And So The Mind Reels
By Lee Mueller
Some Thought Required
An abstract concept. Thinking outside the frame. Or what happens when you've watched too many new-wave French films and then go out to make a vlog?
Reset for Your Mind - Clearing it so you can think
Sometimes we think too much and need to purge the cache - clear your mind. I have a tip on how you can do this.
Phrasing Your Art
Good musicians can teach other artists a thing or two. Some musicians can play a massive amount of notes very quickly but it's how they put them together and the order that is the beauty. The melody they create. The same philosophy applies to writers, painters, and other artists.
Feeding The Artist
Many artists and creative types send their work out into the world and it is met with silence. It is acceptable to let us know what you think! Did you like the song? The Poem? The Story? The Film? The Painting? The Play? Please let the artist know. Good, bad, or indifferent.
A Trick For Writers to Come Up with Dialogue
Some writers have an issue writing dialogue. There are methods to use that are very simple. Your mind is essentially a tape recorder and all you need to do is hit play!
Artist Losing Control
All creators and Artists have to lose control of what it is they create. How hard or easy can that be? At the same time, anyone who views art is allowed to control what they think of it. Will they get it? Will the band cover the song correctly? Will the actors understand the play they are doing?
In And Out of the Pigeonhole
Some people are perfectly comfortable finding their niche, their place in life and staying there. Others can display a talent for a particular endeavor and be stuck in a hole they can never get out of. Some creative types never settle for one particular area of creativity and drift from ability to ability because the spirit moves them. I began at an early age loving art: wanting to draw and paint. And then I fell in love with the performing arts and film production. And then I was an actor. And then I wrote for a Music newspaper. And then I was in a comedy group. And then I wrote plays. How did I avoid the Pigeonhole? I'm not sure. But I will share my thoughts on it.
The Visual -You Tube
Some American Films To Enrich Your Creative Mind (Audio Only)
In a previous episode I recommended some films from France, Japan, Germany, and Italy that displayed a new take on storytelling and filmmaking. This time I recommend some American Films that do the same.
A Few American Films To Enrich Your Creative Mind (Video)
In a previous episode I recommended some films from France, Japan, Germany, and Italy that displayed a new take on storytelling and filmmaking. This time I recommend some American Films that do the same. Full video on Spotify or Youtube
Film Suggestions to Enrich Your Mind or Confuse you Deeply (Video)
In the previous episode I mentioned some Foreign films that were worth checking out. In this video version - I expand the topic and make a few recommendations. Films by Fellini, Godard, Kurosawa and Herzog.
Keeping the Creativity Flowing by Keeping the Mind Open
A few stories for you to open up your little gray cells to all that is possible out there. First is the story of Keith Jarrett and the Koln Concert - how he was able to overcome some large problems to make everything work and create his best-selling live album when he wasn't sure he could get through the concert. Next, learn how keeping an open mind can help you grow as a creative person and heck - even as a decent human on this planet Earth.
Doing It Backwards
Sometimes creativity is found by reversing the way you do or look at things. Try approaching something you are very familiar with - the way you write, paint, or any creative endeavor and start at a different point. It can help you see it in a new way.
Did you know there are Rules for Actors? Did you know it’s Ok to Break Them?
A Collection Of Short Stories
I took some time off to do something creative. I wrote a book. How did I go about the process? I will tell you the story. Not the short story but the story about the short stories. Yes, that. The book is called Idle Essence: Tales Of Marvin a collection of short stories
Wisdom from the Young - Being a Good Sport
I spoke with my lovely and charming granddaughter about her love of all things sports; specifically Volleyball. From kindergarten through the sixth grade she has been part of a team in some form or another. How does sports teamwork translate into everyday life? Can you take the skills you learn on the Volleyball court or softball diamond and apply them to normal social situations?
How You Can Be In the Performing Arts
Short Bonus: Look At It This Way - The Fall
On Writing: Exposition Two - Show, Don't Tell, and Don't Mention It
S2E4 One creed many writers live by is the rule: Show, Don't Tell. What does that mean? How does that work? What is an example or two? How can I convey the information I want my audience to know without making it sound silly? Do I need to Show or Tell them everything? Could I introduce elements that have nothing to do with my story? Can I withhold information? Has anyone ever done that? Let's find out!
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So You Want To Go Into The Arts Do You?
S2 E3 There are some of us who dream of going into the arts and becoming an actor, a writer, a poet, a dancer, a painter, a musician, or a combination of fields. Going into the arts isn't the most respectable profession as some would have you believe - but if you have a strong passion, there are ways to accomplish your dreams. In this episode, your host Lee Mueller will talk with someone who made it happen and how he did it. Can you balance a normal job with an artistic job? We will find out.
Allen Admire & Pat Finn Improv Ability
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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On Writing: Exposition Explanation Examples or Why Is This Character Speaking So Strangely ?
S2 E2 As an example of creativity - sometimes in telling a story you need the audience to know some information: who is this guy? Why did that happen? Was is this person acting that way? - and as a creative storyteller, you need a smooth natural way to convey information to your audience/reader/viewer without sounding too corny. Your host Lee Mueller explores some methods you can use to help the story and your own creativity flow.
Jean Luc-Godard's Breathless
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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In A Creative State Of Mind or Look At It This Way
Season 2 Ep 1. Should you keep using what works for everyone else or perhaps change it up a bit? Go with the formula or create your own? Should you just look at the world as it is or maybe seek the details and find a difference?
