?” Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eifPUvi7kA . The song begins pretty mellow, and the audience thinks they know exactly where the rest of these eight and a half minutes are headed; they think they know the pattern, but then the bass starts and the drums and the song twists into a disturbing shout about fakes and anger and cheating and hatred. And, just as the listener is sure they know precisely what is uncoiling, Modest switches it up again into a slow serenade, singing softly, “Cheer up baby, it wasn’t always quite so bad. For every bit of venom that came out, the antidote was had.”

Last but not least is my all time favorite author, and possibly favorite person, David Sedaris. His stories are somewhat mindless, not that of great literature that you study in class, but that is not a negative thing. His writing is for days when you need to unwind. His stories, in some ways, are didactic thinking; they are what they are and there is not much thinking involved.  Here’s a youtube video from Letterman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo98DQnvYOM .

Though these are all very different examples, they are all the biggest media that I consume. I love each work and artist very much, and all of it has effected me and the way I think, and, later, the way I create.