Category Archives: Art

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Creativity Quiz #2…With My Dad

I guess it goes without saying that any creative adult had a creative influencer early on in life. For me it was my dad. When I was in first grade he cast me in my first play as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. Since then we have done countless shows together, even up until just a few years ago. He always had books around; always came to the haunted houses and plays that we made up when we were kids; always encouraged coloring a sunset purple because that’s the way it looked.

My dad, David Eggebrecht, is a:

  • Writer
  • Painter
  • Director
  • World Traveler
  • Literature Professor
  • Movie Buff
  • Voracious Reader
  • Shakespeare Expert
  • And now…even a Blogger (you can read his blog here)

Though he is “retired,” he still goes into the office at Concordia University — Wisconsin every day where he continues to teach, write plays, paint, and direct college plays and musicals. He was the Academic Dean there for over twenty years.

I think my dad was a Renaissance Man even before there was such a thing.

So, here goes. Seven questions for my dad.

Tom: Define creativity.

Dave: The ability to look beyond the mundane and see the extra and the special in an object, an event, or a situation.

Tom: When did you first realize that you were “creative”?

Dave: Good question – I think when I was in Kindergarten and was asked to be Tiny Tim in a church production of A Christmas Carol. (Ed. Do you sense a theme here?) That got the juices flowing when I realized I could be someone/something beyond myself.

Tom: How do you cultivate your creativity?

Dave: I read a lot; I make up situations; I write to see what happens; I paint to see what happens; I work with a lot of really creative people.

Tom: How do you handle a creative block?

Dave: Leave it alone for a while, and it’ll come home, wagging its tail behind it. That’s true – go away from whatever, physically and/or mentally, then come back at it again later with what Robert Frost called “a new think.” Or just try a different approach.

Tom: When and where do you do your most creative work?

Dave: In my cave at my computer, but I can be creative anywhere with pen or pencil in hand.

Tom: Who is your “creative inspiration”? Why?

Dave: Grandpa Eggebrecht (Ed. Dave’s father) for one thing – he was great with his hands at creating things.  Herb Arkebauer, my speech and drama teacher in high school – a very creative person whom I patterned my life after.  He was always fun to be around he had so many creative ideas.  Currently, probably John Dolphin (Career Stage Lighting Designer and founder of Mid-West Scenic), Steve Nibbe (Actor and High School Drama Teacher in the Madison, WI, area; once a student of Dave’s), Barb Gensler (Renowned in the Milwaukee area as a High School Drama Professional at Shorewood High School), creative people I have the pleasure of working with.

Tom: What advice do you have for aspiring “creatives”?

Dave: Keep an open mind, be willing to try, do, think new things, look at things with a different perspective, give whatever it is a “new think.”

What do you think of Dave’s ideas about creativity? Any new insights?

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Creativity Quiz #1

With this post I am beginning an exciting, brand new series. One of the purposes of this blog is to encourage and enhance creativity. As I learn, I hope that you will learn right along with me.

So I am interviewing people in my life who have inspired me creatively, and have taught me a thing or two along the way. Each person you will meet in this series has been a creative influence on me in one way or another. I have come up with seven identical questions that I will ask each participant.

These people have colored outside of the lines. They have had a way with words. They have written songs, and books, and blogs.

It’s my pleasure to introduce to you my first participant. Tim Wesemann is a friend of mine from our days together at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Tim has since become a professional writer and speaker. Check out his web site called FoolishWords. It’s a model of creativity.

Tom: Define creativity.

Tim: When leading seminars on creativity I’ve felt obligated to share a definition, but I avoid it. The variables seem too great. I haven’t discovered or decided on one definition that hits the mark square on. So I’ll also avoid the question here!

Tom: When did you first realize that you were “creative”?

Tim: I honestly can’t remember discussions about creativity or placing that label (in a good way) on others during the first twenty yeas of my life. In my final years of college I began to realize I had been blessed with a measure of creativity usually because others told me I was creative! (Ed. Take note parents, teachers, and those who work with children!)

