AFABW: What role do you believe the artist has in the world today?

Robin: The artist plays a crucial role, I believe. The truth of it is, as L Ron Hubbard says, “A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists.” Think about that. Is it really true? Sometimes one has the image of an artist alone in an ivory tower or garret, feverishly creating his art on a very self-absorbed basis. And certainly there is the element of very individualistic creation in great art. But the truth is, I believe, that art contains the crucial element of quality of communication—does it reach people? And great art does and always has. So now you move into the area of the impact it has on others, and we know this can be huge. Britney Spears bares her belly button, and a world of young girls do the same. On a more spiritual level, the Beatles get interested in Eastern philosophy, and there is sudden wide interest in this area.

The artist can have an almost infinite influence on people. Fashions, ideas, philosophy, etc. An artist pro drugs will have an influence in this direction on his audience. An artist believing and singing about spiritual values will have a similar influence.

So, yes, I believe the artist’s role is crucial to the making of a better world. I believe he can have a great influence for good in the way people approach their daily lives, and can have impact on the broader ills of man such as war, financial hardship, poverty and so on. And all of this on an aesthetic level—by dreaming the dream of what could be. I do not believe in censorship of the arts, but I do believe any artist needs vitally to take these factors into consideration in what they do.

AFABW: You have been helping to create arts festivals every year since 1995. Why do you volunteer so much time to helping artists?

Robin: We as professional artists need to have practical ways to better conditions. I believe we can do this by helping to nurture the artist in every one of us. This can be done by the professional helping others achieve their artistic dreams, something that these festivals make a priority. In line with this, professionals themselves can improve and broaden the scope of what they are doing, as well. And at the end of the day I believe we, as artists, can, and indeed, must help create a culture (within groups, nationally and globally) of which all can be proud.

AFABW: What inspired you to get started as an artist?

Robin: I just always had this passion for music—helped by the fact that both my parents played instruments, so I was always surrounded by it and participated at an early age. I started in choirs at age 8, then piano study at 11.

AFABW: Could you mention some of the benefits an artist might gain from participation in an art association or art group?

Robin: There is always something to learn, and I think that is part of the role of a great artist—to keep on with the adventure of new territory, which always means learning. And that is one benefit in the interaction of artists. But beyond that, I believe that artists, while individually creating, need to work together in areas that promote artists, protect their rights, and forward mutually held aims. And through this we will create a safer, more aesthetic environment, which is to the benefit of all.

AFABW: Why would you recommend that an artist participate in an Arts Festival?

Robin: I’d point out that the arts festivals I’m involved with, and indeed many activities of Artists for a Better World, do not just involve showcasing artists. They put emphasis on hands-on artistic production. And I believe that is a key. I have found it incredibly rewarding to work with others, and to feel that I have helped others in a very meaningful way. I think I have probably read at least one testimonial from every arts festival attendee (probably thousands in all) where I have been an organiser—without fail they talk of what rehabilitating their own art ability has done for them, and these successes are often life changing on an individual basis. Any artist should be part of this type of activity I believe, and this involvement will put a zing in your step and a gleam in your eye (whether professional or beginner)!

AFABW: You just held another South African Arts Festival earlier this month [March 2004]. How did that go?

Robin: This years South African Arts Festival was the biggest ever and we are now reaching to a number of other African areas. A major feature of the Festival is the number of artistic activities and groups planned for the future throughout Africa. Those attending included artists from Kenya and Nigeria, with artist activities being launched in Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Africa is the second largest continent on the planet, with 54 countries, over 800 million people, and over 800 main languages. So prospects are almost infinite!

The Festival ran over two and a half days, with stellar concerts, shows, theatrical events and two days of very productive workshops. I was personally extremely pleased with the festival, being able myself to help produce and perform, as well as to help look to the long range bright future ahead of us!

AFABW: Is there any one aspect of your life—music, charitable causes—that makes you the proudest?

Robin: In my earlier years I would say I tended to be pretty selfish as an artist. Now I try to balance that, and give as much as I get. And I’m achieving that to a far greater degree, which when I look over it makes me pretty happy.

AFABW: Any advice you have for artists, of any genre, who wish to create a better world through aesthetics?

Robin: I guess I would say that this is a very worthy and important goal to have! So pour coal on it, don’t allow others to tell you different about what you’re trying to do, and keep yourself creative and cheerful about what you do. Don’t believe for one minute that you have to compromise to be a wonderful and effective artist, whatever comes up. And learn every day so you can be increasingly even more effective in what you do. I would also add that any artist can expand their personal and artistic zones by going into a Celebrity Centre, or for that matter, any Church of Scientology, and asking about the different studies that are available to improve any area you feel could benefit. There is practical information on every zone of interest to an artist—you’ll never look back!

AFABW: Robin, you have been the composer and/or producer for many dozens of records, TV shows and films in England and South Africa. What do you attribute to your success?

Robin: I like continually to think of new ideas and projects, sometimes as outrageous as you like. I find I am enthusiastic about these ideas, and within the bounds of what a particular company or producer is interested in, this enthuses others. It’s a joy to be working on something new and creative on a pretty continuous basis.

AFABW: International interest in World Music* has been expanding, as evidenced by the growth of record sales over the past years by artists like Deep Forest, Enigma, Adiemus, Enya, as well as interest in world music by such artists as Peter Gabriel and Sting. It seems a lot people are catching on to your long-time passion in this genre. What do you see for the future of World Music?

Robin: World music has become something of a catch all phrase for anything that has some “ethnic” flavour and in a way has become broader and broader as years go by. As technology has spread over the planet, as recording has become easier to do in even the remotest areas, so the many different styles and the richness of widespread cultures has become more accessible. With this have been a staggering number of projects mixing different styles and so on. So I see this as an area that will keep mushrooming, creating sub areas and styles of new ethnically flavoured music for an infinite potential for the future.

AFABW: The record industry as a whole has been going through changes as a result of worldwide interest in online music. Any comments on the future of the record industry?

Robin: The record industry definitely has to change—and is doing so—to provide what its potential customer needs and wants. Free music leads to no exchange with the artists and composers, and that is self defeating—it can only stifle creativity for the future. So it’s a case of providing exciting music viably and accessibly to all people, and I think a way will be found to do that. In the meantime any record company not prepared to meet the challenge, which is also one of nurturing new talent and creativity, will go the way of the dinosaur.

AFABW: How do you view the role of a record producer in relation to that of a musician or composer?

Robin: This is a very good question! A record producer by definition is producing the record, but of course it is the artist who is creating the music. In the real world there are many different producers with as many styles of producing. Some producers will be very hands on, others very laissez faire. Some producers are criticized because they alter the work of the artist, others because they do little to enhance things. My view is that a good producer understands what an artist is trying to communicate, and brings his expertise to bear in order to enhance that, without perverting, criticizing or altering what the artist is trying to put across. In this spirit he should work closely with the artist who should be very happy with the production. In order to do this the producer has to know a lot about the target audience and what is being attempted, and have great communication and creative skills himself.

AFABW: Any parting words?

Robin: I love what I do and any artist or other professional in the field generally does too. It’s a wonderful world. Like any art, you are your own master and can create as widely, beautifully, wildly, massively, delicately as you wish, and in any way you wish. It is your universe to create, and with dedication to your craft it can be an amazing universe you can bring to others who hopefully can enjoy it as much as you do.

AFABW: Robin, thank you very much!

* World Music – Music from cultures other than those of Western Europe and English-speaking North America, especially popular music from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. (American Heritage Dictionary)

David Pomeranz’s multi-platinum selling songs, recordings and concert performances have delighted and inspired millions all over the world. He has written hit songs for the likes of Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and scores of others. David was interviewed, via telephone, from his home in Clearwater, Florida on Feb. 7, 2004, by Artists For A Better World International (AFABW) President, George Alger.

