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What Else Is Going On (Or Playing) While You Work?


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An interesting side note, having taught chemistry labs, I was used to students talking to one and other during class sessions. When I later transitioned to teaching pottery I was dismayed why my students were often silent in studio classes. After rereading Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" I was enlightened by the fact that the right side of the brain is not the verbal side. So students in right brain didn't choose to talk as much. It gave me an external measure of the creativity level going on in class.

 

I think of this in my own studio and although I enjoy music and other distractions, silence seems to be my preference when working with clay.

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I'm one of the folks who needs to have some noise going. In my home studio it's either the local alternative rock station or whatever songs I have on my smartphone. In the shared studio at the community center, if I get there first I'll tune the radio to either a classic rock station or the aforementioned alt rock. If someone else is there and already has music on, though, I don't mind listening to whatever they chose - I just want some music going, don't care too much about what kind of music. (Although I've found that I can only take so much classical...)

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When I'm working at the computer (the day job), I find music with vocals distracting, so working in the "studio" gives me an opportunity to put on a playlist full of vocal music (on my Android phone with wireless headphones)... a lot of it favorites from the 80's (I graduated high school in '86), with a mix of stuff all along the years.

 

When driving, I listen to audiobooks, and I'd avoided doing it while throwing because when I concentrate on something, I can start tuning out the audiobook. A few weeks ago, I accidentally started throwing without switching from the audiobook to music. An hour later, I realized my mistake, and that throwing was very compatible with listening to a book. So whether I listen to music or an audiobook tends to depend on how good the audiobook is.

 

I can throw in silence and enjoy it, but generally I don't see the point. There's always another book to listen to or another album I can dive deeper into the lyrics.

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What is Farscape about? I watched the 100 with my kids, and Heroes. I guess I'm a bit of an apocalyptic type guy.

TJR.

 

John Crichton gets shot through a wormhole in space, circa 1990-something, accidentally kills the brother of a tyrannical space ship captain and falls in with a group of escaped prisoners on a bio-mechanical space ship. Adventures ensue with everyone trying to get home.

I never said it wasn't total brain candy :)

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BBC Radio 4 - a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, current affairs, drama, comedy, science and history. All radios in the house and car are tuned to this - keeps me up to date on major news items without having to read the newspaper.

 

I find when I look at a piece of my work at a later date, or replicate a process, the memory of the programme playing at the time comes back. Anyone else experience this phenomenon or is it only me?

 

I love a bit of radio 4 but I tend to avoid the main news as it makes me sad. Listening to all the crap in the world is not good for my productivity. Sometimes radio 6 has good stuff on and I listen to that.

 

Mostly I find good long mixes on youtube, depending on the mood it could be house, classical, dance, folk, hip hop. Anything I am in the mood for. I use 8 track a lot as that has long mixes and adds some variety to my music listening. That website allows people to make their own mixes from youtube videos.

 

20% of the time I like a bit of quiet to let my thoughts flow but the rest of the time music is playing.

 

The kettle is always on when I get into the studio.

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Love the responses everyone!  I wish that I could "Like This" to each of you...but there are daily limits as I have discovered.

Anyway, it is refreshing to know that this group engages in an eclectic mix of other things going on in the studio.  I suspect that the choices (and differences) that we see here are just as varied as the creative energy that one might expect to find in different studios...and I truly love that vision.

 

My very best to you all!

-Paul

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I love a bit of radio 4 but I tend to avoid the main news as it makes me sad. Listening to all the crap in the world is not good for my productivity. Sometimes radio 6 has good stuff on and I listen to that.

 

I've never heard of radio 6 - must look into that one!

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