Hello everyone. This being my first blog entry I had a hard time trying to figure out what to write. Everyone here is already well conversed. I didn’t have a clue until I saw my poi hanging on my wall.
Now I know that you are probably wondering what poi are, other than fish. Basically they are giant wicks hanging from a chain that you swing in pattern around your body… while on fire. I began learning how last year at one of my festivals, and found it to be a very powerfull experience. It was fantastic to know that I was in control of this primal element in a beautiful art form.
Without catching myself on fire! It was very freeing for me.
When in the center I found myself to be very focused, and at the end of it everything had come together and realesed at the same time. I guess I was wondering what makes you all feel that way in this mundane repetitive world. Just a thought.
Gotta be filmmaking..
I love music production, but its semi pro now.. and really its the final product I love listening to, not so much the process.
I love theatre and acting for films, but again, thats my career, and sometimes its a good day at work, and sometimes not..
What I love doing other than that is writing stories and scripts, and planning how to make them into movies. I’ve made two amateur films (one terrible and one not so terrible, but certainly not wonderful either) and I always feel alive, like I’m creating something new.. its real fun.
Getting Older
I’m finding that, as I get older, the things which used to please me no longer do so. Games are a useful escape, but the wonder and joy in playing them is gone. I enjoy making music, but it doesn’t bring me the same amazement it used to. Movies are a nice distraction, but no longer overwhelm my senses and draw me into the story as they once did. This past Christmas, for the first time ever, I found myself feeling really down rather than ebullient at the season.
I suspect this is part of the nature of the human condition. I’m thirty-one now, and while I don’t feel old, I certainly feel that I’m old enough, you know? I’m still trying to put my finger on it, but I suspect that it’s fairly common for thirty-somethings to grow a bit more jaded than when they were twenty-something and wildly optimistic.
I’m not a pessimist now, but it certainly takes a whole lot more effort to make me interested in some things than it used to 🙂
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Matthew P. Barnson
Matt you have just expressed
Matt you have just expressed what brought on my blog. As I get older not many things bring that true feeling and excitement. At least growing mundane isn’t just getting bored it’s natural.
It’s for the kids
I believe that those of us as parents are now experiencing what our parents went through…we spent the first 25-20 years of our lives preparing to support and nuture the kids we will have. We’ve seen it all, we face working 5 out of 7 days for the next 30 years, and now our job is to make a wonderful place for our kids to experience the world for the first time.
Instead of living for ourselves now, we’re living for our kids. A noble cause, but not the best one to keep us happy and carefree all the time, unless we can share it when we see it in our children.
My $.02 Weed
Yup
It’s all downhill from here. 😉
Alright guys, no need to be so pessimistic. Perhaps it’s just because 30 is still a year away (suckers!), but I can still find new things that excite me and give me a cathartic release.
For one thing, the exercise of parenting is constantly interesting and exciting. Every day my son learns new words and has new experiences, and it’s a real rush to participate in that learning process.
Also, I can always find release in a good book — I’ll never have enough time in my entire life to read all the good books that will be written, so I’ve got a never-ending source of new experiences and exciting new viewpoints.
And there’s always music. I’m starting to get back into thinking about original music and starting a new band for the first time in 9 years. And it’ll be completely different this time around because I’m a different person than I was then.
There’s no reason to believe that we’ve stagnated. It’s simply a matter of crossing the plateau and finding the next new thing.
— Ben Schuman Mad, Mad Tenor
Suckers..
You’re older than I am.
I’ve ordered you a walker. And depends.
Happy early birthday, Grampa.
Experiences For The First Time
Teresa, great post!
To directly answer your question, I think being on stage and performing music provides that kind of spiritual freedom. Recently, I started playing in a salsa/merengue band. It’s profound to be caught in the middle of a 5 minute groove, watching all these people dance, and not be focused on the technical production of the music, but instead caught up on the connection with an audience and other performers working together in creating live art. I think if there is a heaven, that this it what it would be like.
Now, to the hobbies/interest side: I started getting into finding new first-time experiences.
Your avatar…
Thanks for sending me the pictures to create an “avatar” (little picture) for you. Hope you like it.
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Matthew P. Barnson
My Avatar
All I can say is ” I LOVE IT! ” Thank you