AFABW: David, any advice you have for artists, of any genre, who wish to create a better world through aesthetics?

DAVID: Create from the place that is really big and encompassing and spiritual and beautiful. Write from the “you” that you really are, as much as possible. I know I risk sounding like some kind of cockamamie “New Age” guy when I talk like this. But really – I’ve found to really make a better world – one which is mired in complexity, losses, sadness, anger, apathy and worse, “you”, as the artist, need to stand there as the world, and communicate as the full-blown God-like person that you are and most have forgotten they are. We are spiritual beings and it’s something the Media doesn’t usually like to promote. Why not create from that place that is natural. It’s not natural to be cynical.

Television and Newspapers pump tons of glib, jaded, flip, “been-there-done-that”, “seen-it-all-before” viewpoints into our homes. Some of it might be entertaining, but it doesn’t make the world better. It’s just more part of the “problem” instead of the “solution”. In my opinion, an artist’s job is to be part of the solution! That doesn’t mean that you have to write only about “great”, lofty ideas. You could write about burnt toast or coconut ice cream. But you just do it from this loving beingness that you are. People are basically good: bright and playful and kind and appreciative of beautiful things. We are extraordinarily powerful and vital creations. For thousands of years the major religions have been telling us we are made in God’s image. Well, that ’s us – made in God’s image, so why not get on with it.

AFABW: What role do you believe the artist has in the world today?

DAVID: Two things. First, to keep the spirits high so that “hope” is the prevailing view, and not death. When hope is the prevailing view, other work can be done, such as the nuts and bolts of administering the work of this world and improving it – things like handling World Hunger, preserving and improving the environment, knocking out Psychiatry and the rest.

In our current world, the Media is sounding the death knell for civilization. People get inundated with the view that the world is a dangerous place and inadvertently perpetuate it. It is the artist who presents another view so people can realize that there is hope – and with this view, he can really cure things.

The other thing I think it is incumbent on every artist is to become a celebrity in their field and set a good example. If you can leave a person feeling bigger and better – even just by having had coffee with them – leave that person remembering that they are extraordinary in some way, then the artist has done his job.

AFABW: Should a songwriter consider commercial potential or ignore it while creating music?

DAVID: Commerciality just means that the art is liked and wanted by others. If the writer is really proud of what he’s done and knows something about writing (having the experience to know when a song is rambling or boring or if a musical line is too complex to be remembered, etc.), if he writes about true things in a unique and honest way, chances are, the listener will respond. The technology of art is only there to help in communicating to the recipient. When you write a good song and you get your message out to a lot of people, what you get back is money, which makes it commercial.

Writing, to me, is a simple affair – not unlike a kid sharing a little truck or a rock with their parents. If it is honest, emotional, or funny, or clever – if it’s fresh, if it grabs your attention – it will connect with people. It will relate to people. It’s all communication. It’s from “me” to “you”. It’s a beautiful process.

AFABW: David, as a songwriter, what inspires the direction your music takes?

DAVID: Writing for me is often from inspiration. This includes how I personally feel about life, love, politics, or whatever.

Another kind of writing is on “assignment.” I have been doing a lot of work for the Theater recently. There, I get a chance to write Music or Lyrics for a character in some dramatic context. It’s not me, directly, but I still have to find enough that’s true to me and particular to my view. Otherwise, like any art, it’ll come off phony and contrived. Even on assignment, even if I’m writing as a villain, there’s got to be a big chunk of me in it.

For me, I pay a bigger personal price when I write from my “heart.” But ideally, you want to move people: to tears, to laughter, to action, to love. You want people to listen to your song and feel they are better for it – that it was a worthwhile 3 ½ minutes spent. It doesn’t necessarily have to be deep. But it has to contribute some life to that listener.

AFABW: Any advice for an artist trying to make his or her way into the music world?

DAVID: Know who you’re friends are and who are not your friends. There is a study course I took in Scientology where I trained myself to observe people who I can trust and who I would be foolish to trust. It has protected me a lot and short-circuited a lot of grief I used to have all the time.

Be careful of advice you get from people. Consider the person giving the advice: Is this person a “friend” that is giving you the advice that makes you feel less certain or uncertain of yourself? Or, is it advice meant to inspire you? Is this someone who seeks out the best points about your art? Who might also say “tighten this up” or “expand this”? In other words, is this someone who is REALLY trying to help? It is vital that an artist know the difference.

This could even mean the difference between carrying on and giving up as an artist. It’s life and death to know who your friends are. I recommend the courses in Scientology that deal with this because they really helped me.

There is a formula that the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, observed. It’s called the “Non-Existence Formula” (Point #3 is: “Discover what is needed and wanted”). If one does this, it instantly puts one in the game. Instead of trying to get people to take your project or product, you find out what they need and want from you. Giving them what is needed and wanted is the most important thing.

Oh, and be professional. Always do a good job – a real good job. Always deliver better than expected. That word gets around quickly, whether it’s good or bad.

AFABW: David, as a multi-platinum singer/songwriter, and a tireless advocate of social betterment through your many benefit concerts for good causes around the globe, you are a model of using aesthetics to create a better world. Have you always been interested in helping to improve conditions in society?

DAVID: Thanks for saying that. Yea sure! Ever since as a little baby, I would blow out candles on my Birthday cake and wish that everyone in the world would be happy. I have always wanted to be useful. My biggest goal as an artist is to be useful.

AFABW: Your song-writing and recording successes have contributed to the influence you have in supporting groups that are creating positive change in the world. How do you resolve where to lend your name and support?

DAVID: We are all so busy. We have family and work and things we want to do. I hand pick the organization and the people involved and find out what are their true intentions. I like to work with organizations that get results and not just talk about it. There is one group called “Results Educational Fund.” They lobby for hunger-related issues around the world. They find out true data: “This is what it will take to feed Somalia.” “This amount of money.” “It’s needed at this time.” They get bills passed. They get things done.

I look carefully at the individuals in the organization. Individuals can sometimes get mired in the complexity of their own field as well as its politics. I look for people who are dynamic and get the job done anyway. I look for people who are naturally good and like people. I support the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. I support Narconon and Applied Scholastics and The Way To Happiness. These are all L. Ron Hubbard social betterment programs, but that’s not why I support them. I support them because their programs work. The people administering them don’t take “No” for an answer. The people and the groups are effective.

AFABW: Any parting words?

DAVID: It’s an artist’s “intention” that the public receives. You can tell an artist’s intention by how the viewer feels after he’s encountered his art. Does he feel good? Does he feel bad?

I’m not saying an artist has to be all “sweetness and light.” On the contrary, you want to do whatever it takes to get the person out of the sleep. Does the person come out of it? Does the person, as a result, give something to his friend? Does he tell his mom he loves her after he hears the song? Does he make love to his wife after seeing the movie? That’s the test. If he comes out cranky and perplexed – that didn’t work. Just look at his face.

Get artists to make things better and join you. Most artists would want to join Artists For A Better World.

AFABW: David, thank you very much!

In a society where war, violence, crime, hate, insanity, and aberrations consume the airwaves, it is a miracle that we ever pick up a book. Especially those that are tucked away in the far reaches of a store and invite you to enter worlds filled with fantasy, love, romance, delights, and dreams.

As the Canadian Federation of Poets President and Founder, I have personally watched a trend that pushed poetry back to the coffee houses and educational institutions where clusters gather, from the global and national cohesive cord that it should be. From this unnerving discovery I put into motion a campaign that would eliminate the misconceptions of this enlightening medium, and return it to prominence. While on this journey I made some observations that poetry could remedy with the proper education and execution.

