Part I of VI: Focus

[note- this post originally appeared on my Xanga blog. Clicking the link will take you to the original article, which will allow you to read the original comments]

moving as though fast was too slow
the chick cranked loud her radio
and crashed into a bus full of screaming dancers

Ever played with one of those magnetic poetry sets? We have a “rock star” themed edition on the fridge at the ministry. The team members joke about how it sucks me in. It’s true - I’m addicted. There’s just something about creating phrases out of a pre-determined set of words that I find irresistibly compelling. I’ll just zone out between the pantry and the trash can, pushing the little magnets around and losing track of time…

get me backstage punk
drunk groupies screaming my name
I’m number one here

That one isn’t actually mine. It’s Heidi’s. It’s one of my favorite offerings from our fridge over the past year or so. (It’s actually a haiku too, which just enhances the inherent coolness.) Heidi commented on the one I did about the chick and the screaming dancers. She liked the first line (though she wasn’t a big fan of the third line.) She particularly liked the imagery of “fast” being too slow. As if fast were an absolute.

Here’s the thing: I never would have thought to use that kind of imagery if I had the entire English vocabulary at my disposal. There is something about constraint and limitation that brings definition to creativity.

Consider a certain amount of water that flows placidly through a large culvert. If you take that same amount of water and pump it through a garden hose at the same flow rate, you’ll have the power to erode a hillside.

Have you ever participated in a jam session that left you frustrated? One where no one seemed to be on the same page… everyone was going their own direction… you never felt like you ever “arrived” anywhere? Yeah, that’s how most of the ones I’ve ever been involved with go.

One of my favorite jam experiences of all time was made possible by Brian Kingsley, who happens to be a fantastic guitarist. Only he didn’t play the guitar. I think there was already another guitarist there. I was on keys, and someone (Ramirez?) was on drums. So Kingsley picked up the bass. But he definitely “led” the session. He just started a groove that was predictable and repeatable. And he did that for like 10 minutes straight each time. He set the structure within which the rest of us had the freedom to create. We went on for hours. It was amazing.