Hot off the presses - It’s another edition of your favorite creative newsletter…The Inspo Report. Time to let the creativity rush over you like a Tibetan sound bath bitch. Let’s hit it!
K(ubrick)-Holes
Exploring the Archives of Stanley Kubrick
Diving deep into Stanley Kubrick’s portfolio is a right of passage for any film enthusiast. “Room 237” a documentary about the hidden meanings of The Shining changed how I watched movies entirely. I learned of Kubrick’s obsession with subliminal messaging. He was masterful in his implementation of color theory. He wore a parka with a furry hood in like, 90 degree heat. He was equal parts artist and scientist. Everything I discovered about the man made me want to dive deeper. That’s when I found “The Stanley Kubrick Archives” edited by Alison Castle. This book has everything - stills scanned directly from his personal film reels, scribbles and notes from the pages of his journals, and anecdotes from his contemporaries. Each page solves a mystery but presents you with a new question.
No one was more detail oriented than Stan the man. He taught me EVERYTHING a director shows you is on purpose - so as the viewer we should give our utmost attention to every frame. Instead of passively watching Netflix while endlessly scrolling on Instagram, I suggest picking a random Kubrickian Classic and glueing your face to the screen. Like what you see? Pick up “The Stanley Kubrick Archives” and enjoy falling deeper and deeper into the K-hole.
Meditation Mishaps
Am I Capable of a Higher Consciousness?
God-tier creatives have been using meditation, transcendental or otherwise, to unlock the biggest and best ideas in their career - but why does it have to be so fucking hard!? I’ve been struggling with meditation, for what seems like a decade now. I sit down, I practice my breathing and my brain…is the loudest it has ever been! Ideas and thoughts whizing past me at break neck speed. “Where’s my phone?” “When was the last time I called my parents.” “Remember when you had your first kiss and the next day - the girl went around the school telling everyone you kissed like a sandwich.” You know, the normal stuff.
A friend, sensitive to my struggles recommended director, David Lynch’s book “Catching The Big Fish”. Don’t be fooled by the artwork. It’s not a 90’s trance-hop compilation album, it’s a book on harnessing the power of transcendental meditation to dive deeper into one’s consciousness. Once there, you can ready your net and catch “The Big Fish”. “Ideas are like fish…If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper.” How cool does that shit sound? But it’s hard as hell to accomplish true transcendental meditation. You apparantly need to be trained by a professional. GREAT!
Another big proponent of meditation of the transcendental variety is music guru Rick Rubin. I just finished watching “Shangri-La” a Showtime docuseries that tells the legend of Master Rubin and his discovery of meditation. It has become an integral part of his creative process. He’s introduced countless artists to meditation: Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, SZA, the late Johnny Cash and so much more. Connecting deeper with oneself is how we can connect deeper with others, or some shit. Am I too angry? Too young? Do I actually have ADHD? I don’t know but I’m going to keep trying to catch the big fish. The trying is just as important right? Anyone with any meditation tips please feel free to send me some pointers!
The Barry White of EDM
Vin Diesel, Fearless in Self Expression
Shocked to see this baritone baldy in the best creative newsletter this side of the Mississippi? Honestly me too…I never thought I’d be writing about actor, Vin Diesel’s new single “Feel Like I Do” but here we are. If you’ve been tapped into the Matrix like me, you’ve seen Mr. Diesel experiment with his velvety vocals. He collaborated with Kygo and Selena Gomez on a new rendition of “It Ain’t Me” (please watch below - I genuinely enjoy this one). He went viral with his karaoke cover of Rihanna’s “Stay” and now the release of his very own single produced by none other than tropical-house icon Kygo himself. (Yea that’s totally a real genre of music)
Do I like the song? Fuck no! But I can’t help but admire the man. A dude who has made a career by being a traditionally “masculine” action hero is making music because “It’s fun”. Singing makes this pile of man meat happy and I think that is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a while. Countless websites, tweets, and posts have been mocking this man. Kind of an easy target if you ask me. People will always try to put you in a box and that does nothing but limit your potential. As a creative, you are trying to communicate how you feel the best way you can. It doesn’t matter what tool you use. You are a lighting rod, an observer, a philosopher. It’s your job to capture that magic and express yourself anyway you can. If Vin Diesel can have the courage to sing to his heart’s content, you can do anything you put your big beautiful brain to. Thank you Vin, maybe I’ll finally get around to watching the Fast Franchise after all…
I Love You, I Hate You
How to Create a Healthy Relationship with the Gram
This week’s question comes from friend of The Inspo Report, Marianna Fierro (@mnnfrr) and its a tough one. This is something that I struggle with weekly. I’ll share a piece of artwork on the insatiable Instagram and afterword I will inevitably be frantically refreshing my likes. “This one is totally going to do well!” “Why doesn’t this have as many likes as my other pieces?” “Am I a shit artist?” It’s a cycle that I have yet to break. One thing that has been working lately, is hiding my phone. If I post a piece, now I’ll try and place my phone in a drawer for an hour or two. When my fiending-ass just can’t take it any more I’ll take a cheeky little peak. This tends to subside the feeling of failure. Sometimes I’ll even delete the app if I’m really struggling. Personally I’ve realized - no amount of likes is ever REALLY good enough. When I started my account I used to get amped when over a 100 people would like a piece. Now if I don’t break 400 I feel like a failure. My current goal is 1,000 but what happens once I achieve that? I’ll want more and guess what? Likes don’t mean shit! I’ve gotten the most freelance work I’ve ever gotten as of late and my Instagram analytics have yet to change. I’ve plateaued at around 12,000 followers, my likes seem to be lower than ever, and only 8% of my audience actually sees my work due to that cursed algorithm. But my wallet (and stomach) are fuller than ever.
ABOVE (Antoine Geiger - Soul Sucking)
Only YOU can determine what success means when it comes to your creative pursuits. Sometimes success for me is waking up and just trying. Sometimes success looks like a big fat check I finessed. Other times it’s my Mom saying she’s proud of me. (cue awwws from studio audience) It’s different every day, and it shifts with my moods. The one thing I always keep in mind is the stupid quote from Dad-core classic Field of Dreams. “If you Build it They Will Come”. Be unrelenting and don’t let that evil app beat you. It wants you to get FOMO, compare yourself to others, and feed it vapid imagery of your butt. But you are stronger than that, you can scam the scammer. You can use it to actually network with brands and businesses. Build it! Every day add another brick and before you know it you’ll be surrounded by like minded weirdos just like you. Until next time I’m Ryan Evans and this has been The Inspo Report.