From my experiences teaching poetry as a featured speaker in classrooms ranging from grades one to college level, along the way the desire and need for poetry was gradually eliminated. At the childhood stage they are riveted to the comfort and mastery of nursery rhymes. At the youth level, pre-high school students use poetry as a coping mechanism. They write about their surroundings, feelings, emotions, and more importantly, clearly inscribed angst, anger, and the betrayal they start to feel about life. They write, whether it stem from a broken relationship, breakdown in communication with society, or an accumulation of apathy for the lack of power they possess to change their environment.

So how can we attack this decline in poetry? Highschools and education systems are a good place to start. The brilliance of Shakespeare has been used to alienate more passionate writers than inspire. What we need to do is reconnect youth with poetry, which will continue the evolution and appreciation through adulthood for the desire and necessity of poetry in their lives. In-depth reviews of great literary figures, studying scenes, reciting soliloquies and dissecting lines accomplishes a contra-survival realm that invalidates what students were creating (if you don’t write like Shakespeare – you’re not a poet), and erects a barrier that could take generations to remove. We seem dedicated to teaching literature, let’s just expand this by demonstrating poetry using the hundreds of ways to create a poem, from Haiku, to Cinquain, to Prose, to whichever method appeals to the student. Read excerpts from Shakespeare, or Dickens, or Poe, and even some living poets while we are at it – award winners they can relate to of what works today. We could recite the popular songs of the youth, so they relate to poetry always. Perhaps spending less time on literary analysis, and more on performing, public reading, writing, and articulating would not only promote its appeal, but help to instill confidence and communication skills for all situations. We would get far more dedicated advocates, far more passionate people about the importance of delivering a message, expressing a thought, providing an empathetic and cathartic release, and start to create a mankind that uses words and less extreme methods of coping with change and chaos.

With the next generation in place understanding the power of poetry they could venture outside their confined worlds, and address the more important tasks at hand. Creating a world where every time a doctor prescribed a pill, or someone purchased over the counter medications, we would recommend a particular poem instead. Most of our email, television and radio commercials, billboards, newspapers, make mention of drugs, herding us into becoming a nation of junkies. The exposure is reducing the lethal effects and stigma, and pharmaceutical giants are using this window to assault us with an endless stream of cures for what ails us, or could ail us, or will ail us if we don’t take it now. With twelve million children forced to take drugs for ‘abnormally high levels of activity’, if we don’t introduce new methods of coping soon, we’ll all be defenseless.

Let’s use poetry as a prescription to life’s aberrations instead. A bit of Adams for allergy relief, soothing Browning for that back ache, Chaucer for colds, Keats for ulcers, Parker for that migraine, Shelley for blood pressure, Yeats for stress, and the list goes on.

Amidst these profound words is a better solution. Not only would we revere poetry for what it is, a vital part of our culture, but it could provide a healthy alternative to our ill-fated practices and future.

So all in favor of Poetry Practitioners say “AYE”. Increase the health and welfare of mankind with this new technology, and reach for the Poet’s Handbook instead of a pill.

I believe it’s important FOR your day job, as well as the rest of your life, not to give up your art and your dreams. I’ve had a number of students tell me that they wanted to write songs but their day job required so much time that between work and their families, they gave up the writing. Of course, that usually happened ten years ago — during which time they aged about twenty years. They then come dragging in knowing there’s something terribly wrong and wondering if it could be a good idea to start writing songs again. Not only is it a good idea, they should have never stopped in the first place. As I said in my article (now a chapter in my book), “WRITING IN SPACE,” songs are not written in time but in space, so you can’t use the old excuse that you have no ime. That won’t fly.

Your art fuels your soul which is what’s running the show. Without your creative life, your day job will suffer, your family will suffer, all because your soul is not being fed. Of course, not everyone needs to write songs. Some people go through life perfectly happy with day jobs and families and they never write a song. But these people are not songwriters. Songwriters need to write songs. And if they don’t, they’ll have hell to pay. You know this if you’re an artist of any kind and have abandoned your art. It takes a toll on your soul, and thereafter, everything else. It’s like removing the generator from your car and still expecting the battery to work endlessly. Where are you going to get the energy to do all the work your day job requires if you have cut off your power supply? Of course, some people will make anything they do creative and that will fuel their lives. But I’ve seen so many songwriting students come in on their last leg and the minute they start creating again, they become enthusiastic (the Greek word for spirit is similar to the word for enthusiasm). Without enthusiasm, it’s all just drudgery. Your art can give you that enthusiasm, or in some cases, give you back your enthusiasm — for life, for getting out of bed in the morning, even for your day job. After all, you have to get from home to the workplace. And isn’t that drive more fun when you’re thinking about your new song on the way?

The good news is that it doesn’t really matter how much time has elapsed for the writer, the flame never really goes out. The embers of creativity can be fanned into a full-fledged fire. Of course, the skills may need some work, but the desire will still be there. All that’s needed is some real hope, not even of success, but just hope that the process can continue. You can write a song and someone will listen. You may not realize how many other rooms in your life will be warmed by that fire and it’s not important that you know. But having seen so many writers get the fire back after so long a time away from writing, I can speak with certainty, that much good will come of it.
Nik Venet, the legendary record producer, used to tell his classes “If you drive a cab and write songs, then you’re a songwriter. Driving a cab is your hobby.” Whether you subscribe to that point of view or not, there is truth to be learned from it. If you respect songwriting as your chief endeavor, then you will see that it feeds the other areas of your life, like your day job.
I have a student who is a wonderful songwriter/singer. She’s also an excellent accountant. But I believe that if she were not also a songwriter, she’d have pulled her hair out long ago from looking at so many numbers. She’s a calm, cool, collected comptroller. Probably in the back of her mind at all times is a song. And that song keeps her smiling, keeps the engine running. Her boss is happy. She’s happy. The numbers add up. Everybody wins.

Harriet Schock is a gold and platinum songwriter/recording artist whose songs have been recorded by numerous artists, nominated for a Grammy and used in films. Her fourth, fifth and sixth solo CDs, “American Romance,” “Rosebud” and “Harriet Schock Live” are in current release, as well as her book, BECOMING REMARKABLE: For Songwriters and Those Who Love Songs, published by Blue Dolphin. She recently released a CD of 19 of her students, called “Schock Futures.” As well as performing worldwide, Harriet Schock speaks, teaches and consults in person and via the Internet. She teaches a correspondence course in songwriting to writers all over the world. For further information about her book, CDs, concerts, correspondence courses, classes or consultation, go to http://harrietschock.com/ or call (323)934-5691.

There is a viewpoint out there that seeks to make less of anyone who writes “popular” or “genre” fiction by a general consensus that writing for entertainment is less worthy or artistic than writing on an intellectual level. It seems that the fewer people are able or educated enough to understand the book, the better it is considered to be.

American best-selling author, L Ron Hubbard, says in his book Art: “ART is a word which summarizes THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION.” You see that it doesn’t say the quality of the content. Who is to judge the quality of the content? Who is to say that a murder mystery is less worthy than The Life of Pi (a recent Booker Prize winner)? Is Harry Potter a lesser piece of literature merely because the author is now the richest writer on the planet?

No, the criterion is: does Harry Potter communicate? The answer has to be “Yes,” since millions of kids all over the world are reading it, not to mention millions of adults.

Write what you want to write, whether it’s highly intellectual or just plain fun. The type of fiction doesn’t matter. What matters is learning and knowing your craft. There are rules and guidelines to writing, and they exist to further your communication. Your message will ride better in a well crafted piece of writing, and it will communicate better.

In the same essay, Mr. Hubbard says: “The communication is the primary target. The technical quality of it is the secondary consideration.”

Which begs the question, is Harry Potter technically perfect? No, it isn’t. To my mind, the last one was too long, Harry’s anger was contrived and repetitive, and the structure left a lot to be desired. But it was still a rattling good read. It communicated.

