This morning, on a whim, I delved deep into my digital archive and found my earliest radio pilots, from two years ago - these I listened to, alongside recent radio shows I've been doing now, and came to some rather surprising conclusions.
1, the things I used to hate about my performance when I'd just recorded the pilot two years ago .. I can no longer hear. There are still some flaws, but they're completely different ones.
2, I was much more open and creatively expressive. I was doing so much more original, funny stuff than I am doing now - now I would be terrified of saying or doing any of these things. My bosses might disapprove. Somebody might yell at me.
Sad but true, I was a much more engaging and interesting radio personality before I started being "format".
The value is in looking at some of your older work, and seeing if you've cut out some of the most refreshing, best aspects of your work, in a bid to be more "successful".
Can you relate? ^^
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It was a dark and stormy night...
Well, last week it was anyway. A couple of times.
If you think I'm going to take this as an opportunity to describe how thunderstorms can boost creativity, then YOU'RE WRONG, because I won't, and in my case, they don't.
But a couple observations nevertheless.
1.) Living in California, I got conditioned to there never being any weather or seasons whatsoever, (San Francisco --> fog <--> Everywhere else --> sun) ... therefore the fact that summer thunder showers hit Austria on a regular basis is, for me, terribly exciting. So exciting, in fact, that I cannot possibly concentrate on writing or working until it is all over.
2.) Usually, nothing particularly dramatic happens otherwise. I'm normally, you know, chopping carrots in the kitchen or, or, or maybe I'm talking with a friend about downloading the newest Firefox extension. Not particularly dramatic.
And the thought occurs to me. As a reader, watcher, or listener, I actually really appreciate it when the narrator doesn't see fit to pummel me with "this is supposed to be dramatic, BOOM!" .. just like the sitcom laugh track, it is unnecessary and ruins moments which may have otherwise been subtle but strong.
Here's a pledge for the lot of you: I pledge to create lots of dramatic scenes which occur on ordinary sunny days, and not-so-dramatic scenes where characters are going about their daily business during thunder showers.
(Or maybe a sitcom with the audible crackle of distant thunder every time you're supposed to laugh? Hmm..)
If you think I'm going to take this as an opportunity to describe how thunderstorms can boost creativity, then YOU'RE WRONG, because I won't, and in my case, they don't.
But a couple observations nevertheless.
1.) Living in California, I got conditioned to there never being any weather or seasons whatsoever, (San Francisco --> fog <--> Everywhere else --> sun) ... therefore the fact that summer thunder showers hit Austria on a regular basis is, for me, terribly exciting. So exciting, in fact, that I cannot possibly concentrate on writing or working until it is all over.
2.) Usually, nothing particularly dramatic happens otherwise. I'm normally, you know, chopping carrots in the kitchen or, or, or maybe I'm talking with a friend about downloading the newest Firefox extension. Not particularly dramatic.
And the thought occurs to me. As a reader, watcher, or listener, I actually really appreciate it when the narrator doesn't see fit to pummel me with "this is supposed to be dramatic, BOOM!" .. just like the sitcom laugh track, it is unnecessary and ruins moments which may have otherwise been subtle but strong.
Here's a pledge for the lot of you: I pledge to create lots of dramatic scenes which occur on ordinary sunny days, and not-so-dramatic scenes where characters are going about their daily business during thunder showers.
(Or maybe a sitcom with the audible crackle of distant thunder every time you're supposed to laugh? Hmm..)
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