Here is the
first edition of a newsletter that I would like to send out every couple of
weeks for the Inspiration Project. In order to see the best formatting and artwork,
this email is best viewed in HTML format. If your email does not
support html, you can view this newsletter in all its creative glory at:
http://humanityquest.com/themes/inspiration/Newsletter/2003-02-20/
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1.
Start of the Inspiration Project Meetings Postponed to
May 4, 2003 |
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Oh not again!
Yes, unfortunately we need to postpone the restart of
Inspiration Project Group meetings for another 2 months. We are now shooting for
Sunday, May 4, 2003 for the start date. We will meet the 1st and 3rd Sundays
of the month a 1-4 pm at
Durant Center, Berkeley, CA.
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The excuse. Joan and I have been quite busy, Joan's taking several classes to update her
teaching credential. I also, haven't gotten the word out yet. I need to send
out notices to craigslist and many other sources
about the group. Also, if we start in April, the
second meeting would fall on Easter which would not work. So, having only
one meeting in April didn't seem like a good idea. |
How About an
Online Meeting?
In the interim, we'd like to get an online meeting going.
I'll have to do some thinking about how to go about doing this. Any ideas?
Send your comments
to the list.
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2. Quote of the Day by Judy Collins |
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"When inspiration does not come, I go for a walk, go to the movie, talk to a
friend, let go... The muse is bound to return
again, especially if I turn my back!" Judy Collins
Is it time to take a break? Do something different?
Go on a vacation? Smell the roses?
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3.
Movie review, Suzanne Farrell:
Elusive Muse by Edwin Rutsch |
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I signed up
for Netflix.com. With this service you
pay a flat $20 per month and can check out 3 DVD movies over the web at a
time. They send the DVDs to your home via first class mail. Because of this
service, I've been seeing a lot of movies and documentaries - up to 20 a
month! I especially keep my eyes open for videos that say something about
inspiration.
I saw a documentary called;
Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse. Suzanne Farrell is a ballerina who
became the Muse of the choreographer George Balanchine of the New York Ballet.
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In the video, one of
Suzanne's dance partners,
Jacques D'Amboise, talked about her
moving into a heightened state of
inspiration. He said of her dancing the dream sequence of
Don Quixote, "There is an example of complete abandonment and a demon. It's
almost like, I always say, every once in a while you see a dancer, they
transcend a person. They become a conduit for a force, like the muse of
dance, or the goddess of dance, using a person as a window, to express or
communicate something. And that person becomes transformed into something
bigger than just the beautiful dancer." He goes on
to says he saw her do this several
times. The documentary had some
actual video footage of this
specific performance. Her dancing was quite amazing.
It's nice to have an actual example
of someone dancing with this sense of inspiration. I thought
it would be good to have a copy of this dance scene to watch when I'm feeling
uninspired or just to sit and study.
Suzanne
at one point said about George Balanchine,
something along the lines of, "When we got together, he got
younger, and I got older and we met in the middle." I wondered what
it was about Suzanne
Farrell that inspired George? It was probably her dancing talent, beauty,
and free spirited energy. Combined with his knowledge and skill of
choreography, they created a special "magic" together.
George wanted to have a personal and sexual
relationship with her, but she didn't want too since he was married. This
eventually caused a falling out between them
after she married someone else. I think the
subtitle of the documentary is the Elusive Muse, because George usually ended up
having a relationship with his leading dancers and Muses. The documentary
actually talked about him wanting to possess his muses. Suzanne,
however, eluded him.
George
and Suzanne did miss working
together and 5 years after
their falling out, started to work together again.
However, the relationship changed to a more
professional one.
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4. Inspiration in Italian by Lucia Zambrini |
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Thanks to the Romans and the Latin language, we have the word "inspiration".
Here is an article by Lucia Zambrini about the meaning of inspiration in the
Italian language and culture. It seems Dante, who guided us
through the gates of hell, had some experiences with a Muse and the Inspiration of Love as
well.