The quality of your communication is dictated by your mastery of writing methods, along with your individual talent. That’s what makes it art. Write, write, write. Read a book on writing methods, use what is most appealing to you and what will help your writing. Then forget about it, and just write some more. Because, as we have seen, communication is more important than the technical quality.

You’ll find your best writing comes by simply writing, without thinking too much about it. That way you stay out of your own way. When you’ve got the story down, wear your editor’s hat and make analytical corrections, using what rules, guidelines and methods you know. The more you write, the more you edit, the less you’ll have to edit in the long run.

And the moment you are communicating what you want to say, your writing has become an art.

Liz Bailey resides in England, and has had 18 novels in the historical romance genre published by Harlequin Mills & Boon. Ms. Bailey is working on her second mainstream novel, which deals with supernatural phenomena. She can be reached at: lizziebailey@beeb.netThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Copyright © 2004 Artists For A Better World International. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. Programmed in the United States.

Can you sing the way you want and not hurt yourself? Is it possible to understand what you’re doing technically and still sing emotionally? Can vocal training help you expand your creativity?

My approach to vocal technique is motivated by a firm belief that the voice is meant to be fully used; that there is a way to release yourself from restrictions; that it is not the sounds you make but rather how you make them that can cause difficulty.

This method is an outgrowth of my years of research and work with thousands of contemporary singers. It also comes from my experience performing and recording many forms of Rock, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Folk, Gospel, R&B and Funk.

The demands placed on today’s singers are complex due to the use of electronic equipment, band volume, club conditions, and the trend toward singing and dancing simultaneously. Using your voice for a wider variety of sounds than those used in classical music requires specific techniques to aid and support those sounds and prevent vocal blow-out.

I have found that many popular-music singers shy away from taking voice lessons. Fear of being stripped of their individuality or of being pushed into a limiting, emotionless technique, or from developing sounds inappropriate to their music, has kept them from learning the tools that would help them sing easier and more successfully.

I used to feel the same way. During my early years of singing, I thought that if I went to a teacher to learn “vocal technique,” I would end up sounding the way the teacher wanted me to sound and lose my own style and individuality. It was frustrating and a little scary to hear some teachers state I would wreck my voice if I continued to sing rock styles.

What Makes a Technique Right—or Wrong?
There are many confused vocalists, unsure of what to do or not do when singing. They are uncertain whether the directions they have been given are correct. Too often, I have found decisions of “right” or “wrong” are based on lack of information, personal taste, or the fear that singing in a certain style is physically harmful.

By 1976, my head was spinning with contrary techniques and confusing directions. I decided to find out what defined “right” and “wrong” and discover a way to release myself from anything that would pull back the reins on free, spontaneous, contemporary-styled, “feeling” vocals. I knew the definitions would have to align with scientific fact, not opinion. Though I’d been singing professionally for many years (I started in my early teens), I knew very little about how my voice worked. I began by reading scientific journals and medical books, looking only for fact on how the human body functions to create vocal sound.

I found what I was searching for. I learned the parts, locations and how the body makes vocal sound. I then compared it to the various directions and information I’d heard throughout the years. I found that some of the directions and exercises aligned exactly with the natural functions of the body. And some did not. At that point I knew what to maintain, what to discard, and how to synthesize the knowledge into a holistic approach to singing. The result has given me confidence with and expansion of my own voice and style.

Singing correctly means working with the way your body naturally functions to make sound. Without knowing the facts about your vocal instrument—its parts, their locations, and how they work—it’s difficult to be certain you’re doing the right things. You can also easily fall prey to incorrect coaching and techniques that don’t perfectly align with your instrument. And, it will be difficult to realize your full potential as a vocalist.

Working from an understanding of the body with techniques that support natural vocal production, you can easily produce a wide range of sounds. This includes what some would consider “unorthodox” sounds commonly found in Rock, Soul, Blues, Country, Funk, R&B, Heavy Metal, Dance, Rap and Gospel. The thousands of singers I’ve coached have found they can successfully create the sounds needed for the styles of music they choose!

Cause and Effect
You may ask yourself: “Do I really have to know how vocal sound is made, to sing or talk?” Obviously, you don’t. It is an automatic process. But if automatic, why do so many singers run into difficulties?

Your voice responds to your ideas, thoughts and emotions. If you think you have to push hard to sing high, for example, you will. However, technically, your body may not need to do that. Ignorance is not bliss. If you don’t know what’s right for your instrument, how can you tell if what you’re doing is correct?

To enhance anything, the mysteries about it must be dispelled and replaced with understanding. Some singers just naturally work more in harmony with their bodies when singing. That, combined with having no emotional reservations about “stepping out” with their voice, results in a good sound. Perhaps this is true of you. However, even the best sounding “natural” singers find themselves singing better when knowledgeable about their instrument. I’m sure this makes sense to you. Knowledge and certainty go hand-in-hand.

As long as your vocal instrument can function properly and unimpeded, you will have vocal consistency, control, increased range, and yes, a wealth of different sounds at your disposal. By releasing any harmful manipulations, you’ll avoid the usual side effects that more demanding music and vocal styles can create, such as pain, strained sound, hoarseness, nodes, register break, weak upper register, and so on.

The Purpose of Technique
Perhaps you can remember a time you heard a singer who left you untouched emotionally, but was said to have “great technique.” he fact is, that singer did not have great technique, because it obstructed the meaning and emotion of the song. Technique is only as good as it can support, not overshadow, your communication. The “perfect sound” means nothing if it is not used as a tool with which to create an emotional response.

A singer’s role is to communicate vocally through music and to create an emotional effect on their audience. Some sounds are more appropriate for some feelings than others. The more sounds you have at your command, the more freely you can express yourself.

Performance time is not the time to focus on technique. Your attention should not have to be on how to get your sound, or on whether your voice will make it through the gig. When you step onto that stage, you should already be confident in your ability to play your instrument. You should be free to “work your audience” and give them a great show! – and have fun while you’re at it!

So, my message to you is: it is possible to sound the way you choose without hurting your voice, without limiting the length of your career, without having to make do with a small range, without having to sing raspy when you want to sound smooth, or having to sing smoothly when you want to sound raspy. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you deserve to freely use any sound that best conveys your message. You deserve to have confidence in your voice! And you can!

You can receive a free download of some of Jeannie Deva’s most recommended vocal warm-ups and cool-downs. Just visit www.JeannieDeva.com Mention that you read this article.

Jeannie Deva is a world class Master voice teacher and recording studio vocal specialist. She is the author of “The Contemporary Vocalist,” founder of The Deva Method® – A Non-Classical Approach for Singers™ and of Jeannie Deva® Voice Studios, now celebrating its 28th Anniversary. A growing network of Deva Method teachers are on the East and West Coasts in the US. Clients include Grammy Award Winners and Nominees, Major and Indi label recording artists. www.JeannieDeva.com

The first level is being able to tell a joke that makes someone laugh.
The second level is being able to tell jokes that make a group of people laugh.
The third level is being able to get a group of people to pay you to make them laugh.

Photography is a lot like that except that the third level contains many additional levels of expertise, from the guy who does headshots for $89.95 to the top advertising, celebrity, glamour and wedding photographers who are paid tens of thousands of dollars for a photo shoot.

Whether you are interested in becoming a pro or you simply want to improve the photos you take for your own enjoyment, how do you move up from one level to the next? How do you get so you can consistently take great photos that are interesting and which people like or are willing to pay you for? Is it luck or some “X” factor that only a few are born with or is it something that can be learned?

There are many informational websites out there and many books and DVDs to help you. There are also many online learning sites. These are helpful in expanding your technical expertise in the use of your digital and film cameras and other areas. But as I’ve pursued my love of photography, there are a couple of lessons that I have learned that I feel apply to all levels of photographers.

