Glass




There are so much things about him remind me of Yasmin Ahmad, in fact, most great artists I've ever seen/heard their works, Mozart, Bach, Andrew Wyeth, Picasso, Van Gough, Seraphine, etc. Music pieces composed by him have been accompanied me in my daily routine. I would play Metamorphosis II over and over again while doing chest work out. I would walk on campus lilting on complicated, refreshing, and really post modern, Einstein on The Beach.

For those who have Netflix. Do watch Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts. It's a life story of one of the greatest living composers. The documentary is hypnotic as the music Glass writes. It's told in twelve parts that represent different notes on Glass's own grand staff of music with two extra notes indicating highs and lows of his genius resting on ledger lines above and below. We are delving into his professional, personal, and spiritual life. Scott Hick (the director) cleverly picked up his lenses and focused them on Glass's grandeur works. Appearances of well-known or unknown figures ranging from Martin Scorsese to a Qi Gong teacher, simply give life to this documentary, which is exactly displaying Glass's life that could be really close to other human beings.

Here what he's got to say about his creative process:

Where does music come from? My experience is that music is like underground river. It's always there. And like the underground river you don't know where it comes from and you don't know where it's going to. The only difference is only you're listening to it or not. For me writing a music is listening to music. I don't think of it. I listen to it. In other words it's already there. It's not something that has to be imagined. It has to be written down. Drawing is about saying, dancing is about moving and music is about listening. I never was inclined to be involved in theoretical idea of music. That would have been about thinking. I didn't care about there is a music. I care about listen to music. I began by hearing very little, very little. I hear something and I train myself to follow the sound, follow the feelings of the sound.

sound familiar? read The Pick of Art Quotes



So, go out there and start your creative process!