Hi!
Thank you so much for checking out and supporting my piece "Hoist me up the flame!"
If you are interested in the process behind creating the images in this post, click here to see the behind-the-scenes post on @dpend.extra, my newly opened alt blog.
Some additional notes
Hi all, I felt like adding some information about my process on this one, but would prefer to do it in the comment section as opposed to in the main body of the post. I like to keep the post itself short because attention as a commodity is in high demand.
When I began writing poetry it was mostly without respect to meter of any kind, though as a musician I long viewed poetry as essentially song without melody: or song with melody indeterminate, devised in the moment by the reciter.
Over the years I became more interested in formal structures, and tended to write less "free verse," trying my hand at sonnets in the shakespearean style, along with various other metric experiments. For me, a poem should be a harmonious marriage of meaning and rhythm. As a good novel does, it ought to aim to enact absorption of the reader, such that the attention is held and the imagination is transported.
I do not know whether it is possible for the poet to know to what degree he/she has succeeded in causing such a thing, save by observing the effect of a piece on one's own consciousness. I cherish greatly poetic dialogue which comes out of reflection on a piece, and read any feedback with extraordinary pleasure, which increases my motivation to continue to hone my craft.
When I began writing poetry it was mostly without respect to meter of any kind, though as a musician I long viewed poetry as essentially song without melody: or song with melody indeterminate, devised in the moment by the reciter.
Over the years I became more interested in formal structures, and tended to write less "free verse," trying my hand at sonnets in the shakespearean style, along with various other metric experiments. For me, a poem should be a harmonious marriage of meaning and rhythm. As a good novel does, it ought to aim to enact absorption of the reader, such that the attention is held and the imagination is transported.
I do not know whether it is possible for the poet to know to what degree he/she has succeeded in causing such a thing, save by observing the effect of a piece on one's own consciousness. I cherish greatly poetic dialogue which comes out of reflection on a piece, and read any feedback with extraordinary pleasure, which increases my motivation to continue to hone my craft.
My aspiration is to eventually create book-length creations of many poetic scenes, perhaps evolving into the realm of screenplay. Recognizing much of my earlier work's inability to connect with everyday experience, I yearn to be able to imply a vibrant inner state which is both totally mundane and yet transcendent.
Iterative compositing
Ideally, I would like to collaborate with visual artists to illustrate texts. At this time, however, I am enjoying creating digital images using Final Cut Pro, which though intended for video, serves as an excellent still image editor. The source material is a combination of my personal photographs and supplementary free domain images.
By compositing I mean, blending images in various ways (addition, multiply, lighten, darken, soft light, pin light, etc.) These are modes that apply different parameters determining which parts of each image show through where. By iterative I mean bouncing an image, re-importing it, and modifying these with further compositing. The result is that I produce perhaps 50 images to arrive at 3 for the final post.
By compositing I mean, blending images in various ways (addition, multiply, lighten, darken, soft light, pin light, etc.) These are modes that apply different parameters determining which parts of each image show through where. By iterative I mean bouncing an image, re-importing it, and modifying these with further compositing. The result is that I produce perhaps 50 images to arrive at 3 for the final post.
On purpose
Inspiration, creativity, imagination are inner phenomena that become manifest by being willing to attempt their expression. It is more a question of nurturing what is already there than causing anything novel to happen. Though the timing and substance of a poetic urge may be unpredictable, one can prepare for that eventuality by training in the dojo.
For me, this blog is such a proving grounds; this is where I feel most comfortable to document my journey along this path. I am honored to share the process with all of you. I will always look back fondly upon these formative days in which the birth of a new paradigm seemed ever to peek up from behind the hills like some radiant beacon, retiring only to further gestation during a wintry suspension, inevitably succeeded by humanity's Spring.
For me, this blog is such a proving grounds; this is where I feel most comfortable to document my journey along this path. I am honored to share the process with all of you. I will always look back fondly upon these formative days in which the birth of a new paradigm seemed ever to peek up from behind the hills like some radiant beacon, retiring only to further gestation during a wintry suspension, inevitably succeeded by humanity's Spring.
STEEM on!
2/20/20
@d-pend