Lesson #1
You can give six photographers the same assignment and they will all come back with different photos. I learned this years ago when I was one of six photographers assigned to cover a stage show. I thought it was ridiculous to have so many photographers shooting the same assignment. Proof sheets of everyone’s work were put in a binder and I had the opportunity to see all six photographers’ photographs. I found it amazing that even when another photographer and I were shooting the same subject side by side, our photos were quite different. So much so, that it was obvious that they were taken by different photographers.

Essentially we all have the same tools. Granted, good equipment is a wise investment, but it isn’t the camera that takes the picture, it is the photographer. When I was transitioning from amateur photographer to professional, I advised that you should buy the things you use weekly and if you used something only once a month or less, you should rent it. It was good advice then and still holds true. I bought the best I could and rented the rest of what I needed.

Lesson #2
Early on I learned that some photos were more interesting than others. They attracted the viewer, people commented on what good photos they were. And other photos were rather boring, what I’ve come to call “record shots”. They are simply a photographic record that you were there and documented that something happened.

I quickly learned that the real difference between the two was that when I took the interesting photos, there was something in the photo that actually interested me at the time that I took it. And the boring photos? At the time I took the photo there really wasn’t anything about the subject that interested me.

I began to work with this concept. I would look for subject matter that interested me to photograph. I would look for angles, composition, colors, backgrounds, foregrounds, props, lighting, etc. that I could use to make a subject even more interesting to me. And I learned that even when I photographed a subject that I didn’t personally find interesting, I could make it interesting by using these techniques.

I came to realize that a photograph of my daughter might be interesting to me because she is my daughter. (You know that proud parent thing.) But that if I took a photo of my daughter when there was something that I truly found interesting (a smile, twinkle in the eye, etc.) and if I also used good composition, creative angles and such, that even if someone didn’t know my daughter, that they were much more likely to enjoy my photo of her because I had used these techniques to make a really great photo of her.

Those we recognize as creative artists, creative photographers, creative movie directors, etc. have a unique or unusual way of looking at things. I came to realize that creativity is a matter of viewpoint, of how you look at the world, of how you see things. And that this can be learned. That you can develop the skills necessary to look at the world in a way that you, and others, will find interesting. Granted some of us are born with a head start on being creative but each of us has the ability to be creative and we can each increase our own creativity.

A key that can open the door to being creative is to find something that truly interests you and to use the techniques of composition, camera angle, etc to photograph it in an interesting way.

Lesson #3
Recently I learned the lesson that you will grow and develop quickly if you shot a lot. When you think about it this is obvious. The more you shoot the more experience you get, the more familiarity with the camera, the more certain, etc. That is all true but that’s not what I’m talking about.

For about 4 months last year I did a lot of personal testing. I did test shoots 2, 3 even 4 times a week, all in addition to the shoots I was doing for clients. These were experimental shoots that I dreamed up. Shoots that I wanted to do for myself where I shot what, who and how I wanted to shoot.

What I experienced I can best express with an analogy. I like lobster. I don’t eat it often so I really enjoy it when I do eat it. Testing so often was like eating lobster every day. I really enjoyed it the first couple of times but then I wanted a change. I wanted lobster cooked differently. I wanted lobster and steak. I wanted lobster with…

The result of testing often was that I found that I quickly became bored with doing what I already knew how to do. I used all of the tools and tricks that I knew and then started looking for ways to make my tests fresh so that I wasn’t doing the same old thing over and over. I came up with new tricks and techniques. I had successes and I had failures but I had those successes and failures several times a week. The process of shooting intensively greatly accelerated my development as an artist.

Intensive shooting is an important tool you can use to accelerate your development as a photographer.

Copyright © 2004 David McCullough / McCullough Photo: Capturing the beauty, the mystery, the essence of life, as art. All Rights Reserved www.mcculloughphoto.com www.bodyshotsart.com www.davidmcculloughphoto.com

Hello, and welcome to the first installment of The Art and Craft of Professional Screenwriting. In this series we will be breaking down every aspect of the art and craft of the professional screenwriter. All the critical elements of the screenwriting craft will be defined, broken down and demystified. There will be a new article each issue, and by the end of the series you will have all the tools necessary to put your talent to work on a professionally written, sellable feature film screenplay.

So here’s a question: Are there any rules to writing a screenplay? Of course, you can’t have a game without rules. But there are no limits to what you can do as a screenwriter. In the months to come these rules will be broken down into doable actions, and all aspects of the screenwriting process will be demystified. Welcome.

Each issue will have three things in it:

1) Questions for you to answer that will help develop your ability to write screenplays.

2) Education on various aspects of screenwriting.

3) Steps of practical application for you to do on your own to further your screenwriting ability.

So, before we get started, I ask you. Why should you write screenplays to begin with, and why shouldn’t give up? The answer to this question is the reason I am writing this series of columns, and it is this: Because there are so many bad films made it makes me ill! I want to see good films, and all of the films I love have great screenplays. They tell terrific stories. The people they tell stories about are highly compelling and draw me in on a personal level. That is what I want to see on the screen. If a studio is going to spend millions of dollars and risk the artistic and financial careers of hundreds of artists, technicians and administrative personnel, it had better be a great script or we are all in serious trouble.

If you want to write a script and think you have the talent, you should do it. If you train hard to do it as well as you can, it is possible you can write a screenplay that will move an audience and get them wanting more.

So, do you have what it takes to do this? Only you know that, and it is possible you don’t even know that yet. The only way you can find out is to do it and see, but I guarantee one thing, if you do not, the world will never know the artistry you have inside yourself.

Here is the first question. Do you want to be a professional screenwriter? What I mean is, do you want to get paid to write screenplays that are made into films that a paying audience watches? This might sound ridiculously simple and obvious, even patronizing. It is not. It amazes me how many people do not have this one major element in their minds when writing.

A professional screenwriter is someone who makes their living writing screenplays. They can write films they sell to other filmmakers, they can write films they make themselves or they can be a ‘gun for hire’ and write for other people. They can also adapt other mediums into film scripts for other filmmakers, studios, or for themselves, like novels or plays, but there is one underlying fact in every case. Screenwriting is their profession. This does not mean you cannot have other professions. Many screenwriters are also directors, producers and actors. They can also be full time novelists or short story writers. Many have other careers not in the entertainment industry. You also do not have to be born into writing or start at an early age, nor do you need to be university educated. History has shown that writers often came from another field or were working in another field while writing.

You might have heard some discouraging remarks from your ‘well meaning’ (or not so well meaning) friends and family. Too old, too young, not educated enough, too educated, came from a poor family, came from a rich family, not American, too ethnic, not ethnic enough, Jewish, not Jewish, poor command of the English language, female, male…did I miss any? If you want you can have any stop thrown at you and give you very good reasons to fail in your career, or worse, not even start. For every ‘reason why’ you can’t do it, there are many examples of people who have. Every year the major studios produce between 200 and 400 feature films. For every film produced hundreds of others were nearly produced and thousands of others were considered. Many of those films were purchased, optioned, or were rewritten in an attempt to make them produceable. And that does not include the hundreds of independent productions that are developed and produced every year. Last year the Sundance Film Festival had over 2,000 completed feature films submitted for competition. Someone is doing a lot of writing!

Here are some examples of successful writers and how they started:

Dashiel Hammett (The Maltese Falcon), Jack London (The Call Of The Wild) and Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep) were all self taught and had no formal education.

Dorothy Parker (A Star Is Born), William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist) and Nora Ephron
(When Harry Met Sally) all had formal education in literature.

Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man And The Sea) was a reporter, Paddy Chayefsky (Network) wrote musicals and wrote for television, and Neil Simon (The Goodbye Girl) started writing stories and jokes in High school and never stopped.

