I would like to continue, once I’ve sorted things out, but I don’t know when that will be. Sometimes, I think about deleting what I’ve done. But I haven’t, because many have told me they like it. I do think about going in a different direction. We will see.
Right now, as I take a break and wait for inspiration to strike, I’m “losing myself” in the work of others. When not a lot makes sense in my own little corner of the world, I've often found that the right music or movie does make sense. Recently, I’ve stumbled across two that have woven their way into my consciousness. They surprised me, stirred something deep within, and they stayed with me longer than I expected.
The first is the Broken Bells record. As a longtime fan of the Shins, and to a lesser extent, Danger Mouse, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this odd pairing. Well, a month later, this CD is still living in the player in my car. It’s something special.
The second is “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” I came late to this movie, missed it in theaters, but caught it once it was out on DVD. It is wonderful in every way. Classic story, memorable characters, vivid stop-motion animation, with music that just takes it to a whole ‘nother level. I've watched it repeatedly, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a movie this much.
Here are two works of art by people doing what they love, each finely crafted with layers upon layers of detail. Maybe they haven’t found as big an audience as they deserve, but for their core groups of fans, it makes us positively light up inside. Like magic. Some would say that’s the measure of something truly great. Do something uniquely your own, and someone, somewhere will say, wow. Mercer and Mouse have done that for me. So has “Fox” director Wes Anderson.