Where would we be today without "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" anyways?

The composer who composed the song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." (Hugh Martin) Got a little over halfway through it and then almost threw it away because he couldn't write anymore. He pushed it aside and forgot about it and it almost became a typical throw away project.
Ralph Blane (another composer) the man who was listening in said:
"You were working on something so pretty two days ago, what happened to it?"

So Martin went back and started working on it again and ended up completing more of it.

The song was used in the film "Meet me in st. Louis" with Judy Garland in 1944.

Judy Garland wanted to change the original lyrics because they were pretty dark and mournful and she didn't want to seem like the bad guy singing it to a child in the script.

Martin was going to write something completely different because he did not want to change what he already had.

Another composer shut him down and said if you made the song more immoral, it could be a huge Christmas hit and to trust Judy Garland's instincts because she knows what she's doing.

So I have two take aways from this little history lesson:

1) The next idea could change history. the next idea your friend or peers could have is a potential contribution to society.
We should always encourage each other to finish what we started and encourage each other to follow each other's dreams. Contribute to the pool of positivity instead of shutting each other down all the time.
If Blane had never encouraged Martin to finish the song, it would have never been anything but a throw away.
it wouldn't be a song that people still re-make, buy, and sing over a piano every Christmas season.

2) That great idea will most definitely need feedback and modification. One should always be humble and open to the opinions and ideas of others and they should also be open to feedback and change.

Collaborate instead of clash heads.

How can you be more encouraging and contributing today?

The little things

5.20.15

Sometimes in life, you just have to focus on the little things to get you through the day. Cliche yes? But this seems to work. So here goes: no order, just listing and certainly not everything.

If you take on this challenge, do at least 15 to 20 on your list.

So here's today's list:

*the little handsome dude that rambles on about "THAT ONE GAME" when you walk in the door.

*the dog that politely puts her paw on your chest when you address a question, the big blonde one that can't keep his tongue off of your face, or the two or three littles that wiggle into your lap when you slide down to the floor.

*fucking netflix

*those moments of laughter even in the most stressful of environments.

*oh and those little moments of laughter over there too.

*and those.

*a salty basket of fries and the cheeseburger without the lettuce and the ketchup.

*hand out the window while driving

*the outer dog that tries to imitate human noises.

*the "big boned" lap cat on the back of the chair

*stories in the morning from Ma, from both news sources and personal stories.

*waking up to pounding noises and finding out its the inquisitive parakeet and his little brother.

*Spotify premium

*sibling texts that are based in humor and advice

*all of the regulars at the stores and the inside jokes that occur with them.

*baby pictures from my best friend and our long conversations.

Life is gorgeous, everything else is just irrelevant.

Dead zone.

Lately, bustling through my second term of college, im learning more about my own personality but the biggest mystery that ive yet to find is inspiration. There are times where I am so moved or inspired by something...that I feel the need to be cloned. Other times, I could not be inspired if someone lit a firecracker underneath my borrowed seat.
Inspiration in creativity, me time. Inspiration in makin this the best damn research paper I have ever written. Things I want in life, things I strive for..but part of me is dead. We need zombie-chiliconholly, I need to come back from the dead.
I have learned that dopamine seems to be a receptor to that good feeling that says "I just experienced something amazing!" but dopamine is a stubborn hormone- it only releases in small amounts unless it is a brand new experience.
It is usually if I have or can make time for things, there is no inspiration, a dead zone of thought process. Coffee used to help, it no longer does. Internet searching used to help, now it just absorbs me. Its a simple matter of "am i feeling it. or am i not?" Is that my old brain just getting dusty and riddled with cob webs? or am I just getting stubborn as I get older?
Also, as much as I love college, I feel like it pissed all over my writing career. The formality is down a little better, but I need to find an elective that gives me interesting topics to write about.
Once upon a time, there was too much to write about. In the past 6 months to a year, it has been a royal struggle to write about anything other then whats happening right now, right in Vansterdam that immediately effects me and my life.

Dead zones.

1. Work- I am here too much. When time allows me to be creative or write something rad because all the work is done for the day and it is a long shift, I do not feel it at all. 
2. When my laptop is in front of me- which is ironic seeing that I need it in front of me to post on a blog or write a review on yelp or do SOMETHING to save myself.
3. settle down time- when ive had that post-work shower and im ready to roll.
4. when everyone is sleeping- as in, the time i can have uninterrupted writing time..
5. when I have zero to little homework.
6. Basically any spare time I have, my mind is simply dead with nothing creative or useful these days.
7. unexpected power naps- the older I get, the more i wake up wondering how i nodded off in the first place.

Live zones.

1. Driving on the highway (i am against texting or writing and driving, all i do is eat & drive!)
2. when im swamped with homework-nothing says guilt like recreational blogging when you have 30 math problems or a quarter of your paper to complete that are due by that next day or two.
3. when im in a restaurant, a shopping mall, or in a zone where im obligated to be polite and put my phone or writing tablet down.
4. Weekends with my family (see number 3)
5. hanging out with a friend (example 3 again)
6. ANYTIME I cannot be "alive" I feel inspiration to in fact be very much alive in thought and writing or creativity.
7. Pinterest-when you I am sitting there posting reasons to feel alive, I very much feel alive until I shut my laptop.

advice? help? whatever you think I should do, I miss that part of me, the idealistic one. The one with the crazy ideas and can always provide a good time. The recycled artist, the super writer.
           

Finding inspiration one page at a time

Last night I was semi productive, ive missed writing. Its like, an old flame coming alive again in my heart. It has been very lonely without that piece of my life. Granted, ive set it aside for other things, but its still a very active part of me. I had a kick where I was browsing those cute little urban overly-advertised riddled magazines. For Seattle, one of the many is city art. Tho that is more classy then Portland's Mercury magazine. They are free, you can usually find them at the ends of stores and artsy fartsy hallways, and they are always full of bands and little quips. Some of those posses very interesting articles that really like to grab a hold of my eye and make me laugh out loud. They also help me feel for a cause that I otherwise had never noticed. Basically, its often the kind of writing I strive for. A kind of humor, that might seem a little twisted. Yet, it grabs the readers eye in such a way, you do not want to put the piece of writing down. So I started snipping, anything to save my writers block curse. For a while now, tho ive just been satisfied with my pieces. I cannot say that I have been proud of them, they have not turned out in a way that I have intended for them. Even the piece I am writing, its so far deeming itself as decent, but I do not have the same self pride for the pieces of writing that I once possessed. Anyways, I used an old photo album that my Mom and Dad gave my sister. She was going to get rid of it, I was surprised seeing as it was signed "Mom and Dad" (my father has been gone for several years). I figured taking it was a sign. Its a really basic scrap book style single paged album, and im convinced that I will put various things in there to inspire me to want to write more, go to more shows. Printing businesses. There is a map of Portland art galleries (I am not familiar b ut would like to be) and find that part of me I let slip between the cracks as life runs away. Well see, on those days I feel less inspired or struggle mentally in creating what I conduct in my head. On those days I feel a little lost but want to create, i will open it up and hope that something that I found in the past will help kick me in the right direction. Until then, ill just keep writing these boring articles, looking for myself in each word. Maybe I should give poetry a try, but I sure do miss the wildfire, free style writing and the ability to write a decent article. Lets see.