Screenwriters can have a wide variety of backgrounds as well. Quinten Tarentino (Pulp Fiction) worked at a video store and wrote screenplays in his off time. Ernest Lehman (West Side Story, North by Northwest) planned to be a chemical engineer but discovered literature and decided to become a writer. Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) was raised to be a minister, fell in love with movies, transferred to UCLA film school and completed over a dozen screenplays by the time he was thirty.

Robert Towne (Chinatown) always knew he would be a writer, Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) was an extremely prolific actor, director and writer even at a very young age, and William Shakespeare, although occasionally an actor, wrote continually all his life.

Not everyone had a writing career as their initial concept. Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan) in his own words: “failed at everything else in life” so he had to turn to writing. John Houston (The African Queen) was the son of famous actor Walter Houston, and did everything but write for years, and Kathryn Bigelow (Near D

ark) was a very talented painter and member of a British avant-garde cultural group.

There are writers who led exciting, adventurous and often odd lives before, during and after their writing careers. Franz Kafka (Metamorphosis) worked for an insurance company and was responsible for writing safety measures for the lumber industry. Science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard (Battlefield Earth) began life as an adventurer and explorer, traveling some 250,000 miles before he was 19 years old, served in the Navy during World War II, built bridges, navigated uncharted Alaskan seas, and worked on the first governmental nuclear projects. William S. Burroughs (Naked Lunch) threw away his inheritance to the Burroughs adding machine fortune to live in the seedy street life of New York city where he became a bartender, a drug dealer (to support his own habit), and was, among other things, a cockroach exterminator. And Bram Stoker (Dracula) was a civil servant and then financial manager for an acclaimed acting troupe founded by the great Sir Henry Irving.

Some writers began careers in the entertainment industry. Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator) was executive assistant to Roger Corman, produced James Cameron’s first film, Piranah II and produced The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss, among others. David Mamet (Glenn Gary Glen Ross) was briefly an actor and then a major playwright, and Mabel Normand, the Queen of silent comedy, wrote dozens of screenplays while maintaining a career as ‘the female Charlie Chaplin.’

And for those of you who think being a woman is a disadvantage: Jane Campion (the Piano) made short films all through university and has not stopped making films since,
Callie Khouri (Thelma and Louise) studied acting, worked for a commercial production company as a receptionist and a music video production assistant and wrote her first script in longhand at home and then retyped it on the job. Anita Loos (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) began writing scripts at 14 years old and worked with D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and helped launch the career of Douglas Fairbanks. Her career spanned over 70 years and she wrote in nearly every form, including films, plays, books and biographies.

And finally, Frances Marion, who wrote screenplays for some of Mary Pickford’s finest films, ressurected the career of Marie Dressler, was the most valued of Irving Thalberg’s MGM writers and won two Academy Awards (The Big House, 1930 and The Champ (1931), becoming the most renowned female screenwriter of the twentieth century and one of the most respected screenwriters in the history of the cinema.

So, what’s your excuse?
_________________

Now, let’s all get on the same page.

Definitions: Screenplay n. : a character driven story told visually

What does that mean? The Character is the driving force behind any screenplay. It dictates the story, the theme, the plot, the antagonist, the heroine, it drives the premise and introduces all the logic that must be adhered to. As it is a screenplay, it must be told visually. There are only two elements in any screenplay scene, ACTION, and CHARACTER DIALOGUE. Action is accomplished by describing what people and other physical universe objects DO, and must be described in a way we can SEE. This does not mean you describe camera directions or editing. Those choices are up to the director, and descriptions of camera movement and other technical terms are very distracting to the reader. Character dialogue is, obviously, what the people in the screenplay say, but what they say needs to communicate something important to the story. It can be conversations that reveal things about the character or story, it can reveal important plot points and also elements of the premise. These are also types of action. The WAY a person speaks can also reveal action. This is sometimes put in the parenthetical below the character’s name, but this technique is frequently over used and can be a crutch for poor dialogue. Ideally all revealing character activities happen in the behavior described in the Action or the lines of the Character Dialogue.

The purpose of a screenplay is TO GET THE READER TO GIVE IT TO SOMEONE WHO WILL PAY MONEY TO HAVE THE FILM MADE. That is your audience. Your audience is NOT a university professor, a six-year-old child or a film critic. It is also not a novelist or a film student. It is initially either a reader or an agent or manager, and then a producer, director or actor. This is your audience. They do not want to read camera directions or hear long ‘interesting’ descriptions of what the film is about. They want to be drawn along on a visual journey, one which takes them into their imagination and allows them to make their own film in their mind as they read your screenplay. Ultimately, your audience is the paying public, but, although they are very important, they are a secondary audience.

The steps to creating a screenplay that you can sell involve three things: being a screenwriter, doing some screenwriting and having a screenplay you can get made into a film.

The steps to planning a screenplay are the opposite. First, you must decide what you want to have, in very specific detail. Then you make plans for the steps you need to take to do that writing, then you will know what you have to be to get those steps done.

The main thing about any film is that it needs to be ABOUT something. It is fine to say you need a low budget script you can shoot in the forest near your grandparents’ house with your three best friends as the actors, but what is it ABOUT? The story. What is happening? This is the most important thing you need to establish. This is the ‘what do you want to have’ question that must be answered first.

So, here are some questions:

1) What do you want to have? Be very specific. Is it a depression era story with a woman protagonist who believes all men should be free and is forced to deal with the hatred of the white people for the blacks? Is it a science fiction Tom Cruise vehicle? Is it a film small enough in scope to allow you to direct it? Every detail. Most importantly, this must include what the story is ABOUT.

2) WHO is it about? This will be covered in more detail in future issues, but it is important to establish this at least on a basic level right from the start. There should be ONE PERSON it is about. There can be many characters, but the film is only about ONE of them. There are very rare exceptions to this, but generally there is only one person the film is really about.

3) Why are you writing this story? What is it about this story that you must tell? If you have only a mild interest in this story chances are you are going to write a mildly interesting screenplay. Ideally, why you are writing this story must be deeply personal and highly important to you as the writer.

Answer those three questions in extreme detail. Along the way you may have ideas about the film, characters, story lines, plot points, etc. No problem. Write them all down and keep them on file. You may have ideas for other films as well. File them too. Just make sure the questions above do get answered.

Good. Now, there is one final exercise for this installment. Get a friend you trust. Tell them what you are doing, that you are starting a screenplay (or reworking an old one) and that you need their help for an assignment. Go to a room with no distractions. Get two chairs and sit facing each other. Then tell them the following statement:

“I am a screenwriter.”

Do this over and over until you feel confident, happy and ready to start writing. This may take a few minutes and it may take longer. There may be things that happen to you while doing this assignment. You may get a sick stomach, want to run away, forget what you are there for, any number of things, but persist. Do it until you feel bright and happy, or, quit and do not write your script, but I think you will.

The world needs good films and good films come from great screenplays. So, START!

There are two main ways of using radio to drive people to buy your CD on CD Baby, both of which may also help you obtain spins:

1) Buying radio spots (commercials) that drive listeners to your CD Baby page, where you then benefit from album purchases, or

2) Doing a Per-Inquiry (PI) setup at stations, whereby the stations run your spots for free, and then they get paid from each CD sold. While everyone reading this will of course want to try the second option first, you should know that it is at least a hundred (100) times harder than the first one. Here’s the easy one…

Buying spots on a commercial station is straightforward, controllable, and has predictable costs. If your band name is XYZ, you simply tell the station to record a spot for you that plays the song’s chorus at least twice, and then tells listeners to “buy it online at CD Baby dot com slash XYZ” at least three times. Simple, and it works every time. But it’s expensive.

