Contest #2 / Chatter Post

[mythochromos]

Entries for contest #1 are now closed - we only had one entrant, with several icons that are up for sharing!

For this month, we're going to make things a little more open-ended; you can submit layouts or icons with any theme appropriate for the community - the only restrictions are that it needs to be something that's usable on DreamWidth, it needs to be something that would look at home being displayed on the community, and let's keep it PG because there's no age restriction to join here. Entries will be due at the end of the month, as last time.

Continuing on with the senses, the last chatter also didn't get many responses so we've been trying to think of a way to approach the next one that would generate more discussion and possibly some inspiration. We deliberated over which sense to choose next...then, as happens so often with our searches for inspiration, something hit us over the head.

We read a sci-fi blog called io9 alllll the time and they had a post on the question of whether prog-rock is a natural fit with science fiction. I'm not sure about that but there are definitely matches between our favorite overarching themes for stories, and the music we listen to. I think it's natural for writers who are passionate about music, and maybe artists of some other types too.

We've got the Gothic/steampunk line of themes. We've got the generic techno and industrial line of themes...and then we've got the Nine Inch Nails, Zeromancer, and the like we bring out when we're writing something naughty. We write and roleplay largely as if we're method acting so setting the mood is important.

Our music doesn't tend to map to our knitting as neatly, but we've found techno with a driving beat helps if we want to step up the pace. This technique is best with a simple stitch and minimal if any shaping; getting too far into the music does not help with the accuracy.

How does music, or other sound, affect your creativity? Is there something that boosts your results if you just listen while you're working?

Comments

[worldofcharlie]

we tend to like noise in general - if it's too quiet it's hard to concentrate - I know opposite of most folks out there. Our body has ADHD, so I guess brain's wired this way.

I generally don't listen to music while writing, but I like having the telly on...it's more ambient noise if anything. Which station do I listen to while writing??? CNN of course... :)

[kalli]

I was curious if there were any other contests planned for in here? :)

[singerofdark]

Sometimes what we listen to while writing is more a product of who is writing than what we are writing. Or what emotions we are working with depending on what we are writing. It can range. Sometimes it needs to be Loreena McKennitt, but we have also needed it to be Michelle Belanger or Midnight Syndicate or music from Le Cirque de Soliel. That is just a sampler list. We loved when we could just drop a music site into a sounds like station and let it play as we wrote. Can't use that site much anymore.
And we can tell when it is the wrong music for our mood and what we need to write.

Rain

[kalli]

Will you have anymore contests soon? :)

[mythochromos]

At this point, I'm not sure. I realize (now, duh) that we didn't post the submissions entry for last month's contest. But there's been so little response to the other attempts at interaction that my system has been wondering whether the community is even interested, whether we're doing something wrong, some combination of the above...

If we had some idea of what will get people participating, we'd do it, and try to use what we can from the routine we were trying to set up.

-Shainin