Ispirazione
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Lucia
Zambrini |
In Italian, as in English, the word ispirazione primarily refers to
imaginative power, the impulse urging to create a brainwork, especially an
artistic work. It shares with English two other meanings: the divine
influence leading to supernatural ends and the sudden brilliant creative or
timely idea. |
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Differently from English it also
means suggestion, prompting, tendency and leading. The
variant inspirazione, apart from being the archaic and literary form for
ispirazione, is the most common word referring to a drawing in of breath. In
my opinion, one of its best synonyms is illuminazione «illumination»
covering both the meanings of the divine influence, a sort of revelation,
and the intuition, the brilliant idea, and adding the image of the
clarifying light, as well. |
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The word comes from Late Latin ispiratio, -onis (Late Latin started
approximately in the third century; before that Latin used words such as
inflatus or instinctus in their metaphorical meanings to express the concept
of inspiration). In its turn this word derives from the past participle of
the verb inspirare, «to blow into or upon; to breath into» formed by the
verb spirare «to breath» with probably an onomatopeic origin, and the
preposition in, that in composition, connected with a verb of motion,
conveys the idea of motion, direction, or inclination into or to a place or
a thing. In 1308 Dante used the variant inspirazione referring to
suggestion, prompting; by 1560 it also meant creative power. Up to the 19th
century the form with the inserted n prevailed.
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Dante describes more than
once his experience of inspiration in one of his early works, The New Life, a selection of ballads, canzones
and sonnets whose theme is the poet's love for Beatrice.
Each one of these
poems is preceded by a prose text that explains the happenings and emotions
that inspired it.
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Dante and Beatrice in the
Heaven of Mercury
Sandro Botticelli
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Dante
says, "I was
walking along a path by which a stream of clearest water ran. I felt so
strong a will to write that I began to think of the form I should use: and I
thought that in speaking of her it would not be right if I composed without
speaking to ladies in the second person, and not to all ladies, but only to
those who are gentle and not merely feminine.
Then I say that my tongue
spoke as if it moved by itself, and said: ‘Ladies who have knowledge of
love.’ These words I stored in my mind with great delight, thinking to use
them for my opening. So then, returning to the city, thinking for several
days, I began a canzone with that opening..
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Ladies who have knowledge of love,
I wish to speak with you about my lady,
not because I think to end her praises,
but speaking so that I can ease my mind.
I say that thinking of her worth,
Amor makes me feel such sweetness,
that if did not then lose courage,
speaking, I would make all men in love.
And I would not speak so highly,
that I succumb to vile timidity:
but treat of the state of gentleness,
in respect of her, lightly, with you,
loving ladies and young ladies,
that is not to be spoken of to others."
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Dantis Amor
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
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I
personally view inspiration as
a strong need to express my feelings in a material way. Especially for my
paintings, there is often an image which haunts me and that I need to get rid
of by making it real, at least on canvas. It
comes in periods of meditation and loneliness when I need to create a
distance between myself and the rest of the world.
Inspiration, Lucia Zambrini
In my drawing on
inspiration, I tried to convey that for me it is
something uneven and irrational, and yet clear and harmonious.
It is also colorful and bright. |
(See an interview with Lucia in
the next issue).
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5. Question for the day? from Gary Politzer |
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Gary says,
"It's like a whack
on the side of the head." |
Gary Politzer asks, "What
is inspiration? "
Do you have an answer for Gary? He says, "It's a whack
on the side of the head." His head is starting to hurt and he needs a new
working definition. Have pity and send your
answer to the list. The life you save may be his.
Have a question of your own? If so, send an
email to the
list. For more questions, see the
Inspiration FAQ. It
has many questions and we are still looking for
the answers. |
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6.
Last Laugh Cartoon,
Inspiration and Perspiration
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Follow the link from the thumbnail to see the full cartoon
located at Cartoonstock.com.
http://www.cartoonstock.com/blowup.asp?imageref=jmo2003&artist=Morris,+John
by John Morris |
One of those motivational signs at work says, "Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration".
The woman
replies, 'I wondered why there was such a bad smell in here.'
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7. Newsletter Info, Contribute, Subscribe or Unsubscribe |
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The Spirit of Inspiration
Newsletter and email list is for the creative exploration and
research into the experience of inspiration. The
Newsletter is sent out every couple of weeks. For inclusion in future issues, send
your writings, poetry, artwork and thoughts about the
experience of inspiration to the
Discussion
List.
Inspiration Project home:
http://www.humanityquest.com/studycircle/
List home:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InspirationProject/
Post message:
InspirationProject@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe:
InspirationProject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe:
InspirationProject-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
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All the Best
Edwin
Rutsch
Editor
email me