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Developing Creativity - Adapting. Yes, and Then What Happens Method
Ep. 12 How and approach to writing plays was developed by the structure of an improvisational performer. As long as you understand the setting and the flow of A to B to C, Lee Mueller could free-form a story without planning it all out in advance. How to allow the play to unfold the same way it does in front of the audience. How to employ the "yes and" method that is a rule from improvisation and use the "and then what happens?" mindset to move everything forward. These techniques also can be used in business and everyday life to adapt to any situation. Lee will tell you how.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Critical Creativity - Getting Reviewed versus Getting Criticized
Ep 11 Exploring the world of reviews versus criticism. How personal preferences should not play a role in reviews or criticism. But oddly, how using opinions and criticisms can make your mind creative. Join host Lee Mueller as he explores the fine lines.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Dying Art Of The Story (Pics Or It Didn't Happen) And Ghost Stories
Ep. 10 In this day and age, it's just as easy to show someone pictures or a phone video of something that happened as it is to tell them all about it. But your host Lee Mueller grew up with Grandparents who told stories about people they knew and things that happened to them - they did not have pictures - they had words. It didn't matter if the stories were true, they were fun to hear. Same with Ghost Stories - the stories are scarier in your imagination than the video evidence sometimes. Lee has a few ghost tales for Halloween. True. No Pics though. Here is a Ghost Story called To Wake The Dead - A Play about a ghost attending his own Funeral to solve his murder.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Can You Make Murder Funny In A Theatrical Play? Should You Even Cross That Line?
Ep. 09 Host Lee Mueller learned of someone objecting to a theatre group doing one of his "Murder Mystery Comedy Plays" and had to consider their viewpoint for a moment. Murder is not a subject that should be funny, not at all, but writers have been getting away with the subject for a long time. How do they do it? How can you spin a topic such as "death" in such a way that an audience will not be depressed by it but instead laugh and have fun? Is it possible? Well, it must be. Let's lift the hood on this topic and take a look inside.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Bad Habits That Can Make An Actor's Performance A Bit Weird
Ep. 08 Lee Mueller has spent many years in theatre, starting in high school to the present day. He has worked with some actors who had some very strange habits. Odd idiosyncrasies that made their performance awkward to watch. Why did they do it? Where did they learn it? Why did no one say something? Like, Stop Doing That! Several references are shared from Lee's book: The Basic On Stage Survival Guide For Amateur Actors
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Bonus Episode: How Can Performing Artists Survive In 2020 Since Performing is on Hold?
I have had a few people ask me questions about how the conditions of 2020 are affecting some artists: actors, musicians, playwrights et al.. and what are we doing to cope? Well, I have a few thoughts.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Is Acting Lying? Would I Lie To You? Or Just Act Like It?
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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The Mechanics And Theories Of Comedy. Why Was That Funny?
Ep.6 Lee Mueller has been spent many years in sketch comedy groups and writing comedy plays. Why do certain jokes work and others do not? Could it be the way they are written or could it be the person telling them? What is funny and why do we laugh? Is timing at all important? Let's explore this topic that is no joke.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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How Did You Become A Playwright? The Long And Winding Path
Ep.5 In the last episode, host Lee Mueller tackled the question, "if I always wanted to be a playwright?" In this episode, he talks about HOW he became one. Hint: Lee did not decide one day that it would be his calling. It all just happened. He went from acting on stage in High School, College, and on the stage in an improvisational comedy sketch group to eventually becoming a playwright. How it all prepared him to write his first play. Eventually creating Play-dead.com
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Did You Always Want To Be A Playwright?
Ep.4 Lee Mueller may not have started out wanting to write plays, but the roads he traveled carried him there. Perhaps growing up as an only child fueled his imagination. And when he became an adult, he did not put away childish things. Lee acted in plays and eventually went on to write plays, eventually creating Play-Dead.com - a website that features all of his Comedy Murder Mystery scripts.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Playwright Brain - How Different Ideas Can Evolve Into One Project. How The Creative Process Can Work.
Ep. 3 Audio is taken from a video - not the best) How distinct elements of ideas all blended together to fill out the idea. Lee Mueller had an idea for a play called "Dead Air". This is the evolution of the script he wrote many years ago. It should be noted that writers come up with ideas in all sorts of ways. This is only an example of how this idea fermented in his mind.
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Creative Writing: Where Do You Get Your Ideas Part 2 - reworking (or re-wording) the Cliche
Ep. 2 Sometimes a great new idea may just be an old one we don't recognize. How many creative people reuse what has been done before? Quite a few. Once you become familiar with the clichés in books, movies, TV, etc.. -you begin to see the pattern and realize there are only so many stories and so many ways to tell them. The challenge is to rework them into something which appears original. And that leads to becoming a creative thinker and person. Join your host Lee Mueller as he explores the world of recycled ideas.
Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai
A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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Creative Writing: Where Do You Get Your Ideas to Write? Pen or Pencil? (Part 1)
Ep.1 When you create, you need to know how to do it. And you need an idea. When you start out as a novice writer, you may have a lot of questions and read a lot of "How To" books. You want to know if you are doing it right. This episode with your host Lee Mueller, explores the methods, the early stages of the creative process, and some questions writers may wonder—such as what is the best time of day to write? What should you use? Pencil? Computer? And where do you get your ideas? A collection of Lee's plays can be found on Amazon
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