⚡George Lucas' incomplete vision for Star Wars ✨
🔊 Spotify rolls out new features, including a TikTok-style video feed
Clayton Hester
March 09, 2023
- the incomplete vision of George Lucas
- Spotify attempts to change the game for music streaming
- remembering the art and children's books of Ian Falconer
I was recently watching Disney+'s phenomenal documentary on the origins of Industrial Light & Magic.
One comment in particular stood out to me, made by Ron Howard.
He mentions that George Lucas believed only a fraction of his actual vision had made it out to become Star Wars.
Howard is as surprised as the next guy about this - how much more vision could you have put into Star Wars!
And yet there's something deeply intriguing about this, something bittersweet even.
Another comment made in a separate interview was that George Lucas wished he could have hooked his brain up to a machine and create Star Wars entirely from his mind.
We're getting closer to that, there's no doubt.
We're left in some measure to wonder how much vision goes unrealized for each visionary.
We're left to wonder just how much art lives in our heads that never visits the outside world.
I've talked before about the tragic quality of unfinished work, particularly giving light to the legacy of men like Leonardo da Vinci, Orson Welles, and Chretien de Troyes.
This is not to discourage anyone.
After all, compromise and collaboration are pieces of the puzzle.
They are facts of life.
And facts of life are something to be embraced, so that you can get up close and see the opportunity in them.
Mention is made, as well, of George Lucas as both imaginative and practical.
Surely, there is in there a sweet spot of managing the creative process.
But, as we say, the whole process may be bucked one day by tools that can bring imagination splashing out into the world around us.
We're in a pivotal time for tools that bring our imaginations to life.
📱 Spotify has unveiled new changes to its app design during a live 90-minute presentation in Los Angeles. The changes include vertical video feeds and a built-in pre-save button, as well as integrated audio and visual previews for playlists, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks. The app also features a pre-save function, which is now built-in. In addition, Spotify CFO Paul Vogel praised the company's recent reduction of its global workforce by 6%, calling it a "real positive" and saying the business had to "evolve."
🔊 Now about that preview feature: Spotify aims to get into the TikTok-style game of short video content. Spotify has launched a new video-centric, interactive feed for its mobile app that will replace its static carousels of playlists and song recommendations. The new homepage, unveiled at the Stream On event on 8 March, features a vertical, swipeable, video-based feed that plays previews of music, podcasts and audiobooks, and is designed to help users discover new content. The move marks a shift away from Spotify's audio-focused approach and towards creating a more audiovisual platform. The video-centric feed will use the app's Canvas feature to display visual backdrops for audio previews.
🎸According to Spotify's Loud & Clear report, in 2022, only 0.6% of artists on the platform earned more than $10,000 in royalties, which amounted to approximately 57,000 artists. However, using Spotify's definition of "professional or professionally aspiring" artists, more than a quarter of that group earned over $10,000. Out of the 9 million artists who uploaded music to Spotify, only 213,000 artists average at least 10,000 monthly listeners. The number of artists making at least $10,000 on Spotify increased 144%, up from 23,400 in 2017. But this growth hasn't kept pace with the overall growth of the platform.
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✏️Ian Falconer, a successful designer for opera sets and covers for The New Yorker, died at the age of 63 in Norwalk, Connecticut. His most famous work, "Olivia," a children's book about a rambunctious piglet, was published in 2000, named a Caldecott Honor Book, and stayed on The New York Times' bestseller list for 107 weeks. The book included adult references, such as an actual Pollock painting, that became a series signature. Falconer also created "Two Dogs," a picture book about twin dachshunds that escape and wreak havoc outside, which was named one of the best children's picture books of 2022. Falconer studied art history and painting at universities in New York and Los Angeles, respectively, and worked with artist and stage designer David Hockney.
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🧟Bert I. Gordon, a famous American filmmaker known for his low-budget monster movies, has passed away at the age of 100. Gordon produced, directed, and wrote over 25 films during his six-decade-long career, including titles like "Village of the Giants" and "Empire of the Ants." Although initially received with negative reviews, Gordon's work has gained critical appreciation in later years. In addition to filmmaking, Gordon was also known for his visual effects work, creating giant creatures using rear-projection techniques. Gordon is survived by his wife, Eva Marie, and their daughter, Christina, as well as his daughters Patricia and Carol.
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When we think of living intentionally, we may imagine a life of purpose, focus, and clarity. But what if the act of making art could help us achieve these same goals? In this article, we'll explore the intersection of intention and art, and how creating art can be a form of intentional living in and of itself.
One of the key ways that art can help us live more intentionally is by requiring us to be present and engaged in the moment. When we create art, we need to be fully immersed in the process, focusing on the task at hand and letting go of distractions and worries. This kind of mindfulness can be a powerful tool for cultivating mental and emotional clarity, and can help us to approach other aspects of our lives with greater presence and focus.
Creating art can also be a form of intentional living because it requires us to set clear intentions and make deliberate choices. From choosing materials and techniques to making compositional decisions and conveying meaning through our work, every step of the creative process involves intentional decision-making. By practicing this kind of intentionality in our art, we can develop the habit of making intentional choices in other areas of our lives as well.
Another way that art can help us live more intentionally is by serving as a tool for self-reflection and personal growth. When we create art, we are often tapping into our own experiences, beliefs, and values, and using our work as a way to process and explore these aspects of ourselves. This kind of introspection can help us to gain greater self-awareness and develop a clearer sense of our own priorities and values, which in turn can inform our choices and actions in other areas of our lives.
Art can help us live more intentionally by giving us a sense of purpose and meaning. When we create art, we are often driven by a desire to express ourselves, to communicate something important to others, or simply to explore the world around us in a meaningful way. This sense of purpose and connection to something larger than ourselves can help us to approach other aspects of our lives with greater meaning and intention, and can provide us with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that goes beyond the act of creating art itself.
The intersection of intention and art is a rich and fertile ground for personal growth and creative expression. By engaging in the intentional act of creating art, we can cultivate greater presence, focus, and clarity, develop the habit of making intentional choices, gain self-awareness and insight, and find greater purpose and meaning in our lives. Whether you consider yourself an artist or not, exploring this intersection can be a powerful tool for living more intentionally and creating a life of purpose and fulfillment.
🏢The Flatiron Building in New York City will be sold at auction on March 22 to settle a dispute between its owners. Four firms, owning a 75% stake in the landmark building, want to force the fifth partner, Nathan Silverstein, to sell his 25% stake after years of disagreements. The owners sued Silverstein, who in turn sued another firm for leasing the building below market price. The proceeds of the sale will be split among the partners, but the majority owners hope to maintain ownership. The building has been empty since 2019, and its last tenant was Macmillan Publishers.
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That's it for today.
Have a great day,
and don't forget, you've got the spark you need inside you.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to spread the spark to a friend!