Composers and their Creative Process - Luciano Berio

As one of the 20th century's 'big names', composer Luciano Berio's creative process will be of interest to many aspiring composers out there.

RILM (the people who do the music literature index that we subscribe to) have just blogged about Berio.

Read Luciano Berio's Creative Process here, now.

RILM's blog is regularly updated with interesting posts about different aspects of music old and new.  Find it here:- http://bibliolore.org/

Can I Download Illegal Music? The UK Law on Piracy

Sunday Times Cover story: How Piracy is Killing Creativity, by Jonathan Dean 

We spotted an interesting cover story in the Sunday Times magazine recently.  The author, Jonathan Dean, argues that piracy is killing creativity, but that the younger generation maybe doesn't recognize the problem.

You can read the article online here.

• http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/culture/music/article1547025.ece

A Librarian whose Book Collection inspires her to Craftwork

In New York Public Library, there are Special Collections.  Very special, actually.  And one of the librarians there is committed to encouraging creative artists to derive inspiration from the books there.  Jessica Pigza has even written a book about her ideas.

Here is Jessica's website - Handmade Librarian.  

How do the Whittaker Library's collections inspire you?

Artist in Residence found Inspiration in a Mining Library - Where'll you find yours?!

The Seam: Song writing residency at the Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers

This autumn the Library at the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers has been home to Singer/songwriter Gareth Davies-Jones who has revelled in creating new work from the stories contained in this world renowned library.

The world of mining and mechanical engineering is no stranger to song, and there is a rich legacy of music in the industry, which any visit to a mining Gala will confirm. However, this residency is not a historical ‘round-up’ of mining ballads, but a new approach to telling the story of the library collections through song.

The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers in Newcastle is a cathedral to this country’s mining wealth.  Art is no stranger to the industry and even a brief visit to the Library in Neville Hall will confirm that ‘Art’ was acclaimed by the founding fathers of the industry and echoed in their founding statement ‘for art and science’



North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers
Neville Hall, Westgate Road,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE
Tel/Fax 0191 232 2201
office@mininginstitute.org.uk
Library: 0191233 2459
librarian@mininginstitute.org.uk
www.mininginstitute.org.uk 

Are you Super Smart? Completely Creative? James Clear Unfolds the Mysteries of Success!

James Clear calls it 'Threshold Theory' - the theory that attempts to explain the links between intelligence and creativity.  It's not all about the old grey matter, either!  Click on the link below to find out more.

Threshold Theory: How Smart Do You Have to be to Succeed?, by James Clear.

Harness Your Creativity!

We recently found two useful blogposts about creativity, so - since the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is bursting with creatives, we thought we'd better share these links!

• What I wish I knew about Creativity when I was 20, by BufferOpen
• How Creative Geniuses Come up with Great Ideas, by James Clear

The Whittaker Library has loads of resources, print-based and electronic.  Books, scores, recordings, streamable sound, research databases - you've no idea! Plenty there to ignite your creative spark.

Have you got a BHAG Journal?

Karen bought herself a copy of Jurgen Wolff's Creativity Now at lunchtime.  Looking for inspiration for this very Whittaker Live blog, she thought she'd take a look at Wolff's own website.

And what did we find?  The 'BHAG Journal'.  It stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal Journal, apparently.  So ... have you got one?

Now, we haven't got Wolff's book in the Whittaker Library (yet); however, we have a lot of books about creativity.  Take a look HERE.  You might be inspired to find some new BHAGs of your own!

• http://jurgenwolff.com/
• http://timetowrite.blogs.com/creativitynow/  (Wolff's Creativity Now website)

Clearing the Mind - Fresh Air and Natural Light, advises James Clear

James Clear is an entrepreneur who advises on productivity, good working practices and positive mental attitudes.  His newsletters are informative.

Today, he writes about where we find inspiration, overcome mental blocks, or indeed both,  Here's an excerpt which will make you want to head for wide open spaces or inspirational buildings with plenty of natural light:-

The Link Between Brains and Buildings

"Researchers have discovered a variety of ways that the buildings we live, work, and play in drive our behavior and our actions. The way we react and respond is often tied to the environment that we find ourselves in.

"For example, it has long been known that schools with more natural light provide a better learning environment for students and test scores often go up as a result. (Natural light and natural air are known to stimulate productivity in the workplace as well.)

"Additionally, buildings with natural elements built into them help reduce stress and calm us down (think of trees inside a mall or a garden in a lobby). Spaces with high ceilings and large rooms promote more expansive and creative thinking."

 
If you'd like to read more, here's the link:-  http://jamesclear.com/jonas-salk   And the article itself is entitled,  Want to Stick to Good Habits and Break Your Bad Ones? Try This.
  
Homepage: JamesClear.com