The gig economy

I often find “news” about music amusing. As if....as if....how “discovering” music, at least to that reporter, that has been around for centuries could be enlightening. Lest you think me snobbish, I’m not laughing at them but chortling in glee! Which could be construed as insanity I guess…..

Lately there has been much in the news about the “gigeconomy” that has been around for centuries. Bach worked in much the same way as did many, many artists and musicians. Even academics! I’ve worked in the gig economy my whole life. Every wedding I’ve played (I hope there will only be one for each bride or groom!), every funeral I’ve assisted with (I know there will only be one of those per person.), every lesson I’ve taught (I hope there will be more than one per person!) has been a limited time of employment. I’ve had a “business name” and filed appropriate tax returns, but I’m always thinking about what I can do to earn money for the next round of bills.

Tatting is no different. If I’m not careful, I make mistakes as I’m finishing a ring or chain because my mind wanders. Usually it is wandering through the fog of “the next project” or “the next piece” or…..well, you get the picture. Did I mention insanity? Guess you’d have to be a bit nuts to spend all that time knotting thread, getting pipes to sing, or just creating.

Know what? I like my version of the gig economy.

To hear music

I love music. I love tatting. I love life. I enjoy lots more too.

I enjoy reading a paper. I understand the importance of being cognizant of events around the world. I know that such awareness is important even though many days I do not come in contact with people outside of family or a few individuals. I seldom listen to news on the radio or watch news on the TV as I seldom seem to be on the same schedule that programming experts expect of me. I have picked up the habit of looking at a digital compilation of news. I use Flipboard mostly because that’s what the phone has loaded. Now, before you, dear reader, get all huffy and decry how I find my news, please hear out what I gravitate to reading. (I’m well aware that if my brother is still reading by this point, he’s likely shaking his head and bursting out with a lecture on how I’m NOT thinking for myself!)

When I read the paper or Flipboard, I browse the headlines/titles of the “events” section, pause to consider what of those headlines is negative or positive, and pray about it for a moment. Or two. If after that, I consider more in-depth knowledge relevant to my small corner of the world, I turn back and look at where the news is coming from, who wrote it, and then read the material. (Satisfied big brother?)

All this is a long intro to a post on Flipboard that caught my eye:

How Music Affects Your Productivity written by Gregory Ciotti 

I’ve found I really need to approach my music/tatting mashup as a calling/job/goal-driven activity. Otherwise, what I create stays in my brain or worse yet disappears without ever reaching the rest of the world. So, I try to focus my energy on being productive. 

How does music affect my productivity? How can I express that so other people will understand and come to value what I create? I read Mr. Ciotti’s post hoping to learn a bit more about the rest of the world so that I can contribute more to the world. It was good reading.

“Music has a strange temporal permanence; as art decorates space, so does music decorate time.”

Well, I’m trying to take what decorates my time (organ music) and turn it into something that can decorate my space (tatted lace). The half dozen points made in the post gave me insight into music in lives around me. Reading the post is quite valuable and interesting; thanks Gregory Ciotti. I probably won’t change what music I’m hearing as I tat, but I know more about the world I live in. The more I know about that, the better choices I can make as I design.

I’m still working on mastering curled rings. I know that technique will help to represent chordal music. I’m also dipping my toe into Ikuta picots. I have a lot to learn there also. I hope to have pictures later this week. I also hope to keep track of what I “hear” in my head as I’m working. That should aid understanding. Just as a painter can “see” a still life looking at a blank canvas, I find I “hear” a fugue in the silence while winding thread onto a shuttle. Maybe understanding all this will help creating. Maybe.