Now the tough one: The PI option is difficult for two reasons. First, a “per-inquiry” setup means that the stations may or may not actually get paid later, based on how many sales you TELL them occurred (yes, they have been lied to before.) Second, there has been a long-standing resistance in the radio business with regards to them participating in music sales. There are many reasons for this, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll say that the way to work around it is just to contact a large number of stations (at least 100) if you want to end up with just one that will do it. Once you find a station that will participate: Create a “partner” page at http://partners.cdbaby.com/ (you’ll need a separate partner account for each station.) If your band name is XYZ, and the station is KPOP, then create a partner page with a username of “xyzkpop” (or, if the station is WBIG, then make it “xyzwbig”), and I’d recommend a very easy password too… maybe even the same as the username. Then give the username and password to your contact at the station so they can verify sales for themselves, and so they can compare these sales to the spins they are giving you.

Now create a simple “radio click-to-order” page on your band site (you’ll need a separate page for each station.) If your site is www.xyz.com/, then make the KPOP order page www.xyz.com/kpop (this is where the your commercial will direct listeners to). On this page, put the link that CD Baby gives you, which will then send listeners to your place on CD Baby for purchase, where it will pay $1 per CD purchased, to KPOP. Confused?… see this diagram: www.radio-media.com/CDbabyRadioDiagram.jpg

However, this $1 is just the standard amount that CD Baby pays out (you can’t change this amount). It is not enough to make a PI radio deal work. I’d recommend paying at least another $4 per CD from your own funds. Even if you make zero profit from the sales, you’ll benefit greatly from the gigs and merchandise that you can sell in the cities where you are spinning.

You will also want to get an 800 number so people can call from their cars. Get one from your phone company (about $5/month,) and “piggyback” the number onto your regular phone number and answering machine. The message should tell callers to leave their email address, and the station they heard you on, so you can email them a link to buy the CD (and of course, the link will be specific to their station, so that station will get credit for the sale.)

Copyright (c) by Bryan Farrish. Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion is an independent radio airplay promotion company. 818-905-8038 http://www.radio-media.com/. If you live in Los Angeles and want to be informed of any events, seminars or parties we do, email meet@radio-media.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us what town you are in, and also put “Request” in the subject.

International Art Day, a day dedicated to the appreciation of the arts, art collectors, arts organizations, arts supporters and artists of all disciplines, was founded by Artists for a Better World member Becky Mate in 1998. It is a holiday, like Valentine’s Day or Arbor Day, but instead of hugging your sweetheart or hugging a tree, you hug an artist! Since 2006, the various Mayors of Glendale, CA, have proclaimed the second Friday in August as Art Day, and Glendale the Home of Art Day.

So it’s official, for starters, in Glendale. Art Day has been celebrated on a grassroots basis in isolated spots in England, France, Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Belize, Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, Hawaii, Canada, Puerto Rico, etc.

Now I realize, all you creative types, that I don’t really need to tell you how to throw an Art Day party. Invite artists, poets, writers, dancers, actors and musicians. Encourage them to share a little bit of their work. Arrange for food or have it be potluck. Voila, you have a great Art Party!

Simple and fun.

With this article, I’m letting you in on a few secrets that will make your great Art Day party into an awesome one. There are 7 large hats (job titles and their duties) for you and yours to wear that make the difference. Each has 3 smaller hats, making 21 things to make sure get done. Enough with the math. The last three are the most important, so I’ll list them first.

PARTY PRODUCER HAT

Find a good location for an art party, arrange refreshments (don’t forget the chocolate,) have a party and leave the place cleaner than you found it.

SUB HAT #21: FOUNDER’S REPRESENTATIVE

Does this mean you need to invite me, the Founder of Art Day, to your party? No (but you may if you like), it means that at some point in the party, you need to remind everyone that the Art Day holiday is not a single party, but a worldwide grassroots movement to appreciate artists and patrons, and to bring funding into the arts. Your guests are part of a greater whole; they are making history. You are establishing an Art Day tradition in your neck of the woods.

SUB HAT #20: ARTS ACTIVIST

Get ready to do battle against those who wish to destroy the arts and artists. Forbid art criticism at your party. Glare ferociously at anyone who intimates that art is frivolous or that creativity comes from the murky subconscious (whatever that means). Oust anyone who is antisocial, trouble or a pain. Make sure that any needed permits are gotten and laws are followed. The Arts Activist is there to create an environment where it is safe to be an artist.

SUB HAT #19: THEME SETTER

It makes for a better party to benefit a greater need. One year at my Art Day party we had a small silent auction to raise funds for a new theatre in town. Another year, we sent Art Day greeting cards to various consulates — pick a country, any country. Another year, we awarded the winners of the Randy the Handyman Artists and Writers Contest. Another year we celebrated the fact that the gardens of my apartment building were the historical site of the very first international Art Day party — complete with a homemade plaque. Set the goal of the party.

TASKMASTER HAT

Gets people to help with party tasks, as in “You, hang decorations. You, keep the food table stocked and neat. You, don’t do that; come over here and have guests sign the guestbook.”

SUB HAT #1: TASK ASSIGNER

Everybody helps. Let them know what to do and how to do it. You’ll have participants delighting in contributing their efforts and talents to such a marvelous party.

SUB HAT #2: CHIPPER SKIPPER

He makes sure everyone is happily getting along with lots of communication, such as audience experiencing the art and performances, and people discussing the arts and Art Day. As well as engaging that lonely person in conversation, you can also have the Chipper Skipper mail or email the invites, and man the phone for people calling for directions, etc. If he’s on his toes, you’ll have cheerful dialogue among participants.

SUB HAT #3: THE ENFORCER

I had a friend who felt that non-producing artists were treasonous to themselves and to society for denying their talents to the world. An actionable offense. Perhaps those artists are mired by clutter, or don’t really know who they are as artists or are in doubt between whether to do art or a “day job.” Or, they’ve been hanging around people who subtly or openly chastise them for doing art or who put down their art. Besides tracking attendance, media attention and other statistics, the Enforcer gets artists creating again, and brings about artists who are willing to be artists and do art.

PARTY PUBLICIST HAT

Lets people know there’s a party and encourages them to RSVP.

SUB HAT #4: PARTY PROMOTER

The creativity begins with the invitations (mailed or emailed), and extends right up to the party with signs letting people know they’ve arrived. I’ve made Art Day mugs, t-shirts, buttons and bags. For extra fun, buy or make art greeting cards, and put “Happy Art Day” inside. (Or buy some ready-made.) You can have the Chipper Skipper send invitations in the cards, or send out cards by themselves, or give the cards to guests to send to their beloved artists and patrons. The Party Promoter produces invitations and signs and other things that generate a desire to participate.

SUB HAT #5 ART STUFF GUY

Did you know during the month preceding Art Day, and on the day itself, it is traditional to wear jewelry and clothing that promotes the arts? A tiny canvas necklace, a paint pallette pin, an Art Day button, piano suspenders, an arts festival shirt are just some of the things that remind people of the arts. (Think snowmen, Santa, and reindeer paraphernalia, along with creches, in the month before Christmas.) It is true that you get what you promote, so promote the arts. Another way to promote the arts is with books, from how-to books, to books showcasing the masters, to a homemade coloring book about daisies celebrating each of the arts on Art Day. During the party, the Art Stuff Guy gives out (or sells) stuff and he ends up with people who understand Art Day and who promote the arts.

SUB HAT #6: THE SEDUCTRESS

It takes some bread to throw a party. A breadcrumb gets you an intimate party, a giant loaf of bread gets you the party of the century. Whether you feed loose change into a piggy bank that you break into each year, or whether you solicit corporate donations, the objective is adequate funds to have a grand party with some left over for next year. The other ingredient for a party is lots of guests, which takes personal contact in order to bring attendance up to or surpassing your quota.

PARTY SUPPLIES GUY

He’s in charge of buying and keeping the party gear.

SUB HAT #7: PIGGY BANKER

Collect up and stash the Art Day funds in a safe place.

