Authors: Jade Garcia and Nicole Sonneveld – 4 minute read
Welcome back to our second installment of “Outside the Self:” Creativity! In our last post, we introduced the concept of a graphic score and graphic notation. With a background of the history, we now have the chance to place ourselves in the work and dive into the endless possibilities of this kind of notation!
Creativity is a wide-reaching concept that would be impossible to truly discuss in a single blog post. Instead we offer this approach summed up by Charles Mingus, “Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple––awesomely simple––THAT’S creativity.”
While this series is called, “Outside the Self,” we believe that a crucial aspect of fostering vulnerability and openness with others is by being vulnerable and open with oneself. We constantly work toward uncovering a deeper level of understanding of ourselves and the work that we do. But what if we aimed for a simple approach? We’d like to suggest a take that prioritizes simplicity and a connection to the inner self. Below, we offer some guidance and examples of how we approach graphic notation with a simply creative mindset.
All of this has, at its core, the goal of encouraging a positive form of growth! The skills that one applies to thinking creatively while inventing a graphic score are skills that are applicable to everyday situations and that add to a skill set encouraging a more well-rounded being.
Creativity, You Say?
Over at ACEd, we love a graphic score! One of the main reasons that we enjoy them so much is because ANYONE, yes, ANYONE can make and perform graphic scores!
“But I can’t read music or play an instrument!”
That’s okay! ANYONE can participate!
“But I’m not very creative!”
We disagree! ANYONE can be creative!
After all, “creative” is just a different way of saying “new,” and we’re here to help you tap into your inner innovator!
Step one in any creative process is to let go of negative self-talk! So, in order to be creative, you should:
Be kind to yourself
Be kind to others
Be open to new ideas
Now, let’s make some art!
Creating A Graphic Score: Food for Thought
Unlike your favorite batch of chocolate chip cookies, there’s no real “recipe” for how to make a graphic score––and that’s the beauty of it! You can do whatever pleases your palate! That being said, so much possibility can be overwhelming, so here are a few suggestions (chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.) to consider if you don’t know where to start:
Use colors to represent “moods”
Use textures to represent different sounds
Use lines and dots to represent long and short
Use directions to represent speed and tempo
Use force to represent gestures
With this baseline in mind, here are some exercises to flex those creative muscles!
Get out your favorite coloring tools and paper and graphically notate a verse from your favorite song
What does it look like?
What shapes, lines and colors do you see?
If this were a texture, what would it feel like?
Graphically notate the emotion “joy” with a friend and interpret each of your pieces
Record a conversation and graphically notate it
Why did you choose this person?
What guides your gestures?
Graphically notate any word:
What does it feel/sound/smell/look/taste like?
What is important to you about that word?
What does that word tell you about other people?
Bonus Content: A Graphic Score in the AC Wild!
Check out Jade’s fresh new take on Charles-Marie Widor’s Introduction et rondo, Op. 72!
Jade and Nicole each transcribed her playing in graphic notation. Their scores are below!
Jade’s score
“This looks pretty abstract but I had fun drawing it and it makes sense to me! I was imagining a lot of different levels and colors all coming together through emotion represented by the heart on the bottom right. I added a more linear moment when I felt the music was more angular, and a ladder because it felt like steady climbing through transitions. All in all it is very ‘me’ to have a bunch of shapes pasted together and that brings joy!”
Nicole’s score
“As an adult, any day when I get to color and say, “Yeah, it’s for work,” is a great day. First of all, this isn’t to scale, and instead I chose to focus on the gestures that really stood out to me. For example, the arpeggiated section toward the end is depicted as moving from calm to tense to relaxed with color, dots and dashes and movement up and toward the right. At least, that’s what I see!”