Tom: How do you cultivate your creativity?

Tim: I go to the drink aisle at the grocery store and pick up the variety pack of creative juices and guzzle those while reading articles, blogs, or books on creativity. There’s also something about film, theater, and music that works for me.

Tom: How do you handle a creative block?

Tim: Getting away from my desk or surroundings is usually the first step. Observing the creative giftedness of others often helps – watching a movie (in the theater, not at home), reading, enjoying the work of a musician, listening to a comedian, observing God’s creativity in His creation, etc. Another option is eating. Going out to lunch by myself with a pen and paper often works. At one point I exercised regularly and that got the creative juices flowing. Unfortunately, I could never remember everything bombarding my brain when I finished the workout. So I felt it best to give up exercising and went with the eating option mentioned earlier. And prayer can always play a part in whittling the block down to the shape of wheel so things can start to roll again.

Tom: When and where do you do your most creative work?

Tim: As a writer I’m almost forced to do it in front of my computer so I can capture those creative thoughts and record them. But I don’t like the idea of forcing creativity…yet it seems that when I’m writing the creativity flows most fluidly. I’m much more creative at night than in the morning.

Tom: Who is your “creative inspiration”? Why?

Tim: Oh my. It changes frequently. I get hooked on one person and suck him or her dry until I find someone else. I jump from one to another.

Tom: What advice do you have for aspiring “creatives”?

Tim: Observe and appreciate creativity in areas outside your own interests or giftedness. Spend more time with little children. The way they look at and respond to situations makes adults look rigid and boring. Spend time with other creative people. Take whatever is in front of you and look at it from different angles. You might be surprised what you see. Finally, it may seem obvious, but read Tom Eggebrecht’s blog regularly.

Thanks for the plug, Tim!

How would you respond to Tim’s ideas about creativity?

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Resisting Resistance

I consider myself to be a pretty motivated guy. My problem is that occasionally (ahem!) my motivation gets sidetracked by other things. We live in a distracting world, and I live a distracted life. As a pastor, professor, and writer, I find myself pulled in every direction of the wind on an almost daily basis. I’ve got people to visit, classes to teach, a day school with which to connect, services to plan, and writing to do. Lots of writing to do.

I write newsletter articles, bulletin announcements, lesson plans, devotions, church email announcements, and sermons. As I always say, “Sundays never stop coming.” That means I find myself staring at a blank document on a computer screen weekly as I prepare to write about the text I have studied, the background I have gone over, the central theme I have deduced, and the illustrations I think will fit.

Have you ever tried to write something creative, thoughtful, memorable, and faithful every single week? It’s no easy task. It takes thorough background study, a unique “take,” a free-flowing outline, solid theology, and motivation. Lots of motivation.

I recently read The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. In the book I discovered something that I had suspected all along. I discovered something with which I had been battling all along. Pressfield named it for me and described it for me. The enemy with whom I have been battling much of my adult life is named Resistance.

Pressfield says:

Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic?…Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace, or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what Resistance is. (The War of Art)

I’ll let you read for yourself Pressfield’s remedy to overcoming Resistance. But one of the things in the book that really struck me was the sentence, “No matter what, I will never let Resistance beat me.”

I am ultra-competitive by nature, and those are “fightin’ words.” I will never let Resistance beat me!

Yesterday it almost did. Every Friday night my wife and I go out somewhere for dinner. After a difficult week of work we enjoy a relaxing evening trying one of Milwaukee’s awesome restaurants, or an evening with friends, or a local wine bar that has Milwaukee’s finest selection. We look forward to it all week.

Yesterday afternoon I was working on my sermon for this coming Sunday, and it just wasn’t flowing. I was having a hard time getting more than three sentences down on the page. It was now almost 4 p.m. and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I said to my wife, “Are you ready to go somewhere?” She asked me if my sermon was finished, knowing full well that if I don’t get it finished by Friday, I’m a very unhappy and crabby person on Saturday morning.

