“Without music, life would be a mistake”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Listen to music while working helps. Helps a lot. Helps being more creative, helps to relax, helps to produce faster and keeps you calm. Do you ever wonder what kind of music your favorite artists listen while photographing, writing, painting, drawing? That is a question that has always followed me while seeing works of my favorite artists. I love music. Can’t imagine a world without it. Would be disastrous. Chaos. We need music in our lives. Whether we are happy, sad, drunk, traveling, having sex, studying, driving, flying, strolling, eating, cooking, chatting, music is needed!
So this post it is about what I listen while photographing, traveling and writing. Music is needed 24/7. Music makes me goes to other dimensions, other places (makes me think about perfume, another thing that always take me to other places). Some music brings me joy, euphoria, pleasure. Others sadness, memories, happiness. Others craziness, calmness, solitude. But the point is, all music bring some kind of emotion to us, and for me, enhance my creativity, always.
During my photography walks….
I just put my earring phones and then my photography starts to flow. Of course sometimes while strolling and photographing I don’t hear music at all, because I also love to hear the street sound. Other peoples languages, the global mix noise. I understand that it is also another kind of music. But if I stay at some sight more than 30 min, phone earrings out. We photographers sometimes stay hours at one single point just to grab a frame of what we really want. And, music is needed! So, while I’m working this is pretty much what I listen: Kiasmos, Christian Löffler (these two are kind of obsession, they are everyday in my life), Portishead, Moby. During my night walks is when I feel more need of music. The late night scenes before me are like a black and white movie.
Vienna is an important destination for classical music lovers
During trips
Jazz, jazz and more jazz. Who don’t? These guys always accompany me, and they are: Coltrane, Miles Davis, Tomasz Stanko Quintet, Chet Baker, Louis Armstrong, Gene Ammons, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Sade, Wynton Marsalis, Nina Simone, Carol Sloane, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Blossom Dearie, Woody Allen selection of jazz songs. So many… but these are in my heart. And also mostly everyday in my life.
"One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations." ~ John Coltrane
"You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times." ~ Nina Simone
While writing
When I am writing, depending of what I am writing about, I need a more calm music. Just to put my ideas in order. So, the lists goes as: Kiasmos, Christian Löffler (again, I know) and classical music. Yes. I love classical, how come not if I love operas, ballets, concerts? Favorites: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Erik Satie, Mozart, Wagner, Schubert, Vivaldi, Franz Liszt, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Shigeru Umebayashi.
Silence is also a ‘must have’
Yes, music is needed in my life but also silence. So sometimes all I need is silence, total silence. I love when is a completely quiet atmosphere. Actually, sometimes that is what we all need. From once in a while, even my favorite song, my favorite singer, can’t amuse me. And that’s when I know that is silence time to rule.
Tip
Whenever I travel, I always try to go to operas, concerts, ballets and shows. Some of the music I love to hear can be hard to come to Brazil (like Kiasmos). So besides being a great thing to do, a typical ‘live as a local’ thing, the cultural opportunities out there are great! I always research a bit before travel in order to be able to catch my favorite programs. Never will forget when I saw the Swan Lake Ballet in Saint Petersburg or The Four Seasons played in Vienna by the Royal Orchestra. These things are worth our time! And we never forget. No doubt about it.
"Bach is like an astronomer who, with the help of ciphers, finds the most wonderful stars . . . Beethoven embraced the universe with the power of his spirit . . . I do not climb so high. A long time ago I decided that my universe will be the soul and heart of man." ~ Frederic Chopin
Oh yes, last but not least, people often ask me why I don’t listen to Brazilian music. Well, I never was a big fan of Brazilian music. Never. Especially nowadays that what is playing here in Brazil is not Brazilian music at all. But while listening to my jazz favorites, the singers always play along with Tom Jobim, resulting in our famous Brazilian bossa nova. And that’s nice. And I listen to that as well.
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." ~ Ella Fitzgerald
What about you? Do you need music in your life while working? Comment below!