SUB HAT #8: THE SHOPPER

Whether you go with the red-blue-yellow basic colors of the palette, or some other creative direction, party decorations are a must. Party supply stores will yield music and some visual arts decorations. Some may have to be made out of construction paper or imagination. Buy balloons, chairs, fluttering banners and streamers, banners announcing an art day party, tables, chocolate fountains and anything else that says “art.” At my parties we’ve supplied the hot dogs, hamburgers and basic drinks to go with the potluck. Fancier parties may wish to hire caterers, or those who make artistic food. The idea is fun party decorations and food purchased within budget and delivered to the party site.

SUB HAT #9: RECORDKEEPER

Keep the receipts and any records safe, store the party decorations for next year, and keep the press book, if you have one.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

It is in the hands of the MC to increase the art ability of the culture, one small party at a time.

SUB HAT #10: PARTY OPS (OPERATIONS)

Hangs the party decorations, signs, balloons and sets out Proclamations of Art Day by the Mayor, etc. and takes them down at the end of the party. Party Ops ensures the guests are welcomed, fed, entertained, appreciated, happy and uplifted. When this hat is successfully worn, there are delighted guests.

SUB HAT #11: DIRECTOR OF CREATIVITY

How does he fire up an artist’s creativity? He encourages artists of any discipline to wear their hat, such as a visual artist, dancer, writer, poet, musician, flower arranger, gourmet chef, and so on. He directs projects that help promote the tradition of Art Day (such as mailing Happy Art Day cards to consulates, or putting together poetry books and handing them out in the neighborhood.) He has arts and crafts for children to do, including those, such as coloring an Art Day coloring book, that let the children know there is now a holiday for the arts, Art Day, second Friday in August. He educates people on the valuable role of the artist as a creative cultural leader. His job well done would mean parents wanting their children to go for a higher calling than doctor or lawyer — they should be proud to be among those rare and beautiful creatives, the artists.

SUB HAT #12: DIRECTOR OF ARTIST APPRECIATION

This could well be the most important hat of the entire party. I learned about this from a fellow who ran a weekly arts group called Creative Artists Forum for Expansion, or C.A.F.E. At the group, after going around the room finding out what each of us did in the arts, measuring our productivity against the week before, and stating plans for art production in the coming week, we’d share our art with the rest. Bruce Gilham, Sr., was the best at admiring artists and their works. What you say matters after an artist presents their soul-wrought poem, their imaginative story, their visual vision or their heart-felt song. What would you like to hear after your presentation? You don’t want syrupy false praise; you don’t want scathing criticism; you don’t want to be brushed over by the Master of Ceremonies who goes right on to the next act without so much as a “thank you.” Just the fact that you are asking guests to bring and present their art carries a certain amount of appreciation, whether they are knee-knocking novices or consummate pros. Give them a “Wow that was great!” (if it was) or “Very impressive!” (if it was) or “Well done!” You get the idea. It is best to put this hat on someone who can truly see the creative intent and beauty in just about any art. The person should love his art “live and fresh,” meaning unfiltered and unprocessed by popular media and entertainment outlets. At a party, you may have guests at the top of their game, or budding artistic overtures. The goal here is that each and every artist knows their art and their artistic efforts are welcome, enjoyed and valuable.

HAPPY CAMPERS DUDE

This is someone with an eye to quality control, who fixes what needs to be fixed, and who rewards what’s going right.

SUB HAT #13: OVERSEER

This person would notice that someone mistakenly put the giant penis art in the middle of the children’s crafts area. He would spot artists who aren’t currently creating but who want to be. He sees where all is well, but notes where there is room for improvement. He goes for a smooth-sailing party.

SUB HAT #14: THE FIXER

He’s the one you’d send to move the giant penis art out of the children’s area, or to troubleshoot the non-arting artist. He’ll bring the party back on the rails.

SUB HAT #15: PATTER ON THE BACK

There’s nothing like putting something in writing to make it so. This person would go for getting an Art Day Proclamation from the local Mayor, on the basis that their town should honor Art Day as it is home to many wonderful artists. It doesn’t hurt to ask. I have received written praise of Art Day from a fine arts school with over 20 locations, from a US Congressman and, by email, from several in other countries. Last year at my Art Day party, I gave a pat on the back to those who helped me greatly over the years by giving them Certificates of Appreciation in cool Art Day canvas tote bags. There may be stellar achievements of artists or patrons or supporters at the party, which should be touted in front of all the guests. Champion Art Day. Champion those involved in the arts.

HOSTESS AND HELPERS

Greet the guests and make them feel as welcome as family, for you are among the largest single family on earth, outside of the family of Man — the global family of artists of all disciplines.

SUB HAT #16: PR AND MEDIA

Let the world know about Art Day and, specifically, artists participating in Art Day. One year, an article in the local paper mentioned 7 artists at my party. This is good publicity. If you have a clever PR person, they will find ways to publicize artists by utilizing their involvement in Art Day festivities, social activities and events. Document your party by inviting a photographer and a press release writer. Keep a press book. You want the word spread about this super-cool holiday and those fabulous artists who observe it.

SUB HAT #17: SIGNER-INNER

Have people sign in so you can contact them, such as to survey them to improve the party for the next year or to invite them again. Encourage them to share their art. The Sign-In sheet can not only collect contact info, but can ask what they do in the arts or for their favorite branch of the arts. Signing one’s name and writing down one’s art form can be empowering, especially to novice talent needing nurturing. A further step, if you invite the whole town like I do, is to make a nametag for each one, also with their arts specialty. Nametags can enable like-minded disciplines to engage in conversation, and lends itself to being a party where the arts are freely discussed. A friend of mine didn’t dare admit he was a visual artist to those at the corporation where he did computer programming, but he’d open up among others with the finer sensibilities. Many folks have painted a little but don’t consider themselves an artist. Let them know that anyone who has done art is an artist. We want welcomed, logged-in guests who are, with a light touch, recognized, acknowledged and appreciated for their role in the arts.

SUB HAT #18: MAGIC PICTURE FRAME

Santa, for the arts, takes on a new square look. Think of a large, ornate picture frame minus the painting — a horn-of-plenty which pours out gifts of art or art supplies. He can be an idea or a real physical frame, perhaps with added eyes and eyebrows.

There is a gift-giving side to Art Day which is designed to bring funding into the arts. Whether it is giving baskets of art, sharing theatre tickets, exchanging hand-made art or a collector buying a painting for himself, art changes hands on Art Day. There is a magical side to Art Day, because an artist, using imagination, creates something from nothing. (If you don’t like the word “magic,” then think “spiritual,” as in celebrating The Creator who bestowed us all with creativity in His image. The true magic of Art Day comes from the motivating force of creativity within us, a spiritual quality that we make manifest with our art works.)

In essence, the Magic Picture Frame is for kids. A favorite at my party is the Art Hunt, which is like an Easter Egg hunt, except we hide art supplies, small art, CD’s, books, videos, statues, and so forth. I take the kids aside and explain to them that each year the Magic Picture Frame hides art for the kids, and the story becomes as embellished as time is needed to complete the task. Yes, make it up as you go along. Each child is given a basket, or a cool Art Day tote bag, and they are sent out to forage for art in the garden.

People can be deputized as Art Day Ambassadors by the Magic Picture Frame (or the PR person.) I asked a gal, headed for a school reunion in the Philippines, to tell at least 5 people about Art Day, which she did. Even those who can’t make it to the party can celebrate Art Day in their own way wherever they are, and can let others know the holiday exists. It is a sincere wish of the Magic Picture Frame that every civilization on planet Earth celebrates their arts, creativity and culture on the same day each year, Art Day, the second Friday in August, a day of global peace and happiness. (Or at least that weekend.)

Have a Happy Art Day!