Tammy told me gently, but firmly, to get my sermon finished. Ah, Resistance. You bitter, bitter enemy. You almost snuck one in there.

But when two battle against you, you will never win! Suddenly I had motivation. My sermon seemd to flow. I looked at the clock when I was finished and it was 6:01 p.m. Victory!

My reward? A wonderful evening out with my wife. A free Saturday morning. A sermon that is finished with creativity and textual faithfulness. A message that will be “shipped” Sunday morning.

A partner in the battle against Resistance is a good thing.

What do you do to battle Resistance?

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Bach’s Birthday (and Mine)

J.S. Bach and I share a birthday (March 21). It rolls around just about this time every year. It’s the first day of Spring which is, I suppose, appropriate for me, since I detest Winter. We’re on our way to warmer weather.

And it’s appropriate for Bach, because spring is a time of new creation. Bach was a creative genius. He didn’t introduce new forms, but he took old forms and interjected new things into them. He was a master at the contrapuntal technique. He brought organized motifs into his music. He took forms and textures from Italy and France and adapted them into his own music to create something brand new.

I’m in no way claiming to be a creative genius, but I believe that Johann and I have some similar characteristics and experiences:

  • Bach came from a musical family, and learned his craft from an early age. My dad is a creative spirit who is a writer, director, and music lover, all of which I have received from him.
  • As a young man, Bach sang in a well-renowned choir. As a young man I had the privilege of singing in Eldon Balko’s Schola Cantorum. My parents saw to it that I went to this Saturday morning music school every week. I actually loved it, and count it as one of the formative experiences of my life.
  • Bach had an adult mentor named Johan Adam Reinken. Bach loved Reinken’s music so much that one summer he walked 48 km in order to hear him play the organ. I had mentors outside of my family that taught me to play the guitar, encouraged life skills in the Boy Scouts, and affirmed my affinity for singing. Glad I never had to walk 48 km to be with them!
  • When he was about 18, Bach took on a job as a servant and private violinist in the chapel of a Duke. He learned the importance of earning an honest days’ wage while perfecting his craft. As a young person I worked as a caddy, a bus boy, in a pharmacy, and in a one hour photo shop (remember those?). Those jobs taught me a number of things, including the fact that my education was important so that I didn’t have to have jobs like those for the rest of my life.
  • Early in his career Bach took a leave of absence to learn from Dietrich Buxtehude. He came back to his home church and introduced some newly learned techniques, much to the chagrin of his congregation. A year-and-a-half ago I was granted a three month sabbatical. I came back and introduced some new ideas, thoughts, and creative techniques…hopefully not too much to the chagrin of my congregation.
  • At one point in his life Bach had to write one cantata per month. I can’t imagine writing a cantata every month. But I suppose some people can’t imagine writing a sermon every week, either.
  • Bach was a Lutheran. So am I.

J.S. Bach showed that creativity and musicianship are the result of passion, pursuit, and practice. I’d like to have more of each of them in my life. That’s what I plan to celebrate on my next birthday. And J.S. Bach will be there to remind me.

I’m curious: With which famous person/people do you share a birthday? What have you learned from them?

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It’s Not OK to Be OK…OK?

Last night 60 Minutes had a segment on The Equity Project, an innovative charter school in New York City (video here). It’s a school that “auditions” teachers from all over the country and hires “the best of the best.” When teachers are hired they are paid $125,000, and get no tenure. Out of all the interesting things the school is doing, and the creative ways they are being done, one teacher’s quote struck me more than any other. When asked about being a teacher in such a school, he answered: “It’s not OK just to be OK.”

In other words, excellence, innovation, creativity, passion, and hard work are expected from each and every teacher at the TEP School. So how do the teachers at the TEP School avoid being “just OK”? They prepare; they learn excellent classroom management; they creatively focus on taking students from Point A to Point B; they videotape their classes so that they can evaluate one another (can you imagine?); and they work hard. When they fail to live up to the exacting standards of the school they either work harder, or walk away (or get let go).

