Last week’s newsletter had a poll in it which reader AB points out had disturbing results attached to it:
I would only end on a salmon roll by mistake, which is what happened to me last night. I couldn’t help but think I was part of the sad majority who thinks it’s ok to finish your meal on such a meaty note.
AB points out, “you want a palate cleanser for last piece. fresh cucumber and avocado leave a pleasant and importantly muted taste in your mouth.” I agree.
This week’s creative habit that I am chewing on is the idea of small changes:
Large changes can only be made with small incremental adjustments. Focus on what you can change on a micro-level before getting wrapped up in bigger issues. Simplify all problems down to something more manageable.
Going for a walk one day helped drill this idea in further as I realized all the plants and flowers around us had sprouted from a seed. And humans evolved from simple organisms.
Feldenkrias is a therapy for the body which helps strengthens the brain and body connection. In order to achieve this, many of the movements are done on slow, simple rotations and stretches which helps the participant become more aware of their body.
If you want to learn a new piece of music, you must start at the first bar, first note. Get that bar of music down and move on. If you start jumping ahead too quickly, which is a form of panic and scarcity (the inner critic worrying that you have better ways of spending your time), you are going to cobble together a poor performance. One mistake will compound on another because you refused to slow down and focus on the fine details.
Here is the kicker: You and I are the ultimate small change. Mass media has the ability to program us to feel inconsequential, but our thoughts really do radiate huge changes. Culture is the culmination of how we feel about various topics. Your mood, your thoughts, and your choice of words every day, inside and out, have a huge impact on the world even though you cannot always sense it.
Large changes in our lives and in society can only be addressed on smaller levels, all the way down to the quality of your breath.
For more creative habits on demand, you can join my discord server which drips this stuff out as it arrives from the factory.
New Mix: One Day Things Will Remain Still
Every few weeks I take a break from appearing on camera to compile music that was recorded for Elliott’s Podcast. This edition highlights my take on ambient and new age music as I continue to build a home in this corner of the musical universe. I think this mix is a worthwhile listen if you’ve been enjoying my music lately.
This mix also features the Algonquin Trilogy which are songs that I had paired up with a lake from my hiking trip this past summer (Provoking, Head, Harness).
The tracklist for this mix:
Provoking Lake Sunset
The Map
Gonawinda
Harness
Head
You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. The Patreon version has Elliott’s voice removed from the beginning which is a premium feature.
Important Question
Album Roullete
This is the feature where I scroll to a row of albums in my collection and pick one.
This Horace Silver album is a compilation of three different albums from the early 70s. There is a hilarious song called Permit Me to Introduce You to Yourself.
In a 1974 radio interview published in 2009, Silver stated "I got interested in writing lyrics about that time and, well, became interested in Metaphysics and Indian philosophies, and Yoga philosophies. I have always been interested in health foods, vitamins; you know, the health thing. So, I was trying to get the physical thing, the mental thing, and the spiritual thing altogether. I was doing a lot of reading, a lot of soul-searching, a lot of meditation; and I put it altogether and came up with The United States of Mind, which deals with all of that which I just mentioned; dealing with the physical, the mental and the spiritual things" - Wikipedia
New Workshop: Tap into the Spirit of Music
This free workshop is focused on helping you create a better relationship with making music and sound art projects.
We will discuss methods for tapping into the zone of creative action and moving through the resistance just about any time of day.
You don't have to play an instrument in order to attend.
Thursday, October 6th at 7:30pm EST | Online
Ok i’m off, happy new year to everyone on the Hebrew calendar. We are ringing in 5783 tonight which is always a joy to announce that you are in fact living in such a futuristic time and date already.
-Elliott and the Sunday Bagel Team
Missed last week’s edition? Read it here.