Tim Rice knows that it’s not OK just to be OK. You may recognize the name. Tim Rice is the other half of the duo (which included Andrew Lloyd Weber) that wrote such smash hits as Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Rice had great success until he wrote the musical Chess. I bet you haven’t seen it (except you, Dad). That’s because it was a huge flop.

Rice admitted that it wasn’t very good. “In fact,” he says, “it was terrible!” So did he quit? Did he give up? Did he stop writing? No. He knew that it’s not OK just to be OK. So he worked harder than ever. He re-worked the musical. He says that it is now far superior to the original version, and it is slated to open again in London’s West End.

It seems that Tim Rice’s hard work has paid off. In addition to re-working Chess, he wrote, amongst other things, the musical The Lion King and has garnered three Oscars, four Tonys, and six Grammys. He has also been “knighted” and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tim Rice has experienced both success and failure. But he still realizes that it’s not OK just to be OK. He’s not resting on his laurels. He could easily retire and never have to work again. But his craft, his art, and his passion all converge, so he’s happy to work hard every day. His new project is a musical called From Here to Eternity.

So what do TEP School teachers and Tim Rice have in common? They are passionate about their “art.” They chase after innovation. They do their homework. They are intent on getting better. And the key to it all is that they work hard. There’s no substitute for hard work. None.

If you really believe that it’s not OK just to be OK, what do you do? Go the extra mile. Stay later than anyone else. Pursue your craft. Use spare minutes to do the things that stir your soul. Read. Write. Do your homework. Evaluate. Don’t procrastinate. Finally, deliver.

How do you pursue being better than “just OK”? I’d love your thoughts and ideas.

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College Carpe Diem

Ben went back to school today. Back to Music City. Back to warmer weather. Back to the place that inspires him and the people that support him. Back to a place that is a passing point along the way, but a place that he increasingly calls “home.”

He was home for spring break with a few friends. They came. They played. They conquered (lots of food).

He went back to the place where possibility floats through the air like pollen on a spring day. He goes to a school where monumental talent surrounds him. The location provides opportunity almost unequaled. Across the street is Music Row. Down the road is the world-famous Bluebird Cafe. Downtown is the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame. ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC all have offices there. Recording studios and music companies dot the urban landscape.

Ben loves music and music loves him. He has written. He has recorded. He has formed a band called “My Red and Blue” (ask him the story behind that name…). He has hard copy CD’s of his EP (acronyms, acronyms…) called, “I Might Miss This.” He has been given opportunities to shop his music up and down music row.

I’m not sure how well Ben knows that he stands at a major crossroads in his life. College time seems to move faster than almost any other time of life. It’s here today and gone tomorrow. It’s a life filled with both responsibility and freedom. It’s a place where dreams are hatched and ideas take root. But nothing is yet written in the cement.

Some seize the day. Others let opportunity slip away. It’s never too early to start living your dream and shipping your goods.

Funny, isn’t it, how children sometimes inspire their parents?! If only the wisdom of “age” could be coupled with the energy and ideas of youth.

Ben went back to school today. May he seize the day.

What is it that inspires you enough to seize the day and ship your goods?

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Acting On A Tip

This past weekend our daughter, Ashlyn, attended the Southeastern Theatre Conference auditions in Atlanta. She will be graduating in May with a B.F.A. degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Regardless of whether or not she gets any jobs out of her auditions this weekend, it was a successful couple of days for her.

On Friday she had to get up in a hotel ballroom filled with hundreds of reps from theatre companies from all over the country. She had ninety seconds to say her name and auditioner number, sing a song, and do a monologue. She was in a group of forty. There were strict instructions on where to sit, when to get up, what to do when you got on stage, and where you were to go once you finished.

A couple of hours later she found out that she had callback auditions to theatre companies from Florida, Georgia, New York, Michigan, Colorado, Montana, and California. So now she had to go to various rooms in the hotel to attend the callbacks. Can you imagine walking into a room with a couple of people sitting there and having to “do your thing” all by yourself?

Last October she had to go to Tennessee to do preliminary auditions to see if she could even get into the auditions in Atlanta. Now she has potential job opportunities literally all over the country. As an actress, in this economy, one could certainly do worse.

When I asked her if she was nervous getting up in front of that huge room full of people she said, “Not really.” She said the the callback auditions were, however, different and a bit nerve-racking. But she made it through, and now waits for the results.

Here’s what I have learned from her experience:

  1. Focus on preparation. Sometimes preparation takes years. Ashlyn’s school, from day one, has prepared her for what she now faces. When the time had come, she was ready. Nervousness didn’t enter into the picture. Preparation means that when the moment for performance comes there is no doubt. You’re ready to go without hesitation.
  2. Play by the rules. It’s often tempting to “break the rules” and “go your own way,” but had Ashlyn gone longer than her allotted time or done something in her audition that “stretched the rules,” all would have been lost. Playing within the rules is most often to our advantage.
  3. Deliver the goods. When the time comes for you to do what you have prepared to do, give it your all; don’t hold back; let loose and do what you have been taught and prepared to do. You’re ready. People notice when you hold back. People appreciate it when you give it your best.
  4. Nervous energy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, Ashlyn channeled her nervous energy to bring focus and vibrancy to her callbacks. As a result, she received positive reactions from those who were auditioning her.
  5. Prepare more than is necessary. In one callback audition, Ashlyn was asked to sing a pop-rock song from a musical. Out of her hip pocket she pulled a song from the musical, “The Wedding Singer.” Though she hadn’t done it for a while, she knew it and performed it well when it really mattered.
  6. Be confident, but not cocky. Confidence is a trait in which one recognizes both abilities and limitations, and moves forward with that knowledge. Cockiness, on the other hand, turns people off. Confidence may win you the job (or the sale, or whatever…). Cockiness may lose it all for you. Confidence comes from preparation, playing by the rules, and delivering the goods.
  7. Rest in the knowledge that you have done your best. When it was all over, Ashlyn was both relieved and ready to get back to school to continue further preparation. No matter what happens, she knows that she “left it all out on the floor” and that there are jobs out there for her somewhere.

These lessons apply no matter what our vocation. I’d love to hear your examples of “preparation” and “delivering the goods.”

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Re:Creating Empathy

Randy Elrod is the passionate, artistic, creative entrepreneur who formed and shaped re:create, and has nurtured it over eleven years. In my continuing series of quotes from the re:create conference, this post is focused on Randy’s presentation about empathy. Believe me when I say that it generated much discussion at the conference.

Randy’s empathy was on display throughout the conference as he shed real, empathetic tears on more than one occasion. In other words, he knew that of which he was speaking.  Here are some quotes:

  • Ether = Quintessence = “The 5th Element”; Ether was known as the purest essence and was thought to permeate everything. We have a God who is “quintessence” in the greatest sense.
  • Use one word to describe yourself: that word is your brand; your “brand” is who you are not what you do.
  • The first verb of the Bible is “created”!
  • Empathy comes in three types: Cognitive, Emotional, and Compassionate.
  • Cognitive Empathy = To know another person’s feelings; to take them and use them for or against a person.
  • Emotional Empathy = To feel what another person feels.
  • Compassionate Empathy = To respond compassionately to another person’s distress.
  • The progression of these three types of empathy goes like this: I notice you…I feel with you…I act to help you (that’s what the Good Samaritan did).

Once we determine what type of empathy we most regularly practice, we can be aware of the gift from God that it is, and use it in service to ourself and to others.

  • The Creator God can recreate our past because He is the “quintessential” Father. He is ever-present in and through His Word.
  • When you feel yourself getting tense, assess it; you’re trying to be God in that moment.
  • The up side of being an empathetic person is passion, intuition, and communication.
  • The down side of being an empathetic person is that one can become an emotional sponge.
  • Be present to your God-given emotions “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13).

What does empathy have to do with creativity?

  • It helps to understand that even our minds have been redeemed; understanding the spiritual “mind” that has been placed in us is key to seeing life through the eyes of Christ.
  • Christian contemplation is a commendable practice.
  • Practice imagination!
  • Practice remembering what you’ve forgotten, a la Madeline L’Engle who reminds us that every child is an artist.
  • Practice charisma, that is “the ability to make people feel comfortable in an uncomfortable space.”
  • Give people the gift of God’s presence in you.
  • Be optimistic and curious.
  • Focus on others: Pay attention to the person in front of you (listen to listen…not to fix and solve).

People do their best work when they are allowed to make progress. Give the people around you the opportunity to make progress.

As a result of this talk I’m going to work on being a more empathetic person, being more “present” to those in my life. I also want to use the gift of empathy to foster my creative spirit (see the last group of bullet points).

How do empathy and creativity work together to produce art in your life?

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What’s Your Sign?

A homeless man has just been offered many multiple jobs. In case you’ve missed it over the past few days, Ted Williams, a homeless man with an incredible, classic radio voice was made famous by youtube and has now been offered jobs by the Cleveland Cavaliers amongst others. You can see the original video that started it all here.

The days since this all spread like wildfire on the internet have been interesting to say the least. It’s been a whirlwind  for Williams who got some new clothes, a hair cut, and has been on national TV. Beyond that, internet reports have brought to light his extended rap sheet and mug shots that are not very flattering. It seems that for the past ten years Ted Williams was not the most upstanding guy. Alcohol, drugs, and “some other things” got in the way.

I’m not sure how all of this is going to turn out. I’m all about second chances — and I hope Ted Williams takes advantage of his — but I’m certain this instant notoriety won’t be easy. It’s tough to be thrust into the spotlight and come out smelling like roses on the other end…no matter what your recent background happens to be.

But this blog is about creativity. Here’s where I found the creativity in this whole story: It was in the sign Ted used to ask for money out on the streets.  It said: “I have a God given gift of voice. I’m an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times.”

At a tough time in his life Ted Williams used his art. According to Seth Godin, “Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.” Williams knew that his art was his voice. He knew that “in a former life” his art changed people. He longed to do it again. In order to get back to where he wanted to be he used the leverage of his art.

If you had to hold up a sign that was going to change your life for the better, what would it say? What is your God-given art that would gain attention on youtube and the internet? And don’t let me hear you say you don’t have any art. You do. And it’s art that can change people. It’s art that may even bring that long-needed change into your own life…just like it did for Ted Williams.

What would your sign say?

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The Hue Is Blue but the Mood Is Not

Merry Christmas! He Qi is one of my favorite artists. His Nativity speaks to me so much so, that I am using it for our Christmas Eve service at Mt. Calvary. Here is a preview of what the people of Mt. Calvary will hear this Christmas Eve:

Nativity, by He Qi. Used by permission. Go to www.heqigallery.com to view and purchase prints and posters.

The hue is blue, but the mood is not. Into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world, a Star falls and lands into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure.  Faceless angels spread their arms in blessing, while sheep and goats bow their heads in praise.  A father’s lantern wants to lend some light, but the Star provides a beam that will not be overcome.  Lost in wonder, rag-topped men can do nothing else but crane their necks and gaze into the sky.  From whence this light?  From whence this love?  From whence this Beaming Babe?

A Star has fallen into the waiting arms of a young lady, pink and pure. And in His tiny hands, Eden’s fruit that, this time, will not be consumed.  Spread your arms in blessing.  Bow your head in praise.  Bask in the light that will not be overcome.  Lose yourself in wonder and crane your neck in eager expectation. The hue is blue, but the mood is not!  The Morning Star has come to bring His beaming brightness into the pale, dark depths of a broken and fragmented world.  The hue is blue, but the mood is not.

How does this version of the Nativity speak to you?